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Joey Davis spends much of his time in the woods of the Northeast Kingdom. He guides moose hunts, and in the spring he combs the woods for antlers that moose have naturally shed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But he often finds something he\u2019s not hoping for: dead moose calves, killed by winter ticks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Winter ticks are native to northeastern New England and have become a serious problem for moose in some places. Tens of thousands of them can live on just one animal, according to research published in the Canadian Journal of Zoology. They latch on in the fall and live on the same moose throughout the winter, feeding on the moose\u2019s blood. When their numbers are high, these little creatures can have a big impact, killing moose calves and significantly weakening adults.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department says that the impact of winter ticks has been worst in the Northeast Kingdom, where the moose population is densest. The department has tried to reduce the moose population there through permitted hunting, which they say will help moderate the impact of winter ticks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This year, however, the department proposed issuing 85 moose hunting permits, all of which would be limited to Wildlife Management Unit E in the NEK. That\u2019s a significant reduction from the nearly 180 permits the department has issued in each of the past three years.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nick Fortin, a biologist and the moose and deer project leader with the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, has seen the impact of winter ticks firsthand. He\u2019s often called in when a dead moose calf is found.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s incredibly depressing,\u201d he said in an interview. \u201cThey\u2019re withered away to nothing, literally crawling with ticks on the carcass when you get there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Historically, winter ticks were less of a threat to Vermont\u2019s moose population, Fortin said. But as climate change shortens the snow season in the state, the balance between moose and tick has shifted. <\/p>\n
\u201cWinter ticks have always been here, but historically they were more limited by the length of our winters,\u201d Fortin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But with snow coming later and melting earlier, the ticks have a longer window of opportunity in the fall to latch onto a moose, and are more likely to survive and lay eggs after they drop off the moose in the spring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The ticks are not abundant enough to threaten the moose populations in most of the state, Fortin said. But in the NEK, where the moose population is most dense, state biologists have seen a heavy impact from the ticks. The denser the moose population, the higher the number of winter ticks, Fortin said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He said that permitted hunting over the past few years has reduced the moose population, and that the lower number of permits issued this year will keep the department on track to reach its goal for the moose population in the NEK without overshooting. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe feel that we\u2019re at a point where, given some of the other concerns, this is the time to let off the gas,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
In addition to the impacts of the past few years\u2019 hunts, he said the department saw higher winter ticks counts on moose this fall, and may see more moose than usual die from winter ticks this spring.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Brenna Galdenzi of Protect our Wildlife VT, said in an interview that while her organization appreciated the reduction in permits, she questioned why the department is continuing to pursue moose hunting as a management strategy.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything from the department always seems to justify killing the moose,\u201d she said in an interview.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She said that she worries the department is overly focused on reducing population density as a solution.<\/p>\n
The department, though, sees few other options. While researchers are exploring fungi-based treatments that could help rein in the tick population, Fortin said that those methods are not currently viable because of their cost. Using pesticides targeted at ticks would be logistically complex, Fortin said. Plus, he said, the landscape is too vast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is no easy way to treat that, or to capture enough moose and treat them, and you\u2019d have to do that every year,\u201d he said. \u201cIt would cost millions or hundreds of millions of dollars each year.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fortin also questioned whether killing the ticks would be the right approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve been here as long as moose have been here,\u201d he said, although a changing climate has given ticks a different advantage. \u201cIs it right for us to kill off the ticks because we don\u2019t like them, or should we try to find the balance between ticks and moose?\u201d<\/p>\n
Davis, the moose hunt guide, thinks the department has struck a good balance. He said he supports the reduced number of hunting permits this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there will be any pushback from hunters who know where the moose population is at,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n