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

Table 2.
- 88-
This table provides a breakdown of the age class
distribution of the moose population, and is derived
from Cache Creek Records, which provide information on
the age class distribution of the harvest.
The assumption
is made that the majority of moose hunters are relatively
unselective in taking bulls and that vulnerability and
desirability of moose differ little between age classes
over the age of yearling; the proportions of each age
class in the harvest may thus be regarded as representative
of the proportions of each age class in the population.
There is a clear difference between the age structures
of the male and female components of the population,
and this is reflected in the mean ages, calculated
as unweighted means in which the 5+ class is counted
only as five.
If the only major difference in mortality
of male and female moose is that due to hunting then
the figures illustrate that hunting mortality is large
enough to have a marked effect on the structure of
male population.