Not great photos since they were taken with my phone camera at about 80 yards, but I finally saw my first moose in the flesh on Burnt Lake. A cow with twin calves. They came out of the woods and she got a drink and stood there for a few minutes, then they went back into the timber. Another thing scratched off my BW bucket list.

How many of you have seen twin moose calves? As I understand it, twins aren't super common.

Malberg


Frond

No pics, but also had a cow with twins cross the Moose River in front of us at a uncomfortably close distance.
I think twins are quite common but usually one is donated to the wolves while the other escapes with mom.

Wonderful. I'm glad you found something you've been searching for for a long time!

My wife and I saw twin calves on Bower Trout many years ago. This happened within our first hour of the trip. Later that night, we saw and even fell asleep listening to a cow and calf splashing in the water below our campsite. Quite a day.

Very happy for you.

Mike

One of these days it'll happen for me. Dozens of trips, not a single moose, yet I have two different friends who each saw one on their first trip. It's unfair, I tells ya.

noodle: "One of these days it'll happen for me. Dozens of trips, not a single moose, yet I have two different friends who each saw one on their first trip. It's unfair, I tells ya."

I think it has to do with the time of year people go. We go late September and are typically on Red Rock. It is rare not to see moose. We have had two times they came into the camp.

I also think the Gunflint area offers a lot better shot of seeing moose

noodle: "One of these days it'll happen for me. Dozens of trips, not a single moose, yet I have two different friends who each saw one on their first trip. It's unfair, I tells ya."

I'm a little concerned that I've knocked out two things on my bucket list on back to back trips (heard wolves, saw moose). Hopefully it's not a cosmic sign of something, lol. I definitely didn't expect to see one where and when I did, which was about 1pm on a warm day on a lake that doesn't have a moosey reputation, as far as I know. Just gotta keep getting out there and it'll happen eventually.

Not trying to outdo anybody, but...

We saw a bear, then a cow moose and calf, then another bear...

all on the same day. One bear on Snipe Lake, moose near the Snipe Lake narrows, and another smaller bear on the Snipe-Missing Link portage.

Quite a day that was.

Mike

noodle: "One of these days it'll happen for me. Dozens of trips, not a single moose, yet I have two different friends who each saw one on their first trip. It's unfair, I tells ya."

Noodle- I'm with you! In over 20 trips I've never seen a moose in the bush in either Quetico or BWCA. Seen them from the road many times (including in MI), seen them in Algonquin, seen them in Lake Superior Provincial Park. Even hit one with our van between the Soo and Wawa!

Snipe Lake might be one of the best areas to see Moose. The whole cross river corridor down to Frost Lake is teaming with moose.

MikeinMpls: "Not trying to outdo anybody, but...
We saw a bear, then a cow moose and calf, then another bear...
all on the same day. One bear on Snipe Lake, moose near the Snipe Lake narrows, and another smaller bear on the Snipe-Missing Link portage.
Quite a day that was.
Mike"

that is awesome, yet scary for the moose since bears like to target the moose calf.

noodle: "One of these days it'll happen for me. Dozens of trips, not a single moose, yet I have two different friends who each saw one on their first trip. It's unfair, I tells ya."

My first trip I literally ran into a moose on a portage, basically bumped her in the head with he canoe…she was in the water as I entered the water to put the canoe down. Tilted the canoe up and was eye to eye with the moose…OMG…luckily she backed away and then made a call, her calf appeared and they just watched us load up and leave. That was on Horseshoe Lake. Then the next year were going down the Darky River to Darky Lake in Quetico and saw two cows. Wow this is easy…every trip see 2 moose… LOL

26 years later…only seen one more from the road in 2019…I think we are 2 loud and as others have said the time of year.

T

Have seen moose in the BW a few times and not typically where or when I would've expected to. Often midday during the heat. Most recently, this spring we saw a moose walking along the shore near boulder bay as we approached a portage landing about 10 yards back from the water to see it turn deeper into the woods. Couldn't tell if it was a bull or cow.

Our run-in on Gabbro was quite exciting as we got out of the canoe to let the kids explore a small island and fish from shore to quickly be greeted by breaking branches and a bull moose coming out of the brush letting us know it was his afternoon napping spot.

Another sighting was a bull moose on Cherokee Creek taking off into the woods as it likely heard us coming before we saw it.

