goabc moose paper · 6. hunting regulations should reflectthe increased percentage of yearling...

Moose – Preparing for the FutureAn Action Plan for the Moose

Wildlife Stewardship SERIES IV

TMIn cooperation with the Ministry of Environment

NOVEMBER 2009

2 > MOOSE – PR EPAR I NG FOR TH E FUTU R E

Workshop Recommendations1. Communicatingthehabitatneedsofmoosetootherresourceministriesandusers

throughland-useplanswillensureaholisticapproachtowildlifemanagement.

2. Adjustingmoosemanagementinresponsetoincreasedhunteraccessduetologgingisimportantforsustainabilityandbalancedage-classstructures.

3. AcommitmenttotheNorthAmericanWildlifeConservationModelwouldimprovemoose management in BC. The model outlines management principles andstipulatesthatlawandscienceshouldbethefoundationforwildlifemanagement.

4. Improved harvest data collection from First Nations and resident recreationalhunterswouldenhancethefoundationguidingwildlifemanagementdecisions.

5. Including spike-forkmoose in the annual allowableharvest (AAH)will improvemoosemanagementinBC.

6. Hunting regulations should reflect the increased percentage of yearling spike-forkmoose.

7. ThereareothersourcesoffundingforpopulationsurveysavailabletotheMinistryofEnvironment.Guideoutfitterscanplayanimportantroleasthe“ontheground”surveyorsofanimalpopulations.

8. Collaborative efforts between the Ministry of Environment, Ministry ofTransportationandInfrastructure,andInsuranceCorporationofBritishColumbia(ICBC)toimproveeducation,signage,andfencing(withoverpassesorunderpasses)athighcollisionlocationswouldreducevehicle/moosecollisions.

9. WorkingcollaborativelywiththeUniversityofNorthernBritishColumbia(UNBC),theMinistryofEnvironmentandMinistryofTransportationandInfrastructurecanencouragerailwaycompaniestotakepreventativemeasurestoreducetrain/moosecollisions.

10. Theimportanceofblackbearharvestinmooseareasshouldbereinforced.

11. Reviewing the harvest of grizzly bears in areaswill help provide healthymoosepopulationsthroughoutBC.

12. The development of a wolf management plan will ensure efforts are effectiveandtimely.

2 > MOOSE – PR EPAR I NG FOR TH E FUTU R E MOOSE – PR EPAR I NG FOR TH E FUTU R E > 1

Introduction

The Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia (GOABC) was

establishedin1966andcurrentlyrepresentsmorethan80%ofthelicensed

guideoutfittersinBritishColumbia(BC),Yukon,NorthwestTerritoriesand

Nunavut. Currently,thereare233licensedguideoutfittersintheprovince

whodirectlyemployover2,000people.Theguideoutfitting industry isan

importantcontributortothehealthandwell-beingoftheeconomiesinrural

communities.Guide outfitters have a rich tradition of sustainable hunting

practicesandmaintainlong-termperspectivesonwildlifemanagement.

BC harbours one of the most diverse big game populations in the world,

including a significant portion of North America’s moose (Alces alces).

MooseareavaluedresourceforallBritishColumbiansandanimportantpart

ofthewildlifeheritageoftheCanadiannorthwest.InNovember2009,the

GOABChostedWildlife Stewardship Series IV: Moose ManagementatRoyal

RoadsUniversityinVictoria,BC.Thegoaloftheworkshopwastoincrease

localknowledgeonmooseandenhancemoosemanagementforthefuture.

Workshop participants included guide outfitters, wildlife managers and

biologists.

The following report summarizes the presentations and recommendations

developedbytheparticipantsduringtheworkshop.Itisasynthesisofexpert

opinions,but isnotnecessarily reflectiveof thewishesofGOABC. The12

recommendationsstemmingfromtheworkshoparebasedonthebestscience

available and serve to help local biologists andwildlifemanagers improve

moosemanagementinBC.

