A video appeared Thursday on Facebook of what appears to be a young bull moose crossing an empty field in northwest Iowa, and Sioux Center’s Police Chief issued a warning that the moose was near Dordt University this morning.
DNR Regional Conservation Officer John Sells hasn’t seen the moose in person, but has seen the photos. “It’s a young bull moose, a spiked bull moose, and that’s normally what we see wandering south this time of year,” Sells says. Sells says moose sightings are not as unusual as you would think. “They’ve been showing up a lot more in recent years. We had one down in this area in the winter of ’21 and into the spring of ’22. So not really that long ago,” he says. ” It seems like they show up every few years.”
He says if moose come this far south, it’s usually because of one thing. “The most likely scenario here, since it is a young bull, it is just wandering searching far a mate. Breeding season is going,” he says. “Eventually it’s going to be frustrated and it’s going to hopefully find its way back north.” Sells says moose are a protected species in Iowa, you cannot shoot or hunt them, and if you see a moose, you should stay clear
“It’s an animal that you don’t want to approach or interact with, so maintain your distance,” Sells says. “It’s fine to take a look and observe it. Just observe it safely from from a distance. Don’t get out of your vehicle and try to walk up to it. They are a wild animal and they are quite large. You certainly don’t want to put yourself in risky situation.” Sells says moose can travel five to tens miles a day, and have been known to travel up to 100 miles a week. He says the moose’s trajectory is in a southeasterly direction, which could put it in the Orange City and Alton areas Saturday, unless it decides to turn around and go back home.
Sioux County Conservation Board Biologist Sunday Ford says there’s been an increase of unusual wildlife recently spotted in the area. She cites a report of a wild bull Elk in Plymouth County this week, and an Armadillo near Hospers in August.
(By Mark Buss, KSOU, Sioux Center)