moose population growing bigly

guywhofishes

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[h=1]Moose population growing rapidly in 'wide region' of ND[/h] By Kim Fundingsland / Minot Daily News on Nov 28, 2017 at 5:27 p.m. AddThis Sharing ButtonsShare to Facebook
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A bull moose. The population is exploding in North Dakota. Submitted photo




LANSFORD, N.D.— Moose, moose and more moose. Maybe too many moose. That was the message delivered by attendees at a North Dakota Game and Fish Department District 2 Advisory Board meeting in the far northern North Dakota town of Lansford on Monday evening.



"There's way too many moose. They are in our yards and my wife can't walk on the roads," said a person attending the meeting in the town that is 30 miles north of Minot and approaching the Canadian border.

Another area resident suggested that local hunters be given a preference for moose tags rather than allowing out-of-area hunters to hunt. Moose tags are limited to one per lifetime in North Dakota. They are one of the most popular tags sought after by big game hunters in the state and are difficult to draw.

Game and Fish Deputy Director Scott Peterson, who led a contingent of department employees to the meeting, explained that favoring applicants from a certain area for limited big game tags would create problems statewide. Peterson said, in the interest of equality, it would mean that people from outside of traditional mule deer or pronghorn haunts would have their chances at drawing a tag greatly reduced.

As for the moose population in the Lansford area, it mirrors what has been happening in a wide region of the state, he said.


"Moose are fantastically prolific animals. Moose in North Dakota do very well," said Casey Anderson, assistant chief of the department's wildlife division. "From what we are seeing we'll probably have more tags next year."


Also at the meeting, Peterson outlined a proposal that has been urged by many sportsmen for the past few years — a method of speeding up the application process for deer hunters. The current system is time consuming and makes it difficult for some hunters to plan hunt time or vacation time without knowing if they'll actually have a deer license.


"We are looking at a change in our lottery system to cut down on the time it takes to process applications. We are proposing that all lottery participants do so online. That will allow us to get the results out much quicker," Peterson told the gathering.


Currently almost 90 percent of deer license applicants utilize the online option, but Peterson estimated that there are still about 8,000 people a year who submit paper applications. Those applications must be typed into a computer, a time-consuming process that also can result in the occasional typographical error that can void an application.


"The governor (Doug Burgum) wants us to utilize technology to the fullest," remarked Peterson. "We can't really say we've been doing that."


The issue of big game tags allocated for fundraising projects was discussed. The most recent legislative session passed a bill allowing distribution of big game tags for such purposes but Game and Fish says they will be proposing a limit on the number of tags issued.

"They are all good causes, but where does it end?" asked Peterson.


Under consideration by Game and Fish is a limit of 10 white-tailed deer tags, two tags for pronghorn, elk and moose to be available to those agencies who wish to be granted tags for fundraising or other purposes. Organizations already receiving such tags would still receive them under a "grandfather" status. The proposal would have to be approved by the next Legislature.
 


SDMF

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I hope that whatever killed most of them in N MN stays over there, or better yet, leaves completely. When I started hunting ruffed grouse in N MN in the late 90's, it was rare to not see at least 1-2 on the drive up/home or while traveling from spot to spot. Now it's been over a decade since I've seen even 1. The mixture of cropland and woods should make N MN really good moose habitat but something isn't allowing it to happen. No doubt the wolves get a bunch of them, but I can't imagine the wolves completely wiping them out.
 

ndlongshot

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I hope that whatever killed most of them in N MN stays over there, or better yet, leaves completely. When I started hunting ruffed grouse in N MN in the late 90's, it was rare to not see at least 1-2 on the drive up/home or while traveling from spot to spot. Now it's been over a decade since I've seen even 1. The mixture of cropland and woods should make N MN really good moose habitat but something isn't allowing it to happen. No doubt the wolves get a bunch of them, but I can't imagine the wolves completely wiping them out.

Ticks and Brainworm.
 

