In this photo provided by the Nevada Department of Wildlife, a collared cow moose and her calf are spotted in Elko County, Nev., in 2022. In what will be a very tiny hunt for some of the biggest game in North America, Nevada is planning its first-ever moose hunting season during fall 2024. State officials expect thousands of applications for the handful of hunting tags and, with an estimated population barely topping 100, it’s already controversial.
“Their post-glacial range expansion isn’t really complete,” McKee said. “And that’s what we’re currently seeing in Nevada right now, is those moose are moving into the state and finding suitable habitat.”Energy agency announces $475M in funding for clean energy projects on mine land sitesOnly a few Nevada moose, perhaps just one, will be killed across an area larger than Massachusetts and New Jersey combined.
Bryan Bird, Defenders of Wildlife’s Southwest program director, is among the skeptics who suspect it’s a short-lived phenomenon. “It seems to be opposite of where we would expect to see moose expansion given their ecology,” said Marcus Blum, a Texas A&M University researcher hired to help assess future movement. He analyzed aerial surveys, individual sightings and habitat to project growth trends.
Researchers have more questions than answers about why moose continue to expand their range into Nevada where extended drought has taken a toll on other wildlife, McKee said. Nevada’s research suggests its population could sustain more harvests than planned, McKee said, but “conservative is the name of the game here.”