MOOSE MOVEMENTS FROM EAR-TAG RETURNS. B. P. Saunders and J. C. Williamson. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Wildlife Branch

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1 177 MOOSE MOVEMENTS FROM EAR-TAG RETURNS B. P. Saunders and J. C. Williamson Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources Wildlife Branch Abstract: Movements of ear-tagged moose (Alces ~. andersoni Peterson) were investigated in the Red Lake Road area of Northwestern ontario from 1959 to During the summer months 243 moose were ear-tagged and 65 ear tags were recovered by hunters during moose hunting seasons. Dispersal from tagging sites showed no preference for anyone direction. No significant differences were found between the movements of males and females or between young and old moose of the same sex. The purpose of the study was to determine whether there was a significant difference in the linear distance moved between young moose and adult moose of the same sex and between males and females. The objective was to see if the yearling vulnerability factor described by pimlott (1955) could be attributed to greater range of movements of yearlings. Subsequent movements were to be examined for any tendency towards dispersal into more heavily hunted areas. Study Area The study area is located in Northwestern Ontario, north of Vermilion Bay with Highway #105 as the only access route. The

2 178 northern portion of the study area is described by Zoltai's Lac Seul Site District and the southern portion by his Sunstrum Site District (Zoltai,l965:24-25). The low rocky ridges and underlying bedrock in an area without major relief restrict drainage. The resulting abundant eutrophic and dystrophic lakes connected by shallow, slow flowing streams support abundant aquatic growth which moose utilize as summer food. The few oligotrophic lakes occurring within the area do not appear to provide preferred food for moose and may act as physical barriers to movement. Soils of silty sand and clay provide sites for the five major trees characteristic of the boreal forest within our study area: jackpine (Pinus Banksiana), black spruce (Picea mariana), trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides), balsam fir (Abies balsamea) and white birch (Betula papyrifera). These form a heterogeneous mixture of pure and mixed stands ranging from recent regeneration after a fire to mature providing suitable habitat. The major tagging area is described by latitudes 9Jo10'W and 94 00'W and longitudes 'N and 'N. In addition, some moose were tagged north of Lac Seul in an area described by latitudes 92 o JO'W and 9JolO'W and by longitudes 50 o J5'N and 'N. Ear tags were recovered by hunters from an area of 17,000 square miles described by latitude 'W and the Ontario Manitoba border, and longitudes 'N and 'N. The tagging area is located within this larger area. METHODS Simkin (196J) described the technique of ear-tagging moose in open water from a helicopter. Briefly it involved taxiing

3 179 beside a swimming moose and attaching a numbered metal cattle tag to one ear. We flew morning and evening to utilize the aquatic feeding activity peaks observed by devos (1958:135) and Simkin (1963). We considered a young adult to be an animal tagged as a calf and recovered during its second or third fall. An animal tagged as a yearling and recovered during one of the next two falls or an animal tagged as a young adult and recovered in the fall of that year. A calf recovered the first fall after tagging was not considered to be a young adult, as its movement is governed by the movements of the cow unless orphaned (Goddard, 1970). All other ear tag returns were treated as adults. For all moose tagged, records were kept of sex, age where possible (as calf, yearling or adult), location of tagging and subsequent recovery area by latitude and longitude. RESULTS During the summers of 1959, 1960, 1962 and (Table 1.) 243 moose were ear-tagged. Hunters turned in 65 ear tags at game check stations and Ministry of Natural Resources offices during the hunting seasons of 1959 through Of the 65 eartagged moose recovered, 8 were tagged as calves, 18 as yearlings, 38 as adults and 1 was not classified. Of the 18 moose tagged as yearlings and subsequently recovered, 17 were recorded as yearlings at the time of tagging. Tooth eruption and wear, described by Passmore et al (1955) confirmed the original aging in every case except one which was classified as a young adult. It was classified as a yearling when shot the same year and the jaw recovered.

