Moose Poses For Trail Cam Photos in Poughkeepsie, NY

A moose is on the loose in the Hudson Valley...again!

Tis the season! Apparently, the end of September or early October is a popular time for moose to travel a little further than they normally do. According to the Department of Environmental Conservation, while moose sightings aren't unheard of in the Hudson Valley, they are rare as usually moose stay further up north in the Adirondacks and up in New England.

SEE MORE: See a Moose? The New York State DEC Wants to Know

However, we've been seeing moose more frequently in the region. Last year around this time there was a moose running around Dutchess County and Danbury, Connecticut. And in 2023, we've racked up 2 different sightings in the last few weeks.

Moose Frolicks Across Hyde Park Front Lawn

On September, 20th 2023 we learned of a moose sighting in the Hyde Park area. Julia Truitt told us she thought a horse was walking past her bedroom window, but when she looked outside she saw this:

Julia Truitt

A moose frolicking across your front lawn is not something you see every day in Dutchess County. She added that the moose was a beautiful animal and that it was extremely tall and took her by surprise. The moose had been spotted on trail cam in Clinton Corners, and later Rhinebeck.

The moose sightings went cold for about a week. That is until this week.

Poughkeepsie, NY Moose Poses for Trail Cam

James R. Gibbons reached out to us on Facebook and shared some amazing photos of a moose who moseyed on over to his trail cam earlier this week. Gibbons has been hunting in Dutchess County for over 29 years and is a private property patrol and trespass enforcement agent who has a recreational property to hunt on in the town of Poughkeepsie.

He set up a trail camera for whitetail deer on his property in the town of Poughkeepsie. So, imagine his surprise when he checked the camera and saw this moose:

James R. Gibbons

Gibbons wrote in a statement:

when my phone started dinging early in the morning and I looked at it like am I crazy? That’s no deer it’s not a horse I said it’s a damn moose. I couldn’t believe my eyes, but I was excited and enthusiastic for the opportunity to have gotten a very rare photo in my area something I never expected to see wild deer hunting or just in general in this area

Is this the same moose from Hyde Park? We're not sure, but there was another moose sighting on Sunday, October 1st in Hopewell near Old State Road. Nelson Fernadez took a video of the sighting and shared this screenshot with us:

Nelson Fernandez

We're thinking that this Hopewell moose and the Poughkeepsie moose are the same. However, we can't be sure because we're only experts in Moose Track ice cream.

If you happen to see a moose in your neighborhood and can safely take a photo, we would love to hear from you and share your story. Email Jess@HudsonValleyCountry.com with the details!

It must be a popular time of year for moose to take a vacation down south. Take a look at a crazy close encounter with a moose out in the Danbury area from around this time last year:

Danbury Resident Has Astonishing Close Encounter With Famous Moose

His name is Daryl Pitman, and he's a Danbury resident who recently had a super-close encounter with a moose that has become famous in the Greater-Danbury area. In the past few days this moose has been seen in multiple Danbury locations, it's been seen in Newtown, New Fairfield, Woodbury and even Pawling, NY to name a few.

I saw Daryl's pictures in a different moose related thread and reached out to him. I asked him to tell me more. I wanted to know if these photos were real? Did he take the pictures? Was this in Danbury? When was this? How did he feel. An excited Daryl got back to me with the following responses.

Gallery Credit: Lou Milano

Looking for an up close and personal encounter with a wolf? Check out Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbia, New Jersey:

Lakota Wolf Preserve in Columbia New Jersey

The Wolves of the Lakota Wolf Preserve is located just over the New York State border near the Pocono Mountains in Columbia, New Jersey. They are the Northeast's largest wolf preserve. They offer tours and educational programs.

Gallery Credit: Paty Quyn