This is the third of four stories outlining the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife’s recently unveiled big game management plan, which includes deer, bear, moose and turkeys.
When state wildlife officials last formulated a long-range management plan for moose back in 1999, the population was booming, and both wildlife watchers and hunters could count on finding the state’s iconic critters in likely spots.
Today, the population is lower, and as biologists have gathered valuable data over the last eight years, a grim reality has begun to creep into discussions: We may still have too many moose, and the density of moose in some regions may be linked to thriving parasites and an unhealthy herd.
That’s just one challenge facing officials as the latest 10-year plan has been unveiled for public comment.
Lee Kantar, a moose biologist for the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, said the timing of this plan is perfect.
The County is pleased to feature content from our sister company, Bangor Daily News. To read the rest of “Wildlife biologists say Maine may need to shrink its moose herd to keep it healthy,” an article by contributing Bangor Daily News staff writer John Holyoke, please follow this link to the BDN online.