Moose Ecology

Mostexpertsagreethatungulateshaveexistedforapproximately65million

years. Common examples of ungulates living today are horses, zebras,

donkeys, cattle/bison, rhinoceroses, camels, hippopotamuses, goats, pigs,

sheep,giraffes,moose,elk,deer,antelope,andgazelle.1

1UltimateUngulate.“WhatisanUngulate?”Availableathttp://www.ultimateungulate.com/whatisanungulate.htmlaccessed9September2010.


Moosearethelargestspeciesofthedeerfamily,reachingaliveweightfrom

400kgto700kg.2Moosehaveadistinctiveshoulderhumpandadark,rich

brown-blackcoatthatfadestoalightergrayonthelowerlegs.Bullmoose

haveimpressivepalmatedantlersthattakeabout3–5monthstodevelopand

cangrowtoaspreadof1.8meters.

Mooseareherbivoresthatneedtoeatupto20kgofvegetationdaily,which

isequivalentto2–3%oftheirbodyweight.Theyeatavarietyofdeciduous

leaves and shrubs, but are famous for stripping bark off of willows and

poplars,andgrazingonsubmergedpondweeds.Poor foodavailabilitycan

leadtoincreasedadult/juvenilemortalityanddepressedreproductiverates.

The population of moose in North America is estimated to be between

800,000and1,200,000.3Itisestimatedthatabout170,000resideinBritish

Columbia.MoosedensitiesinBCdonotappeartobenearthecarryingcapacity

oftheirhabitat.Cowmoosenormallybreedforthefirsttimeas2–yearolds

and aremore active in choosing theirmate compared to other ungulates.

Youngerbullscandothebreeding,butbreedingbyprimebullsispreferable

andreflectiveofahealthyage-classstructure.

TherearefoursubspeciesofmoosefoundinCanada:Alaska-Yukonmoose

(A.a.gigas),north-westernmoose(A.a.andersoni),easternortaigamoose

(A.a.americana),andshirasmoose(A.a.shirasi).Locationandsizedefine

thesespeciesclassifications.Alaska-YukonmoosearefoundinnorthernBC

andisthelargestofthesubspecies. North-westernmoosecanbefoundin

centralBC,andshirasmooseare thesmallest subspeciesandare found in

south easternBC. Moose tend to be solitary animals and usuallymigrate

between familiar summer andwinter ranges. They do not defend a home

rangebutfightwithotherbullsduringtherutfortherighttobreed.

Logging is changing moose habitat in BC. Cutblocks provide new boughs

fromthefreshgrowthofwillowsandothershrubs,butremovingtoomuch

forest covercanbedetrimental tomoosepopulations.Moosearean “edge

species”thatrequirematureforestcoveradjacenttofoodsourcesforshelter

and protection from predators. Silviculture plans need to recognize the

2TheMooseCall,Volume22.May,20083MinistryofEnvironment,LandsandParks–MooseinBCEcology,ConservationandManagement

The populat ion of moose in North America is es t imated to be be tween 800,000 and 1 ,200,000.


importanceofsuitablemoosefoodandshelteronimportantranges.Forest

companies should also consider moose habitat when developing harvest

plans.Prescribedburnsandotherhabitatmanipulation tools areavailable

towildlifemanagers.Proposalsformoosehabitatenhancementcanalsobe

submittedtotheHabitatConservationTrustFoundation(HCTF).

ISSUEThe recent explosion of logging roads used to harvestmountain pine

beetle killed timber has increased the number of access roads in

moosehabitat.

RECOMMENDATIONS1. Communicatingthehabitatneedsofmoosetootherresource

ministriesandusersthroughland-useplanswillensureaholistic

approachtowildlifemanagement.

2. Adjustingmoosemanagementinresponsetoincreasedhunter

accessduetologgingisimportantforsustainabilityandbalanced

age-classstructures.

