Newfoundland Speed Bumps

The sparse traffic was moving along at a reasonable 90 to 100 kmh, well within the speed limit, and I was comfortable staying behind a family sedan which was a few hundred yards ahead of me.

It was a bright afternoon beneath a sunny and cloudless sky, roads were dry, and my mind was growing more numb as the radio bleated out a bumping rhythm masking barely discernible lyrics.

Suddenly the family sedan ahead of me swerved, brake lights glaring brightly, and my foot found itself on my own brake pedal, my mind snapping to full alert.

A hairy bulk had appeared beside the car ahead, and just as suddenly disappeared . I saw it long enough to know it was a young moose, disoriented and probably trying to reach the other side of the road. The yearling had appeared from the deep ditch beside the Trans Canada Highway, providing a brief moment of excitement for the car's passengers.

The sedan slowly pulled away, and I approached the location in my own vehicle with extreme caution, crawling toward the place where it had been observed. I pulled to a stop on the shoulder and soon spotted the young animal half hidden in alders and small trees just off the road.

Far from upset or excited, the immature bull eyed me cautiously as it munched on those delicious leaves sprouting in the exposed areas.

I parked the vehicle, switched off the engine, carefully opened the door, and walked toward the animal, approaching on foot close enough to take a few photos. It never moved.

"Assuming a license is awarded, I hope I can get this close next fall during hunting season," I thought to myself.

For now, at least, both the moose and the car's occupants were alive, and someone would have a tale to talk about at the dinner table tonight. The close call had been just that, a close call.

But it isn't close for everyone, and each year there are several collisions between automobiles or trucks and these large animals, many of which result in serious injury or even death for both humans and moose.

Vehicle damage alone is astronomical, and striking one of these 1,000 pound beasts usually means serious repair bills or write-offs. The automobiles of today just don't hold up to a chance meeting with a half ton of meat on the hoof.

Collisions between vehicles and wild animals are not uncommon in many areas of North America. I once read that more white-tailed deer are killed by collisions with motor vehicles on the highways of Pennsylvania than are taken by hunters.

It wasn't that long ago that a friend of mine, John Williams, died in an accident on the Pennsylvania turnpike when his vehicle struck a deer. Ironically, John was an outfitter and lecturer whose area of expertise was the successful methods for hunting of white-tailed deer.

In parts of Maine and northern New Hampshire, there are road signs warning of "moose crossings", or cautioning drivers to be alert to moose and deer on the highways. When a vehicle is traveling at speeds of 110-plus kilometers per hour, there is little time to stop safely when one appears suddenly in your headlights.

A problem in Newfoundland, particularly on secondary highways, is the close proximity of thick alders to the roadside. Despite trimming them back every few years, alders bounce back and seem to grow thicker than before. Motorists have almost no chance to react when a moose decides to pop out in front of the car of truck, whether day or night!

Having a little knowledge of the moose family and their habits might help avert an accident, and you might begin with the worst time of the year. Late May and early June is the time you'll most often see young animals near highways. They are calves from the previous year, or yearlings, which have grown into adolescence under the watchful eye of mother.

But mother was also busy last fall as she fell for a particularly attractive bull moose during the rut, and now, following a brief but amorous tryst, carries another calf which she is about to bring into the world.

With the impending birth of a new charge to nurture, cows will drive off the previous year's calf. Mother Nature must feel it is old and large enough to fend for itself.

These yearlings might be large, but they haven't learned a great deal about life in the world of humans. They are, as the old timers put it, as "stunned as me arse".

They wander aimlessly, sometimes attracted to the noise of road traffic or the road salt left in ditches, or to the new shoots of greenery which sprout in the open areas near highways.

They represent a real hazard to motorists at this time of the year because they have yet to develop a fear of man or of the machines in which we travel - unless, of course, they encounter a convoy of tractor trailers. That's enough to scare anything!

As the summer wears on and the cow looks after her new offspring, these yearlings will eat and grow. They will also gather knowledge, and develop an instinct for survival which, by the time hunting season rolls around, will find them as difficult to hunt as their parents and grandparents.

They will opt for cool, quiet cover in deeper woods and avoid the noisy, exhaust-polluted highways, or the communities into which they may have wandered only a few months previously.

There are exceptions. Farmers can attest to the damage done by moose to their root vegetable crops, and once the animals find these juicy locations they seem able to remember where they are and even have an instinct for when the veggies are ready to "harvest".

Of course, anytime is harvest time for a moose, and they usually move from their comfortable daytime cover to wander about in late evening as the weather cools. Ripening gardens are favorite targets.

Late evening is a particularly bad time to be driving, and a time when many accidents occur due to waning light and reduced vision.

By the time fall rolls around, a few of these animals are experiencing internal rumblings, but many are not mature enough to mate. Young bulls may stretch their courage to approach a few cows, not quite certain of what to do yet, but the old patriarchs drive them off their harems

Confused, and probably a little frustrated, they may wander out into open areas near roads and once again become a threat to drivers. This time it is autumn, and earlier sunsets once again make driving hazardous.

Probably the safest time to drive and avoid moose-vehicle confrontations is winter, when the animals are through the rut, cows are carrying calves again, and the animals "yard" together to survive.

The problem is that sometimes they "yard" near highways and every now and then one will pop out into the path of an unsuspecting motorist. This has occurred on a few occasions and cost some people their lives.

Being constantly alert is one key defensive action. Moose like to travel in the open alongside roads, and leave tracks on gravel shoulders, and it is always easy to see where a few have been trotting along the highways.

Is the dirt still dark and moist looking? If so, the tracks are fairly fresh and the animal could be in close proximity. This is the time to keep your eyes scanning ahead and slow down a little, keeping your foot ready to brake.

You should drive carefully in late afternoon and evening, especially just before dark. Moose are like other members of the deer family, they have excellent night vision and move nocturnally almost the same as you or I could in bright daylight.

The next time you see a dark, smeared spot on the road, chances are you've see the place where a moose has been struck by a vehicle of some sort. A careful search of the site will probably disclose bits of glass, plastic or metal, and almost certainly remnants of stiff moose hair.

I you want a real eye-opener, take a look at what remains of a compact car that has been involved in a moose collision. It isn't pretty.

The island of Newfoundland has one of the most dense moose populations in North America. That makes it great for us when hunting season rolls around, but represents a real danger for any travelers.

Just remember, they're out there!

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