NEBRASKAland Magazine is dedicated to outstanding photography and informative writing with an engaging mix of articles and photos highlighting Nebraska’s outdoor activities, parklands, wildlife, history and people.
Issue link: http://mag.outdoornebraska.gov/i/695082
46 NEBRASKAland • JULY 2016 the young bull, loaded it into a livestock trailer and moved it to a nearby wildlife management area. That moose, which was sighted numerous times at locations along Interstate 80, probably got the most attention of all, considering the area's large population and media market. Before being moved it was spotted near North Platte's world famous railroad site, Bailey Yard, and was seen strolling streets and alleys on the west side of town. And, just this March, Commission wildlife personnel used an electroshock Taser gun designed for wildlife to briefly debilitate a stubborn moose that had outstayed its welcome in North Loup, population 297, in Valley County. The buzz from the Taser's projectile did no lasting harm to the animal, but the undesirable experience apparently provided enough of a deterrent to make the moose run and not return to the village. Nebraska has had a few other high profile moose episodes in the past, albeit not as many in such a short period. In 2010, a moose was killed when being struck by two vehicles on Nebraska Highway 71 near Scottsbluff. The state's moose history also includes one that entered the northeastern part of the state along the Niobrara River in the early 2000s, probably a migrant from Minnesota. It lingered in the Norfolk area and eventually triggered a nuisance call for sparring with a farmer's dog. It was later found dead of pneumonia near Osmond. If moose are native to Nebraska, historical accounts of it are scarce. In August 1977, the Chadron Record reported a cow moose had been living in northwestern Nebraska for the previous four years. Described in the article as "a big ugly thing" by conservation officer Cecil Avey, it had been seen north and south of Gordon and northeast of Hemingford before settling in near three coldwater streams – Hat, Soldier and Cottonwood creeks – of Sioux County. Was it the first in Nebraska? The article says it was believed to be, but it's hard to know. Maps showing the historic range of moose place the area for the western subspecies (Alces alces andersoni), found in the upper Midwest and western Canada, being pretty close to Nebraska's northeastern corner. It wouldn't be all that surprising if an occasional moose ventured down the Missouri River to Nebraska. Could it be that the habitat conditions of Nebraska have changed through the years to be more suitable for the big creatures? They thrive in mixed deciduous forests, and there are certainly more of those trees throughout the state than before Euro-American settlement. The river corridors in the west are definitely more forested than years past. Time will tell if the frequency of moose encounters of recent months is just an anomaly, or if moose are finding enough of what they need in Nebraska to stick around until the novelty of their presence wears off. Until we know for sure, wildlife professionals will join the public in keeping watch of their travels. ■ Information for this report was provided by Brett Jesmer, who studies moose populations for the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, and Nebraska Game and Parks Commission Wildlife Division staff, including Todd Nordeen, Big Game Disease and Research Program Manager; District Managers Lance Hastings, Tom Welstead and Micah Ellstrom; and Karie Decker, Interim Wildlife Division Administrator. PHOTO BY JULIE GEISER This young bull moose was fi rst sighted in this tree claim in the yard of a rural home near Sutherland. The bull eventually wandered into North Platte on two separate occasions.