RE: MN moose decline a mystery
It's no mystery to the people who live in northern MN and especially NE MN why moose population has dropped. In the past 30 years we've seen wolf population in those ares double and double again and again. Sure they eat a lot of deer, too. But young calves or a cow trying to protect her calves can be injured and eventually killed, too.
They can hunt 7x24 365 days / year.
Moose also do better when they have a variety of types young plants (e.g. young aspen) to forage, especially in winter when aquatic plant life is under theice.When Clinton came in office in the early 90's he effective shut down all federal land from logging. Many state tree sales were also scaled back. (The myth that leaving everything untouched is always better for wildlife was perpetrated.)
Less logging, producedless young deciduous tree and other lower plant growth. Results were also, less forage for moose to reach and other animals that depend upon it.
Mystery solved!
But of course people always seem to want find some mysterious and exotic reason for the obvious for most everything these days.