CONSTRUCTING SIMPLE POPULATION MODELS FOR MOOSE MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Modeling offers a way to predict population changes and review harvest strategies for moose (Alces alces). Here, I review the usefulness of population modeling to moose management and provide an example of how a simple population model can be constructed using spreadsheet software on a microcomputer. I give an example of the potential application of such a model using population data from the Kenai Peninsula, Alaska. Modeling was used to predict the changes in bull harvest, bull:cow ratios, and other population parameters resulting from a change in hunting regulations. The model successfully predicted the effects of a spike-fork harvest strategy. This information was useful in alerting the hunting public to expected changes in hunting success and allowed managers to predict how selective harvest would impact bull:cow ratios. It was also useful in predicting the impact of a severe winter on subsequent harvest.