Moose in Oregon

[daisygordoninc]

This has probably already been discussed, but because I am a moose hunter, moose in Oregon
really interests me. This is the first time an actual herd has been seen and growing in Northestern
Oregon. Some estimate it at around 60 now, Shiras of course, probably came down from Northern
Idaho a few years ago. The game commission is doing some study and tagging of them at this point
but my hope is that maybe my grandkids or great grandkids will be able to hunt them. My nephew
who lives north of Walla Walla Washington near the river and mountains has had them come through
their yard twice. I think they have been seen as far south as LaGrande Oregon in the Blue Mountains.
I have friend who hunts elk and bear in the Blue Mountains who has seen them as well.
Pretty neat to have them populating the mountains of Northeast Oregon for the first time.
My moose hunting has been in Central BC in the past few years, hunting the Canadian variety, of course
there are Shiras in Southern BC as well.

[gamekeeper]

Always great to see game animals return to the habitat they once roamed.

[marlinman93]

Too late in life for me to ever dream I might hunt a moose some day in Oregon! But I ran into moose in NE Oregon on Mt Emily when working on a Verizon site some years back. I was surprised to see a cow and her calf on the forest service road driving in one morning. At the time I tried to find out info from F&G about moose in Oregon and was told, "You must be mistaken" and "it was probably a cow elk". Typical of F&G when something is happening under their watch and they don't want to admit they didn't know about it.

[earlmck]

I'm sure the moose are being hunted now, just not by us two-legged hunters. Oregon's growing wolf packs will keep the moose population well in check.

And I have never seen a mention of moose in Oregon in any of the historical accounts I have read, which would include all of Peter Skene Ogden's journals, Lewis & Clark's stuff, Fremont's journal, various immigrant accounts. This may be their first time in Oregon since the last ice age.