Paul L. Hayden / Lake Superior Magazine
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has suspended moose hunting in the state after the latest annual aerial survey showed the continued, dramatic decline of the species in northeastern Minnesota.
The moose population, now estimated at just 2,760 animals, "declined 35 percent from last year. Since 2010, the moose population has declined 52 percent," according to a DNR news release. In 2006, the estimate was 8,840.
Unless the population recovers, the DNR won't consider opening a hunting season.
“The state’s moose population has been in decline for years but never at the precipitous rate documented this winter," said DNR commissioner Tom Landwehr in a statement. "This is further and definitive evidence the population is not healthy. ... It’s now prudent to control every source of mortality we can as we seek to understand causes of population decline."
Last month, the DNR launched a tracking program to find out what's killing the moose. Ninety-two of the planned 100 moose have already been fitted with GPS and data-collection collars, which will help researchers pinpoint causes of death and develop plans to combat them.
The DNR has also proposed adding the moose to the state's endangered species list as a species of special concern. The list was last updated in 1996. Public hearings on the proposed changes continue this week.