Moose can smell and hear people long before being seen, so the best chance of spotting one comes from looking for tracks and droppings, approaching quietly with the wind in your face, and searching at dawn or just before dusk, when these crepuscular animals are more active than during the day in thick, cool forest. They often gather in bogs and wetlands to eat aquatic plants and escape swarming bugs, especially in late spring and early summer, and after spring snowmelt they are attracted to road salt left in puddles and on new plant shoots along roadways. When summer water plants diminish, they browse in tree harvested areas on young ash, birch, maple, and aspen twigs, and during the fall breeding season, or rut, they actively seek mates, making them easier to spot in open places such as logging roads and meadows. Adult bull moose may weigh as much as 1,500 pounds and measure 10 feet long and 7 feet high, with antlers up to 6 feet across and more than 65 pounds in weight. Their long legs let them run up to 35 miles per hour and move easily through forests, while their height, large hooves, and thick fur with hollow insulating hairs suit them for deep snow. Moose need 40 to 60 pounds of browse or aquatic vegetation each day, are strong swimmers, and can close their nostrils and dive as deep as 15 feet to feed on nutrient-rich aquatic plants.