This Simple Bait Will Bring Idaho Moose to Your Front Door

Get our free mobile app

Moose like pumpkins.  I saw a video on Facebook where a moose was chowing down on a pumpkin at the end of the driveway, and he was oblivious to anything else going on around him.  Munching the pumpkin was his sole focus.  So, I typed “moose pumpkins” into YouTube, and you would be shocked by how many videos you can locate.  Oh, and elk too!

You won’t find many of these videos out of Mississippi or Louisiana, but here in the northern climes with extensive moose habitat, these great beasts will locate gourds.  I don’t know if there is a specific scent that pumpkins emit that attracts the animals, but it looks like the equivalent of my cat with fresh catnip (he eats, sniffs, and rolls in it).

I suspect if you live near Rock Creek or Hansen, you can attract some of the herd by placing pumpkins on your porch.  Is this a good idea?  Of course not!  Moose and elk are traffic hazards and they can be rather unruly when they encounter human beings.  In some of the videos I watched, the animals appear to me to be a little too close for comfort.

Let’s be clear, the people in these videos didn’t feed the beasts on purpose.  Wild animals get acclimated to this sort of offering, and overwhelmingly the four-legged creature pays the ultimate price.

In other words, don’t try this at home.

I’ve seen large animals at zoos eating pumpkins, and I still don’t get the attraction.  Now, you put that stuff into a pie with some whipped cream, and I’m in but otherwise, no thanks!