Alaska-Yukon Moose

All moose of North America and Europe belong to the scientific order Artiodactyla, which designates even-toed mammals, and the family Cervidae, which includes all deer. Seven subspecies of moose inhabit the forested northern latitudes around the world, and three of them are found in North America. The grandest in size--the largest member of the deer family and the largest of all of the subspecies of moose--is the gigantic Alaska-Yukon moose of Alaska, the Yukon Territory and the Northwest Territories of Canada.

Moose can see as well or better than any prey species, the pronghorn not withstanding. And despite their clumsy appearance, moose are quick as cats with speeds to about 25 miles per hour. They are excellent swimmers and quite at home in water. Overall, bulls are much larger than cows: A prime Alaska-Yukon bull can weigh up to 1,600 pounds and stand over seven feet tall at the shoulder. The first-time observer may liken this swamp donkey to an "Amphibious diesel truck on stilts."

In terms of antler size, the Alaska-Yukon moose has the potential to also grow the largest antlers sets of the three North American subspecies. According to Boone & Crockett records, of the aforementioned regions containing this species, Alaska has historically has produced the most B&C bulls (704), followed by the Yukon (94), and the Northwest Territories (21). Over just the past 10 years, this ranking remains unchanged with 206 B&C bulls having come from Alaska, 34 and 8 from the Yukon and NWT respectively.

Like other members of the deer family, age, quality habitat and genetics all play a role in antler development. Wolves and bear are present over much of the Alaska-Yukon moose range and can affect populations. Wolves in particular can prey on moose of all ages, but most heavily on cows, calves and younger bulls. Still, trophy bulls can be found in pockets across their range.

John A. Crouse took the World's Record Alaska-Yukon moose in 1994. This bull scores 261 5/8 points B&C and was found near Forty Mile River, Alaska. As we have covered many times in Trophy Search, for trophy records in Canada and Alaska, harvest locations are tracked by the nearest geographical feature and not by county, as is the case in the Lower 48 states. While this location data is useful in isolating areas known to produce the best trophies, it does require a map and a little working knowledge of local geography. For example, all B&C entries for Alaska are spread over 131 different location listings. The Yukon shows 56 locations and NWT 11.

The top trophy producing locations historically, and over just the past 10 years are listed in the sidebar, but keep in mind, the Alaskan Peninsula, for example, is a vast area the size of some states.

Conclusions
By these records Alaska appears to the place to find a record-class bull. However, when looking at records from 1830 to 2009 compared to just the past 10 years, the Last Frontier has not been producing the same quantity of book bulls. Still, based on population numbers and statistics possibly skewed by location data, it remains a top pick for a trophy.