Have taken a handful of backpacking trips across Isle Royale and seen many moose out there so feel spoiled in that regard. One morning at the lake Desor S campground we were the only hikers there and had a cow and calf walk into camp and spend a good half an hour browsing right around our tents. We kept a few trees between us, but they sure didn't seem to mind we were there.

From Opasquia

Three years ago a cow and two calves walked between our tents in the morning and swam to the other side of the bay on Winchell. I was still sleeping so didn’t see them until they were on the other side of the lake, but one of our campmates took a video so I at least saw it in 2D. Most of the moose I’ve seen up there were on the Gunflint side. The only time I recall seeing a moose on the Ely side was on…

Moose Lake! That time we heard it swimming after dark and watched it come ashore in camp and foraged in the bushes. We watched nervously for a few minutes but we were so tired we just crawled back to bed and we left each other alone.

Edit: Now I think I’m misremembering bcuz I only saw one calf in the short video.

This thread jump started some memories.

I've been lucky enough to have seen a few moose, mostly back in the day on October trips. We've run into them on portages a couple of times. Once, from Fee to Vee lakes after a windstorm where the portage was clear but the woods were a tangled mess. Looked up and there was a young bull 20 or so yards down the trail. I don't think he had any desire to thrash through all the blowdown. After a stare down, we put down the canoe and a pack and went back for the rest of the gear. He was still there when we got back and after waiting a while, I loaded the canoe and took a few steps forward. Luckily he turned and trotted down the trail, making much better time than us.

Another bull was sleeping on the shore of Jordan Lake. "Say, that rock looks like a ...dam, it is a moose!". After thrashing around to find a camera( pre-cell phones) and trying to quietly paddle closer, he opened his eyes, snorted and that was enough to get us to paddle away faster but not as quietly.

Stopped on Ensign lake at an empty campsite to take a "comfort break", and on the way back to the latrine a cow moose jumped out of the brush about 10 feet away and took off. Still made the stop.

Last one--a beautiful fall evening on the Kawishiwi. Paddling up to the portage and a bull and a cow were standing at the end of it. For a variety of reasons, we decided not to disturb them. It was getting dark and any campsites were a ways away so it was hard to practice patience but after about 15 minutes they disappeared into the woods and allowed us to proceed.

In 2024 I saw the trifecta, Moose, Bear and Wolf. Disclaimer only the Moose was in the BW, the other two were on the road to Sawbill Outfitters.

I have also hit one Moose and a Bear. Both were with my fire engine, I just bumped the Moose in the butt since it was running away from me on Hwy 1 by Isabella and I was able to be almost stopped. The Bear was in Alaska and it was just bumped, but a little harder, I think it made it, but it ran into the woods.

One time in the winter of early 2,000's I counted 16 Moose from Isabella to Finland on Hwy 1, on a one way trip. They were coming out to eat road salt, I drove about 35 mph because I was afraid I would hit one and their eyes do not glow in the dark like deer.

I have only seen Cow Moose with one calf twice one was just born on a creek side with the mother still cleaning it. The second while paddling down stream I thought she was a muskrat as the only thing exposed was a bit of her head slowing to check she stood up over the front of my canoe snorted and the calf and her bolted. On the return she was in the same location and again left. I think that if they have good food resources they are more likely to have twins. They say Cows with 3 or 4 calves are probably the result of "Calf Stealing" which happens when two mothers with new born cross paths as moose don't do math.

cofit: "Another bull was sleeping on the shore of Jordan Lake. "Say, that rock looks like a ...dam, it is a moose!". After thrashing around to find a camera( pre-cell phones) and trying to quietly paddle closer, he opened his eyes, snorted and that was enough to get us to paddle away faster but not as quietly."

The closest I ever got was portaging from Section Three Pond to North Lake. As I came through and set the canoe down, I thought I heard a bellow from across the lake, and squinted and thought "Say.... behind that tree, is that a moose?" I zoomed in as much as I could with my phone camera and still wasn't sure, so when we loaded up and paddled out I kept an eye on it.

Nope. Just a big rock.

I've got three weeks of trips coming up in Aug and Sep this year, two weeks canoeing and one week hiking the Kek, so fingers crossed for finally checking moose off the list.

We got to see a Cow and calf on Gaskin Friday June 5, shortly after setting up camp. They crossed the lake towards our site, and then hung out along the shoreline for awhile before going into the woods.