WormWiggler

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Maybe moose will get changed from "once in a lifetime" to preference point lottery...


disclaimer: NOT ADVOCATING CHANGE, enough with the death threats
 


guywhofishes

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will the wolves follow?

if they do, will NDGF protect the wolves or the moose?
 

Huskerdu

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I don't believe there are wolf packs in ND, travel though maybe? MN is not allowed to manage there wolf population
 

Bfishn

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Supposedly the brain worm that is killing the MN, Canada, and NW ND moose isn't nearly as prevalent on the prairie. I believe its carried by snails and slugs that are mostly found in forested areas.

I've lived in ND my whole life and didn't see a moose until probably 10 years ago, now they are a regular thing around Bismarck. The biggest Bull I've ever seen was west of Mott about 5 years ago, that isn't something you expect to kick up while walking for roosters.
 


pointer

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This deer season we kicked up a cow calf pair twice out of the same brushy spot in the middle of a cut bean field six days apart, mind you this is 10 miles from SD border, and twenty some miles from Lake Oahe. The first time we fou nd them it was less than a half mile later seeen a rather large coyote? with weird coloring, The moose let us get to within 20 feet both times and stood and watched us walk by
 

fj40

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In the fall, I see almost as many moose as I do whitetail around Williston.
 

riverview

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I hope that whatever killed most of them in N MN stays over there, or better yet, leaves completely. When I started hunting ruffed grouse in N MN in the late 90's, it was rare to not see at least 1-2 on the drive up/home or while traveling from spot to spot. Now it's been over a decade since I've seen even 1. The mixture of cropland and woods should make N MN really good moose habitat but something isn't allowing it to happen. No doubt the wolves get a bunch of them, but I can't imagine the wolves completely wiping them out.
used to see moose all the time in the red river valley and nw mn. I often wonder if some of the moose didn't migrate west?
 

sponsy12

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used to see moose all the time in the red river valley and nw mn. I often wonder if some of the moose didn't migrate west?


There are still a fair amount of moose in the red river valley, I see them all the time when I am working. in fact there was a 40"+ bull shot not very far from Grand Forks this fall
 


Auggie

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I grew up near Cavalier. Around 1996, a neighbor was snowcatting and came across a dying moose that was frozen to the ground. It was a mile or so from my farm so he stopped by and called Chuck Pulver (local Game Warden). Chuck came out and inspected the animal. He ended up euthanizing the young bull. It ended up having brainworms. He said that was becoming more and more common and will drastically hurt the local herd soon.

Back home use to be a Moose unit. It longer is. Back then I saw moose almost as frequent as deer. They are a cool animal. I hope they come back. I also hope to one day be lucky enough to pursue this animal.
 

ND 41 Hunter

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This deer season on the family farm south of Minot, we had enough snow that the deer weren't in the sloughs because they were blown in. So that left the heavier treed areas, but when I hunted those areas I was kicking up a cow moose with twins in one area and a single cow in another. I hunted opening weekend and Thanksgiving weekend and saw one deer. The two species just don't seem to cohabitate with each other. I also came across a moose/pickup accident just North of Coleharbor on Saturday night after Thanksgiving and it looked like several other vehicle had hit it after the pickup. Anyone hear about that accident? I think the moose population needs to be where it was several years ago, an occasional sighting instead of more than deer. Just my two cents.
 

Zogman

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Used to be lots of Moose in NE corner, however they started leaving 20 or so years ago. Not all bad though as there are way more Elk around now. Even a few Black Bears (trail cam). Not sure about many wolves a few singles though.
 

Davey Crockett

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Used to be lots of Moose in NE corner, however they started leaving 20 or so years ago. Not all bad though as there are way more Elk around now. Even a few Black Bears (trail cam). Not sure about many wolves a few singles though.

Same exact thing in the Turtle Mountains. Hunted fur on the prairie back in the 70s & 80s hardly ever saw a coyote but lots of fox, That changed too.
 


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