Do bird feeders attract moose and elk?

The short answer

• Yes, in winter. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game names bears and moose as the species "we should be careful NOT to attract" with a feeder, and its Homer biologist says feeders "can be a problem when it comes to moose this time of year" in late winter.
• The bear calendar does not cover them. Feeding from November 1 to mid-March is ADF&G's bear option. For moose the agency's option is to put feeders out of their reach, and to keep food off the ground.
• A fed moose is a defensive moose. ADF&G says moose "will aggressively defend any food pile that is left out for them," and more people in Alaska are injured by moose than by bears each year.
• It is often illegal. Alaska's 5 AAC 92.230 bans negligently leaving animal food in a manner that attracts moose or elk; Colorado bans feeding both ($100); Michigan bans feeding elk in the Lower Peninsula; Teton County, Wyoming bans knowingly feeding them; Banff fines any feeder.
• The fix is the ground and the reach: tube, hopper or suet feeders rather than trays, and no seed on the ground. If a moose has already eaten at the feeder, take it down until the snow goes.

Yes, in winter, and mostly through the seed they can reach. Moose and elk do not care about the birds. They care about a ground tray, a mat of spilled sunflower, and any feeder hung low enough to strip. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game names bears and moose as the species "we should be careful NOT to attract" with a feeder, and tells you to "locate feeders out of reach of moose and bears" and keep food off the ground.

Two answers circulate. One says winter feeding is safe because the bears are asleep. The other, mostly in forum threads, treats a moose at the feeder as a lucky photo. The first is bear advice, and it fails here because winter is exactly when moose and elk come in. The second ignores what ADF&G says a fed moose does next.

Why the bear calendar does not protect you#

ADF&G's winter page gives two options: put feeders out of reach of moose and bears, or put them up "after bears are hibernating (Nov. 1) and take them down before bears begin to wake up in spring (mid-March)." The dates only solve the bear. The local height rules work the same way:

Every one of those switches off in winter. Moose are at their worst in late winter. ADF&G Homer biologist Jason Herreman told KBBI in February 2022 that "bird feeders, believe it or not, can be a problem when it comes to moose this time of year." In April 2020 Anchorage biologist Dave Battle said moose "are just barely making it through winter right now," nutritionally stressed, tired and irritable. So in moose and elk country the bear calendar and the winter feeding season overlap the wrong way.

What a fed moose does#

Once one finds food, it stays. "Once a moose finds a source of food, they will likely want to stick around to take advantage of it, and they can be hard to dissuade," said Palmer biologist Tim Peltier. Battle went further: "they will aggressively defend any food pile that is left out for them." Herreman says cleaning up the seed off the ground keeps moose "from coming around and becoming defensive of an area."

That matters because ADF&G says more people in Alaska are injured by moose than by bears each year. Its warning signs: the long hairs on the hump raised, ears laid back, lip licking, or a moose that sees you and walks slowly toward you. Moose "view dogs as enemies," and become aggressive "when hungry and tired, especially in winter when they must walk through deep snow." A moose bedded by the feeder in February is all three. Herreman adds that in deep snow a moose often has "only one trail in and out," so do not walk the path it is using.

Seed is not good for it, either. Battle says moose digestive systems "don't adjust easily to new foods." ADF&G adds that moose fed by people "often become conditioned and will act aggressively when they are not fed as expected," and that a moose with a history of unprovoked attacks "will likely be shot by enforcement officers."

Elk are less of a threat. Michigan DNR calls them "generally not aggressive" but able to become defensive if cornered, and asks for dogs on a leash in calving season (April to May) and the breeding season (August to October). Estes Park police warn that bulls in the September and October rut are "extremely dangerous" to people who get too close.

Is it a moose, an elk or a deer?#

A Project FeederWatch participant photo shows the pattern: a bull moose in Black Hawk, Colorado, in December 2024, eating sunflower seed from an elevated feeder and from a ground tray. If you cannot tell what emptied the feeder overnight, start with what is emptying my feeder at night.

