Thread: Moose !!!

https://www.stuff.co.nz/national/120...-national-park

Credible witness too

Would be awesome they are a majestic animal

What a joke. For a couple of seconds and they flew around again and it was gone ...yeah right. another alien in the sky bs. Theres no fu ken moose left in nz, anyone thatbelieves that crap needs a doctor

Originally Posted by deer243

What a joke. For a couple of seconds and they flew around again and it was gone ...yeah right. another alien in the sky bs. Theres no fu ken moose left in nz, anyone thatbelieves that crap needs a doctor

Yea but the bloke is an expert moose hunter a couple of seconds is all one needs , Can you recommend one for me because I’m a BELIEVER...

I've seen deer hide in an area of `scrub not much larger than their body size from out of a helicopter, so wouldn't question that if a moose had been seen on a clearing and then walked back into the bush you wouldn't see if again

The DNA evidence shows that they have survived here for a long time with no support, it's not a huge stretch to assume that some are still alive

As to their elusiveness, people on this forum more so than any other group should know how stags can be "bush ninjas" - why shouldn't a moose hide and do it successfully?

you may not see the animal, but there is a good chance you would see sign...?

Not long ago the Herald or Stuff, I forget which, ran a 3 part documentary on the search for the moose. Me and the wife watched them online and they were not just interesting but very well-made, and highly informative. Whether you’re a believer or not they really are well worth watching.

There were some specific recent examples of fresh sign left that would in my humble view be very hard to explain without the presence of an extremely large ungulate, larger than a purebred bull wapiti. I came away hopeful that they are there but not entirely convinced, but equally hopeful that if they are, no one finds them (or if they do they keep quiet about it). If there is a tiny remnant population in the forest, the fastest way to destroy it would be for everyone to go looking for it all at once...

Anyway whether you’re sceptical or hopeful the documentaries are worth a watch, even if all you come away with is the unshakeable realisation that Fjordland is all but an impenetrable wilderness that only nutters and masochists choose to spend their recreational time in!

Alot of the speculation over the last 10 odd years, stemmed from a prominent Te Anau helicopter operator who supposedly saw one.
I believed it at the time.

I've read and enjoyed Ken Tustin's 'A wild moose chase'. It convinced me that there is [or was then] a small surviving population -how long they will remain sustainable is questionable.

I don't know Ken at all, but while Moose are clearly an obsession for him he is a very experienced knowledgeable hunter/biologist. You might argue that he 'wants them to exist', but he seemed to approach the search in a balanced and scientific manner. From memory his evidence included a cast antler from the 1970's, tracks and browse sign in the 1990's and then DNA evidence in the early 2000's.

So if you stumbled across a moose while hunting in Fiordland the question is, Would you shoot it?

In my mind the question goes around and around.
It would prove there is/was moose there but a real risk of tipping them toward extinction in NZ.

Originally Posted by Joe_90

So if you stumbled across a moose while hunting in Fiordland the question is, Would you shoot it?

In my mind the question goes around and around.
It would prove there is/was moose there but a real risk of tipping them toward extinction in NZ.

Shoot with Camera
Get it to hold up latest News Paper showing date 1st

Originally Posted by Sarvo

Shoot with Camera
Get it to hold up latest News Paper showing date 1st

you would make a poor defenceless animal touch such garbage as "the herald" or "dominion" or "press"?............
you sick depraved man ......a selfie would be more appropriate in these times........

I just think it is kinda cool. I have never met Ken but both he and his wife strike me as good people. Logic would suggest to me that the shear volume of effort that two obviously intelligent people have put in is for a very good reason. There is enough evidence to keep them coming back. I have never seen a moose in the flesh but I sure as hell would know one if I saw one. As for shooting one, well damned if you do, damned if you don't. Simply by reading through this post it is clear that even a photo would be questioned too For me if I shot one, a little piece of me would die with it. I would suggest the people who would shoot one are probably the people who need their name in the paper or the recognition of others. They would also fit largely within the 'if I don't shoot it someone else will' and 'no one will tell me what I can and cant shoot' band. If I saw a moose in Fiordland, I would live with a smile on my face whenever I think back on it. If I possibly signed the death of a mystical species in NZ it would always be remembered with sadness. I understand why Ken might say nothing. There is always some glory hunter out there who would just want to rush down and shoot the last one.

Originally Posted by Joe_90

So if you stumbled across a moose while hunting in Fiordland the question is, Would you shoot it?

In my mind the question goes around and around.
It would prove there is/was moose there but a real risk of tipping them toward extinction in NZ.

Shoot it in a heartbeat.

Give it a couple more to be safe.

Tell nobody for years then leak it quietly and deny it all.