Moose Rut Pit Search
A moose rut pit is a several foot long section of earth, often mud, where a bull has pawed up the soil with front hooves, deposited urine, and splashed urine soaked mud onto his bell and antlers. He may also wallow in it, and for this reason, a rut pit is sometimes called a “wallow”. The odor is highly attractive to cows and may influence her estrous cycle. In fact, a cow may push the bull out of the way to wallow in it, and may compete for it with other cows. This behavior peaks in late September through early October, but I began my moose rut pit search in August so I could get a jump on the earliest activity and catch it with a trail camera. I haven’t yet succeeded in capturing either a bull or cow performing at a wallow, so in this post I offer no definitive how-to information but explain my progress to date, and ask readers for input and advice.
One Possible Moose Wallow
One might expect a large, smelly mud pit to be conspicuous, and that may be true where the moose population density is relatively high, but I am finding it difficult to locate one that I can identify with certainty here in Massachusetts.
Here’s a muddy spot that was full of moose tracks in early August. It may have been deliberately churned up, or perhaps it appeared so only because clods of mud stuck to the animal’s hooves as he moved through. There was no strong odor. At the time I thought it might indicate a bull who was just beginning to feel the thrill of a rising testosterone level and hoped he’d return to this spot for the full performance. Bob and I set up a camera and hoped.
Several days later, a bull did appear on camera but if he did any scraping or churning, the camera triggered too late to capture it. As you can see in info strip of the video below, this occurred in the second week of August and his antlers were still covered in velvet. So, even if he had romance on his mind, it was likely a faint glimmer and he probably did not perform the full fledged rut ritual. No cows appeared at this spot. There was no odor of urine when we collected the camera, but perhaps the smell fades quickly if not “refreshed” by the animal. We left the camera in place till October 19th, but there were no more appearances of moose, either bull or cow. Perhaps the bull left to search elsewhere for cows.
Further Attempts
In September we set up cameras at two other muddy spots that looked like possible moose wallows but no moose appeared at either of them. We also targeted a landscape view of several areas that had a lot of moose tracks, scat, and/or feeding sign but no specific evidence of a rut pit. Bulls appeared at most of them but nary a cow. The next two videos show moose activity at two of those areas.
A Grunting Bull
The only rutting behavior captured by the cameras was a faint black and white video of grunting bull. Some people call this a croak rather than a grunt. It’s the very last clip in the video below, and you have to watch carefully to see his legs in the background, and turn up the volume to hear him grunt.
Are Moose Wallows Less Common in MA?
I’m not sure, but they may be, because Massachusetts is at the southern fringe of the moose’s range. The population density is lower than in the heart of the moose range, so it’s likely these pits are less common. A bull in MA might have to search further and wider than a bull in AK. If that is the case, then his rut pits would be more spread out.
In Alaska (and perhaps elsewhere) moose become more social by early August. Cows who have lost their calves may form small, temporary groups, and bulls may do the same. I do not know if this happens in Massachusetts; I have seen no evidence of it. If it does not happen here, then we would indeed expect rut pits to be more spread out (less common on the landscape).
Moose Rut Pit Search to be Continued
Now that November has rolled around, the chances of finding a wallow this year are probably slim but I will keep an eye out as I track other species, and resume searching in earnest next fall. In the meantime, I will have to do some more reading and asking around, so if you have experience with moose wallows, please enlighten.
Questions for Readers
Have you found a moose rut pit? In what state or province? How would you describe the smell? Was it in an upland or wetland setting? Have you found one in Massachusetts? Were you able to confirm it was a rut pit by seeing a moose at the pit either in person or via trail camera?
Hi Janet
I find moose wallows every year in a moist beaver meadow in October mountain state forest. They smell like turpentine and earl grey tea. I can show you. Had a moose in my yard last month, will send.
Hi Richard, wow every year in the same area? I love your description of the smell – most creative so far!! Can you still see evidence of the pits now? Is there still moose activity at them now? I’d love to see the spot sometime if you have the time. Will email. Thanks!
Hi Janet, Here in Maine We consider August 20 about the start of the Moose rut.
This summer in all my hikes in the woods I saw just one Moose track. My hikes were not far from Augusta, You must have more Moose where you are than we do.
You know, you are the second Mainer this week to tell me that the moose population seems way down. Must be brain worm and winter ticks. Sad.
A friend just turned me onto your site; great info and procedures. I am very interested in wildlife behavior and am also a bow hunter and so have 4 cameras out all year with a great variety of animals and activities on them. As for moose, I even got a short video 2 years ago in June of a cow and her your calf in Central Mass. It was fantastic. I have a cabin in Maine and the population is down but they can still be seen in wetland areas. The Maine DFW is running a pilot program of issuing more moose hunting permits in one zone because initial research is showing that higher densities may be encouraging deaths of young due to ticks so they will see if lower populations will alleviate that.
Hi Art, welcome to my blog! I am fascinated by the reports of a depressed moose population in Maine, because we just spent several days in January and again in early April in the northwest mts of Maine. Both times moose tracks, scat and feeding sign were incredibly abundant. To me it appears that at least that part of Maine is bursting at the seams with moose, so if the population is down it must be in other parts of the state. We set up some cameras and cannot wait to see the results. Hoping to return in September both to check cameras and look for rut pits. I just read about the ME DFW issuing more hunting permits for moose in an effort to alleviate deaths due to winter ticks. Unfortunately climate change is probably the biggest factor so further reducing the moose population seems unlikely to have anything other than a transient benefit. Congrats on the moose cow and calf vid in central MA. I once got a cow with an older calf; would love to get one with a young calf.
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can a moose pit be copied using human urine, doe in heat urine, moose urinee, dig up a large area, have tracks as well as moose pawing the ground. Set up a tree stand and wait.
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I don’t know. One thing I’ve not been able to find a clear answer on is how likely they are to even return to a pit they themselves have made. I don’t think it’s very often, it’s not like a deer scrape. I found two more last September, set camera and waited. Moose never returned to either. Neither bull nor cow ever showed. They were definitely rut pits – very fresh tracks in the pawed up mud and a strong odor of moose urine. I could be wrong but I don’t think targeting a rut pit is an especially effective way to either photograph or hunt them.
make your own moose pit. I make one the same place every year in New Foundland. It is expensive but I have harvested 3 moose in the last 5 yrs.
Thanks, but that is just not my interest. I’m not trying to kill them, I’m trying to study their behavior. Part of that is learning about where they create their own pits, how often they return to them etc….in this particular region. It is good info to know that it works for you, though, because here I am finding they don’t return to the pits very often.
I am starting my own moose pit in late Sept in new foundland in a large bog. Wish me luck.