How Far South Do Moose Live?

Moose are the largest members of the deer family and are icons of the northern wilderness. If you’ve wondered how far their range extends into more southern latitudes, you’ve come to the right place.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Moose are found as far south as the northern tier of the United States, including areas of Washington, Idaho, Montana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the southern range of moose in North America. We’ll discuss their historical range, reasons for range contraction, current southernmost extent, and prospects for future southern expansion as climate change alters habitat.

Historical Southern Range of Moose

Through 19th Century

Moose were once found across most of northern North America, with a range extending as far south as Virginia and North Carolina. During the 19th century, moose populations declined dramatically due to overhunting and habitat loss.

By the early 1900s, moose had disappeared from many of the southernmost parts of their range.

Here are some key facts about the historical southern range of moose in North America:

• Moose were once common in New England, with populations in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts and even into Connecticut.
• There are records of moose in the Catskill Mountains of New York dating back to the 18th century.
• Moose inhabited forests as far south as Pennsylvania, with sightings near Pittsburgh in the 1860s.
• In the Upper Midwest, moose ranged into Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota and northern Iowa.
• The southernmost populations were found in the Appalachian Mountains, with scattered moose inhabiting Virginia, western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee.

By 1900, the southern range of moose had retracted significantly, with only small isolated populations remaining in New England, Minnesota and the western mountains.

Early 20th Century Declines

During the early decades of the 20th century, moose populations declined precipitously across many parts of their southern range due to a combination of habitat loss and overhunting.

Here are some examples of the early 20th century declines:

• Moose were extirpated from Iowa, Missouri and Illinois in the late 1800s.
• The last known moose in Pennsylvania was killed in 1858.
• By 1908, moose were eliminated from the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York due to logging and brainworm disease.
• Michigan’s moose vanished from the Lower Peninsula by 1925 and were rare in the Upper Peninsula.
• Unregulated hunting wiped out the small remnant moose populations in Virginia and western North Carolina in the early 1900s.
• Moose had disappeared from Vermont and New Hampshire by 1898 but were reintroduced in the 1970s and 1980s.

Protective laws and habitat recovery allowed some southern moose populations to rebound in the mid/late-20th century. However, in recent decades, some southern moose populations have again declined due to factors like brainworm, malnutrition and ticks.

Causes of Range Contraction

Habitat Loss and Fragmentation

One of the main reasons for moose range contraction is habitat loss and fragmentation due to human activities like logging, mining, oil and gas exploration, agriculture, and urbanization. These disrupt and degrade moose habitats, making them less suitable for the species.

Fragmentation also isolates moose populations, putting them at higher risk of local extinction.

Overhunting

Overhunting of moose can lead to rapid population declines, especially in areas where their habitats have already been diminished. According to research, overharvesting accounted for up to 60% of adult moose mortality in some studied areas.

Management policies have helped curb overhunting, but it remains an issue in certain regions.

Parasites and Disease

Moose can be impacted by diseases like brainworm, liver flukes, and ticks which can be fatal if left untreated. A 2019 study found that increasing temperatures contributed to expansion of winter ticks into moose ranges in Maine, with each moose hosting up to ~70,000 ticks.

This results in blood loss, hypothermia, and even death.

Predation

Increased predation pressure from gray wolves, bears, and other predators may be contributing to the moose decline in certain areas like Isle Royale National Park. However, predation is unlikely a primary limiting factor across their range.

Climate Change

Climate change affects moose through factors like increasing temperatures, changes in precipitation patterns, more frequent extreme weather, and expanded ranges of parasites/diseases. This degradation and alteration of habitat suitability has already led to observable range contraction of moose populations in the southern parts of their distribution.

Current Southernmost Range

Northern U.S. States

Moose populations can be found as far south as the northern parts of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine in the United States (nwf.org). The southernmost confirmed U.S. sightings tend to occur sporadically along the border with Canada.

Sightings have been documented as far south as Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Des Moines, Iowa, but these are rare outliers.

In northern Minnesota, moose inhabit the Arrowhead Region and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area along the border with Canada. Populations in northwest Minnesota have declined in recent years, but an estimated 30 moose still roam Beltrami Island State Forest and Red Lake Wildlife Management Area (dnr.state.mn.us).

Southernmost Counties and Regions

In the eastern U.S., moose live along the northern areas of Maine, with most sightings occurring in Aroostook, Somerset, Piscataquis and Franklin counties. Maine’s moose population is estimated at 50,000-70,000, making it the most densely populated moose region outside of Alaska (maine.gov).

Future Prospects Under Climate Change

Warming Temperatures

As average global temperatures continue rising due to climate change, moose habitats across North America will likely experience warmer weather. According to a NASA report, temperatures in Alaska have increased by 3°F in the last 60 years.

Warmer weather causes heat stress for moose, making it more difficult for them to regulate their body temperature. Panting moose are a common sight during summer heatwaves. If warming exceeds 7°F, scientists predict moose populations could decline by over 50% as conditions exceed their comfort zone.

Changing Vegetation

Climate change may also alter the vegetation composition in moose habitats. Rising CO2 levels could increase plant growth, but warmer weather may shift landscapes toward more temperate mixed forests and away from the young trees moose rely on.

Drier conditions may reduce wetland areas full of moose’s aquatic foods. Declining browse quality and quantity could lower moose pregnancy rates and calving success. On Isle Royale, unusual winter ticks aggravated by climate change contributed to a crash in the isolated moose herd.

Range Expansion Potential

While warming may reduce moose suitability in southern portions of their current range, climate change could also enable modest northward expansions. Some models predict moose may spread up to 500 miles closer to the North Pole this century if global emissions remain high.

However, the benefit is debatable – while tundra vegetation may increase, food quality declines at extreme latitudes. Expanding predator populations like wolves would also likely curb population growth on the leading edge.

And cold tolerance still limits substantial moose colonization of the High Arctic islands.

Conclusion

In conclusion, moose historically ranged across much of the northern continental United States but experienced significant declines in the 19th and 20th centuries due to habitat loss, overhunting and other factors.

Today, scattered moose populations persist in the northern counties of several U.S. states along the Canadian border. While climate change may open up new southern habitat, moose face an uncertain future in these marginal environments at the southern fringe of their range.