Many hunters are already in the forest to outwit the king of Quebec’s forests: the moose. More will follow in the coming weeks. The question that crosses the mind of many enthusiasts is what happens to this population decline in certain areas.
To find out more, I spoke to biologist Laurent De Vriendt, who is responsible for the moose file at the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change, Wildlife and Parks.
“Surely there are always moose, and there are a lot of them,” explains the specialist. If we look at the provincial level, the moose are doing well. It is not threatened anywhere. Yes, there have been declines in certain areas, but overall we have a very large moose herd in Quebec. »
The size of the herd had to be asked.
“Before the hunt, we can talk about around 130,000 moose in Quebec. In 2020 we were talking about 130,000 to 140,000. It may have decreased a little, but it is certainly more than 110,000. The herd has doubled in size since the 1990s. Even if there is a decline in certain areas, we are far from returning to where we were in the 1990s.”
Why the declines?
So what may be responsible for the declines in certain regions?
“There are several factors [dont] the presence of predators. If we compare the two banks of the river, there are wolves in the north while there are none in the south. There may also be other predators such as bears. There is also hunting pressure, which is also a factor in the density of elk we find locally. If we take all of this mixing into account, it is safe to say that they all influence the size of the moose population,” says De Vriendt.
Photo provided by Sepaq
New, little-known actors have also arrived on the scene.
“Climate change is a factor that we don’t really know yet. There is also the winter tick, which is more common because it [profite] better survival conditions with warmer springs. These factors can have an influence, that’s for sure. Several study projects are currently underway to truly understand the influence of these new factors,” adds Laurent De Vriendt.
FOLLOW UP
When it comes to moose, the authorities strive to monitor the population as closely as possible.
“We have a very robust monitoring system that is not based on a single indicator. It is based on different harvesting parameters, including aerial inventories, which require an effort of up to $200,000 depending on the area of the territory to be inventoried. We also use data such as the sale of permits, the number of ticks, the reading of teeth for age, the presence of milk in the females and the evolution of the quality of the habitat,” continues the biologist.
“We are always looking for improvements and have ideas for reflection on this topic. Therefore, we have a monitoring system that evolves and reassesses regularly so that we can adapt our management methods according to our results,” he mentions.
An example of this is zone 27, where due to the decline in the population it was decided to only allow hunting for males. When it comes to reproduction, it is not easy to determine how many females a male can impregnate during the periods when he is fertile
are receptive.
“The earlier the female is fertilized, the more likely it is that the young born will survive. Unfortunately, there are not so many scientific studies that indicate the ratio of the number of males needed per 100 females, says Laurent De Vriendt.
“The literature found that in this particular case there wasn’t that much impact at the population level. A ratio of 30% men in the adult population, or one man for every 2.3 women, would represent the ideal situation. Reducing the number of adult males will allow the younger ones to reproduce,” he adds.
Furthermore, warmer temperatures have no effect on the mating season.
“The reproductive instinct is very strong in moose. They concentrate their movements on cool islands, most often at night. They won’t stop multiplying. »
The expert believes that even if there are declines in certain areas, we are lucky, especially compared to what is happening in other jurisdictions. More than 170,000 moose hunting licenses are sold in Quebec each year.
