Andrew LaBonte, a state wildlife biologist, is nuzzled by a young female moose last April in Hartland.  (Photo courtesy of Andrew LaBonte and the Connecticut DEP.)

Moose sightings in Connecticut are expected to increase dramatically in the next 20 years as the estimated population more than triples in size, says a state wildlife biologist.

The state’s estimated moose population is expected to increase from 73 in 2008 to about 250 animals by 2030, Andrew LaBonte said Wednesday during a talk about moose at the White Memorial Conservation Center.   LaBonte is a wildlife biologist with the state Department of Environmental Protection.  More than 35 people attended his presentation.

“Connecticut really has the potential to support about 2,500 moose in the state” based on habitat, said LaBonte.  “Whether we really ever get that high, I doubt it.”

Public moose sightings were relatively rare in Connecticut before 2000.  As herds increased in Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire due to favorable habitats and limited hunting, moose moved into Connecticut, he said.

“This is unlike previous expansion, which was mostly north,” LaBonte said.

Since 2000, the DEP has received an average of 53 moose sightings per year.  The huge animals, which can weigh up to 1,400 pounds and reach six feet tall, have been spotted in 83 towns throughout the state.

Moose travel five to 10 miles per day and eat about 40 to 60 pounds of woody material daily.  Young males typically wander into Connecticut during the September and October breeding season, LaBonte said.  Moose live for 10 to 15 years.

In 2007, a New Hampshire woman died when a moose ran onto the Meritt Parkway in New Canaan during the day.

“The real concern is at night when it’s dark,” said LaBonte.  Moose are “so tall, the headlights typically don’t shine on their eyes.” 

He showed photos of car accidents where moose destroyed entire windshields.  In one picture, a live moose went through the windshield and ended up sitting in the passenger seat. Typically, there are only one or two motor vehicle accidents involving moose per year.  However, there were four in 2007, LaBonte said.

“The bulk of these accidents occur in the town of Hartland,” he said.  The town has gained a reputation for frequent moose sightings.  LaBonte has heard of a tee-shirt printed in Hartland that proclaims the town “Moose capital of Connecticut.”

In 2007, a joint project for studying moose was established by officials from the DEP, the University of Connecticut, University of Massachusetts, and the Northeast Wildlife Damage Cooperative.  The goal is to capture 10-15 moose and fit them with global positioning radio collars and ear tags for tracking purposes.

“Shooting a dart gun out of a helicopter is not the easiest job,” LaBonte said. It’s also difficult to approach moose on the ground, because they have extremely keen senses of smell and hearing. Once startled, a moose may run for miles.

Earlier this month, LaBonte captured an 800-pound bull moose in Hartland and placed tracking devices on its antlers.  Last week, the moose shed the antlers, and LaBonte recovered them.

In 2009, LaBonte and his team placed tracking collars on a 450-pound female in  Hartland and a 700-pound bull in  Southbury.  The bull died later that year in Massachusetts.  The $4,000 collars sometimes fall off animals or malfunction.  Generally, biologists are able to retrieve stored data from recovered collars, LaBonte said. 

Tracking moose is a job full of surprises.  LaBonte has been bluff-charged by a bull and nuzzled by a young female, who woke up friendly when her tranquilizer wore off.

“It’s been a great experience,” he said.  “It’s really exciting.”

Joe Privitera of Bantam enjoyed LaBonte’s talk.

“I learned the presence of moose is really minimal in the state, and they’re not an aggressive animal,” he said.  Many years ago, Privatera was charged by a cow protecting a calf when he visited Yellowstone National Park.

“It scared me to death,” he said.

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