Late Breeding in Moose, Alces alces

Abstract

Young moose are usually born during the latter part of May or early June. Although some records of early breeding may be found in the literature, it does not seem possible to find a late breeding record like this one, reported by a Quebec sportsman. On August 14, 1954, while trout fishing in the Laurentides Provincial Park about 75 miles north of Quebec City, Mr. Gerard Guay heard his two guides talking about a pregnant cow moose they had seen the previous day on that same lake. Mr. Guay was very sceptical and the guides were still trying to convince him of the veracity of their story when the same moose appeared, but this time accompanied by a calf that could not be more than a few hours old. The gestation period being considered to be about eight months, the mating would have occurred about December 15, 1953, which seems rather unusual and worth reporting. Both guides, Lorenzo Fortin and Angello Bouchard, who spent their lifetime in this area had never encountered such a case.