Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutAPA4118Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Game Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Research Progress Report LOWER SUSITNA VALLEY MOOSE POPULATION IDENTITY AND MOVEMENT STUDY by Ronald D. Modafferi Project W-22-5 Job 1.38R February 1987 STATE OF ALASKA Steve Cowper, Governor DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME Don W. Collinsworth, Commissioner DIVISION OF GAME W. Lewis Pamplin, Jr., Director Robert A. Hinrnan, Deputy Director Persons intending to cite this material should obtain prior permis- sion from the author(s) and/or the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Because most reports deal with preliminary results of conti- nuing studies, conclusions are tentative and should be identified as such. Due credit will be appreciated. Additional copies of this report, or reports on other species covered in this series may be obtained from: Publications Technician ADF&G, Game Division P.O. BOX 3-2000 Juneau, AK 99802 (907) 465-4 190 PROGRESS REPORT (RESEARCH) State: Alaska Cooperators: - None Project No.: W-22-5 Project Title: Biq Game Investiqations Job No. : IB-1.38R Job Title: Lower Susitna Valley Moose Population Identity and Movement Study Period Covered: 1 July 1985-30 June 1986' SUMMARY This report includes aerial-survey, marking, and radio- relocating data collected from moose (Alces alces qiqas -- Miller) observed and/or captured in an alpine study area In the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains in south- central Alaska, between October 1985 and May 1986. Periodic aerial surveys conducted from October 1985 through April 1986 documented the increase, peak, and decrease phases in moose utilization of 102 mi2 of alpine habitat. A maximum of 919 moose (9 per mi2, 25% males, 63% females, and 11% calves) were observed in alpine habitats on 18 November 1985. Moose density and herd composition varied, from 4 to 19 moose per mi2 and from 6 to 63 calves per 100 females, respectively, among areas. Distributional relationships remained relatively constant at all numerical levels. From October through December, groups of up to 25 males seqre- gated from other moose were commonly observed. Frequently, these male groups were observed in different habitats and at slightly higher elevations than other moose. Similar pheno- mena have been observed in studies in previous years. In mid-April, at which time antler growth (up to 12 in) was evident in many males, smaller male groups (8-10 moose) , separate from other moose, were observed. Observations of male segregated groups in early spring occurred at similar elevations and in the same areas as those made in early winter. Nineteen male moose (ages 1-12) and 25 females (ages 2-18) were captured, marked with ear tags and visual and radio- transmitting neck collars, and released, during- 5 field excursions between late December 1985 and early February 1986. Three marked females subsequently died. Data on distribution and movement patterns for 18 male and 23 female marked moose were obtained from 9 aerial radio- relocating surveys conducted between 6 January and 29 April 1986. Through mid-April, some marked moose exhibited short- distance, north-south directional movements across drainages while other moose exhibited longer east-west directional move- ments involving greater elevational changes. However, most marked moose remained closely (within 1 mi) associated with the alpine/forest ecotone habitat. By 29 April 1986, almost all marked moose had moved westward to lower elevations and away from the alpine/forest ecotone habitat. At that same time, several female moose were relo- cated west of the Susitna River in lowland areas frequented by parturient females from other subpopulations. It was hypothe- sized that additional marked moose would behave similarly as parturition approached. During April, a marked male departed a lowland wintering area near the Susitna River and traveled eastward back toward his alpine capture site in the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains. A similar movement pattern was documented for another male moose in a previous study. Alexander, Moose, and Kroto (Deshka River) Creeks, known to be important wintering areas for other lower Susitna River Valley moose subpopulations, were selected as future study areas. These lowland riparian moose winter habitats contrast ecologically with alpine winter habitats. Land-use proposals presently under consideration threaten to alter these habitats and to affect their value as moose winter range. This report includes outlines of plans and scheduling for future surveys of herd distribution, abundance, and composi- tion; radio-relocating surveys; and field excursions to identify browse plants utilized by moose in alpine/forest ecotone habitats. CONTENTS Summary. ....................... i Background ........................ 