Quote:
Originally Posted by Big Grey Wolf
Bio's always said elk rut is impacted by Sun angle on retina of eye which is constant each year. If this is similar to moose then Alaska/Yukon rut would be earlier than Southern Alberta or Montana elk/moose??
|
I’m guessing that moose rut must evolve to be geographically specific in relation to photoperiod/diminishing sunlight vs Sun angle triggering the rut to ensure that calves are born at the optimal time in Spring,being that the moose rut timing is pretty consistent from Alaska to southern Alberta to New Brunswick?Even though daylight diminishes much sooner in Alaska then in NB,the rut timing is pretty much identical from what I can tell based on the author’s claims studying AK moose(where I’ve never been) compared to NB where I’ve hunted extensively for decades.....the moose rut is late Sept-early Oct for both.
On second thought,I guess either amount of daylight or angle of sun is essentially one in the same,if the local animals evolve to rut at a certain time of year it doesn’t matter,both the angle and amount of sunlight is constant from year to year.
Now that said,I wonder if you transplanted a native cow moose from Maine to Alaska would she be messed up and come into estrous much sooner then her Alaska cousins?Likewise,if you took an AK moose and moved her to NB maybe she wouldn’t come into estrous until late October when the available daylight replicates that of an Alaskan September?