Value of Wildlife

Moose are a valued resource for all British Columbians and need to be

managedbasedon science for all stakeholders.FirstNationshavepriority

to harvest moose for social, ceremonial and food requirements. This is

followedbyresidentrecreationalhuntersandtheguideoutfittingindustry.

Approximately 38,000 resident recreational hunters buymoose tags each

year. More than half of the 5,000 non-resident hunters that come to BC

annually come tohuntmoose. Guidedclientsmakea sizablecontribution

toBC’seconomy,spendingmoreperdaypercapitathananyothervisitorto

ourprovince.

The workshop participants agreed that moose (and other species)

should be managed based on the North American Wildlife Conservation

Model, which outlines seven principles for wildlife management. In

17th centuryEurope,wildlifewas closelymanaged by private land owners

andhuntingwasanactivity for thewealthy.For theearlysettlers theNew

Moose are a valued r esource for all Bri t ish Columbians...


Worldseemedtopromiseunlimitedresourcesandtherewerefewconstraints

ontheuseofwildlife.Asaresult,bythelate1800ssomewildlifepopulations

werenoticeablyimpacted.

Huntersandanglersbegantoadvocateforanewwayoflookingattheuse

of natural resources that ensured sustainability for the future and the

preservation of tradition. The principles coming out of this movement

eventuallycoalescedintotheNorthAmericanWildlifeConservationModel.

Thismodelhasbeencriticaltothesuccessofwildlifemanagementthroughout

NorthAmerica.

TheprinciplesoftheNorthAmericanWildlifeConservationModelare:

•Wildlifeisapublicresource.

IntheUnitedStatesandCanada,wildlifeareheldinthepublictrust

andmanagedbygovernmentforthebenefitofallpeople.

•Eliminatethemarketforwildlife.

StronglawsandenforcementintheUnitedStatesandCanadamakeit

illegaltosellthemeatorpartsofanywildanimalinNorthAmerica.

•Managewildlifethroughlaw.

Huntersareallowedtoharvestsurpluswildlife.Lawsandregulations

existtoprotectwildlifepopulationsandensurefairopportunity.

•Huntingshouldbedemocratic.

InNorthAmerica,everycitizenhasanopportunitytohuntandfish

incompliancewiththelaw.Huntingisnotlimitedbyprivateland

ownershiporspecialprivilege.

•Wildlifeshouldonlybekilledonlyforlegitimatereasons.

Theremustabalancebetweenopportunityandregulation.Many

statesandprovinceshavelawsandregulationsprotectingagainstthe

frivolouswasteofwildlife.Thistypeofregulationprotectedagainstthe

kindofwantondestructionthatsawhundredsofthousandsofbirds

unsustainablyslaughteredforfeatherstofestoonwomen’shats.4

4ShaneMahoney.“TheSevenSisters:PillarsoftheNorthAmericanWildlifeConservationModel.”Availableatwww.outdoorheritagearizona.com/facts2.html#doc2accessed27December2010.


•Wildlifespeciesareaninternationalresource.

Wildlifemanagementinonecountrywillaffectwildlifeelsewhere.The

UnitedStatesandCanadaworktogethertomanagelandandwildlife

tomakesurethatnocountrytakesmorethanitsshareofthecommon

resource.

•Usesciencetoguidewildlifemanagementdecisions.

Populationestimatesandhabitatresearchshouldguidewildlife

managementdecisions.Thiswillensurestewardship,sustainability

andprudentdecision-making.

ISSUEMoosearevaluabletoallBritishColumbians,butaretoooftenmanaged

forsocialorpoliticalreasons.

RECOMMENDATION3. AcommitmenttotheNorthAmericanWildlifeConservationModel

wouldimprovemoosemanagementinBC.Themodeloutlines

managementprinciplesandstipulatesthatlawandscienceshould

bethefoundationforwildlifemanagement.

