Some Estimates of Moose Populations in British Columbia During ...

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- 84 - divided between male and female in the calf component of the harvest of the preceding year. The age class distribution for the female component of the population is then applied to calculate total number of females. The sum of male and female totals then affords an estimate of the spring population of moose in the given year. By use of these methods it has been possible to produce minimum population estimates for most of the years within the period 1950 - 1970. The estimates with some supporting data are given in the tables. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION supporting data are given in Tables 1, 2 and 3. Estimated populations are given in Table 4.
- 85 - CONCLUSIONS Harvests of approximately 20,000 moose are being extracted from a hunted population of 100,000 moose comprising the spring population, or 135,000 moose comprising the fall population. The male component is evaluated at approximately 40,000 from which 13,000 are harvested annually. The extraction rate is, therefore, approximately 33%. The female component is evaluated at 60,000 from which 7,000 are harvested annually for an extraction rate of 12%. The juvenile component of 35,000 calves would provide just sufficient recruitment to sustain the harvest of bulls, with hunting mortality almost equal to natality. The male component may, therefore, be regarded as fully utilized and harvested at maximum extraction rate, but the population estimates given refer only to the hunted population. There are many areas of British Columbia which are relatively inaccessible and hunters are generally reluctant to hunt far from a road because of the difficulty of bringing out the carcass and the trophy. In addition logging for pulp is a factor in the creation of moose habitat and there are signs that moose are still extending their range in British Columbia. The actual population of moose would, therefore, considerably exceed the estimated hunted population of 135,000, and might well agree with, or exceed, the estimate of 300,000 made by Robinson in 1963.
Page 1 and 2: - 81 - SOME ESTIMATES OF MOOSE POPU
Page 3: - 83 - the harvest estimate to prod
Page 7 and 8: Table l. Composition of Moose Harve
Page 9 and 10: Table 2. Age Class Distribution and
Page 11 and 12: - 91- Table 3. Estimated Numbers in
Page 13 and 14: - 93 - Table 4. Estimated populatio
Page 15: - 95 - LITERATURE CITED Finegan, R.

Some Estimates of Moose Populations in British Columbia During ...

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