MN moose decline a mystery
 

I heard on the local news here in MN that the moose population in northwest MN has went from just a shade under 300 to about half that and the population in northeast MN has dropped 20% as well. They report not knowing why the decline, and also that North Dakota population of moose is stable, thuse making the decline in MN more of a mystery at the present.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

I didn't know there were moose in MN, do you have wolves?

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

I live in western Wisconsin, and I also saw this on the news out of the Twin Cities. I was supprised that they are keeping your moose hunting season open this year. If something like that were to happen in Wisconsin, they would close that season in a heartbeat. Not that we need to worry, since moose are extremely rare in Wisconsin anyway.

Yes, there are lots of wolves in MN. Do you think that how warm it has been for the last few years has them migrating north.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

I agree that they should close the season with the decline noted. They very well could be moving north. Yeah we do actually have quite a lot of wolves in MN, even get one on occasion that ventures down to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area once in a while.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

I would blame it on the wolves, why else would they have a decline? I think they have plenty of food and cover up north, and what else would be their predator.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

It could be wolves, as MN has a fairly significant population of timber wolves, but it seems they (Dept of Natural Resources) are presently unsure what is going on.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

I know there is a brain worm that moose are susceptable to.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

That would do it.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

Too be honest and from a hunter your looking at it the hunter himself dont blame the wolf the coyote the worms, the people, our selfs, in ontario where im frompopulations are getting smaller now looking at quotias for next yr as i want to start a gang for a moose hunts its gettingbigger for a gang and smaller for people, not good,for me or alot of other people. I love to hunt but just but maybe put a canceled hunt on moose for a couple yrs let the herds build up and then go for a moose hunt. But its just my opinion.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

They all came over here to North Dakota.:D

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

But why would they prefer arctic waste land to pristine forest? ;):D

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

I don't know. We see quite a few of them around Devils Lake. Maybe they like the cold.:DOr they don't like liberals;).

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

If they had enough sense to carry out an airial wolf kill[winter time] over a 5year period combined with closing down the moose season you'd have moose again!in Idaho the elk calf numbers were taking a sh-t kicking and it turned out it was predation by black bears.the key is to carry out the kull and anounce it after to avoid has been actors and tree-huggers fron getting together............Harold

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

You bring up another possibility for the decline, black bear. Last I read, MN has one of the largest black bear populations in the country, in addition to wolves, so may be both, and the worm and the fact that we had a lot of really dumbfacist moose that went to North Dakota. ;):D

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

If you let the politicians end hunting season, then they'll never give it back.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

Any possibility its ticks? The ticks here are the moose's worst predator especially on a drought year. They take far more moose than any wolf and it looks as though they just laid down and went to sleep. I guess that is what they actually do, once the hair is rubbed off they die of exposure. Wiped us out heavy a few years back but have been slowly coming back to where we are seeing moose again on a regular basis.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

Kidding aside, the moose population is on the rise in NorDakotah.;)

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

Yeah I would guess that ticks could be the source as well. We did have a really pretty dry year last year and woodticks and deer ticks are thick in most places in MN.

RE: MN moose decline a mystery
 

i believe its the wolves... the same thing has happend on isle royal national park in the UP

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.