I blame Boris Badenov & Natasha Fatale

[jeff of pa]

Something Is Killing America's Moose






Moose populations across North America are plunging at an alarming rate—and scientists can't figure out why. The die-off has hit regions from British Columbia to New Hampshire, and one of Minnesota's two moose populations has declined from 4,000 animals to fewer than 100 since the 1990s, the New York Times finds. Moose hunting in the state has been suspended while the decline is investigated, although experts believe the drop in moose numbers has a lot more to do with climate change than with hunting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/15/science/earth/something-is-killing-off-the-moose.html?_r=0

 

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[Gold Maven]

Boris n Natasha are pretty harmless to Moose, Bullwinkle outsmarted them easily.

I wonder if the decline could be caused by predators, areas where wolves have been reintroduced deer and elk numbers have been decimated.

Even coyotes are very hard on deer and elk, mainly in the spring when they have pups, and the fawns and calves are vulnerable.

Colorado banned trapping 15 years ago or so, and coyote numbers soared. I saw more 'yotes than deer this fall, no young deer at all.

 

[GMD52]

Jeff,

Moose are also affected by a brain worm that can cause declines. The populations have risen here in New England to levels where the competition for food on their range has caused them to migrate, or in some cases die off. When they were at peak carrying capacity, Vt, and NH had high incidents of car kills on the highways. Several years ago in front of the Nh camp I huted from, 9 were hit and killed by cars in 1 1/2 months(July and August))

It might also be noted that they may have simply migrated back into Canada, they don't recognize any borders. NY for instance has seen a dramatic population explosion in the past year, seeing moose where they haven't been before. All Nature is cyclic, and when the food and range conditions favor their return, they will come. Right now Nature is dictating their fate......Gary

 

[Backbacon]

I 100% agree with Gary on the Brain Worm thing and know it to be true. Increased Deer populations up here have thinned the Moose out a bit and we're all doing our part to knock down out the Deer population and there were 5 extra tags available for purchase per hunter last year in order to help accomplish the cull.