The best moose watching gear for Maine will help you have the best experience. If you’ve never been moose watching in Maine there is some gear that will help you get the most out of your experience.
A lot of the gear on this list is helpful optics for better viewing experiences and navigational tools that will help you feel more comfortable in the more remote areas of Maine are more likely to be found.
The gear on this list is useful for both DIY moose watching and for those who are going on a guided Maine moose safari/tour.
If you’re new to Maine moose watching, you might like my post: Where To See Moose In Maine With Location/Range Maps.
This post contains Amazon and other affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my link, at no extra cost to you. Of course, you are not obligated to use my links, but it does help fund these posts in hopes of bringing more value to you!
Table of Contents
The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer For DIY Moose Watching
If you’re a DIY Maine moose watcher, you should have a map to help you navigate if electronics fail. This is especially important for those who are entering the North Maine Woods and that aren’t familiar with the road systems. They’re also helpful for marking locations to come to on future dates.
Blaze Orange Clothing
Maine moose hunting season starts around the last week of September through November depending on which WMD you’re in. For safety, it is a good idea to wear at least one article of orange clothing. This will not bother the moose because they have bad eyesight and are colorblind. You can find the Maine moose hunting seasons here.
Consider Sunscreen For Maine Moose Watching
If you’re going to be viewing moose from the water (like on a boat or canoe) or spending a lot of time outside in the spring/summer sunscreen is a good idea.
Bug Spray Is Helpful When Moose Watching in Maine
If you’re going moose watching in northern Maine in Spring/Summer you’re likely to encounter mosquitos, horse flies, and black flies. Having bug spray on hand is a good idea.
Rynoskin Clothing – Chemical Free Insect Protection
There are many reasons to not spray yourself with bug spray. The poison from the spray is able to penetrate your skin and is unhealthy. Additionally, if you’re hunting game with a good sense of smell using bug spray is a great way to ruin a hunt.
I’m a big advocate for Rynoskin, I wear them religiously to protect me from mostly ticks but also help with mosquitos and other insects. They are a chemical-free baselayer that helps prevent bugs from penetrating the tight mesh. Check out my full review here: Rynoskin Review: Insect and Tick Proof Clothing | Does it Work?
Best Boots For Maine Moose Watching
These Lacrosse Grange boots are the go-to boots for Maine. Even if you’re planning to find moose from the vehicle, you might want to get out for a closer look after you’ve found a moose.
These boots keep your pant legs from getting wet from early morning dew or from vegetation that is wet from the rain. They’re also very durable and offer some protection to your shins when you’re walking in slash from logging operations.
Additionally, they are very lightweight and have a tight ankle grip to prevent slipping and blisters.
Bring A Compass For Moose Watching
If you’re going to be driving on dirt roads in the remote wilderness of Maine it is always a good idea to bring a compass. Even if you don’t think you’ll need it, it wouldn’t hurt to keep one in the glove box.
Binoculars Are Helpful Gear For Maine Moose Watching
I tested 14 different binoculars from all price ranges to see which binoculars were the best value for the money. In my opinion, the Athlon Midas binoculars were by far the best value. If you’re wondering how to choose binoculars for moose watching you might like my article How To Choose Binoculars | Confidently Buy The Right Binoculars For You.
Spotting Scope For Watching Moose In Maine
Spotting scopes offer a little extra reach than binoculars. When binoculars aren’t up for the task it’s time to break out the spotting scope. Being able to see moose at longer ranges than binoculars makes spotting scopes fantastic tools for moose watching and for finding moose that aren’t visible to the naked eye.
Spotting scopes are great for wide-open areas like fields, swamps, and clear cuts where moose are found most of the time. Sometimes they’re close enough for binoculars, but sometimes that extra reach is needed.
Tripod For Spotting Scope And Binoculars
A handy way to use a spotting scope for scouting and viewing moose is by securing it to a tripod. This will also make it a lot easier to use the Smartphone Adapter (below) because you will have both hands free.
Since spotting scopes have high magnification they shake a lot if you don’t have something to steady them. A spotting scope tripod is one of the best pieces of Maine moose watching gear for this reason.
If your a photographer or videographer you can also mount your camera to the tripod for steadier shots.
Tripod Adapter For Binoculars
Just like with the spotting scope, it can be helpful to use a tripod to steady your binoculars. This will be helpful if you have shakey hands or if you have high power magnification binoculars.
Also when glassing a large area it is nice to have the binoculars compeltly stabilized so that movement is very easy to pick up in the binoculars. This makes moose easier to find.
Spotting Scope Smartphone Adapter
Another cool and useful accessory for moose watching is a spotting scope adapter. This adapter allows the moose watchers to place their phone camera over the spotting scope eyepiece and see through the spotting scope. This attachment is pretty awesome because you can take photos and videos on your phone through the scope. And it’s cheaper than buying an expensive camera and lens!
