Just how many moose?

If after all these years as resource manager for the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife – with all the department’s experience, technical assistance and accumulated data behind him – Ken Elowe doesn’t know whether there are 30,000 or 60,000 moose in Maine, it’s time he was replaced with someone more capable.

Taking SAM’s [Sportsman’s Alliance of Maine] and its members’ word for it certainly won’t do. They can always be counted on to be pushing for longer seasons and more things to shoot.

Maine’s moose are the primary attraction for tourists coming to the northern half of this state – not just to hunt them, but mostly just to enjoy them as remarkable creatures in their natural habitat. The current permit levels are proving adequate to both control the herd and ensure enough sightings for all of Maine’s residents and tourists to enjoy.

Jerry Stelmok

Atkinson