Slippery Brook Trail area, Dec. 10th

[forestgnome]

nice dry bare ground at lower elevations...

Chandler Brook...

a flat area not too far from the trail caught my eye on the map...finally went exploring over there...found a nice fresh antler...

despite sunshine, a steady flurry became about an inch of very dry cold powder above 2,000'

left trail for exploring after around 2,500'...

tracked a bear until she went into some thick stuff...

saw two young bull moose...here's one of them

nice forest...

looks like a bear chewed this antler...

very fresh moose grazing in a striped maple stand...

flrurries eventually gave way to blue sky...a beautiful day in nice moose habitat...

not sure about these...sharp scrapes are about 2' off the ground...they look to me to be made by claws, not teeth or antlers...

enjoying bare ground while it lasts

 

[Cymbidium]

Marks on trees

very fresh moose grazing in a striped maple stand...

Fran and I have seen lots of these marks. Are they made by antlers or teeth?

 

[forestgnome]

Fran and I have seen lots of these marks. Are they made by antlers or teeth?

Those are definately from eating. Antler polishing marks are seen much less frequently than the results of browsing on the bark. A telltale sign is the little marks on the bare trunk; these are teeth marks. They bite the tree and get a grip on the bark then tear the bark in long strips.