The Great Moose Migration

At Kullberg, the landscape has drawn moose along their migration routes for thousands of years – evidence of this can be found in ancient pitfall systems, rock carvings, and archaeological excavations.

Many of the moose we glimpse through SVT’s cameras are on the move – migrating from the areas where they’ve spent the winter to the places where they’ll stay through summer and into autumn.

For some, the journey has only just begun. Others are almost there. And for a few, the forests around Kullberg are home all year round.

From the end of April to late May, most migrating moose move from their winter to their summer ranges. Many people think moose, like reindeer, migrate all the way from the coast to the mountains – but that’s not quite the case.

Most migrating moose in the north travel between roughly 30 and 90 kilometers. (The longest migration we’ve recorded is an impressive 200 kilometers!) In southern Sweden, the few moose that still migrate move much shorter distances – around six to ten kilometers.

For the females, this spring migration happens quickly. Within one to three weeks, the cow has reached her summer range, where she will give birth and raise her calf.

By the time the landscape bursts into green, she’s already there. The vegetation is at its most nutritious then – just when she needs the energy to nurse her calf. Nature, in all its wisdom, has planned it perfectly.

“The bulls aren’t in such a hurry – they have no calves to care for and no reason to find a safe calving spot,” says Wiebke Neumann, wildlife ecologist at SLU.

When autumn turns to winter, the migration begins again. From mid-November to mid-January, most of the migrating moose head back toward their winter ranges. This return journey takes longer, and the animals spread out more across the landscape.

“For some moose, it can take six to eight weeks to travel from the summer to the winter range. Why rush? Moving too fast just wastes energy that’s needed to survive the long, hungry winter,” says Göran Ericsson, professor of wildlife ecology at SLU.

Climate plays a big role in when – or even if – the moose choose to migrate. Milder winters and shorter snow seasons can make them stay longer in their summer areas. Some may stop migrating altogether.

But not all moose migrate. Some seem to find no reason for the hassle of moving between different homes and choose to stay in one area for life.

The proportion of moose that migrate, when they set off, and how far they travel varies depending on where in Sweden they live – and even between individuals in the same region.

There’s a simple rule of thumb for moose migration: the farther north you go, the more moose migrate, and the longer their journeys are. The farther south, the more stationary moose you’ll find – and shorter distances for those that do move.

Closer to the mountains, the availability of food shifts more dramatically with the seasons. The climate is harsher here, and the contrasts between summer and winter are sharp.

In these areas, it’s easy to see how the landscape guides the moose. Between the mountain peaks, the river valleys carve out natural routes, and most animals follow these paths as the vegetation changes through the year. But the moose also move up and down the mountains.

“In Nikkaluokta, many moose migrate by altitude,” says Wiebke Neumann. “In late winter they spend their time in the valleys, but as summer comes they move higher up into the mountains, staying there until December, when they slowly start their descent again.”

In southern Sweden, or inland parts of the north, the landscape is flatter and food sources are more evenly distributed. Here, migrations can happen in any direction – or not at all. The shifts between seasons aren’t as drastic, and food is often available year-round, so the moose don’t need to move far to find what they need.

So what does home mean for a moose? Each moose has a home range – the area it spends its life in. For migrating moose, that home range consists of several seasonal areas, since they spend summer and autumn in one place and winter in another.

A home range can be large, but just like us humans go to the store to get food and return home to rest, moose use some parts of their range more often than others. The areas where a moose spends more than half of its time are called its core areas.

“In winter, moose concentrate in parts of the landscape where food and climate conditions are best, while in summer they spread out more evenly,” says Wiebke Neumann, researcher at SLU.

We return to Kullberg – to the pines and berry shrubs that will soon feed the moose resting for a moment before continuing on their journey.

But one question still lingers: why?

If the moose migrate to take advantage of what the landscape offers, why don’t they travel farther? Why would food and shelter be better just a few miles north of Kullberg than near Näsåker, where “Jokern’s” summer and winter ranges lie?

“To understand what drives migration, we can’t only look at the environment or individual animals,” says Wiebke Neumann. “Migration is part of the moose’s culture.”

Migration is a socially learned behavior, passed down from mother to calf – and also shared between moose that aren’t related. The older generations show the way.

Some moose learn to migrate, others learn to stay. And some make their own choices, going against what their mothers once taught them.

So which strategy is smarter – to stay or to go?

“Over time, both work equally well,” says Wiebke Neumann. “We’ve seen no difference in condition between migrating and resident moose.”

Facts