Harvest Management

Considering the value ofmoose in BC, themanagement ofmoose harvest

should be a priority forwildlifemanagers. Harvest rates should be set at

sustainablelevelsandbasedonthebestscienceavailable.

ISSUEThe guide outfitting industry is the only stakeholder that accurately

reports harvest. There are no reporting requirements for First

Nations and the resident recreational hunter sample card data can

bemanipulated.

RECOMMENDATION4. ImprovedharvestdatacollectionfromFirstNationsandresident

recreationalhunterswouldenhancethefoundationguidingwildlife

managementdecisions.


Biological objectives include the population density (e.g. number of

moose/1000km2)and thepopulationcomposition (e.g.30bulls/100cows

post rut, 50 bulls/100 cows for low density populations higher). The bull

componentneedstoahavebalancedageclasswithasignificantcomponent

of prime cows and bulls consistent with the RISC Standards.5 This will

resultinbetterherdhealth,optimumbreeding,acontractedrutandshorter

calvingcycles.

ISSUEIn BC shiras moose are managed in the same way as Alaska-Yukon

and north-western moose. Shiras moose generally live in Region 8

(Okanagan), Region 3 (Thompson) and Region 4 (Kootenay). This

subspecieshasalargerpercentageof1and2–yearoldspike-forkbulls,

whichareconsideredqualityquarryamongmoosehunters. Currently,

thedifferencebetweensubspeciesisnotrecognizedinitsmanagement.

RECOMMENDATIONS5. Includingspike-forkmooseintheannualallowableharvest(AAH)

willimprovemoosemanagementinBC.

6. Huntingregulationsshouldreflecttheincreasedpercentageof

yearlingspike-forkmoose.

Inventory

Inventoryfundingisverylimitedandtherewillbefewersurveyflightsinthe

futureunlessotherfundingissecured.Therearemanydifferentmodelsfor

monitoringmoosepopulations.Thekeyistouseobjectivesandmetricsthat

canbeeasilydefinedandmeasured,suchasmoosedensity,bull/cowratios,

andharvestrates.Themovetoestimatingmoosepopulationsspatiallywill

createconsistencythroughouttheprovince,butisnotnecessarilyaccurate.It

isimportanttousesurveystovalidatespatialdensities.

ISSUEWildlifemanagershavelimitedbudgetsandneedtofindcreativeways

providingaccuratepopulationestimates.

5RISC:Standards,IntegratedLandManagementBureau(ILMB).Availableatwww.ilmb.gov.bc.ca/risc/pubs/tebiodiv/index.htmaccessed9September2010.


RECOMMENDATION7. Thereareothersourcesoffundingforpopulationsurveys

availabletotheMinistryofEnvironment.Guideoutfitters

canplayanimportantroleasthe“ontheground”surveyorsof

animalpopulations.

Human-Caused Mortality

Therearemanyhumancausesofmoosemortality,but trainandvehicular

collisionarethemostsignificant.Thecombinationofstrongmoosepopulations

and expanding road and rail networkswill increase human-causedmoose

mortalityinthefuture.InCanada4–8largewildlife/vehiclecollisionsoccur

every hour—roadside carcasses only account for 20% of the total moose/

vehiclecollisions.

In BC approximately 800 moose are struck by vehicles each year. This

generally occurs in the late evening and early morning hours during the

winter.TheWildlifeCollisionPreventionProgramhasdonelittletoreduce

moose/vehiclecollisions.Askingmotoriststoslowdownhasnotworked.

ISSUE

The current level of public education is insufficient and lacks realistic

recommendationsforreducingmoose/vehiclecollisions.

RECOMMENDATION8. CollaborativeeffortsbetweentheMinistryofEnvironment,Ministry

ofTransportationandInfrastructure,andInsuranceCorporationof

BritishColumbia(ICBC)toimproveeducation,signage,andfencing

(withoverpassesorunderpasses)athighcollisionlocationswould

reducevehicle/moosecollisions.

