A massive bull moose was spotted wandering near Starr Ridge Road in Brewster on Sunday, just a half-mile from the North Salem town line and only a few miles from the Connecticut border. The animal's appearance so close to the Interstate 684/84 exchange has turned heads across the Hudson Valley, where moose sightings remain a rare sight even in the best of years.
According to Mid-Hudson News, the moose was seen near Starr Ridge Road in Brewster on Sunday, about a half mile from the North Salem town line. Separately, a Threads post from @jackonthereels described the moose as having been spotted only a few miles from the CT/NY line in Brewster, noting the area sits close to the 684/84 exchange. As CNY News first reported, video footage captured the large animal moving through the area near the border.
Connecticut meteorologist Jack Drake shared a viewer's video of the moose near the 684/84 exchange, according to Hudson Valley Country. Drake said the sighting marked the first moose spotted in the area since 2022, and the same outlet notes that moose are in fact native to New York State, even though encounters with them remain unusual this far south of their typical range.
How Rare Is a Moose This Far South?
Moose sightings in Putnam and Westchester counties are uncommon enough that officials could point to only a handful of prior local reports — in 2008, 2016, 2018 and 2022 — per Mid-Hudson News. Most of New York's moose live far to the north, in the Adirondack Mountains and the Taconic Highlands along the Massachusetts and Vermont borders, with the DEC saying the animals occasionally turn up in Columbia and northern Dutchess counties as well. New York's moose population numbers as many as 900 statewide, according to the Mid-Hudson News report citing the DEC.
New York's largest land mammal can weigh up to 1,200 pounds, Mid-Hudson News reports, citing the DEC. Connecticut's Department of Energy and Environmental Protection, as cited by CT Insider, puts the maximum weight higher, at up to 1,400 pounds, and says the animals may stand over six feet tall at the shoulder.
Why Moose Wander This Time of Year
The timing of the Brewster sighting lines up with moose breeding season, which falls in late September and October, when the animals tend to become more active while searching for mates, per the same Mid-Hudson News report. Hudson Valley Country adds that moose wander out of the Adirondacks into the Hudson Valley during mating season, which typically runs from late September through December, as bulls cover long distances looking for potential mates.
That seasonal restlessness isn't confined to New York. In Connecticut, two moose were spotted crossing Route 181 in Barkhamsted on the evening of August 12, part of 30 reported moose sightings across the state so far in 2026, according to CT Insider. The outlet also notes that deer hunters have logged 949 moose sightings across 86 Connecticut municipalities over the past two decades, and that the state's first recorded sighting of a moose cow with calves came in Hartland back in 2000. Farther north in New York, News10 reported that wildlife officials received reports of a young bull moose roaming western Rensselaer County near Poestenkill, Wynantskill and Interstate 90 in North Greenbush, while WNYT shared a video of a moose, with credit to Matt Petteys.
What Drivers Are Told to Do
During October through December, drivers should slow down near deer or moose standing by the roadside.
Deer and moose also tend to travel in groups, so drivers who spot one animal near the roadway should be prepared for others to follow close behind. The moose's appearance near the 684/84 exchange is a reminder that even New York's biggest animals can show up in unexpected places.