1 Objectives ....................... 4 Primary. ...................... 4 Peripheral ..................... 4 Study Area ........................ 4 Methods. ...................... 4 Results and Discussion ................. 6 Future Research Plans. .................. 8 Acknowledgments. ..................... 9 Literature Cited ..................... 9 Figures. ........................ .ll Tables ...................... .14 Appendix A. Field data recorded for moose captured and marked in alpine subareas of the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains in southcentral Alaska, 1985-86 ................... .16 BACKGROUND Prior to statehood, the Susitna River Valley was ranked as the most productive moose (Alces -- alces gigas Miller) habitat in the territory (Chatelain 1951) . Today, the innate potential of this area as habitat for moose is probably unsurpassed statewide. Presently, the lower Susitna Valley is the focal point of more development than any other region in the state. Proposed and in-progress projects involving grain and crop agriculture, dairy and grazing livestock, commercial forestry and logging, mining, land disposals, hydroelectric projects, capital site selections, wildlife ranges and refuges, human recreation, human settlement, urban expansion, further development of the highway system, and increased railroad traffic in the region may greatly detract from the potential of the area to support moose. Though development and associated activities may tend to decrease overall moose abundance in the Susitna Valley, there is contrary pressure from resource user groups to increase moose populations to satisfy their demand for greater direct allocations to commercial, consumptive, and nonconswnptive uses. Together, development activities and conflicting demands of resource users have created a tremendous need for timely and accurate general and site-specific knowledge about moose populations in the lower Susitna Valley (Game Management Subunits 14A, 14B, 16A, 16B, and 13E). The demand for this information originates from an array of local, state, and federal land and resource management agencies, and it will likely intensify in the future in response to: 1) increased pressure to develop additional lands, 2) increased numbers of users and types of resource uses, and 3) a more complex system for allocating the resource to potential users. Game Division presently lacks appropriate and/or suffici'ent information about moose populations in the lower .Susitna Valley to accurately, consistently, and satisfactorily assess ultimate impacts of contemporary demands on the moose resource. The Division 'is therefore unable to knowledgeably dispute or condone specific demands, or provide recommenda- tions that would effectively regulate and minimize negative impacts on moose populations or habitat. Since major decisions on land use and resource allocation in the lower Susitna River Valley are presently being made and will continue to be made in the future, it is imperative that Game Division: 1) proceed to review, unify, and summarize the present state of knowledge about lower Susitna Valley moose populations, and 2) proceed with new studies to augment this data base, so that future actions having an impact on moose populations or their habitat may be promptly recognized, eval- uated, and minimized and/or mitigated. Because the lower Susitna Valley is extensive in size, its habitats and environmental conditions varied, and many resource conflicts site-specific, numerous interrelated sub- studies will be required to adequately understand movement patterns and identities of major moose subpopulations. Ini- tial studies should be conducted in areas where immediate problems or conflicts in moose management exist. When we evaluated conflicts in resource use for the entire lower Susitna Valley, it was readily apparent that research efforts should be initiated first in the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains (Subunits 