Your right the facts were true. Just a few of the details missing from the fact presentation that concerned me. Mostly the part of what the heck it had to do with the discussion.
Not a bash? Okay. But I did take it that way.
All I am looking for is an adult conversation on what I have observed in the area over the last 28 years.
No where did I say moose are coming out of the Bearing Sea. Please show me my mistake if I have given that impression I was wrong. Please quote that and I will fix it.
What I am saying is some of the highest populations density is on the Bearing Sea Coast. As per what I have observed when I flew from Kotlik to Emmo. That is what I visually observed. That is the facts I had to go by for the lower River.
Now - however they got there whether through local recruitment or walked 90 miles downriver from the area above Mt Village like you say.
And why are so many moose moving down? The numbers were higher in the lower river before they were in the Mountain Village area west. Why did they leave? I am of the opinion that they didn't. They were born there. In the Lower reaches of the Yukon. And have populated to the extent that moose are moving back up river in record numbers.
The fact is the dispersal that is happening has to go back up river and somewhat south for the most part as there are few options other than than that. It is tundra to the south, Water to the West and Tundra to the Northeast. Tundra circled Yellow in the photo.
The Moose that are becoming thick in the clearwater drainage I believe come from down river. Not the Andrefsky or areas North of the Yukon Above Mt Village. But that is a guess.
The moose population that is now high around Koozi I would also guess is dispersal from the Lower Yukon area like the 30 mile area. If it was from upriver as you say why did we not see local area populations around Mt Village rise at the same rate we did the lower stretches of the river. Did they run through on a dead run not populate like you would think?
I was hunting hard and hiking the areas from Mt To 30 miles just to find a track and successfully harvesting moose when you and others were still going up river to get your moose. I was there and hunting yearly through those build up years. I feel I watched closely the progression of things. Moose populations were higher per square mile in 30 mile (15 miles down river from Mt Village) than in the pastsy slough and Refrigerator slough just miles below Mt Village in the Late 90's Did the moose run through there also to get to the lower river and stop?
If they were coming from upriver why was some of the last areas to build a substantial populations, the area from Mountain to PItkas. Heck there are moose regularly seen in that area now on the North side of the river. They were rarely seen before. If they traveled from up river why did we not see populations there in the late 90's. The moose population was high on the lower reaches of the river before it was high in the Mt to Pitkas areas.. Granted it doesn't offer a lot of cover and prone to harvest. But people didn't hunt it much. There were few moose there to hunt like there are now. Now there are moose inhabiting areas along that area like never before. If they were so thick that they had to disperse to the lower river why did we not see the population that we do now. I thought I was seeing the progression correctly. I have no problem changing my stance given some facts. So far I haven't gotten any. But I am now curious to call the biologist to see what his opinion is.
I believe the highest density of population is the red 1. Based on what I saw from a plane two years ago. On a line from Emmo back up river to Mt I saw progressively less moose. Granted there isn't any where else to go but why would we not see just as high a population in between 1 and 2 if the population built from an upriver migration. And why is it that we didn't see strong populations of moose in the outlining areas at 3 if moose were migrating down river. Don't they populate an area and expand as needed due to the density of the population?
I will ask, as it is an area I am the least familiar with. Where do you see the densest populations on your Kasunic trap line. The upper or lower reaches. This is one area I am not very familiar with. Did the abundant moose population around Kuzi now populate from the Yukon side or the Kasunic. I believe from the Yukon side. The lower river as well.
Starting at 30 mile south as spill over from the 30 mile area.
There just isn't habitat for them to populate a corridor from the Kasunic side to Koozi. There is a pile of moose in the whole area.
Where do you believe is the dispersal route. The logical area of river from Pitka to Mt is just too thin and has never shown that much concentration. And i have spent a fair bit of time there. Do moose really migrate through very marginal areas in big numbers. I don't know. I have not seen evidence of that. Seems you would be able to track a populations density from one place to another as it builds. From everything I have seen it is one that is moving upriver. I think it is a fun biological discussion.
Lets hear the facts based on what you have seen on the grounds Jeff.
A few bears getting killed here since the opener. Several are still in town though tearing through the "bear resistant" roll carts like it was a mile long smorgasbord.
