While we were talking with people in The Pas and Cumberland House, we learned that moose meat is an important source of food. In the Fall hunting is a very important activity. Male moose, known as bulls, can weigh as much as 1,400 pounds. That is equivalent to about 8 grown men! That is a lot of meat and can feed a family for a long time. However, we have also learned that if too many moose are shot each year, the population will decline and there will not be enough moose the following year.

moose are unique, charismatic animals. They are easily identified by their large noses, humped shoulders, and great size. These animals also have a huge flap of skin and fur under their necks called a "bell." Male moose have a much larger bell than females. Another cool characteristic of moose are the large antlers found on males. Sometimes these antlers weigh as much as 75 pounds! The males spend a lot of their energy growing these impressive antlers. Each year the antlers are shed between mid-December and January. We are hoping to find a set of antlers that a moose has dropped in the woods this winter! The moose will begin to grow antlers again in early spring. Antlers grow quickly, and a thin furry covering known as "velvet" begins to grow over them. In August, when the antlers are full grown, the velvet sloughs off within a few days.

They even eat the leaves of water lilies. They also enjoy eating fresh plant shoots. In the winter they do not eat much because food is harder to find. During winter they mostly eat willow bushes and other woody plants. In the spring, summer, and fall moose need to eat about 50-60 pounds of food per day to maintain their great size. A moose stomach can hold up to 112 pounds of food at one time!

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