Description

Alces alces, or simply the moose, is the largest member of the deer family Cervidae—a group of mammals defined by rumination and antlers that shed annually. Moose antlers are distinguished by their palmation or “leaf shape” spread, compared to the dendritic or “twig-like” shape of smaller cervids like whitetail. Boone & Crocket keeps records on the three subspecies of moose found in North America. The Alaska-Yukon moose being the largest followed by the more widespread Canada moose and the smaller Shiras’ moose. The Alaska-Yukon subspecies ranges across Alaska, the Yukon, and parts of the Northwest Territories. The largest bulls can stand almost 8-feet at the hump and weigh more than 1,800 pounds. The Canada moose can be found across the True North, from British Columbia to Nova Scotia, and down into the American north, from Minnesota and Wisconsin to Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine. Smaller in size and population, the Shiras’ ranges across the Northern Rocky Mountains. Utah is the only place that doesn't require years of accumulated game points to hunt them, though landowner tags come at a premium. Hunting opportunities for Canada and Alaska-Yukon moose are much more readily available.