Moose Spotted At Duane Mattfeldt's

Two moose were recently spotted at Duane Mattfeldt's place, east of town, located near the Milk River Bridge on MT Hwy. 24. The moose originally appeared north of the railroad tracks near the Valley Veterinary Clinic, and were eventually seen on Mattfeldt's land Jan. 4.

The moose, likely a mother and her yearling calf, seem to come and go from the property. Although sightings have been sporadic, it appears the best time to see them has been between 8 and 8:30 a.m. on any given day. Once the time frame was established, Mattfeldt brought his coworker and photography phenom, Sean Heavey, to the area in an attempt to capture their image.

Sightings of moose in the area have become more frequent, so be on the lookout as you might just be able to see them.

Drew Henry of Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks stated moose populations in Canada are doing quite well and are inhabiting more untraditional habitat on the "farmland" further south in Canada. These farmlands represent less overall suitable habitat for moose and as a result more of them are spilling into the habitat offered by Montana.

Henry also stated he has received more than 80 reports of moose throughout Region 6 this year, and he is reasonably confident that most of those are unique moose sighting, although it can be difficult to verify since they can move a great distance quite quickly. Incidental sightings and harvest data are currently FWP’s best indicators of population trend for moose in the area.