The upper Lynn Canal subsistence moose hunt has started with a bang — or rather, a lot of them.
Eighteen moose, including one sublegal, were taken in the first nine days of the hunt, the fastest harvest in years.
The hunt is scheduled to continue through Oct. 7, with a management objective of 20-25 bulls harvested, said Carl Koch, assistant area management biologist for the Department of Fish and Game.
This year’s numbers compare to a total harvest of 22 animals during the entire 2014 hunt, and totals of 19 each year during 2011 and 2012. The 2014 harvest was 26.
Last year’s mild winter may have boosted survival of moose and clear weather last weekend gave hunters an opportunity to see them, Koch said.
With low snowfall, moose can more easily elude predators. Warmer temperatures mean the animals use less energy to stay alive, and more energy can go into reproduction, he said. “That can lead to twins,” he said.
Scant snow accumulation during the past two aerial surveys of the local herd made moose difficult to spot, so the state lacks confidence in those counts, Koch said.
The hunt could be closed before Oct. 7 for biological reasons, but many factors would have to be involved in such a decision, he said.