The rule where you live#

The town wanted its own bylaw because the process for park wardens to lay a charge is "much more onerous" than a municipal one, Rocky Mountain Outlook reported. Neighboring Canmore, outside the park, allows feeders from December through the end of March, as a Banff councillor described it. Note the pattern again: the Canmore window is a bear window.

Colorado's ban also reaches the mountain lions that follow deer and elk in. Bear-specific feeder laws are compared in bear feeding laws by state.

What to change#

1. Get seed off the ground. ADF&G says food "should not be spread on the ground," and Herreman's first fix for moose is cleaning up spilled seed. Use a catch tray, rake before dark, and switch to sunflower hearts so there are no hulls to sift. The methods are in seed waste and mess.
2. Change the feeder type. Michigan DNR asks for tube, hopper or suet feeders "rather than using platform feeders or spreading seed directly on the ground." Estes Park says avoid platforms too. Retire the ground feeder and the low tray for the winter.
3. Drop corn and bargain mixes. Cracked corn and milo-heavy birdseed mixes end up on the ground, where every hoofed animal feeds.
4. Put it out of reach, or fence it. Michigan says hang feeders "high enough to be inaccessible to deer and elk" or put "a fence around the feeder." For elk its figure is fencing at least 8 ft high for large areas. No agency we read gives a height that beats a moose; the 10 ft figures above were written for bears. Our deer standard, ports at 7.5 to 8 ft on a span or pole, is for deer, not moose.
5. Lock up the bag. Seed in an open shed is a second feeder. See storing birdseed.

When to take it down#

If a moose has eaten at the feeder, take everything down, clean up the ground, and leave it down until the snow goes and browse greens up. That is our working rule: the agencies say remove or secure feeders, and secure against a moose is not something a backyard can promise. If the moose is still there, call ADF&G or the Alaska Wildlife Troopers, as Herreman advises, rather than shooing it off. Birds manage the gap, as do birds depend on feeders explains, and a window feeder on an upper floor keeps a few birds in view. Estes Park suggests upper-level windows for bears; we apply the same logic here.

Where this page stops#

• No study. Nobody has measured how often moose or elk use feeders. The case rests on agency guidance, one biologist interview and photos.
• No reach figure. We found no agency height for moose or elk, and do not give one.
• Law checked in five US places and Banff. We read the Alaska rule text, not its penalty. Utah, Idaho, Montana, Maine, Minnesota and the rest of Canada were not checked.

For anything smaller raiding the feeder, the problems hub matches each sign in the yard to its cause.

Frequently asked questions#

Do moose eat bird seed?

Yes. A Project FeederWatch participant in Black Hawk, Colorado, found a bull moose eating sunflower seed from an elevated feeder and seed from a ground tray in December 2024. ADF&G's Homer biologist Jason Herreman says bird feeders can be a problem with moose in late winter, and that cleaning up the seed on the ground helps keep moose from coming around and becoming defensive of an area.

Is it illegal to feed moose with a bird feeder?

It can be. Alaska's 5 AAC 92.230 bars anyone from negligently feeding a moose or negligently leaving animal food in a manner that attracts one, and the text has no bird feeder exemption. Our reading is that seed a moose keeps eating fits that wording. Anchorage added its own ban in April 2026 with a $250 first fine, but it allows backyard bird feeding. Colorado lists moose among the big game it is illegal to feed, with a $100 fine.

Will elk eat from my bird feeder?

They will eat what they can reach, which mostly means the seed on the ground and trays. Michigan DNR tells homeowners to make sure outdoor food such as bird food is not accessible to elk, and to use tube, hopper or suet feeders rather than platforms or seed spread on the ground. Feeding elk is illegal in Michigan's Lower Peninsula and in Colorado.

How high does a feeder need to be to keep a moose off it?

No agency we read gives a figure. ADF&G says only to locate feeders out of reach of moose. The 10 ft heights in Teton County, Wyoming and Estes Park, Colorado are bear rules, in force only from April through November. Where a moose is already visiting, take the feeders down rather than test a height against it.

Is it safe to go out when a moose is at my feeder?

No. Stay inside and keep the dog in. ADF&G says moose view dogs as enemies, become aggressive when hungry and tired in deep snow, and give warning with raised hump hair, ears laid back and lip licking. If one charges, ADF&G says run and get behind something solid such as a tree, a building or a car.

