October 20-22, 2006
Event Listing | Specials & Deals | Moose Info
| Friday, 20th |
Saturday, 21st |
Sunday, 22nd |
1:30 - demo by Neil Sherman, landscape oil artist at The Market
Coloring contest at Joynes Ben Franlin
Moose viewing shuttle from East Bay Suites
Poetry reading, special desserts and beverages, 9 PM Pie Place
Moose bracelet making at Northern Light Jewelry
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Coloring contest at Joynes Ben Franlin
1-2 PM - Moose-arama at Drury Lane Books - stories and games led by the Muffin Man
Moose viewing shuttle from East Bay Suites
2 - 4 PM - Make a Moose Kite at East Bay Suites
Moose bracelet making at Northern Light Jewelry
Poetry reading, special desserts and beverages, 9pm Pie Place
|
|
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All weekend - Pictures with "Murray", Name the New Moose at Gunflint Mercantile, Guess the Moose Droppings at Lake Superior Trading Post, Word Treasure Hunt, Moose Medallion Hunt, Moose Poetry Writing Contest (News-Herald), Moose Story/Moose Dream Prose Contest (Star), Mooseterious Word Trail Hunt
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All About Moose Madness!
Welcome to the Moose Madness web page. Moose Madness is a young and growing festival. It is held in October during the moose 'rutting' season (and M.E.A. weekend).
We hope to improve it year after year, with family-oriented events in which folks of all ages can participate. The moose is a symbol of the North Woods, along with loons, wolves and the Big Lake, Lake Superior.
What to do During Moose Madness!
The weekend will include activities for the whole family as well as events for individuals. Take the family on a moose safari or a treasure hunt into the Superior National Forest. Search for the 'Moose Medallion' in town, make moose kites, follow the moose tracks in town to find a soft friendly moose to take home, color pictures of moose and show off your moose photos! Visit with Murray the 'Moose' (he will be here this year!), or visit with all the shop and restaurant owners downtown and share your moose stories!
Grand Marais is also a great place to enjoy the natural beauty of the surrounding forest land and lakes and relax by the harbor or at one of our many scenic vistas. Stop by the Visitor Information Center, er, I mean, MOOSE CENTRAL, for more information about Moose Madness!
EVENT LISTING
Moose Medallion Hunt:
Use the clues to find out where in Grand Marais the Moose Medallion is hidden! The first clue is on the cover of the Moose News & Tribune (available at Moose Central/Grand Marais Info Center). New clues will be available at Moose Central and at participating businesses each day.
Moose Tracking on the Harbor:
Follow the moose tracks to find the scaredy-mooses hiding at local stores and around town. Write down each moose's secret word and put together the phrase to enter into a price drawing each afternoon!
Moose Coloring Contest:
Get a coloring sheet at Joynes Ben Franklin and color it here.
MooseWord Treasure Hunt:
Stop in at the Lake Superior Trading Post and pick up a treasure map. There are a few different maps to choose from based on trail difficulty. More info in the Specials & Deals section for Bear Track Outfitting.
Pictures with "Murray":
Get your picture taken with Murray our 'civilized' moose at Moose Central and all around town! He'll be at Moose Central from 11 am to 1 pm each day, and there'll be sightings of Murray all around town at other times. Be sure to shake his hand and get yourself a button!
SPECIALS & DEALS
Lodging Specials
Shoreline Inn - 15% discount - just say "Murray sent me!" when making your reservation
Devil Track Resort - pay for 2 nights, get the 3rd for free 877-387-9414
Bally Creek Cabins - stay free on Wed. (10/18) with a 3-night reservation for Thurs. - Sat. OR 1/2 price Thurs. (10/19) with a Fri. & Sat. reservation 800-795-8068
Outpost Motel - Lakeview room for 3 nights, single or double occupancy, for $150 plus tax 888-380-1833
Retail Specials
Moose Information
Alces Alces, the Twig-Eater, the
Moose!
Moose
(Scientific Name: alces alces) [male- bull, female- cow, young-
calf]
The moose is the largest member of the deer family (Cervidae).