14A and B), because this area: possesses the largest and densest post-rutting aggrega- tions of moose in the region and state; is the nucleus of development activities and resource use; provides recreation and resources accessible to over half of Alaska's human popu- lation; and has unique problems involving railroad and highway systems. Also, recent information obtained from Susitna River Hydroelectric environmental studies and a Habitat Suitability Assessment project has pointed out a lack of basic knowledge about moose in the area. Historical information available or, moose populations in the Susitna Valley is limited to hunter kill-statistics (ADF&G 1 ' files) ; annual but inconsistently conducted sex/age composi- tion s-urveys (ADF&G files) ; inconsistently collected data for train and vehicle-killed moose (ADF&G files) ; an outdated population movement study based on resightings of "visually- collared" moose (ADF&G files) ; studies on productivity and railroad mortality of the railbelt subpopulation (Rausch 1959 and 1958; respectively); a sporadically monitored radiotelem- etry population identity st-udy in the Dutch and Peters Hills (Didrickson and Taylor 1978); a past, uncompleted study of moose/snowfall relationships in the Susitna Valley; and a study, for which there is no final report, of extensive moose mortality in a severe winter (1970-71) . A series of more recent studies designed to assess the impact of a proposed hydroelectric project on moose has provided sub- stantial amounts of current data on populations in areas adja- cent to the Susitna River and downstream from Devil Canyon (Arneson 1981, Modafferi 1982, 1983 and 1984). However, these data have not been analyzed and summarized to provide general information about moose, or specific information about those moose subpopulations when they are in areas removed from the Susitna River floodplain. Circumstantial evidence and cur- sory examination of these data suggest that traditional sex/age composition counts conducted in widely spaced alpine areas of Subunits 14A and B give biased results and do not include samples from large segments of hunted moose subpopu- lations. These data also suggest that moose killed during late-winter 14B hunting seasons originate in Subunit 16A, and that moose killed during hunting seasons in Subunit 16A are included in Subunit 14A and B composition surveys. I believe that moose subpopulations in most of Subunit 16A, (populations that remain largely unsurveyed because they occur in forested habitats), could possibly be surveyed during winter when found in riparian habitats common to both Subunits 14B and 16A. The aforementioned data, and the fact that traditional composition surveys have remained relatively insensitive to large annual changes in moose mortality rates, indicate that contemporary assumptions about movements and identities of moose subpopula- tions in the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains (Subunits 14A and B) are incorrect, or at least, too simplis- tic. A recent joint study conducted by the Divisions of Game and Habitat (Modafferi and Albert, unpubl. data) was designed to evaluate methods for assessing moose population status and habitat suitability. The study has begun to identify impor- tant moose wintering areas and to document moose/snowfall relationships in a large portion of the lower Susitna River Valley (Subunits 14A and B, 16A and 16B, and 13E). OBJECTIVES Primary 1) To identify and delineate major moose subpopulations in the lower Susitna River Valley; 2) To more precisely delineate annual movement patterns and locations, and timing and dura- tion of use of seasonal habitats; and 3) To identify habitats and land areas that are' important for maintaining the integ- rity of moose subpopulations in the lower Susitna River Valley. Peripheral 1) To identify locations of winter range and calving areas used by lower Susitna River Valley moose subpopulations; 2) To determine natality rate and timing of calf and adult. mortality; 3) To assess effects of seasonal timing of sex/age composition surveys on results obtained; and 4) To identify moose subpopulations which sustain "accidental" mortality on highway and railroad rights-of-way, and mortality from open hunting seasons. STUDY AREA The overall study area encompasses the lower Susitna River Valley in southcen.tra1 Alaska (Fig. 1). This area includes all watersheds of the Susitna River south of Talkeetna. Initial field