Alaska State Mammal: Moose

Nature, State Animals 3 Minutes

General Description

Known as moose across North America, but called elk in Europe, Alces alces is the largest member of the deer family. The Alaska-Yukon race (Alces alces gigas) is the largest of all of these creatures. Adult moose can range in size from 800 pounds (small adult female) to 1,600 pounds (large adult male), and they can be up to almost 6 feet tall. Moose can range in color from golden brown to almost black, depending on the season and the age of the animal. Newborn calves have a red-brown coat that fades to a light rust color within a few weeks. By late summer, the calves have shed this coat and grown one that is similar in texture and color to that of adults.

Moose are often easily recognized by their antlers, carried only by the males. These bony protrusions form within the first year, and are produced every summer after that. Trophy class bulls are found throughout Alaska, but the largest come from the western portion of the state. The largest sized antlers are usually produced when bulls are 10 – 12 years old, but bulls can reach trophy size as young as 6 years of age. In the wild, moose rarely live more than 16 years.

Hunting

Moose are valued for their meat and as a game animal. At least 7,000 moose are harvested annually in Alaska, amounting to about 3.5 million pounds of meat.

In 2007, Alaskans took home 90 percent of the 7,400 total moose harvested. About 6,750 moose were harvested by Alaskans and 685 by nonresident hunters. The resident take is certainly higher than this, based on information collected by the Division of Subsistence, and considerable unreported or illegal harvest likely occurs in some areas.

Viewing

Wildlife viewing is becoming increasingly important in Alaska. In a questionnaire completed by users of the Koyukuk Controlled Use Area, moose is the species people want to see the most. While the majority of respondents reported they were hunting only, an increasing number of people were both hunting and viewing, or only viewing. Moose viewing is particularly important along the road system.

Managing moose involves looking at predators, habitat, human harvest, other non-harvest mortality (severe winters, vehicles and trains), and the composition of populations – cows, calves and bulls – and these elements are touched upon in this section. Population density, habitat, and harvest vary from area to area, so each Game Management Unit (GMU) is presented separately in this section.

In some areas, habitat limits the potential size of moose populations, and concentration of moose and open habitat creates the potential for excessive harvests in accessible areas. In other regions it is unknown whether predators or habitat are more limiting moose populations, although some are clearly held back by bear and wolf predation. Moose mortality due to vehicles is significant in some areas where human population and vehicle traffic continues to increase. Land clearing activities associated with agriculture, development and road construction has been responsible for the increase in moose browse that attract moose to highways. The number of moose killed by trains seems to be related to snowfall and varies widely from year to year.

Without fire or other disturbance, forests mature and browse – and moose populations – decrease. Fire, mechanical manipulation, and post-logging site work, which encourage hardwood regeneration, are beneficial for moose habitat and have been conducted on some sites. Ice-scouring also helps to rejuvenate willow stands. After logging, if site preparation is not conducted or is done inadequately, blue-joint grass initially crowd out hardwood and spruce seedlings, creating less desirable moose habitat and slowing forest succession.

SOURCE: ALAKSA DEPT. OF FISH & GAME

I found these additional interesting facts from the coniferous forest website:

Interesting Facts

The antlers of the male Alaskan moose are the largest in the deer family.

The Alaskan moose is widely hunted throughout its range and its meat is considered a delicacy in those snow-laden regions.

The antlers of two fighting bulls sometimes get locked, and they eventually starve to death.

SOURCE: coniferousforest.com

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Published by pat frederick

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151 thoughts on “Alaska State Mammal: Moose”

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