It’s that time of year again when hunters are out trying to fill their freezers. You can help contribute to moose monitoring and management in BC by downloading the BC Moose Tracker app and submitting your sightings. With more information in hand biologists are better able sustainably manage hunting opportunities for all.
A summary of recent data can be found in the attached infographic. One of the key take aways is we need more people contributing information to the app to get quality data to allow for identification of population trends. It’s more important than ever to help collect data to aid in informing moose management decisions.
The app is available for iOS and Android devices. A link to the download pages is here:www.gov.bc.ca/wildlifehealth/moosetracker
Frequently asked questions about the app:
Q: Will the government have the exact location of all my moose sightings if I enter them in the app?
A: No. The data is collected at the management unit level only, so no one can ever no know the exact spot you record your sightings. The data summaries are at the game management zone level (groupings of multiple MU’s), so other hunters won’t know which management unit you spotted your moose in.
Q: Can I use my trail cam photos as sightings for the app?
A: No. Currently the sightings must be recorded from first hand observations.
Q: Can I enter sightings when I’m not moose hunting?
A: Yes. We are focussing the majority of our effort towards moose hunters as they are actively afield looking for moose, but if you are in an area where there is the possibility of seeing a moose you can still record your sightings. Remember, it is just as important to record when you don’t see moose on an outing as it is to record when you see moose.
Q: If the data collected from the app indicates declining moose populations or low bull:cow ratios will the government reduce or eliminate moose hunting in that area?
A: No. The data from the app alone is not sufficient to make those kinds of changes. We will use the data as an indicator that we need to look more closely at a population that may be in trouble.
