HOUGHTON, Mich. (WLUC) – Moose are a staple of our culture here in the U.P., but research shows the population may be on the decline.
The state’s Natural Resources Commission was presented with the results of this year’s aerial moose survey at a meeting in Houghton Thursday. The survey is conducted every two years.
“Our core moose estimate declined from 2025,” DNR Wildlife Division Chad Stewart said. “We estimated a best estimate of 300 moose, and that’s down from 426 in 2023.”
The core survey area spans the central U.P., from the Baraga Plains to Marquette, and is broken up into high-density and low-density areas. Stewart says in 2023, there were 426 moose, 283 in the high-density area and 143 in the low-density area. This year’s survey found an estimated 300 moose. The high-density area has dropped to 257, but the low-density area has dropped significantly to only 43. Stewart says this low-density shift may be from a change in habitat preferences.
“Moose distribution in Michigan is broader than our current survey allows, and that moose distribution within the core has changed over time,” Stewart continued. “It’s very possible that moose distribution is changing to outside the core as well. Whether this is a realized decline in the moose population or a sort of redistribution of the population on the landscape is something we’re wanting to find out.”
To investigate what could be limiting moose population growth, a research collaboration is ongoing. It is made up of the Michigan DNR, Northern Michigan University and the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community. This group captures and gives moose GPS collars. Using the collars, the team monitors adult moose behavior, calf survival and moose deaths
“We have secured $684,000 to support two years of the project and to bring on a second graduate student,” said Erin Johnston from the KBIC. “We are very committed to this project.”
Johnston says this money will allow research to continue into 2028. The research team hopes to increase its sample size from 20 to at least 50 moose for more results.
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