studies were centered in alpine habitat of the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains between the Little Susitna River and the Talkeetna River (Subunits 14A and B) . This alpine study area will be expanded to encompass the annual range of the sample of radio-marked moose. In subsequent years, additional field studies directed at different moose subpopulations will be initiated in other geographical areas within the lower Susitna River Valley. METHODS For ease of reference and to identify hypothetical moose subpopulations, the following 7 areas were denoted within the alpine study area: Bald Mountain, Moss Mountain, Willow Mountain, Witna Mountain, Brownie Mountain, Wolverine Mountain, and Sunshine Mountain (Fig. 2). Place names are ,those associated with VDBM marks on 1:250,000 scale USGS topographic maps. a To determine herd composition and magnitude of use and to delineate timing, location, and spatial distribution of use of alpine habitats during winter, a series of periodic surveys was conducted on alpine areas where moose were to be captured and radio-marked. Results of these surveys were used to determine when to initiate moose-marking procedures and how to distribute sampling effort among areas. Marking procedures commenced after 18 November 1985, when the greatest numbers of moose were observed during alpine surveys. The distribution of sampling effort among areas roughly corre- sponded with moose distribution observed on that survey (Table 1). The proportion of male moose that were marked was higher than observed on distribution and abundance surveys, because male moose usually dominate the open hunting season kill and more complete information about their behavior (vs. females) was desired. To differentiate individually identifiable animals that could be relocated regularly, 44 moose were captured and marked with ear tags and visual and radio-transmitting neck collars. Each ear tag featured a discrete numeral and each neck collar fea- tured a discrete, highly visible numeral and radio-transmittal frequency. For marking, moose were captured during the winter in 7 alpine areas of the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains between the Little Susitna River and the South Fork of Montana Creek (Subnits 14A and B) (Fig. 3) . Typically, moose were immobilized with 4-6 mg carfentanil (Wildlife Laboratories, Ft. Collins, Co.), dissolved in 2-3 cc H,O, respectively, and administered with Palmer Cap-Chur equipment by personnel aboard a hovering Bell 206B or Hughes 500D helicopter. Immobilized moose were revived with an intramuscular injection of 90 mg naloxone hydrochloride (Wildlife Laboratories, Ft. Collins, Co.) per mg of carfentanil administered. While immobilized, moose were marked with ear tags and neck collars and aged by visual inspection of wear on incisor teeth. Antler conformation was considered when assessing ages of males. Though specific birth years were assigned to captured moose, age categories of calf, yearling, 2-3, 4-6, 7-12, and 12+ years are more realistic due to imprecision in aging moose by incisor wear. Sex of marked moose and associa- * tion with young-of-the-year were noted. Survey flights in Cessna 185 aircraft equipped with two- element Yayi antennae (Telonics, Mesa, Ariz.) fixed on each wing were conducted periodically to relocate marked moose. Dates for relocation surveys on which this report is based are as follows: 6 and 13 January; 10 and 28 February; 2, 14, and 17 March; and 9 and 29 April 1986. Moose relocations (audio-visual or audio) were noted on 1:63,360 scale USGS topographic maps during aerial surveys. Relocation points were later transferred to Mylar overlays of those maps in preparation for computer digitization. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This report presents field data collected from ~ctober 1985 through April 1986. Eight distribution, abundance, and herd composition surveys documented an increase, peak, and decrease in numbers of moose in 7 alpine areas in the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains (Table 2). Numbers of moose observed increased from 42 on 4 October 1985, peaked at 919 on 18 November 1985, and decreased to 202 by 17 -April 1986. Relationships of moose numbers amonq areas remained relatively constant throuqh the increase, peak, and decrease phases. Maximum densities of moose observed ranged from 4 per mi2 (Sunshine Mountain) to 19 per mi2 (Bald Mountain) and averaged 