floating moose

I've seen plenty of moose on my BWCA trips but nothing like this.

We did see a dead moose last may on horseshoe in a shallow bay. was surprised the wolves didnt take care of it though.

Saw one last May in Quetico in the middle of a creek.....that was the first moose I had seen in a long time, too bad it was deceased.

Saw a floater on the Nina Moose river years ago and another floater off a campsite on big Crooked. I also found a moose skeleton in the water on LLC once.

I've seen and smelled several. But I've only seen this once:

Exactly what were these geniuses trying to accomplish with their canoe and a dead moose? Odd to say the least.......

In any event I am surprised to hear about the number of dead moose others have witnessed. Sure makes you want to filter water especially out of a creek or river.......who knows whats laying upstream.

I have found many dead moose in the woods, around my property in the Isabella area.

In the fall of 2012 BobsMN and I did a trip to Saganaga, and paddled into a small bay in Red Rock Bay. We were attracted there due to a number of eagles and ravens in the area. I figured that we'd find a large dead northern or something up on shore. Instead there was a bull moose dead in the water, just shallow enough that the birds were able to pick away at him. I'm sure that I have a picture somewhere, and I'll upload it if i stumble across it.

quote mastertangler: "Exactly what were these geniuses trying to accomplish with their canoe and a dead moose? Odd to say the least.......


In any event I am surprised to hear about the number of dead moose others have witnessed. Sure makes you want to filter water especially out of a creek or river.......who knows whats laying upstream. "

I should have prefaced although I think I said in the video. We wanted to stay at a nice campsite and as we were unloading we started to smell something terrible. Then we found the floating moose. In hind sight it probably would have been easier to tie a rope to it but didn't really want to touch it and ruin the rope. So we just pushed it away with the canoe to the opposite shoreline, it really wasn't too tough once we got in unstuck. We weren't trying to desecrate the dead moose or anything like that we just wanted to get it away from camp.

So what do we think?... do the moose know their near their end and find comfort in the water? Or are they being chased by wolves and are injured and can't swim and drown. I just found it really curious.

Might get more response outside of the fishing forum. A very curious situation indeed.

perhaps the animals fall through the spring ice and perish trying to get out? if a wolf chased an animal onto the ice it's gonna catch it, kill it and eat it. surprising that the ravens and turkey vultures didn't get after any of these dead animals. maybe they were diseased and the birds can sense that and don't want to eat it?

quote BWfishingfanatic12: "

quote mastertangler: "Exactly what were these geniuses trying to accomplish with their canoe and a dead moose? Odd to say the least.......



In any event I am surprised to hear about the number of dead moose others have witnessed. Sure makes you want to filter water especially out of a creek or river.......who knows whats laying upstream. "

I should have prefaced although I think I said in the video. We wanted to stay at a nice campsite and as we were unloading we started to smell something terrible. Then we found the floating moose. In hind sight it probably would have been easier to tie a rope to it but didn't really want to touch it and ruin the rope. So we just pushed it away with the canoe to the opposite shoreline, it really wasn't too tough once we got in unstuck. We weren't trying to desecrate the dead moose or anything like that we just wanted to get it away from camp.



So what do we think?... do the moose know their near their end and find comfort in the water? Or are they being chased by wolves and are injured and can't swim and drown. I just found it really curious."

Oh shoot! My bad........I thought this video was something you had stumbled upon via browsing Utube........not something you had personally and literally stumbled upon. So let me re-phrase my original post.

Absolutely genius to use the canoes in an oddly efficient way to propel the dead moose away from what was an obviously desirable campsite ;-)

As per why the moose was found dead in the water it is likely the work of Pollyhumpers who become aggressive during the mating season. Best to stay off the water after dark during the full moon cycles of july.

Yes, in Quetico near the Elizabeth to Walter portage a couple of summers ago.

quote BWfishingfanatic12: " floating moose

I've seen plenty of moose on my BWCA trips but nothing like this. "

Is this on Gabbro Lake?

hah no wories Master Tangler its all good it was just a crazy scenario and will be a vivid memory for life.

This was on Seagull lake

quote Mocha: "perhaps the animals fall through the spring ice and perish trying to get out? if a wolf chased an animal onto the ice it's gonna catch it, kill it and eat it. surprising that the ravens and turkey vultures didn't get after any of these dead animals. maybe they were diseased and the birds can sense that and don't want to eat it?"

I was thinking the same thing with the one I saw.

This was in the middle of the arm that leads to Allen Lake on Horseshoe near the Lizz E.P. It was the first weekend of May 2016 and about a week after ice out. I talked to a friend in the summer that said he saw it Memorial Day weekend. I was at Rockwood again in August and they said that customers reported seeing it up until the 4th of July. At that point it had floated close to shore near a campsite and smelled really bad.

Edit... not sure how I missed jeremylynn21's post when I originally posted but this is the same moose that they posted about

a very bad infestation of lice could be a possibility. too anemic; too weak to go on. been known to happen.

years ago i found a dead human floating in the kettle river. that's something i never want to do again.

I've seen a few floating moose over the years. I think all of them were on May trips shortly after ice out.

It's not these specific Moose, but we have two Bull Moose remains outside our visitor center in AK that look similar, to the ones who are locked together in this pic. Two Moose died in this fight.

quote jwartman59: "years ago i found a dead human floating in the kettle river. that's something i never want to do again."

CHILL BRO!

Redacted this last post to chill bro.

quote LindenTree3: "It's not these specific Moose, but we have two Bull Moose remains outside our visitor center in AK that look similar, to the ones who are locked together in this pic. Two Moose died in this fight. "

Dang that is pretty awesome!!!

quote LindenTree3: "It's not these specific Moose, but we have two Bull Moose remains outside our visitor center in AK that look similar, to the ones who are locked together in this pic. Two Moose died in this fight. "

Dang that is pretty awesome!!!

well my bw friends i'll mention it again for the new & non-believers ;) it wasnt really floating half above the water line by shore(fall time 1992) but a dead holstein kingfisher lake. came back that way 3 days whole carcass gone and it stunk, wolves smelled that thing from miles away.

We saw one like that on Wilson Lake in Quetico in 2005. The smell about knocked us out.

They die during the winter usually when they go through the ice. Most that I have here of are found in June or earlier.

Found this one Dec. 1980 I think. It was in in a creek south of Parent Lake only told a few people about it. Went back 2 weeks later to show some friends and someone had cut the rack off.

Found a few in the spring also. The last one was on Basswood, in Louis narrows mid May.

These two bulls got locked together and died near Dillingham AK.

These two were found local, Brimson Minnesota 2010. Link to story

Came across this poor fellow on a dogsledding trip a few years ago.

quote jeremylynn21: "We did see a dead moose last may on horseshoe in a shallow bay. was surprised the wolves didnt take care of it though."

I'm very surprised that the wolves don't take care of this either. Perhaps there is enough healthy moose and deer for them to have " fresh" meat vs. rotting meat.

quote BasecampMom: "

quote jeremylynn21: "We did see a dead moose last may on horseshoe in a shallow bay. was surprised the wolves didnt take care of it though."

I'm very surprised that the wolves don't take care of this either. Perhaps there is enough healthy moose and deer for them to have " fresh" meat vs. rotting meat."

That's the same one that I have a photo of that the outfitter said was still floating around until the 4th of July. I also know that there was an active pack of wolves around Horseshoe as I saw them the same day I saw the floating moose. Many people reported hearing them howl when they were camped on Horseshoe last summer.