underway to close the season south of the French and Mattawa Rivers in 1964, and 

 the results of this protection will be of interest. Alternate open and closed moose 

 seasons may be necessary to maintain the moose herd in southern Ontario. 



MOOSE RANGE SURVEYS 



Almost every northern District conducted moose browse surveys in an effort 

 to discover the effect of high moose populations on the range. All browse surveys 

 are conducted in similar fashion and thus results are comparable for the complete 

 Province. Only eighteen moose browse surveys had been conducted up until 1963 

 in Ontario; in 1963 twelve more surveys were completed and a great deal more 

 information was gained on the influence of the present moose population on the 

 habitat supporting it. Estimates of numbers of moose per square mile were 

 obtained by conducting pellet group counts on a large number of systematically 

 selected plots. These estimates could then be compared with the number of moose 

 observed during aerial census work in winter. 



AERIAL INVENTORY 



District staff for several years have used aircraft in winter to search for moose 

 over randomly selected and/or permanent plots. During the winter of 1963-64, 

 125 plots were flown comprising more than 4,000 square miles. Many districts 

 found moose densities of one moose for every one and a half or two square miles 

 of range. 



A new system of calculating relative moose densities by flying transects and 

 counting tracks in winter was tested by the Gogama staff in January and February 

 1964. Although this method showed promise when it was conducted under 

 optimum conditions, these conditions occur only rarely. It appears that the present 

 system of searching for animals from orbiting aircraft at low levels is the best 

 available. 



MOOSE DISEASE STUDIES 



The Ontario Department of Lands and Forests co-operated with the Ontario 

 Veterinary College and the Ontario Research Foundation in studies designed to 

 determine the various types of parasites and diseases and their normal occurrence 

 in Ontario's moose herd. Knowledge of the normal incidence of disease and 

 parasites which now are present in the generally vigorous and healthy moose herd 

 is essential if we are detect changes in the welfare of the herd during the next few 

 years. 



TAGGING OF MOOSE FROM HELICOPTERS 



One of the more spectacular activities of game workers across the Province, 

 moose tagging is designed to provide information on the annual movements of 

 individual moose. Over much of the moose range access is a problem, thus roads 

 and accessible waterways are heavily hunted. It is possible that moose from 

 inaccessible areas fill the vacuum created by the removal of animals during the 

 open season, and this possibility is being tested by marking animals usually 20 or 

 more miles from the nearest hunting access. Return of the tags by hunters or 

 sightings of colour marked animals is essential. 



Personnel in Sioux Lookout, Geraldton and Sault Ste. Marie Districts attached 

 metal ear tags and brightly coloured streamers to the ears of 32 moose in 1963. 

 The procedure is relatively easy when you know how! The trick is to surprise 



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