Some of its "relatives" are elk, whitetail deer and caribou. We
probably got the word "moose" from the Algonquian words "mus" or
"moos," meaning 'eater of twigs.' There are actually four
different subspecies of moose in North America: Alaska-Yukon
(alces gigas), the largest; Western Canada (alces Andersoni);
Eastern Canada (alces Americanus), the local moose; and Shiras
(alces shirasi) or "Yellowstone," the smallest and best
adapted for high altitudes.
Fast Moose Facts-
Life Span: 15-20 years
Weight: males, 800-1600 lbs.; females, 600-1000 lbs.
Body Length: 7 - 10 ft. Height: 5-7 ft. at the shoulder.
Tracks: 5" - 6.5", similar to deer tracks, but moose have
dewclaws. (Read below.)
Stride: 3.5' - 5.5' walking, 8'+ running/at speed.
Running Speed – 35 mph. Swimming Speed – 6 mph (faster
than most canoers).
Moose Appearance and Description-
Moose have dark brown, reddish or almost black hair
coloration, depending on age, gender and species. Cows have
lighter brown faces, while bulls have light brown just above
their eyes and dark muzzles. Moose have a flap of hair-covered
skin under their chin and throat area called a bell or dewlap,
which has no one obvious use, but it is most pronounced on bulls.
Moose have large fuzzy ears, a long and rounded (or pendulous)
muzzle, long skinny legs with the front pair a bit longer than
the rear (due to their shoulder-hump) and lighter-colored
skin under the 'knees.' While their legs and gait look fairly comical,
it's very effective for walking through the snow and marshes of
moose country. A short tail (about 3"), and a distinct hump-shape
over their front shoulders (from their skeleton, not like a
camel). They are even-toed hoofed animals, like all other deer,
with hooves about twice as large as a whitetail deer.
Moose also have dewclaws, or vestigial hooves (mostly unused,
like our appendix), which seem to help with traction and flotation
in mud and snow. Moose are nearsighted, which can help one get
away from a mad moose, but have great senses of smell and
hearing, and are able hold their breath underwater for around one
minute for nibbling the best of the underwater plants (and
for swimming).
What Moose Eat-
Moose are herbivores (only eat plants), and are especially
fond of 'weeping' willow branches and water lilies when they can
find them. They browse the twigs, roots, bark and shoots of young
woody plants year round, water plants being a favorite during the
summer, while in the winter they will nibble on what they can
find which includes the needles of some pine-trees. Moose need
about 60 pounds of food a day in the spring and will try to eat about
130 pounds a day in fall to help during the winter when they
cannot find very much food. Moose, like other deer and farm cows,
have four stomach chambers that digests the food they eat. Common trees moose will
munch/browse on are: willows, maples, balsam, aspen, dogwood,
birch and cherry trees. Since moose like the really young twigs
and branches of trees, areas of the forest that have either been
burned by fire and lightning or been clear-cut by loggers are a
favorite feeding spot year round. If the area is too large and
open however, they'll stay around the edges to avoid being
easy prey to wolves. Small and dispersed clear-cuts and small
burns provide optimal moose browsing habitat for many years.
Moose Babies-
Moose calves are born in the late spring, 8 months after the
'rut' (mating season). Cows usually give birth to one calf,
though if food is abundant they'll often give birth to twins. There was a set of triplets spotted in our area in 2004: that's rare!
Baby moose are usually a light brown or rusty color (and
don't have spots, like other deer), weigh about 30 pounds at
birth and are able to stand after a couple days. They can follow their
mother easily after three weeks, weigh about 300-400 pounds at
just three months old, are weaned after 5-6 months, and are on their
own when their mother gives birth to another calf (or twins).
Mother moose are very protective of their young calves and will
charge people who get too close. If you see calves and no
'mama moose,' please be careful.
