Interview: DEC Wildlife Biologist Steven Heerkens gives update on New York's Moose population

The Moose is loose! No, not our radio station, but the tall standing, four-legged creature some are lucky enough to see here annually.

Currently, DEC Biologists estimate there are upwards of 700 or possibly even more of these animals throughout the Adirondack Park. According to the DEC, Moose are the largest member of the deer family (Cervidae), and the largest land mammal in New York State.

Bulls weigh from 600 to 1,200 pounds and stand up to 6 feet tall at the shoulder. Cows weigh from 500 to 800 pounds.

The breeding season, or rut, occurs in late September and early October and this is when the folks around the North Country see Moose wandering around in search of a mate.

During this time, bulls compete for cows by sparring with each other, with older, larger bulls usually doing most of the breeding, the DEC says.

A single bull may breed with five or six cows during the rut.

In terms of diet, Moose are primarily browsers, feeding on the leaves, twigs, and buds of hardwood and softwood trees and shrubs.

The DEC says an adult moose eats 40 to 60 pounds of browse every day. Favored plant species include willows, birches, maples, balsam fir, viburnums, aspen, and mountain ash.

In the winter, moose may strip and eat the bark from small trees, usually maples and aspen.

DEC Region 6 Wildlife Biologist Steven Heerkens joined our North Country News this month to give our listeners an update on our New York Moose population. Be sure to listen here:

Image via the New York State DEC.