Potential moose issues this year

This winter is sure to be rough on the moose herd in the rain/heavy snow affected areas. It's crazy around here. Been lots of road kills and at least 2 shot around town that I've heard of. They don't want to get off the roads and out of driveways. I heard it mentioned that biologists opine we may lose half the moose herd due to the extreme conditions. The extreme amounts of energy expended to find food and greater disadvantage to the predators is gonna be a thing. I know I haven't seen a situation this rough for them, but I've only been here for about 34 yrs. I hope that the cow hunts around unit 20 are cancelled for a few years and maybe no hunting for a big swath this year. Anyone else seen the effects of a winter like this?

I'm a little concerned ahead of going out this weekend that there may be some standoffs on the trail. That will add an element of suspense.

That ice layer is no joke, some of the local kids are skating on the open fields around town on the 2 inches of ice over a couple feet of snow.

I have had a higher number of moose on the trails and standoff in the past two weeks or so. Wolves are having an easier time staying on top some places. So yeah, I agree with what you say although I have not seen more dead moose or more moose kills.

Moose on the trail is a scary deal. Especially if a cow and a calf is near. They will charge and stomp you better be ready. Carry a gun of course.

Waiting usually does nothing in deep snow, they wont give it up. I tried shooting, nothing scares them off.

Turning around is the only safe option rather than trying to push them off the trail. They will push back.

Once while turning my machine around on thick portage with a stubborn bull on (it would not move), it decided to come and jump over my half turned around snogo in the trail and hooked its back hoofs on my rack and fell in the snow next to me while I was trying to swim away in the chest deep powder. It got up and ran down the trail. It just wanted to go that way bad.

Last year I had a cow with a big calf on the trail.I stopped and she came slowly walking towards me with her head low swinging it from side to side as she walked. It was a clear warning.
I got off my still running 440 and walked back away and she came up and smacked my snomanchie with her head and ran away back down the trail.

I thought she was scared off so I walked back to my rig and looked up the trail and here she comes again, head low swinging her head from side to side again. I turned my machine around before she got there the second time.

Two years ago the search and rescue had to shoot like 12 on the portage that would not move for them.

Moral of the story is don't think you can bluff them of the trail if they have it in their mind to stay.

2 years ago we lost about half our moose. Good luck with that ADF&G thing. The next year they created 100 more any bull permits and wanted a cow hunt. Apparently they didn't know? It was pretty common knowledge with the DLP shooting and dead moose laying everywhere. Everyday was running the moose gauntlet. We don't have roadkill. We don't have roads. The fall hunting season is real quiet again.

I know I'm not in Alaska, but I had a shed out bull in the trail today that turned on me. Luckily it was wide enough there and the snow hard enough I was able to hit the throttle and whip it around him as he came back at the snowmachine. Close enough if he would have still had horns he might have got me.

Gets the heart pumping, for sure.

No moose in the trail issues this week, except the fresh dead calf that I flipped off the trail. Unfortunately probably one of many. Birds, marten and fox had a hole opened in the side, moose was still soft. Saw several other moose floundering around in the snow. Sad to see.

It's not too bad yet. It's a calf and something is eating it. When you start finding adults, and nothing is eating them, then there are a lot of dead moose out there.

We've had a lot of moose walking up and down our driveway this winter. Even a big bull, which we hardly ever see in town. I've been noticing plenty of moose in town, at lower elevation where there is much less snow. I think we have had about 8-10 feet of snow here at our elevation of 900 feet, but it has melted and settled considerably - which is going to help. I'm also seeing a lot of moose hanging out under the spruce. It's going to be a tough winter, thats for sure, but I've got a feeling that many moose are resilient enough to weather it.

My daughter lives In Delta and had a moose jump Into her dog yard the other day. Good thing the dogs were loose in the yard and she called them Into the house.
I think she said they had 3 feet of snow on the ground.

She also said the bison herd was now out In the roads along with the moose. And there was a bison car collision the other day.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?fbclid=...M&v=RJ6PbEok-iI&feature=youtu.be

Check out the link, video of the bison running over the guy's car in Delta. Not great, but can see the situation.

I don't feel too sorry for the guy in the car. Shouldn't have been trying to push a herd of animals that outweigh his car. He could have at least turned his headlights off. Not too bright of guy.

Yep, 2nd vehicle he's had damaged by bison this month.

That guy was asking for it, IMHO.

yeppers , I followed a bison herd the other day by Delta Meat. I turned out my head lights and gave a brief toot on the horn and they moved to the left shoulder and let me pass. Most here do not know to turnout your headlights. They cannot see either when they are looking into your lights.

I feel sorry for this musher and her dogs. But who in their right mind expects to be able to put down a moose with a .380?

Pete

Yes, that's a bad deal. The 380 might have pizzed him off enough to continue the attack. Instead of stopping it.

About like a bee sting or being bitten to that moose, I would think.

I am more concerned with the possibility of a moose encounter while in the timber running traps than having a bear encounter in the warmer seasons.

Smalltime thats exactly what i was thinking way under gunned i am glad everyone is doing better

who in their right mind wold carry a pea shooter? I would expect someone running dogs would know better. Something more like a 357 or 44 mag parhaps.

If you missed the newsminer story on this dog musher, she went out friday and bought a 9 mill. Not much better! She says she can't carry a revolver because of the danger of it going off in the sled. She might be knowledgeable about dogs, but she needs help on guns!

Obviously!

If she is carrying it in the sled rather than on her person, I would opt for a carbine! Seriously though, revolvers are generally way safer than semis, (and usually thought of as much safer by the nonknowledgable crowd, also). If you do want to go with a semiauto pistol, there are many superior choices to a 9mm. . . in fact one of the very few Inferior choices would be the 380!

That’s where the Glock 10mm has become so popular it would have made a different outcome

Yes but it appears that her sled is under the moose's feet.

I suspect the 380 is all she could handle.

She may have been better off with a 22mag that she could handle adequately

A 22 mag would have been far superior, that is a deadly caliber. While I wouldn't want to have to, I would be confident in putting down a moose with a 22 mag, not so much with either a 380 or a 9mm.

Shot placement is also critical.... it would seem!

Pete

I have DLP'd two of them.

One was actually in an "entanglement" situation around the nose. But the second one actually left the trail ahead of my machine and circled back.............then charged from my right side. I bailed off and dropped beside the machine as she jumped over me. She managed to tear off the windshield as she passed over. She turned and stood there facing me about 8 feet away.

22LR to the ear ended both of those DRT!!

I contacted AST by radio and they just said salvage and utilize in both instances. Never had to fill out a report.

Just got back from camp and the moose were UPTIGHT. Afraid to look at them wrong. One bull out in the open went far out of his way to come get me and I barely made the trees when he stopped. Snow is deep. They are plowing. I took to carrying the big revolver

Had a big cow in the yard yesterday. She actually looked pretty good.
On the other hand I had a calf here last week that shouldn't have been alone.... but he was. Looked like he was born late. Quite small for last year's calf. I suspect he won't make it