Injured Moose in Mahoosuc Notch

Just wanted to give folks a heads up. Apparently on Sunday 7/1, a moose fell off a cliff or some tall rocks right on the Mahoosuc trail in the Notch somewhere close to the Notch trail. (And supposedly someone videotaped it!) It broke several legs and was pretty messed up. We heard about it from the caretaker at Speck Pond campsite. For some reason, Fish and Game made the decision to leave it alone and did not euthanize it. I would expect that by now it has expired (although who knows). We hiked from Speck Pond almost to the end of the notch, then hiked back and thankfully did not see it, as it was still alive on Monday.

It's curious to me that F&G would leave it since it was right in the middle of the trail. The caretaker didn't understand it either.

Hope to post a TR and some pics in a few days.

Holy Moly! A moose with several legs!

several

Main Entry: 1sev·er·al
Pronunciation: 'sev-r&l, 'se-v&-
Function: adjective ...

... 2 a : more than one <several pleas> b : more than two but fewer than many <moved several inches>...

http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/several

Anyone been through Mahoosuc Notch since then? Any update on the moose?

I encountered a trapped and injured moose in Ice Gulch several years ago and found out later that he didn't make it out. It's tough being a moose.

So, where are the photos of the trip?

-dave-

How sad! Poor thing, its a shame they didn't put it out of its suffering.

I ran across a moose carcass on the the AT on South Crocker a few years back, boy-oh-boy was that a smelly affair!

(Well, I didn't really run across it, but you get my drift........)

Unfrozen Caveman went through there over this past weekend. He saw it and mentioned to me that a previous hiker had "put it out of its misery". It was already dead when he got there. He said he had no idea how it would have gotten where it was... must have fallen in.

Wow! I guess that is a dangerous place for moose. When I hiked through there in 87 there was a dead moose right next to the trail in the bottom of the notch. I hear he was pretty well preserved for a couple of months due to the cool temps in there.

not to jump the thread, but there's a set of moose bones along the Pine Link trail between Watson Path and Madison hut... (or was about 3 weeks ago) I didn't see any antlers, but a lot of bones were all strewn about... makes you wonder why the heck they're up there!

Moose carcasses

I've come across moose carcasses on Middle Sister near Chocorua and on Mount Martha (Cherry Mountain). Both were hunted, all that was left was fur and bones. The heads and antlers were missing, but everything else was intact, not scattered as it would be if coyotes had been at it. Small rodents and other small critters had been there, but the carcasses had obviosly been butchered and the meat taken. Must have been quite a haul to get it down off Middle Sister, snowmobiles could get to the top of Martha. Much easier to get it out. It is tough bein' a moose!

KDT

albee said:

Unfrozen Caveman went through there over this past weekend. He saw it and mentioned to me that a previous hiker had "put it out of its misery". It was already dead when he got there. He said he had no idea how it would have gotten where it was... must have fallen in.

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As I heard it, it did in fact fall in--from above somewhere.

I have to say that given what I heard from the caretaker, I am VERY glad someone had the ability to put the poor thing out of it's misery. The caretaker had an axe, but did not have the ability to use it (and it was clear to me he felt conflicted about it), which I can totally understand. You'd need to have confidence in your ability to make a clean cut, as it were.

Again, I am mystifyied (SP) by why F&G decided to leave where it was in the state that is was.

Would love to hear more from UFC.

It's true... I was there on Saturday afternoon while we made our way from ME (route 26) to NH (route 2) in a single push in just under 20 hours, pretty tough hike.... but that's another post.

We started hearing about it (the moose) almost immediately from thru hikers and I came upon it first, it was quite a ways into the notch and appeared to have been moving north when it's left hind leg got caught in a hole and it fell backwards breaking it and causing it to become stranded (disclaimer: I'm only guessing here people). We were told (by thru hikers) that a hiker had slit it's throat to put it out of it's misery (kind and daring soul), it must have been recent because it was stiff but not bloated, did not smell, looked like it had emptied it's bowels recently, and there was still a significant amount of blood on the ground even though it had been pouring. It was a bull and one of the antlers was broken off but nowwhere to be found. I looked for signs of other animals (thinking maybe something had pushed it into the notch - why else would it have been there?) but didn't see any. I don't have any pictures... traveling light for our traverse meant leaving my old (read: heavy) camera home, one in the crew did have a camera and I may be able to get ahold of some pictures later.

Very interesting. My bet is the hiker that put it out of it's misery was a hunter. The caretaker at Speck Pond said that he had heard that someone actually happened to be video taping when the moose fell and got it on tape. But who knows.

Thanks UFC! Good to know the moose is now an ex-moose.

Unfortunately, the sad thing is that the moose had been alive in that state since the previous Sunday.

It's still there

We did a loop using the Road/Notch/AT/Speck Pond Trails on Sat 8/4. The moose carcass is still there and one of our party nearly lost his breakfast from the smell . I followed a herdpath around it. The AMC caretaker said a camera spooked it and it ran into the Notch. It did hang on for several days until it was euthanized. It's not too far from the jct with the Notch trail. The odor does linger a ways through the Notch for those with weak stomachs.

As I read these posts that's what I kinda got to thinking, hoping that the moose didn't get surprised by someone getting too close and feeling it had to book it out. Though, honestly, we know a moose doesn't usually feel intimidated by the prescence of a hiker or even a group of. Although, outside of being startled who knows how it would have gotten into such a spot. We have all witnessed how agile they can be, even in places where we as bipeds are not. A thanks to the one who ended its suffering.

Our group (NH AMC hike) went through Mahoosuc Notch yesterday, 8/12, and the carcass is very much there, along with maggots and flies. The smell was awful, though some people claimed that the dog do-do a short while later was worse! The worst of it for me was having to walk right beside the moose's body. I'm getting braver in my advancing years, though, because I looked at the gruesome remains. (Though maybe that was not so much bravery but so that I'd also watch my footing so as not to step or fall on it! )

eruggles said:

some people claimed that the dog do-do a short while later was worse!

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now I've heard everything!