Railmortalityappearstobehigherwithmoosethananyotherspecies.Most

moose/traincollisionsoccurinthewinterwhenthereissnowontheground.

Ploughedtraintracksprovideeasywalkingterrainwithsignificantlydeeper

snowoffthegradewhichdetersmoosefromleavingthetracks.Thiscreatesa

deadlytrap.Itisestimatedthatmorethan1,000moosearekilledeachyear

In Canada 4 to 8 large v ehicl e / wildlife coll is ions occur e v ery hour.


bytrainbetweenPrinceGeorgeandSmithers.Aforecasted increase inrail

trafficinBCintheyearstocomemayleadtoincreasedmoose/traincollisions.

Train-causedmoosemortality is awell-documentedproblem;muchof the

workonthisissueisbeingledbytheUniversityofNorthernBritishColumbia

(UNBC).Proposedsolutionshaveincluded“sweepercars”inthewinterand

afencingbridgingpilotinkeyareas.

ISSUEBritishColumbiadoesnothaveastrategyforreducingmoosetraincollisions,

whicharecurrentlyasignificantcauseofmoosemortality.

RECOMMENDATION9. WorkingcollaborativelywiththeUniversityofNorthernBritish

Columbia(UNBC),theMinistryofEnvironmentandMinistryof

TransportationandInfrastructurecanencouragerailwaycompanies

totakepreventativemeasurestoreducemoose/traincollisions.

Predation

Predatorsandpreyneedtobemanagedinamannerthatensuresbalanced

populations. Themain predators ofmoose arewolves (Canis lupis), black

bears (Ursus americanus), and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis).

Alaskanstudiesreportedthatforevery100moosecalvesborn,25areneeded

forreplacement,as42arekilledbybearsand24arekilledbywolves.

AccordingtotheMinistryofEnvironment,thereare16,000–17,000grizzly

bearsand120,000–160,000blackbearsinBC.Moosecalvesarethemost

susceptibletobearpredationwithinthefirstsixweeksafterbirth.Blackbears

canaccountforupto50%ofmoosecalfmortality.Agrizzlysowandcubwill

killonecalfeverytwodays.StudiesinAlaskaandSaskatchewanrevealedthat

bearreductionandtranslocationdoubledmoosecalfsurvivalstudies.

Whereasbearstendtospecificallytargetcalves,wolvesoftenkilloldermoose.

Wolf populations are rapidly increasing in BC, but no management plan

exists.Eachwolfwillkillmorethan20adultungulatesperyear.

The main predators of moose are wolves , black bears , and grizzly bears.


ISSUEThereisnotenoughhuntereducationonpredator-preyrelationshipsand

thebenefitofharvestingbearsinmoosearea.

RECOMMENDATIONS10.Theimportanceofblackbearharvestinmooseareasshould

bereinforced.

11. Reviewingtheharvestofgrizzlybearsinmooseareaswillhelp

ensurehealthymoosepopulationsthroughoutBC.

ISSUEWolvesareadifficultspeciestohuntandrequireacombinedeffortand

astrategicplan.

RECOMMENDATION12. Thedevelopmentofawolfmanagementplanwillensureeffortsare

effectiveandtimely.

Conclusion

Thisreportisasummaryofthepresentationsandrecommendationsdeveloped

bytheparticipantsduringGOABC’sWildlife Stewardship Series IV: Moose

Management. Itisaconglomerationofexpertopinions,butisnotnecessarily

reflectiveofthewishesofGOABC.The12recommendationsstemmingfrom

theworkshoparebasedonthebestscienceavailableandservetohelplocal

biologistsandwildlifemanagersimprovemoosemanagementinBC.

GuideOutfittersAssociationofBritishColumbia(GOABC)

103–1914028thAve,Surrey,BCCanadaV3S6M3

Tel:604.541.6332•Fax:604.541.6339

Email:[email protected]•www.goabc.org

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