9 moose per mi2 for 102 mia amonq all subareas (Table 2) . Composition data for all areas on 18 November 1985 revealed 25% males, 63% females, and 11% calves (Table 3). Composition percentages for males, fema-les and calves, respectively, ' varied from 14-33%, 42-70%, and 4-26% among areas. Variation among areas was greatest for males and calves. Large varia- bility may, in part, be attributed to the relatively small sample sizes obtained within some areas. However, the per- centage of calves (16% vs. 5%) observed on Bald Mountain was over 3 times that observed on Willow Mountain where relatively large numbers of moose, 302 and 268, respectively, were classified. The ratio of males per 100 females varied from 20 to 75 and averaged 40. The number of calves per 100 females varied from 6 to 63 and averaged 18. The proportion of calves per LOO females on Bald Mountain (25) was over 3 times that observed on Willow Mountain (8). (Witna Mountain is not included in this comparison because of the small number of moose sampled there.) In mid-November, groups of male moose (up to 25) were commonly observed near the headwaters of the South Fork of Montana Creek and the North Fork of the Kashwitna River and on the northeasterly side-slope of Willow Mountain. In the former 2 locations, male groups utilized riparian shrub communities while other moose generally occurred at slightly lower eleva- tions in grossly different habitat types. As winter progress- ed, these male groups apparently moved to lower elevations and joined other moose near the alpine/forest ecotone. It was not known whether male groups remained intact while utilizing ecotonal habitats commonly used by other moose earlier in winter. In mid-April, groups of 8-10 males were again observed at slightly higher elevations, somewhat segregated from other moose. New antler growth (up to about 10 in) was apparent on most males in mid-April. In previous years, while conducting other activities in November and December, I have observed discrete segregated groups of up to 30 males in these same locations as well as on Bald Mountain and Willow Mountain. The sisnificance of these male groupings, their utilization of different habitats, and their spatial. separation from other moose, presently remain unknown. Nineteen male and 25 female moose were captured, marked, and released during field excursions conducted on 23 and 26 December 1985, 2 and 7 January, and 4 February 1986 in alpine areas of the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains (Appendix A) . Three of the marked females subsequently died. Two of those moose, estimated to be 8 and 18 years old, respectively, died within several days of release. The latter individual was also noticeably thin. The 3rd moose, a 2-year-old, was found dead about 6 mi from the site where it was released 45 days before. This moose was judged to be of small body size for its age and had femur marrow that was reddish in color. This individual was apparently undersized and in poor condition when it died. In this report, movements of marked moose will not he treated extensivel; because the amount of data is limited. Marked moose moved between, and out of, the alpine areas where they were captured. Many marked individuals remained near timberline through mid-April and were commonly relocated in either alpine habitat, forested habitat, or the alpine/forest ecotone habitat. Generally, it appeared that many marked moose remained in or near the alpine/forest ecotone habitat during that time period. Apparently, each habitat has compo- nents that are desirable at particular times (for feeding, bedding, etc.) and under particular environmental conditions (windy, sunny, deep snow, etc.) but no single habitat provided all preferred components. Shortly after marking procedures, some individuals were found to move in a north-south direction across river drainages and between areas. These movements generally totaled less than 5 mi. However, 1 male traveled from Wolverine Mountain north . . about 20 mi to the Talkeetna and Sheep River valleys. Less extensive forays to Willow Mountain, followed' by return movements to Brownie Mountain, were recorded coincidentally I for several moose. The most commonly observed movement pattern was predominantly elevational and east-west in direction. Shortly after marking, 5 moose moved west out of the mountains to lower elevations. Several of these individuals traveled about 10 mi and remained near