TIL moose actually eat more willow than birch in winter, found it in a state DNR study

I saw this breakdown of browse preferences from a 2022 Fairbanks survey and it totally flipped what I thought I knew about winter foraging around my cabin, anyone else trust their old-timer tips over the actual data?

2 comments

2 Comments

ryan_clark4018d ago

Old timers around here swear by birch being the main winter feed but I watched a cow moose spend a solid 45 minutes stripping willow along a creek bed last February while ignoring birch saplings 10 feet away. State data definitely flipped what I thought I knew too. Funny how something as simple as what moose eat can make you question all the local lore you grew up hearing.

margaretw4118d ago

The part where you said "it totally flipped what I thought I knew" really hit home for me. I had the exact same thing happen last winter when I was out snowshoeing and watched a moose just demolish a willow thicket while there were birch trees all around that it barely touched. All the old timers in my area swear by birch being the main thing, but I've started paying way closer attention and the data seems to match what I'm actually seeing on the ground now. It's kind of humbling to realize that stuff you heard your whole life from people who've been in the woods forever might not be as solid as you thought. I still respect the old timer tips, but now I look at them more like good starting points instead of hard facts.