Sources and further reading

1. Winter Bird-Feeding in Alaska Alaska Department of Fish and Game Species we should be careful NOT to attract include bears and moose; locate feeders out of reach of moose and bears, or feed from Nov. 1 to mid-March for bears; food should not be spread on the ground
2. Backcountry conditions driving moose into town for easy meals (23 Feb 2022) Jay Barrett, KBBI Homer, quoting ADF&G assistant area biologist Jason Herreman Bird feeders can be a problem with moose this time of year; cleaning seed off the ground keeps moose from coming around and becoming defensive of an area; moose often have one trail in and out
3. Moose may look hungry, but you're not helping by feeding them (1 Apr 2020) Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation Feeding moose illegal; moose aggressively defend any food pile; digestive systems do not adjust easily; once a moose finds food it will likely stick around and be hard to dissuade (Peltier); keep pets in when moose are in the yard
4. What to Do About Aggressive Moose Alaska Department of Fish and Game More people in Alaska injured by moose than by bears each year; fed moose act aggressively when not fed as expected; warning signs; moose view dogs as enemies; aggressive when hungry and tired in deep snow
5. 5 AAC 92.230, Feeding of game Alaska Administrative Code, Alaska State Legislature No person may negligently or intentionally feed a moose, deer, elk, sheep, bear, wolf, coyote, fox or wolverine, or leave human food, animal food, mineral supplements or garbage in a manner that attracts them
6. Anchorage bans feeding of wild animals, with $250 fine for first offense (29 Apr 2026) Bella Biondini, Anchorage Daily News AO 2026-53 passed 9-3 on Tuesday; $250 first offense, $500 after; moose, deer, fox and bears on the list; backyard birds allowed; effective on passage
7. Be a good neighbor to Colorado's wildlife; don't feed them (18 Apr 2024) Colorado Outdoors (Colorado Parks and Wildlife) Feeding big game illegal: bears, bighorn sheep, deer, elk, pronghorn, moose, mountain goats and mountain lions; $100 fine
8. Tips for keeping deer out of your winter bird feeders (13 Dec 2019) Michigan Department of Natural Resources Feeding deer and elk illegal in the Lower Peninsula and the UP CWD surveillance area; tube, hopper or suet feeders, not platforms or ground seed; high enough to be inaccessible; mess-free seed; fence around the feeder
9. Elk (Nuisance wildlife) Michigan Department of Natural Resources Do not feed elk; bird food not accessible to elk; fencing at least 8 ft for large areas; elk defensive if cornered; leash dogs in calving (April-May) and breeding (August-October) seasons
10. Don't Feed Wildlife Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation, on the Teton County, Wyoming feeding regulations No knowing or intentional supplemental feed attractants for moose, elk, deer, bears and others; in Bear Conflict Priority Area 1, feeders 10 ft up, 4 ft from climbable objects, catch basin, April 1 to November 30
11. Wildlife Town of Estes Park, Colorado Wildlife Protection Ordinance: feeders suspended and inaccessible to bears April through November, wire 10 ft up and 10 ft from objects; avoid platform feeders; ground kept clean; police enforce laws against feeding wildlife; elk rut September-October, calving May-June
12. Bunnies, bird-feeders banned in Banff (19 Oct 2020) Cathy Ellis, Rocky Mountain Outlook (Internet Archive copy) Federal legislation prohibits feeders in Banff National Park including the townsite; bylaw change passed 13 Oct lets the town fine illegal feeders; Canmore allows feeders December through end of March
13. Town of Banff will consider banning bird feeders in 2019 (14 Dec 2018) Lucie Edwardson, CBC News Feeders could be considered a violation of national park regulations that forbid feeding animals; bird feeders a human source of food that could become a wildlife attractant (Enns)
14. It's not just birds that like sunflower seeds Project FeederWatch, Cornell Lab of Ornithology (participant photo, Cecelia Miller) Bull moose eating sunflower seed from an elevated feeder and seed from a ground tray, Black Hawk, Colorado, December 2024