Connecticut’s Moose at Great Mountain Forest Rambunctious Rutting and Long Term Research

Moose are an icon of the northern forests. Although moose have always been a rare sight in Connecticut’s forests, since 2002 they’ve been spotted in Great Mountain Forest where the vast unfragmented ecosystem provides them with a special haven. Usually solitary animals, all that changes in October when mating season (also known as rutting season) begins.

Most of us will never see a moose or witness the exciting breeding ritual known as rutting that happens every October in Great Mountain Forest, but it is exciting to think about. The courting scene heats up as bulls dig rutting pits, mark, them with urine, and compete for breeding rights. All the while cows seek attention and overtures from the bulls. Ruts are epic battles that can last for hours.

To get a better understanding of the Forest’s moose population, Great Mountain Forest initiated an intern study in 2020, deploying game cameras to known foraging spots and counting individual moose. As a result, 21 moose were identified including 11 mature bulls, two adolescent bulls, five cows, and three calves.

 

Although moose continue breeding in Great Mountain Forest, anecdotal reports suggest that their total population may be decreasing. Moose face many new challenges such as climate change and winter tick infestation.

To understand the effects that moose and white-tailed deer have on forest development, researchers Ed Faison, Senior Ecologist at Highstead Foundation, and Steve DeStefano, retired Leader, of Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit collaborated with Great Mountain Forest to set up experimental moose and deer exclusion plots within several patch cut harvests conducted in 2010. Each plot was fenced in different ways to filter which herbivore species would be able to access vegetation within the plot: one plot excluded both moose and white-tailed deer; the second excluded only moose but not white-tailed deer, while the third was left open for both species to feed freely. 

Comparing the trees, shrubs, and herbs among the plots over time allows researchers to study how selective foraging patterns and different browsing intensities affect the structure, composition, and growth rates of the forest. Moose browsing and wallowing likely contribute to different forest dynamics at Great Mountain Forest than would be observed in forests where only white-tailed deer are present – the latter being typical of most Connecticut forests.

 

“We are very happy to be hosting this exciting research and look forward to learning more about moose impacts on New England hardwood forests! The presence of moose at GMF is a testament to our history of expansive conservation and sound forest stewardship,” said Mike Zarfos, PhD, and Executive Director, of Great Mountain Forest.

 

About Great Mountain Forest

Great Mountain Forest (GMF) is a leader in forest stewardship. For more than a century, we have been demonstrating how sustainable management can protect biodiversity and support ecosystems. By serving as a hub for education and research, we are spreading the benefits of sustainable management so that communities across New England derive educational, economic, recreational, and health benefits from their forests—now and well into the future. GMF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit encompassing 6,200 acres of contiguous forestland in Norfolk, Canaan, and Falls Village Connecticut.