Moosehead Lake
Where to find moose in Maine
Young Bull Moose
Introduction
During a recent trip to Maine to photograph Atlantic Puffins (click here to read that article) I was able to spend about 24 hours in Moosehead Lake area searching for Moose. This was my second trip to this area, after an unsuccessful trip here in October of 2021 looking for moose. As it happens June is a much better month to find them and I thought it would be good to write a short post sharing our experience and providing tips on how to find moose.
Where to stay at Moosehead Lake
On both trips to Moosehead Lake area we stayed just outside the small town of Greenville at the fittingly named Moose Mountain Inn. Greenville is a small town on the southern edge of Moosehead Lake and really the only town in the area of note. The Moose Mountain Inn provides an affordable and clean room in a good location. Both times there we enjoyed our stay and can highly recommend staying here. The location of Inn is on the map below and have included a link in the resources section below.
There are also a number of other options in this area, including camping and RV sites at the lovely Lily Bay State park (link in resources below). There are also a number of house rentals in the area. If were were to stay in the area longer, I would definitely explore one of these options.
Prime Moose Viewing Spots around Moosehead Lake
Before coming here, I did a fair amount of research on moose locations in this area. Because I had a limited amount of time (really only one evening and one morning of photo time) we choose to focus our search in area between Kokadjo and Northeast Carry. This area contains a number of boggy areas with decently maintain gravel roads which are common in this area. The road from Greenville to Kokadjo is about 20 miles and is also great habitat for Moose. In fact we saw a number of moose on the side of the road while driving home the first evening, including the photo below.
Cow moose on side of the road
Once you arrive a Kokadjo the pavement on the road ends and you begin on the gravel roads. These roads are fairly well maintained, however keep in mind that some are quite narrow and bumpy and you’d be better served with an SUV or some sort of 4 wheel drive truck. We had a rental Ford Edge and had no issues driving these roads. The best photography locations in this area are some pull offs near Lazy Tom Bog (Lazy Tom Stream Reservoir if you’re using google maps, I’ve included the area below)
This area is probably one of your better bets as it contains water, vegetation and fairly open areas to both see and photograph moose. One important thing to note. Maine is famous for its insects in the summer and that notoriety is well deserved. Be sure to have bug spray and lots of it!
Young Bull in the bog
Recommended Times for Moose Sightings and Photography
I got some great tips for moose from an employee I met at an LL. Bean store (Just one more reason to love LL. Bean). He told me the best times are about an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset(It’s a small window per day). Sunrise in this area of Maine in mid June was 4:45 am and with a 30 minutes drive you can imagine the early wake up call, but he was correct and it was worth it. We generally only saw the moose during these windows as they quickly faded into the forest during daylight.
Another tip is that Moose are most active May-June and September-October. These are the months you’re most likely to see them.
Essential Equipment for Moose Photography
Photographing moose isn’t much different than bears, in terms of equipment and settings. Generally a decent camera body and a telephoto lens are needed. On this trip I had both a 400mm F/4.5 and an 800mm F/6.3 lens which I wrote about in the puffin post. While both worked fine, I generally found I preferred the 400mm. That focal length seemed better as I was often too close with the 800mm. The 400mm also performed much better in the challenging, but beautiful, lighting conditions and I was able to use lower ISO’s in my photos.
800mm was a little close
Respecting Wildlife and Safety Precautions
I spend a fair amount of time photographing black bears and am always conscious of safety measures and respecting them while around them. Moose are new to me and I wanted to make sure I understood good practices to respect them and keep us both safe while engaged with them. I was surprised to read that there’s much debate on if Moose are more dangerous than Bears and there are even statistics from states like Alaska that show there are more people injured by moose each year than by Black Bears and Grizzly Bears combined (though these attacks are rarely fatally).
Moose Safety
Warning Signs of Aggression
Lowering Head
Hair on neck standing up
Licking Snout
Pinning Ears back
Safety Measures
Give moose lots of space
Never approach or feed
Keep dogs away
Talk and make your presence known
If you’re charged, hide behind something solid
If you’re knocked down, curl into a ball, protect your head and lie still until it’s gone.
Conclusion
While I was only able to spend a brief 24 hours in this area looking for moose, it’s an incredible habitat for moose and a beautiful area of the country. I would like to return some day and spend more time here. I’ve read that this area of Maine has one of the highest density of moose in the United States and worth a visit for those who want to see a moose.