Spotting Scope Window Attachment For Moose Watching
A handy way to use a spotting scope for scouting and viewing moose is by clamping it onto the window of a vehicle. This will also make it a lot easier to use the Smartphone Adapter (above).
Since spotting scopes have high magnification they shake a lot if you don’t have something to steady them. The spotting scope window attachment is one of the best pieces of Maine moose watching gear for this reason.
Browning Defender Wireless Pro Scout Trail Camera
If you start to get more serious about finding more moose to improve your success at Maine moose watching then a wireless trail camera can be very useful. You will get photos sent wirelessly to your phone when it takes photos. This will help you monitor what time and what caliber of moose are visiting the area. This is especially helpful if you’re trying to get photos of a bull of a particular size.
As far as cellular cameras go, this is one of the best trail cameras for the money. It takes quality images, has a 90 ft detection range, has a fast recovery time for a cellular camera (26s), and has an impressive 10.5 months of battery life (for a cellular trail camera). This long battery life is a big advantage for this cell camera over other cameras which are much shorter or require a solar panel. (just remember there needs to be cell service)
Costa Del Mar Sunglasses
If you’re going to be viewing moose from the water (canoe, boat…etc) then sunglasses are a good idea. Polarized sunglasses will cut down on the glare even more. Polarized sunglasses will make viewing through optics better because it will be like adding a polarizing filter to the optics which reduces glare.
Costa Del Mar or “Costas” are very well-known sunglasses in the outdoor industry, especially among those who spend a lot of time on the water where the ultimate eye protection is necessary. They use technology to eliminate reflection and filter out the harshest colors so that your eyes are protected under the harshest of sun. They also offer a variety of lens colors so you can customize your glasses to your specific outdoor use.
OnX Hunt Phone App
If you’re going to be DIY moose watching a phone GPS is a good idea if you’re going to be in the semi- or completely remote wilderness of Maine. The best GPS Phone App will be able to download offline maps. The OnX Hunt Phone App is a great option for Maine moose watching for this reason. You can read my OnX Hunt Review Here.
Garmin GPSMAP 64SX
In addition to a Phone GPS, I would also carry a regular GPS for DIY moose watching. I would do this because you never know when your phone might die. If you’re relying on your phone to get out of the woods it’s always a good idea to have a backup.
This is a high-quality GPS for the price. It has all the basic features one would need to get to and from destinations as efficiently as possible. My personal favorite part of this GPS is that the arrow points in the direction the user is facing (3-axis electronic compass). This is lacking in some of the more basic GPSs.
Garmin InReach GPSs
If you wanted to take safety to the next level you could opt for the Garmin InReach devices.
Garmin InReach Explorer+ GPS
With an affordable subscription, the Garmin In-Reach Explorer+ GPS has many benefits for remote wildlife watching: The benefits of this GPS over others are that it offers an emergency SOS feature and texting without service. The InReach uses satellites to send and receive messages instead of cell towers.
The In-Reach GPS gives peace of mind when hunting in remote backcountry situations, making it one of the best gifts for backcountry hunters or wildlife watchers.Â
Another great feature of this GPS is that it comes with a pre-downloaded topo map of the U.S. For this reason, the map can also be used without service. The off-grid capabilities of the Garmin InReach are unmatched for the price.
Garmin InReach Mini GPS
The InReach Mini is a more affordable and compact version of the InReach Explorer+. It has similar SOS and texting features as the Explorer+ and can be paired with your cell phone so that it is just as easy to use when using the free EarthMate App.
Sony Alpha 7 IV Camera For Moose Watching
The one benefit of DSLR/mirrorless cameras is that you can achieve a cinematic, customized, and professional look. They also have the ability to be much better in low-light situations than camcorders which can be very important in wildlife photography and videography.
If you’re looking to capture wildlife photos while also taking filming to the next level this Sony mirrorless camera is one of the best for wildlife watching for the price. You might like my blog post: How To Choose The Best Video Cameras For Hunting | Filming Your Hunt.
Sony 200-600mm Camera Lens For Moose Watching
Moose can be very far away in Maine because they are often found in swamps, fields, or cuts that are vast. A 200-600mm lens is the lens I would want to take the best pictures of moose in Maine. This combined with Sony’s 1.5x zoom in Crop Mode can make this lens a 300-900mm lens.
Conclusion
Hopefully you’ve found some gear that will help improve your Maine moose watching experience. You likely don’t need all of this gear on this list but you can pick and choose the best moose watching gear for your specific moose watching circumstance.
Helpful Resources:
If you’re new to Maine moose watching, you might like my post: Where To See Moose In Maine With Location/Range Maps.
