Moose eating my spruce trees

[densa44]

O.K. here is the problem, I live just north of Cochrane and we have lots and lots of deer and moose. That's al fine but the moose are back every other day, two groups a cow and a very large calf, and the second group is three very large calves who both munch and play in my yard.

I know that they need to eat, and everyone except the dog likes to watch them, but I have had to buy the spruce trees and plant them.

They are coming every other day, the cow and calf and the next day the three cows.

Is there something that I could feed them instead of my trees? Any help is appreciated. The deer just eat the grass.

[58thecat]

Never seen a moose eat spruce trees.
They hang out here and eat willows like candy.
Maybe if the willows weren’t so abundant they would eat spruce etc.

[PartTimeHunter]

Same as 58, never seen them eat spruce but guess it's not out of the realm of possibility. I had one coming in my yard years ago to eat my Lilacs in the fall. Never saw it there but couldn't figure out why my Lilacs didn't do very well. One year a neighbour called to tell me my moose was in the yard eating the Lilacs - I had a draw that year...... my Lilacs are doing much better now

[3blade]

Nope. Once they are on a food source in winter, they won’t give it up. Even if you hit them with pepper balls, they will just come back at night. They are even more aggressive in the cold and will stomp any dog you set on em.

Only way is to fence/block off the trees, but that’s a hard job against a moose. Seen a guy use those giant cable spools that are 7 ft diameter, all the way around his garden. They didn’t want to jump those.

[schleprock]

You could buy some used construction fence panels and put them around your trees. The panels are 6’x9.5’ and could be easily be sold or stored away when no longer needed.

[CNP]

I've seen cows eating spruce in the forest reserve. Not moose cows lol. Bovine cows. Yeah as said ^ the only way to stop them is to fence of your trees.

[pope]

The deer chew on my transplanted pine and larch, never spruce trees. I heard bobbex works, but I never tried it.

[MountainTi]

Buy a bale of second cut alfalfa. They will prefer that over spruce trees

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by MountainTi

Buy a bale of second cut alfalfa. They will prefer that over spruce trees

Had one in Bowden recently, munching on the neighborhood foliage, killed him.

Grizz

[EZM]

A neighbor next to my mom's property had moose eating on his shrubs. I guess he bought a big jug of hot sauce, mixed it up in a sprayer with some water and sprayed his shrubs down.

Worked for him.

Normally I'd be cautious doing this as it may burn or harm the plant - but having it totally destroyed and gone when the moose is eating it is the alternative. So at least you gave it a try.

Anyways, maybe this spurs as thought or idea. Let us know.