Alaska Yukon Moose Hunting

Alaska-Yukon Moose

(Alces alces gigas)

Current SCI all time record: Score 731 1/8

Description: Two subspecies of moose are recognized in the Yukon and their origins date back to the Wisconsin glaciation. For thousands of years an ice-free portion of northern Yukon and Alaska known as Beringia, was separated from the rest of North America by huge continental ice sheets. When the ice melted away about 12,000 years ago, moose that had been isolated in Berengia, slowly spread southward to occupy the new landscape. Similarly, moose from the lower continent expanded their range northward. When the two subspecies met, they easily interbred and today the Yukon is considered a transition zone between the Alaska Yukon -- or tundra moose (Alces alces gigas) -- and the woodland moose (Alces alces andersoni). With adult males approaching 700 kilograms, the Alaska Yukon moose is the largest moose subspecies in the world.

Bull moose antlers, which are grown and cast off each year, are a dramatic characteristic of this species. Two types of antlers are found in yearling bulls. The cervicorn type varies from a single spike to a small fork, with or without additional points. The palmicorn type have small palms with several points or protuberances. At two years of age nearly all bulls in the Yukon have small, but well developed palms on their antlers. The size of the palms, antler spread and number of tines increase each year until the bulls reach their prime at about six years of age. After the prime years, antlers may become slightly smaller and begin to deform.

Although the moose has relatively poor eyesight it has a keen sense of smell and excellent hearing. Mule-like ears can usually capture the faint sounds of a stealthily approaching predator.

The moose's large overhanging snout is equipped with self-sealing nostrils that allow the animal to submerge its head when feeding on aquatic plants. A flap of skin, called the bell, hangs from its throat, but serves no known purpose.

The long legs and splayed hooves of the moose can carry it through a variety of rough terrain; over windfall in thick forests and burn areas; through the deep snow of winter; across rivers; and through boggy swamps, ponds and marshes.

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Range: Alaska, Yukon, and western Northwest Territories; September-October.

Moose inhabit the entire Yukon but are most numerous in the southern parts of the territory. In recent years, biologists have conducted airborne population counts over much of the Yukon landscape. Based on these continuing studies, it is estimated that approximately 50,000 moose live within the boundaries of the Yukon Territory.

Moose are not evenly distributed over the land, but tend to be clumped together in certain habitats. The few moose that inhabit the Yukon's north slope are concentrated in narrow strips of forest along the rivers that run down to the arctic coast. In the southern Yukon, about two thirds of all moose are found at treeline in the subalpine shrub zone, which represents only 15 percent of the land area. In locations with low snowfall, moose will remain in this shrub zone most of the year. Other moose concentrate in recent burn areas, and along waterways with interconnecting marshes, ponds and meandering streams.

Natural History: As the snow cover begins to melt and flow downslope to the frozen stream beds, pregnant cow moose look for safe and secluded places to give birth. Calves are born from mid-May to mid-June. Some cows birth at tree line in the subalpine zone, while others birth at river level in the valley bottoms. In the southwest Yukon, grizzlies that spend much of their time in the subalpine in spring, kill about 50 percent of each year's calf crop. Most of these kills are made before the calves reach eight weeks of age. Wolves take fewer newborn calves than grizzlies, but continue to prey on the older calves year-round.

Moose have one of the highest reproduction rates of all the Yukon large mammals. Many cows breed for the first time at 1 1/2 years of age and every year or two afterwards. Where food is plentiful, twins are common and triplets are occasionally born. In the Yukon, about 30 percent of pregnant cows give birth to twins.

From late spring through the summer, moose feed on the new buds and fresh growths of willow. Aquatic plants, such as the yellow pond lily, draw the long-legged moose out into ponds and lakes at this time of year.

Antler development begins in March or April, first in older bulls and last in yearlings. During the growth period, the soft spongy antlers are covered with a dark brown, velvety skin.

Waterways are important feeding areas for moose, but they also provide escape routes from the ever-present danger of predator attack. When pursued by wolves or bears in the summer season, moose often head for water where their long legs give them an advantage.

The moose is a browser; "eater of twigs" as the Algonkian Indian name translates. In a single day, an adult can consume about 20 kilograms of twigs, leaves, shrubs and other land and water plants. A ruminant like the domestic cow, the moose has a series of stomachs to help digest its woody diet. It can sometimes be seen chewing its cud.

Those calves that survive through the heavy spring predation, grow dramatically over their first summer. Adding as much as two kilograms per day, they weigh about 180 kilograms (400 pounds) by the time autumn arrives.

Cow moose can experience three estrous or breeding periods in the fall. The second estrous, which occurs between the last week of September and the first week of October, is the period of greatest fertility.

Rutting, which commonly occurs at treeline in the subalpine zone, brings new sounds to the landscape. The coughs, grunts, and bellows of bull moose are heard along with the rubbing of antlers against trees and the calls of the cows. Finally the clash of antler to antler resounds as two bulls collide and begin their shoving match.

Dominant bulls try to keep lesser bulls away from their group of cows, which can number up to ten or more. At the same time, the bulls continually monitor their cows, ready to mate with any that come into estrous. All in all it's an incredibly demanding time for these bulls. They stop eating for a month or so during the rut; their necks swell and they become unusually aggressive. But it's a short-lived power they wield. When the rut is over in October, a dominant bull is often exhausted, undernourished, and has lost up to 20 percent of his weight. Sometimes the price for perpetuating his genes is a weakened state that leaves the bull more vulnerable to potential causes of mortality.

Prime bulls drop their antlers from late November through February. Young bulls lag a month or more behind.

Winter is a season of reduced food supplies for moose, and increased predation by wolves. Fresh willow buds, leaves and aquatic plants are no longer available. Forage is restricted to the woody twigs of poplar, birch, alder and willow. In late winter, when food supplies are at their lowest, some moose move into aspen stands and use their front teeth to scrape the bark down to the nutritious layer of cambium underneath. In areas of heavy snowfall, many moose will move down to the lower valleys as winter progresses.

An average Yukon wolf pack (seven to nine wolves) will kill one moose every five or six days through the winter. Although the wolves tend to concentrate on calves and older age moose, any moose can be vulnerable to wolf predation, depending on the terrain, snow conditions, and its response to attack. Generally, a moose that remains stationary can successfully defend itself from wolves, while a moose that flees is attacked from the rear and often brought down. By backing into a thicket of trees, a moose can fend off wolves with its powerful front hooves.

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