4 180 Table 1- Temporal distribution of moose ear-tagging and recoveries. Year Number Number tagged recovered Sa 1962 S ) 196) Totals a - One calf moose ear tag was recovered but it was impossible to determine recovery site.

5 181 Table 2. Confirmation of field identification of yearling moose by wear class ages upon recovery. Year Year Age a when tagged recovered recovered I I II III II I I I I I III II II I I I I a - Based on technique described by Passmore, Peterson and Cringan (1955). Table 3 shows the linear distance (hereafter referred to as distance) between tagging and recovery sites by sex and age classification.

6 Table Linear distance moved between tagging and recovery sites. Sex and Time a Mean distance age interval (n) in miles (Range (years) in Parenthesis) MALES Young Adults ( ) ( ) Adults ( ) ( ) FEMALES Young Adults ( ) ( ) Adults ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) ( ) SEX UNKNOWN b ( ) 2 2 (1. O_?c) a - Number of years between tagging and recovery where 1 represents a recovery in the fall of the tagging year. b - Tagged as calves. c - No data available.

7 183 Analysis of our data showed no significant differences (Z= -1.04,p>0.05) between distance moved and the number of years between tagging and recovery. Similar recovery rates were experienced for both sexes even though a larger number of females were tagged. Males comprised a larger percentage of the hunter kill within the study area. It is suspected that females were tagged at a higher percentage rate than they actually occur within the population. This could be attributed to differences in behavior at the time of tagging or during the hunting season or both. The movements from tagging to recovery sites showed no preference for anyone direction. DISCUSSION Goddard (1970) discussed the movements of moose and suggests that the movements of young moose between summer and fall may be larger than that of older animals. However, our data show that there were no significant differences (P>0.05) between the movements of young males and old males or between the movements of young females and old females. Our data, which showed no significant differences (P>0.05) between the mean linear movements of males and females agrees with Houston's (1968:51) work on Shiras moose (Alces~. shirasi) that males and females showed no significant differences in sizes of summer and winter horne ranges. The results of a movement study utilizing ear tags will be dependent on the spatial distribution of the tagging area within the total area from which future recoveries could occur. Goddard (1970) suggested that the results of his study were partially biased toward moose which moved short distances because of light

8 184 hunting pressure around the periphery of the tagging area. We believe in our study area this bias does not exist as hunter distribution has been monitored since 1957 with no apparent changes in hunter pressure within or immediately outside of the tagging ~rea. Our data did not explain on the basis of linear movement the yearling vulnerability factor described by Pimlott (1955) and later supported by Simkin (1965), but did not exclude the possibility of differences of daily activity within a given area. This information is not attainable through the use of ear tags but requires more frequent sightings on a yearly basis such as can be obtained through the use of radio transmitters. LITERATURE CITED devos, A Summer studies of moose in Ontario. Trans. N. Am. Wildl. Conf. 21: Summer observations on moose behavior in Ontario. J. Mammal. 39(1): Goddard, J Movements of moose in a heavily hunted area of Ontario. J. Wildl. Mgmt, 34(2): Houston, D. B The shiras moose in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Grand Teton Natural History Assoc. and Natl. Park Serv., U.S. Dept. Interior. Tech. Bull. No pp. Passmore, R.C. R.L. Peterson, and A.T. Cringan A study of mandibular tooth wear as an index to age of moose. Appendix "A", pp in North American moose, by Randolph L. Peterson. Toronto: Univ. of Toronto Press. xi pp. Pimlott, D. H Reproduction and productivity of Newfoundland moose. J. Wildl. Mgmt, 23(4): Simkin, D, W Tagging moose by helicopter. Mgmt. 27 (1): J. Wildl Reproduction and productivity of moose in Northwestern Ontario. J. Wildl. Mgmt, 29(4): Zoltai, S. C Forest sites of site regions 5S and 4s, Northwestern Ontario. Onto Dept. of Lands and Forests. Res, Rept. No pp.