the Parks Highway. During the same time period, 2 females were found to move eastward up the Kashwitna River Valley. One of these individuals eventually traveled about 20 mi up that drainage. On the 29 April relocation flight, all but 4 marked moose had moved eastward to lower elevations and noticeably away from the alpine/forest ecotone. By that date, 2 individuals had traveled 20 mi and crossed the Susitna River and 2 other marked moose were relocated near the Susitna River floodplain. I feel confident that females which made this movement to lowland areas west of the Susitna .River were seeking a particular type of habitat for calving. Studies of other moose subpopulations in the lower Susitna River Valley have documented extensive use of habitats in this area by parturient females (Modafferi 1983). Weather conditions during the 1985-86 winter were generally assessed as being less severe than average. Even though the snowpack in the lower Susitna River Valley was considerably below average, snow depths in some alpine areas of the western Foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains, particularly from Willow Mountain north to Sunshine Mountain, were in excess of 3 ft. However, in spite of low winter snowfall, unseasonably cold early-spring temperatures delayed the disappearance of snow- cover and slowed plant phenology. .Both of these factors probably influenced early-spring behavior of moose in the area. FUTURE RESEARCH PLANS Radio-relocating of marked moose will continue through the next reporting period. Herd distribution, abundance, and composition surveys will be conducted periodically, as snow cover permits, through the winter of 1986-87. Several field excursions will be conducted in the alpinel forest ecoto.ne, to identify plant species browsed by wintering moose. Alexander, Moose, and Kroto (Deshka River) Creeks were selected as additional areas in a proposed extension of moose research in the lower Susitna River Valley. These riparian habitats are commonly known to be important: moose wintering areas. Extensive use of these habitats, by moose, was documented during the winter of 1985-86 (Modafferi, unpubl. data). Areas considered in this Susitna River Flats study represent a wintering habitat (lowland riparian) which is grossly different from alpine areas in the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains. Lowland riparian habitats and adjacent lands in the Susitna River Flats are continually being considered for changes in land-use patterns; these changes would potentially affect the area's value to moose. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I am especially grateful to Dennis C. McAllister, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, who made useful suggestions and pertinent criticisms, and who willingly provided his assistance throughout this study. Dennis always managed to be available when needed, sometimes at the expense of his own time, and was invaluable in field aspects of this study. K. Schneider, regional research coordinator, is acknowledged for support and advice through biological and administrative aspects of this study. The following persons also deserve special thanks: C. Lofstead (Kenai Air Alaska, Kenai) and K. Barnes and C. Soloy (Soloy Heli-Ops, Wasilla) for expertly piloting helicopters daring moose capture procedures; B. Wiederkehr (Wiederkehr , Inc. , Palmer) , J. Hudson (Hudson Air Service, Talkeetna), and J. Okenek (K2 Aviation, Talkeetna), for piloting Super Cub aircraft during herd distribution, ab-undance, and composition surveys; and W. and "Bud" Woods (Woods Air Service, Palmer), for piloting the Cessna 185 on moose radio-relocation surveys. These individuals are commended for piloting aircraft safely and efficiently during low-level flight operations. B. Taylor, M. Chihuly, J. Didrickson, and P. Hessing are recognized for assistance in field aspects of this study. J. Didrickson and hT. Steen, area game management biologists responsible for Subunits 14A and B, are acknowledged for freely providing local knowledge, logistic assistance, a congenial working -atmosphere, and " area support" from conception through the present stage of this study. LITERATURE CITED Arneson, P. 1981. Big game studies. Vol. 11. Moose. Ann. Prog. Rep. Susitna Hyd.roelectric Proj. Alaska Dep. ~ish and Game. Juneau. 64pp. Chatelain, E'. F. 1951. Winter range problems of moose in the Sasitna Valley. Proc. Alaska Sci. Conf. 2:343-347. Didrickson, J. C., and K. P. Taylor. 