They must have bedded down near us, because Saturday morning they walked through our canoe landing while we were eating breakfast.
Sunday (6/7/26) we were moving to a site on Horseshoe and saw another Cow with two calves, swimming fast across the 'river' portion in the SE corner of the lake. They were going too fast for any of us to get a photo or video, and headed straight into the woods. First time I'd ever gotten to see a Moose in the BWCA, and we got to see 5!

I count myself as very fortunate because I have seen moose on several BWCA trips (6 sightings inside the BWCA, 2 on Iron Lake on the edge of BWCA along the Gunflint) over the past 20 years. My wife was with me to share this on all but the first trip when I was with my brother (Oyster River sighting).

Two were on the east side - in the Oyster River between Agnes and Oyster and once on Shell Lake (those were my first two BWCA trips so I started 2 for 2 on moose sightings!).

All others off the Gunflint - Frost, Horseshoe, Wilder, Rush, and Iron Lake on edge of BWCA. Have seen a single cow, cow with a calf, and then a huge bull once on Iron Lake.

Always in awe and wonder whenever I see one.

Those are some good pics. I have prob seen moose 5-6 times in the BW. Up close on Horseshoe Lake, a mom and calf casually munching on lily pads. That's a moosey area.
Best story is I was camped on the west side West Pike Lake,. In the morning I just made my trail coffee, sitting by the fire grate when I hear crashing of the forest across the lake. A moose entered the lake not so gracefully as they do, and proceeded to swim across WP Lake directly at my campsite. Like it was going to land on my campsite! I stayed still and it kept coming right at me. When it got close enough it was huffing and puffing like a steam engine on full throttle. Big animal, strong swimmer. I made a move to grab my phone and get a pic before I was to be trampled to death and it saw my movement, did an immediate 180 and swam all the way back across the lake, exiting in the same place, in the same fashion, loud crashing forest then silence. I still feel kinda bad about that, making it swim all the way back across the lake. Maybe the moose just wanted to say hi. Wasn't coming for the coffee sure about that.

Saw these two in AK, the wildlife refuge I worked for used to be called the Kenai National Moose Range. It also has a moose research station that I used to work at. Second pic.

LindenTree: "Saw these two in AK, the wildlife refuge I worked for used to be called the Kenai National Moose Range. It also has a moose research station that I used to work at. Second pic.


"

Not sure I'd want to stand that close to a moose!

NEIowapaddler: "

LindenTree: "Saw these two in AK, the wildlife refuge I worked for used to be called the Kenai National Moose Range. It also has a moose research station that I used to work at. Second pic.



"

Not sure I'd want to stand that close to a moose! "

They were as tame as cows, always trying to escape the enclosure.
Sometimes you just have to ride them.

If anyone wants to learn about moose in a scientific way follow the link, read the article, go to the main page and read more peer reviewed studies. I had the pleasure of working with these animals many times when I lived in Alaska.

Moose Research Center, moose don't sweat.

LindenTree: "If anyone wants to learn about moose in a scientific way follow the link, read the article, go to the main page and read more peer reviewed studies. I had the pleasure of working with these animals many times when I lived in Alaska.


Moose Research Center, moose don't sweat. "

Fascinating! Now I'm kinda jealous, those calves are pretty cute.

timatkn: "My first trip I literally ran into a moose on a portage, basically bumped her in the head with he canoe…she was in the water as I entered the water to put the canoe down. Tilted the canoe up and was eye to eye with the moose…OMG…luckily she backed away and then made a call, her calf appeared and they just watched us load up and leave. That was on Horseshoe Lake."

Wow. Never checked for a moose head as I set the canoe down before... interesting she didn't move as you approached. Must have been a stealth portage with no huffing and puffing, lol.

More moose info
Moose Farm

Nice moose, plural. Mama has that sly look on her face I could fall in love with. She knows something I don't know...

For those with Facebook check this out, it happened about 7 miles from my cabin when I used to live in AK on the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Brown Bears chasing moose calves.
Moose and Bears

I saw 6 moose this last trip. 2 cows with calves and 2 bulls. More than the previous 50 trips combined.

AmarilloJim: "I saw 6 moose this last trip. 2 cows with calves and 2 bulls. More than the previous 50 trips combined."

And this is why I can't have nice things. :) Trip of a lifetime.