SUMMER HOME RANGE AND HABITAT USE BY MOOSE IN

We examined summer habitat selection by 13 (6 M and 7 F) radio-collared moose (Alces alces) in northern Maine from late May to late August of 1984 and 1985. We relocated radio-collared moose 1,313 times throughout 24 hours of the summer day. Mean summer home-range size approximated 25 km2. There was no detectable difference in the home-range sizes of males and females. Plots of home-range boundaries indicated summer home-range fidelity and extensive overlap of the home ranges of different individuals. Summer habitat use varied by sex and time of day. Females generally used lowland forest types more than males, and in greater proportion than would be expected from availability. Cut-over areas were also more important to females than to males. Males used upland forest types more than females, and in greater proportion than would be expected from availability. Males and females used aquatic areas in proportion to their availability. The use of softwood, cut-over, and aquatic cover types varied with time of day. The patterns of daily variation in cover type selection indicate that thermal cover, food availability, and perhaps available light may all play roles in determining the diel patterns of cover type use by moose.