Commentary: Chugach moose population has sharply declined. Is a hunt to blame?

Once upon a time—and really not so long ago—a mountain valley just east of Anchorage was the best place in Alaska, and likely the world, for people to watch and photograph large numbers of moose. Better even than Denali National Park, famous for its moose population. Dozens of cows and big-antlered bulls would gather in meadows and wooded areas along the South Fork of Campbell Creek, to participate in their annual autumn mating ritual, known to us humans as the “rut.” Remarkably, much of this gathering was concentrated less than a mile from Glen Alps, the most popular trailhead in Chugach State Park’s Front Range. Standing along the Powerline Trail, just a short walk from the Glen Alps parking lot, a person could sometimes see dozens of moose from a single spot during the rut. I once counted 24 moose—a mix of cows and bulls—while standing still, a marvelous experience. But others have seen far more.

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