1978. Lower Susitna Valley moose population identity study. Alaska Dep. ~ish and Game. Fed. Aid Wildl. Rest. Final Rep. Proj. W-17-8 and W-17-9. Job 1.16R. Juneau. 20pp. Modafferi, R. D. 1982. Big game studies. Vol. 11. Moose-Downstream. Final Phase I Rep. Susitna Hydroelectric Proj. Alaska Dep. ~ish and Game. 114pp. , 1983. Big game studies. Vol. 11. Moose-Downstream. Prog. Rep. Phase 11. Susitna Hydroelectric Proj. Alaska Dep. Fish and Game. Juneau. 114pp. . 1984. Big game st,udiss. Vol. 11. Moose-Downstream. Proq. Rep. Phase 11. Susitna Hydroelectric Proj. ~iaska-~e~. Fish and Game. Juneau. 1 l6pp. Raasch, R. A. 1958. The problem of railroad-moose conflicts in the Susitna Valley. Alaska Dep. Fish and Game. Fed. Aid in Wildl. Rest. Final Rep. Proj. W-3-R. Job 1-4. Juneau. ll6pp. . 1959. Some aspects of population dynamics of the railbelt moose populations, Alaska. M.S. Thesis. Univ. Alaska, Fairbanks. 81pp. Figure I. Map uhawlng location of the utudy area in Alaska with name. Iluted for rivers. lakea and other prominent landscape features. southcentral Alaska, 1885-81. (A=Bsld Mtn. B=Moas Mtn. C=Wlllow Mtn. D=Witne Mtn, E=Brownie Mtn. F=Wolverlne Mtn and G=Sunahine Mtn) NORTH Scale 1:915000 0 c o oK Inlet Flgure 8. Locations of alpine subarea8 (A-G) in Taikeetna Mountains foothiiia where moose were marked in winter 1985-88 and lowland riparian subareas (H-J) in the Susitna River flats substudy where moose will be marked in winter 1B86-87. (H=Moose Creek, i=Kroto Creek and J=Aiexander Creek) Table 1. Sex composition of radio-marked moose and comparisons between distribution of marked moose and moose observed on the 18 November alpine survey in the Talkeetna Mountains foothills, sourhcentral Alaska, 1985. Percent of Moose ' Marked samplea - In marked Observed on Subarea Males Females Total sample alpine survey Bald Mtn Moss Mtn Willow Mtn Wirna Mtn Brownie Mrn Wolverine Mtn Sunshine Mtn Total a Numbers in parentheses indicate numbers of moose that were captured and marked but subsequently died. These moose are not included in sample size. Table 2. Number and density (moose per mi2 for highest survey count) of moose observed on periodic surveys in different-sized alpine areas of the Talkeetna Mountains foothills in southcentral Alaska, 1985-86. Area 1985 1986 Size 4 17 8 18 3 23 31 17 Name (mi2) Oct Oct Nov Nov Dec Feb Mar Apr Density Bald Mtn 16 Moss Mtn 9 Willow Mtn 39 Witna Mtn 6 Brownie Mtn 10 Wolverine Mtn 9 Sunshine Mtn 13 Total 102 a Number utilized for density calculation. Table 3. Herd composition (M = males, F = females, and C = calves) for moose observed in alpine areas of the Talkeetna Mountains foothills in southcentral Alaska, 18 November 1985. Areas No. of Males Females Calves Males : Calves : moose No. % NO. % NO. % 100 Females 100 Females Bald Mtn 302 66 22 189 6 3 4 7 16 3 5 25 Moss Mtn 50 7 14 35 70 8 16 20 2 3 Willow Mtn 268 8 1 30 17 3 65 14 5 4 7 8 Witna Mtn 19 6 32 8 42 5 26 7 5 63 Wolverine Mtn 125 4 1 33 7 1 57 13 10 58 18 Sunshine Mtn 129 2 3 18 90 7 0 16 12 26 18 Brownie Mtn 26 8 3 1 17 65 1 4 47 6 Total 919 232 25 583 6 3 104 11 40 18 P Cn Field data recorded for moose captured and marked in alpine subareas of the western foothills of the Talkeetna Mountains in southcentral Alaska, 1985-86. Number Capture Capture No. ear tag Visual Trans- Alive date locat ion Sex Agea Left Right collar mitter yesfno Bald Mtn. M Bald Mtn. F Bald Mtn. F Bald Mtn. F Bald Mtn. F Bald Mtn. F Bald Mtn. M Willow Mtn. F Willow Mtn. F Willow Mtn. P Willow Mtn. F Willow Mtn. M Willow Mtn. M Willow Mtn. M Bald Mtn. F Bald Mtn. M Bald Mtn. M Bald Mtn. M Moss Mtn. F Moss Mrn. M Willow Mtn. M Brownie Mtn. F Brownie Mtn. F Brownie Mtn. F Brownie Mtn. M Brownie Mtn, M Witna Mtn. F Wolverine Mtn. F Brownie Mtn. F Brownie Mtn. M Sunshine Mtn. F Sunshine Mtn. M Sunshine Mtn. M Wolverine Mtn. F Wolverine Mtn. F Wolverine Mtn. M Willow Mtn. F Willow Mtn. F APPENDIX A. Continued. Number Capture Capture No. ear tag Visual Trans- Alive date location Sex ~~e~ Left Right collar mitter yes/no 02/04/86 Willow Mtn. F 3 2156 1652 61 6517 P 02/04/86 Willow Mtn. M 11 2200 2059 17 6380 P 02/04/86 Willow Mtn. M 7 2162 2190 16 6365 Y 02/04/86 Willow Mtn. F 3 2101 2142 261 18136 Y 02/04/86 Wolverine Mtn. F 13 2073 2150 58 23933 P 02/04/86 Wolverine Mtn. M 7 1698 2158 48 6501 Y a Age determined from incisor wear. Assigned age probably encompassed within intervals of: 1, 2-3, 4-6, 7-12, and 12+ years.