Illegal moose kills: An increasing problem in the Valley?

HOWARD DELO/For Frontiersman

You've been hunting hard all season, trying to find a good bull moose for the freezer. A nice set of antlers for the wall would just be icing on the cake.

Finally, on the last day of your hunt, you call in a bull that stops in some thick brush. Your view of the bull's antlers is obscured and you are hunting in an area with the spike-fork, 50-inch antler spread or three-brow-tine antler regulations.

What do you do?

An ethical and law-abiding hunter would wait and study the animal until the antlers could be seen clearly enough to know if the bull is legal to shoot. If the moose wanders off before that determination can be made or the bull ultimately is not legal to harvest, perhaps an unkind thought about the regulations happens, but the bull is left unharmed.

Unfortunately, some "hunters" here in the Mat-Su are opting to take the shot first and check on the legal status of the bull after it is lying dead on the ground.

The spike-fork, 50-inch antler spread or three-brow-tine antler regulations were instituted to protect that middle group of bull moose, usually in the 2-, 4- or 5-year age classes, which tend to be the healthiest and best breeding bulls in the local moose population.

This past hunting season, troopers from the Alaska Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement, the wildlife protection arm of the Alaska State Troopers, found 43 illegal bull moose kills and three illegal cow moose kills around the Valley, mostly from Game

Units 14, 16A and 13.

Eight of the bulls and all three cows were left in various stages of wanton waste. Some of the animals were partially salvaged and some were just shot and left to rot.

Sgt. Mark Agnew, an Wildlife Enforcement supervisor stationed at the Big Lake trooper post, said more illegal kills had probably occurred that the troopers don't know about, but it was speculative to say exactly how many.

Sgt. Tory Oleck, stationed in Palmer's Wildlife Enforcement office, said a minimum estimate of one unknown illegal kill for every known one is a very reasonable assumption.

Several troopers, including Agnew, believe the illegal kill could be as high as three undiscovered kills for every known illegal kill, but no one has the hard numbers to support that speculation.

Gino Del Frate, the Region II management coordinator for the Alaska Department of Fish and Game's Division of Wildlife Conservation, estimates that the illegal bull moose kill adds up to about 3-5 percent of the total number of bulls in the local population.

While this number seems small, when added to the numbers of legal bulls taken, the number of road-killed (including railroad-killed) bulls, losses to predators and winter-killed animals, the total count of illegal kills raises concerns for the wildlife managers.

According to Del Frate, when more than 10 percent of an ungulate -- moose belong to this group of hoofed mammals -- population is removed per year, that population can decline. If this trend continues for any extended period, the overall health of the population can be threatened.

Tony Kavalok, Palmer's acting area management biologist for the Division of Wildlife Conservation, explained one way this illegal bull kill can negatively affect the local moose population.

According to Kavalok, the bull/cow ratio for Unit 14A moose is at the lower limits of what Fish and Game considers healthy -- currently about 20 bulls per 100 cows. During the fall breeding season, the cows come into estrus and are only receptive to breeding for about a 24-hour period.

If the number of breeding bulls has been reduced below the 20/100 ratio, there may not be enough bulls available to breed all the cows scattered around the Valley as they become receptive.

Kavalok said the cows will come back into a second estrus cycle about 25 days later and could be bred during that later time. However, those "second-estrus" calves are born late and with less ability to survive that critical first year of life.

Nick Cassara, Palmer's wildlife technician for the Division of Wildlife Conservation, said these smaller calves are more prone to being killed by predators and are often the first moose to die of starvation during a difficult, or sometimes even a normal, winter season.

The number of calves being produced is potentially reduced because of missing the "first-estrus" period, and any further loss of calves just compounds the problem. By lowering the number of breeding bulls below a critical minimum number, the successful survival of the next generation of moose is threatened.

In addition to the threat posed to the health of the moose population by these illegal kills, a further consequence exists for the lawful hunters pursuing moose.

According to Kavalok, if the overall numbers of moose decline enough, Fish and Game will reduce or eliminate the number of cow-moose drawing permits available in the Valley.

If the bull/cow ratio is significantly reduced below the critical minimum, the department might recommend a shorter hunting season or further restrict the numbers of bulls legal for harvest.

This could mean upping the minimum antler size to 55 or 60 inches, requiring four brow tines or possibly making the Valley a permit-drawing area for moose hunting. Eliminating the spike-fork animals as legal bulls is another possible management strategy. Any or all of these options would substantially reduce hunting opportunity in the Valley for anyone wanting to hunt moose.

Everyone suffers for the crimes of a few individuals who think the law doesn't apply to them.

Agnew said the number of this past season's illegal moose kills was higher than numbers from previous seasons.

When asked why, Agnew said the Valley's moose populations were near maximum sustainable levels and more animals were around.

He also said more troopers were spending more time checking for hunting violations.

Agnew said that after a few years of reduced staffing at both the Big Lake and Palmer Bureau of Wildlife Enforcement posts, this past season saw nearly all Wildlife Enforcement positions assigned to the Valley filled. But even at full staffing, Agnew said there were still too few troopers to perform all the necessary patrol work.

Gary Feaster, owner of Greatland Welding on the Palmer-Wasilla Highway, is a lifelong resident of the Valley and a longtime certified volunteer hunter education instructor for Fish and Game.

Feaster grew up hunting moose in the Valley. When shown photos of the impounded illegal racks and the illegally killed and wasted moose, he reacted.

"This is disgusting and shameful and reflects very negatively on hunters, even though the vast majority are following the rules and regulations," he said.

When asked what the public could do to help, Agnew said the hunters themselves had a responsibility to know the regulations and needed to act responsibly.

This means that hunters need to educate themselves about what a legal bull moose looks like. Feaster said the Palmer Fish and Game office has a video, "Is This Moose Legal?" which is available to the public for viewing. A $20 deposit is required and is refunded when the video is returned.

Both Agnew and Kavalok said that when hunters see a bull while hunting, they need to practice some self-discipline and restraint until they can determine if the animal is legal to harvest.

Moose hunters need to understand the biological implications illegal kills can have on the overall health and well-being of the Valley's moose population.

"If you're not part of the solution, then you are part of the problem," Kavalok said.

Agnew and Feaster agreed that the public, in general, can help reduce the number of illegal moose kills by not condoning these actions.

An example Feaster offered was folks "not looking the other way when their neighbor brings an illegal moose kill home."

Del Frate said peer pressure is the best enforcement tool available, and hunters need to be willing to encourage others to do the right thing.

Feaster further suggested that hunters could attend a hunter education class to broaden and further their hunting education. He also said people should call the Wildlife Safeguard hotline (1-800-478-3377) to report any illegal kills they witness or find.

With the advent of cell phones, the public and ethical, responsible hunters can easily call and report illegal kills from the field. Troopers rely on this information to do their jobs.

Agnew said that just seeing moose while hunting, even if the animals are not legal bulls, adds to his own personal enjoyment of the hunting experience.

And Feaster said he has learned a lot about moose behavior and calling simply by watching these nonlegal bulls and listening as the animals participate in their rutting rituals.