Moose Antlers-
A moose's antlers are one of the most easily recognizable in
the deer family. Like other deer only the bulls have antlers,
which they use to push other bulls around during the mating
season ("rut") when necessary, to impress other moose as a sign
of fitness or health, and to mark their territory by thrashing
them around in the trees and shrubs. Every year around December,
the antlers are shed, and new ones begin to grow. Shed antlers are
a great source of calcium for small forest dwellers; most old
sheds have nibble marks from field mice. Moose antlers are
"palmate," which means they are palm, or hand, shaped. Each year
a bull's antlers get larger than they were the year before. When
the moose is about 10-12 years old, the antlers are about as
large as they will get and usually have around 30 'tines' (or
'points'), a spread of about 4 to 5 ft (record
spreads of 6 ft are noted), weigh around 60 pounds on their own, and grow
about 1 inch a day. Each time the antlers start growing, they are
covered in 'velvet,' which is a soft skin that covers the bony
antlers and keeps blood flowing to them to keep them growing
larger. Just before mating season, the skin dries out and the
moose scrape their antlers on trees and shrubs to get rid of the
skin, leaving what we call "rubs." The antlers are then ready to
be used in shoving matches and to impress the (ladies) cows.
Habitat and Range-
Moose live in places that are well forested with their
favorite food and have a good amount of wetlands. This type of
area is called a 'boreal forest.' Boreal forests
cover most of Canada and much of the northern U.S. Pine trees
(conifers), aspen, birch and maples are the predominant tree
species, and many types of wild flowers, most notably trilliums
inhabit this type of forest. Marshlands, muddy ponds, muskegs and
bogs are common in these forests, and moose thrive in areas with
all these attributes. Currently moose range all through Alaska,
most of Canada, the northern U.S. from North Dakota through the
Great Lakes region, across to the New England region, and from
the northern Rockies south to some parts of Utah. Moose
prefer summer temps around or below 60 degrees Fahrenheit and winters with temps
at least a little ways below freezing. In summer they're most
active at dusk and dawn, spending the daytime in shade and water
to avoid the heat. During the fall they're active most of the
day, fattening up for winter. Moose are very well adapted for the
cold harsh winters in boreal forests, though very high snow (3
ft+) can make it hard to move, and thickly crusted snow can cut
their legs as they walk. Studies on moose population and habitat
are being done right now, the most prominent of which is being
done on Isle Royale.
Friends & Enemies-
A healthy moose has few enemies capable of taking it down,
while calves and old or sickly moose have wolves and bears to
fear. Mothers protecting their calves have been known to kill
wolves and even bears that have threatened them. Moose can
out-maneuver and outrun bears through the forest, and one
well-landed moose kick can cripple any wolf. It is always best to
use caution if you know a moose is near; do not approach
them and never feed them. They can seem friendly, or even
uninterested or curious about you if nearby, but moose are
more unafraid than curious. If they decide that you are a threat,
they can go from docile to charging in a moment. See the Moose
Viewing Guide (at our visitor information center) for information about precautions
and what to do when you see a moose.
PLEASE USE CAUTION WHEN TRYING TO FIND MOOSE
Signs a Moose is Mad:
The ears are laid back, the hair down the spine is standing on
end, and it is kicking or stomping, walking directly towards you,
licking its lips or making threatening noises.
What to Do?
If you have a clear path, running is actually an ok thing to do
with a moose (though you cannot outrun one). It will stop
chasing fairly quickly, content enough in having scared you off.
If there is nowhere to run, keep something, preferably something
large, between you and the moose. Being nearsighted,
it is not apt to try to wiggle through and around the
trees to find you. If the moose thinks it has scared you off,
it will usually return to whatever it was doing. Just
don't go back towards the moose, or you'll just
agitate it more than it was to begin with.
Webibliography:
Informative:
http://www.mooseworld.com/
http://eduscapes.com/nature/moose/
http://ceinfo.unh.edu/ww_moose.pdf
http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/notebook/biggame/moose.htm
http://www3.northstar.k12.ak.us/schools/awe/moose/moosepage.html
http://www.muleymadness.com/deerinfo/moose.php
http://www.thebigzoo.com/Animals/Moose.asp
http://www.nenature.com/Moose.htm
Fun & Not always Informative!:
http://www.mickeymoose.org/mooseinfo.html
http://www.mickeymoose.org/welcome.html
http://www.poopmoose.com
http://www.geocities.com/moose_country/
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Breakers/7937/moose/index.htm
Visitor Center Email:
Phone: 1-888-922-5000 or 218-387-2524
Address: Box 1048, 13 N. Broadway, Grand Marais, MN
55604-1048
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