Thread: Fiordland Moose

[QUOTE=r87mm;1537885]To surive they need to breed. If they're breeding then the population would increase. Since no one is shooting them and they have no natural predators, other than perhaps inbreeding from a small gene pool to lower the population. Then with an increasing population and the amount of hunting, tramping, flying, fishing, research that happens in the area. By the law of averages, sightings must start occuring. But there aren't any really proven sightings. So it's probable they are no longer there. Or if there is any, they are incredibly old and certainly not breeding.
A dead one will be the only conclusive evidence. Anything else can be doctored or planted too show what people want others too believe.
Just a thought.

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Yes I like your thinking on it - there simply is no proof and has not been any for years - saw the moose search program some years ago and one very out of focus photo of an animal that is a deer species and some high browsing is not proof - I have seen reds stand up on hind legs to reach Mahoe

They may be hard to see, but they also need to poo, walk, breed and die. Most of that leaves dna behind.

For some 15 years there was an airforce of about 35 helos pushing the operating envelope of their machines searching, looking, always looking for another 4 legged 3-5K pay cheque. If they were there the odds are they would have been seen.

I've been to Herrick Creek. What a sodden, dank god forsaken place to go spend 2 months looking for moose. Apparently he flew in 2 ton of coal to keep camp warm

Anything is possible. The South Island Kokako - another mystery if they still exist.

https://www.southislandkokako.org/

Originally Posted by ROKTOY

@MCCPRO Not Lake Wakatipu,
Inangahua River 1930s.
Attachment 241761

17 Mile, Westcoast
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Yip Im talking about lake wakatipu.

Growing up there heard a few stories over the years of a stonker of an eel around the islands.

Didnt really believe the tales until our neighbor in the early 90s went out water-skiing with his mates one of them wiped out and white as aghost said he saw a huuge eel and subsequently avoided the water for the rest of the day. Anyway Old Andy didnt believe them and got dropped off on either pig or pigeon island cant remember for a bit of fishing.
After a couple of hours into the evening his line got caught on what he thought was submerged log until the flaming log did a 180 disturbing the water and swam off he said he nearly fell out off the ledge he was fishing from not from a hook up but from disbelief!

Anyways no proof but he was an honest bloke.

A few locals in the past had sightings of a big eel in the past down there.

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Originally Posted by Happy Jack

Here is me chasing one up on Mt Dunblane whilst living in Hanmer Springs.

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Wow @Happy Jack, you have a remarkable resemblance to an old mate I used to hunt with years ago. Are you wearing a loincloth under that beard ?
More to the point - did you end up nailing that Moose ??

Dunno if there are Moose remaining in Fiordland, but, for one, I hope so.
Would love to see a new long running thread start up ".223 on Moose"

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/3501...g-south-island

It would be cool if there was a few still kicking around!

Originally Posted by ROKTOY

@MCCPRO Not Lake Wakatipu,
Inangahua River 1930s.
Attachment 241761

17 Mile, Westcoast
Attachment 241762

Back in the 70’s I saw a photo of the midriff of a tramper that had been walking along the track from George Sound and he had to wade through the track past Lake Katherine (the track gets quite flooded after heavy rain - was up to the bottom of my pack the time I was there) and the tramper got grabbed by a giant eel, the photo showed dozens of small tooth marks in a ‘D’ shape on his back and on his stomach.
Must have been one big mutha of an eel!

Moose seem to travel huge distances in their ranges overseas, I do wonder that if with the small population of moose that were not accounted for by hunters from back in the day, struggle to breed as a result of travelling so far from each other perhaps and not finding each other at mating season..

In 2008 while on a cruise through the Fiordland sounds , a DOC manager was doing a commentary on the history of Fiordland , i caught up with him that evening and during our conversation we discussed the possibility of any moose being still alive in Fiordland , DOC at that time belived moose still exist and number no more that 10 animals

Originally Posted by 30.06king

Dunno if there are Moose remaining in Fiordland, but, for one, I hope so.
Would love to see a new long running thread start up ".223 on Moose"

That would drag out a few with egos bigger than their abilities.

Originally Posted by Jus

Moose seem to travel huge distances in their ranges overseas, I do wonder that if with the small population of moose that were not accounted for by hunters from back in the day, struggle to breed as a result of travelling so far from each other perhaps and not finding each other at mating season..

Raises a good point. I've watched a meat eater series where they give out Moose calls from a high vantage point across miles of open country. They know they are extremely slow moving animals and a moose that hears that call wont come to the location the call was made until some 24 hours later. If your impatient and don't return to the same spot the very next day, chances are you'll never see the bull you called in.

So Moose finding each other in dense Fiordland bush may be too difficult.

Have a look at Ken Tustins latest interview
No question he's a believer, but how he explains the moose story has some practical arguments; eg the impact that red deer have on the mooses habitat
He even says that the guy that spotted one a few years back had hunted moose, knew what they looked like, and had even seen some red deer earlier that morning with their chestnut coats. What he saw was grey and drab by comparison and a totally different animal.
Tustin says that if they are still there, there will only be a handful at best, maybe even one or two, but they are doomed to extinction
Interesting story whether you believe or not

Originally Posted by kukuwai

Jeepers bro that second photo is awesome...chopper reid

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Thought exactly the same thing