Meaning of moose scratchings

[Doc Feral]

I strongly disapprove the evil and blasphemous practice of necromancy, so I won't rummage for the way too old "how long do moose scratchings last?" topic. In my current game I apparently missed at least two moose. As I crossed Forlorn muskeg I found a lot of scratched trees in two of the valleys between the access tunnel and Old Spence's, but no moose. Now I'm down in the Milton basin and I saw two scratchings but still no moose. This doesn't mean I won't find it, since I haven't explorerd all that area.
BUT
Moose scratchings could (should?) be a way to guess when the moose was there. How often does the moose leave them? Once a day? This would be an useful information.
Many scratchings: the moose was there for a long time, maybe it went away but maybe not.
Two or three scratchings: watch out.
Many darkened scratchings: the moose was here weeks ago.

Your thoughts? Something any of you know and I don't?

[greatwhitegamer]

I'm pretty sure moose scrapings just mean that a moose has a chance of spawning in the nearby vicinity soon or there is a moose there already. 

[Doc Feral]

They actually mean a moose is, or were, nearby, but with no way I know of figuring out how long ago, or for how long.