I found this at the Green Bay press gazette website. Since moose is my favorite big game animal, as well as a rarity here in Wis, I thought I would share....
Adult cow, yearling bull calf feel right at home in northern Langlade County
By Jim Lee
Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers
ANTIGO During the past few months, cross-country skiers poling through evergreens and aspen north of this Langlade County community frequently spotted moose tracks, moose droppings and sometimes even the pair of animals responsible.
Apparently, the outdoor enthusiasts appreciated the sight.
"Quite a few people have seen the moose. It sure has helped put more money into our trail donation boxes," said Steve Jackson, Langlade County's forest administrator.
Two moose an adult cow and a yearling bull calf took up residency near Jack Lake last summer and remained near the county's groomed ski trail all winter.
"We've had moose wander through the county before, but this is the first time that I'm aware of that any have remained through the winter," Jackson said. "It's been kind of neat to have them."
They likely are descendants of a moose reintroduction effort in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
Since the release of Canadian moose approximately two decades ago near Baraga, moose occasionally have wandered down into Wisconsin.
The Langlade County pair are believed to be the same animals sighted last summer in north-central Wisconsin, from Florence County in the far northeastern corner of the state along the Michigan border southwest to Marathon County.
"I think those two represented about one-quarter of all the moose sightings in Wisconsin last year," said Adrian Wydeven, a mammal ecologist for the state Department of Natural Resources.
Jackson said the bull had emerging antlers about 14 to 16 inches long "but not much of a palm."
Young and rambunctious, the male is credited with breaking a window in the Langlade County ski shelter, damaging a nearby bird feeder and knocking over a couple of signs "while probably rubbing itself," Jackson said.
The pair frequented a 40-acre parcel of county forest that contained aspen, black spruce, pocket swamp, stands of hardwoods, grassy wildlife openings "and lots of little lakes," Jackson said. "They have everything they need."
Whether the moose will remain in the area is anyone's guess.
"They sure seem healthy," Jackson said. "They're feeding. They look fat and plump."
However, prospects for re-establishing a viable moose population in Wisconsin are uncertain at best, Wydeven said.
Weather and disease are two critical factors that make such a scenario unlikely but not impossible. Moose once had a presence in the state's northern two tiers of counties.
"Moose are not well-suited for warm weather," Wydeven said. "They get heat-stressed relatively easy. They can use shallow ponds to cool off. Wisconsin may be too warm for moose and may lack an abundance of those shallow ponds."
Wisconsin's deer herd might be too large for moose to gain a foothold. Whitetail deer carry a brain worm disease that's fatal to moose but not lethal to deer. Both moose and elk run afoul of this situation in Wisconsin.
Moose tend to flourish in northern areas like Canada where deer populations are low.
Illegal shooting also could be a factor, Wydeven said. Several years ago, a bow hunter killed a young bull moose in a northeastern Wisconsin county after mistaking it for a deer.
"When moose come through Wisconsin, they don't seem too fearful of people," Wydeven said. "It makes them vulnerable if someone wanted to harm them."
The Langlade County moose survived the state's 2005 deer season without any apparent incidents, Jackson said.
There could be 20 to 40 moose in the state, Wydeven said, with most recent sightings in Douglas, Bayfield, Sawyer, Iron, Vilas, Forest, Florence and Marinette counties.
Statewide, there were more moose seen in 2005 than in any recent year, Wydeven said, but that might be attributed to the extensive and highly visible touring done by the Langlade County pair.
Jim Lee is an outdoor writer for Gannett Wisconsin Newspapers. E-mail him at jlee77@charter.net
http://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060402/GPG0204/604020579/1233/GPGsports
