In the fall, a few Nevadans will join the state’s first-ever moose hunt. Scientists hope the event will help explain why more moose are making Nevada their home turf. They also seek better understanding of the huge, gangly animal.
Moose are the largest deer species and are thought to be the last to cross the Bering Sea land bridge into Alaska and Canada. At six feet tall at the shoulder and weighing up to 1,000 pounds, moose prefer cold, wetland areas.
Wildlife specialist Cody McKee says the movement of moose into the U.S. Lower 48 has occurred almost entirely in the past 150 years. He calls them North American “newcomers.”
In the 1950s, Nevada boasted its first moose sighting. Until about 10 years ago, people in the Silver State had spotted only a handful of the huge creatures.
Then the numbers started increasing.
By 2018, officials estimated the state had 30-50 moose. All lived in Nevada’s northeast corner. Today, the moose population tops 100. Now experts believe Nevada could someday sustain about 200 moose.
Government biologists admit they don’t fully understand why moose have moved so far south. But experts say the moose population growth warrants a “harvest”—a planned killing of animals. They believe harvest-related research could provide answers about how and perhaps why these majestic mammals are seeking warmer, drier climes.
State wildlife officials will offer up to three bull (male) moose tags. A tag allows a hunter to harvest a moose. For Nevada hunters, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hunt big game at home.
Nevada resident Stephanie Myers questions the whole idea of a moose harvest. “Why a moose hunt at all?” she asks. “We want to see moose, view moose. Not kill moose.”
Yet Nevada Wildlife Federation executive director Russell Kuhlman told Outdoor Life that hunting is “a tool.” He says culling a limited number can help ensure “a balanced herd and the correct bull-to-cow ratio”—since harvesting male moose can reduce stress on females.
State game officials will allow only a few Nevada moose, maybe just one, to be killed across an area larger than Massachusetts and New Jersey combined. They expect thousands of applications for the handful of hunting tags.
Successful hunters must present the skull and antlers for state inspection within five days. Careful study of those could give scientists insight into factors like herd health, body conditions, disease, and parasites.
Kuhlman calls the Nevada moose hunt “a perfect success story for the North American model of wildlife conservation.”
Why? A wide variety of methods and tools allows humans to honor God’s mandate to care for His creatures.
For a story about survival in the wild that includes a moose encounter, see Hatchet by Gary Paulsen in our Recommended Reading.
