Posted on 01/14/2005 4:03:29 PM PST by mdittmar
To the editor:
Proponents of a moose hunting bill that died in the House last week ("Beacon Hill Roll Call: Moose Hunting (H 4986)") claim that it is necessary for stabilizing the population and preventing car-moose collisions. However, research in other states has shown that a moose hunt will not stop the moose population from growing nor significantly reduce the number of moose/car collisions.
The state of Maine, which celebrates its large moose population, has two hunting seasons for moose, yet the population continues to grow. Public officials in Maine have studied a myriad ways to reduce the incidence of moose hit by cars. They have found that vehicle/animal accidents have been reduced through the implementation of driver education programs and technological solutions, not hunting.
In comparison to Maine, Massachusetts has a small moose population - estimated between 500-700 animals. The MSPCA believes that a moose hunt will not significantly reduce accidents or the population. We believe that a plan should be devised to reduce the numbers of animal/car collisions that includes multiple solutions with an emphasis on public and driver education.
Preventing collisions from occurring in the first place is clearly the more affordable solution in both lives and dollars. Encouraging drivers to alter their behavior by slowing down, driving alert especially when many animals are most active (at dawn and dusk and during the spring and fall months), dimming dashboard lights at night and scanning roadside edges for animals can all help.
For additional information on this issue, please contact the MSPCA's Living with Wildlife Program at 617-524-5632; e-mail info@livingwithwildlife.org or visit our Web site at www.livingwithwildlife.org
.
Cheryl Jacobson
MSPCA
Living with Wildlife Program Coordinator
Boston
I don't know about reducing car collisions but if killing moose don't help reduce the population I don't know what will. Dems dats dead ain't liven. More animal rights quibbling.
As an additional measure, consider importing some wolves and cougars. Nothing like a little predator pressure to return nature to a proper balance. Might reduce the number of Dem's, too.
cougars? didn't ford stop making them? were they moose proof or something?{grin}
Not necessarily. I'm not familiar with the breeding behaviour of moose, but hunting often has little effect on the populations of some other deer species. In some species, a small number of males get all the action. If you kill those ones, the guys next in line in the hierarchy move in to take their place. There's always a large number of males floating around that don't get to mate. That is why concentrating hunting effort on male deer can often have no effect on deer populations. But as I said, moose may have a different social system...
I agree, bring in some predators and eliminate the "problem" naturally. I've had them run in front of my car and was awestruck, not struck (luckily).
LOL......I don't think most people have a clue how huge a moose is. I've hunted for a long time, not moose but remember when I was little and the family visited many states that in Canada and I think Montana we saw some and I thought they were pretty big. The guy with us said, oh, that is a small one....a big one we could drive thru his legs and never hit his belly.........lol.....when I finally saw an old male I was flabergasted..........
If moose hunting won't reduce the moose population, then why not alow unlimited moose hunting?
I was minus one grill and radiator because of a reckless,unlicensed deer!
Can I sue?
We dont have Mooses we have Deer here. We have hunting seasons to thin them out, Like another poster said every one shot is one less and a family gets a meal.
As for driver education , When these things jump out into the road the most educated driver in the world is just ripe for another wrecked front end on his Pick-up.
Bring in predators and what do the predators eat when the Mooses are gone, Thats right you guessed it , some farmers cow or sheep or maybe the farmer.
Dont tell me hunting them wont thin them out, it thinned out the Buffalo and there were millions of them.
The number of vehicles colliding with deer is always higher the week before deer hunting season opens than it is the week after the season closes.
Doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out.
The moose are on the move through my yard again. At least four went through this week. There were several last week also.
I'm sure you're right as the social pattern you describe applies to many, if not most, warm blooded creatures including, unfortunately, humans as recent genetic studies have shown. However, isn't that why they have doe seasons where there are heavy deer populations?
I find this difficult to believe.
Hunting certainly reduced the potential for bison / car collisions.
Moose hunting ping...
They're coming after your troops, Kommandeur.
Oh yeah! Now I remember!
FRegards and FRgrins,
PrairieDawg
Yes of course, but in many cases it has taken a lot of persuasion on the part of biologists to get people to hunt the females. A buck/stag with a nice rack is much more highly prized after all. From a very limited web search I've just done, it appears that male moose also achieve multiple matings , but I'd have to do a bit more investigating to find out why hunting is proving ineffective.
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