Moose controlled hunt tags include cow tags for Panhandle

Hunters looking for Panhandle moose population data as they consider applying for controlled hunts this month won’t get a solid answer.

That is because state biologists don’t have a good grasp of Panhandle moose numbers.

Those numbers are hard to come by because there isn’t a good way to gauge populations besides watching trends based on hunting data and field reports.

“It’s a hard area to survey because of the trees,” said Hollie Miyasaki, Idaho Department of Fish and Game wildlife biologist.

Biologists counting moose from the seat of helicopters have difficulties spotting the animals, she said. The department knows that North Idaho’s Shiras moose numbers were solid 20 years ago, however, before taking what appears to be a brief downturn.

“We had rapid growth in the 1990s and the early 2000s,” said Jim Hayden, who was the department’s Panhandle region wildlife manager at the time.

The department began offering antlerless tags in 2001 — and it still does. Beginning this month hunters can apply for 35 antlerless Panhandle moose tags. The application period for moose, bighorn sheep and mountain goat controlled hunts runs April 1-30, and applications can be made at Fish and Game offices, license vendors, by telephone or online.

Hayden said the drop in numbers more than a decade ago was initially noticed in the northeast part of the Panhandle.

“We first saw a decline in moose report success rates northeast of Bonners Ferry,” he said.

Harvest numbers were more than 200 moose in 2001 and dipped to 93 by 2007, according to IDFG data. The low number is also a reflection of how many tags the department allowed that year.

“Success rates for harvesting moose are generally high, so the increase or decrease in the number of animals harvested each year most likely mirror increases or decreases in the number of tags available,” Miyasaki said.

By 2010 however, the number of moose harvested in the Panhandle jumped to 295. Harvest numbers took a slight dip to 213 in 2013, and climbed back to 216 moose killed by hunters last year.

Although moose populations in some parts of the state are declining, moose are expanding their range elsewhere in Idaho, according to Fish and Game. The game department estimates that fewer than a thousand moose lived in Idaho a half a century ago, and that populations statewide now range between 10,000 to 12,000.

Panhandle Unit 1 — and its sub-units — are the best place to find moose, although the animals are found all over North Idaho.

Ninety moose were harvested in Unit 1 in 2016. That is about a 60 percent success rate. Antler spread ranged from 32 to 44 inches.

Last year’s success rate for Unit 1 dropped to around 50 percent and antler spread of killed moose ranged from 32 inches to 40 inches.

Other Panhandle Units — including Unit 2 and Unit 4 — are also good producers.

In 2016, 32 moose were harvested at a 95 percent success rate in Unit 4. Average antler spread measured around 40 inches. Last year saw 26 moose harvested, with a 63 percent success rate in Unit 4. Average antler spread was 38 inches.

In 2016 in Unit 2, 46 moose were harvested at 92 percent success rate. Average spread was around 37 inches. Last year in Unit 2 there were 29 moose killed, a 78 percent success rate and the average antler spread was around 34 inches, according to Idaho Fish and Game.

Although moose populations across the animal’s northern zone have seen a general decline, biologists don’t have an answer for the reduced numbers, Miyasaki said.

“It’s a concern west-wide,” she said. “A lot of people are looking at nutrition, parasite load, obviously predators are influencing the system.”

Biologists are considering climate factors, their influence on vegetation and parasites, she said.

“It’s still a question a lot of people are taking a look at,” she said.

Check page 37 of the Idaho Moose, Bighorn Sheep and Mountain Goat: 2017 and 2018 Seasons and Rules book for information on who can apply for moose controlled hunts.

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Contact Ralph Bartholdt at rbartholdt@cdapress.com.