STATUS AND MANAGEMENT OF MOOSE IN THE NORTHWEST TERRITORIES, CANADA

Moose are one of the most important sources of red meat to the people of the Northwest Territories who live within the treeline. Recent surveys have indicated low densities ranging from 0.05 to 0.15 moose/km2 but apparently good reproduction and early survival of calves such that most calf/100 cow ratios in November/December are between 40 and 70 (range 24-82). Currently, the majority of the harvesting is done by native hunters who have no legal restrictions, but who follow their traditional management practises. These hunters have voluntarily maintained a no hunting corridor for big game along approximately one-third of the NWT highway system during the last seven years. Today we do not have good harvest data to assist our management. In the future, we hope to be involved in a cooperative harvest study resulting from the settlement of native land claims. Resolution of these land claims shall move us further into cooperative management regimes and will likely result in more local control of the moose resource