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moose [Alces alces]. more selected entries The largest member of the deer family. A full-grown male may be 6 feet (1.8 m) tall at the shoulder and weigh 1,400 pounds (635 kg). Cows typically breed at 28 months, with the calf remaining with the mother until she calves again. Moose are generally solitary, but individuals—other than adult males—may join together during the winter. They prefer mixed forests of quaking aspen, balsam fir, and paper birch; they also favor wetlands with sodium-rich water plants. Moose were once common in the northern areas of New York State, especially in the Adirondacks. Intensive hunting resulted in their extinction, with one of the last moose, a cow, killed in August 1861 near Raquette Lake (Hamilton Co). Between 1894 and 1895, 11 moose were imported from Canada and released near Nehasane (Hamilton Co). Between 1902 and 1903, another 12 were released near Raquette Lake. Both efforts failed to reestablish a viable population. Occasional migrants were noted from 1935 to 1980, but all left the state or were killed. In 1980 six moose migrated from the New England area to Raquette Lake and remained. Their recovery may be related to a decrease in logging and subsequent regrowth of prime moose habitat. As of 2000 the state boasted an estimated 80-110 moose, with sightings reported in 39 counties. Franzmann, Albert W., and Charles C. Schwartz, eds. Ecology and Management of the North American Moose (Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 1997) Brad Coon
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