Yet Hulsey said what makes DIFW s work in managing wildlife populations unique is the fact that there are certain species coexisting in Maine when in most cases they never do. An example, Hulsey said, is the bobcat, which is highly specialized, as is the lynx. Rarely are both species found in the same habitat. The same is true of deer and moose, two of Maine s most recognizable wild animals. Ninety-nine percent of the places with moose, you don t have deer, Hulsey said.
Wildlife requires very specific habitats.
It s not one size fits all. Being so specific allows for an abundance of species on the landscape because they re not competing for the same resource. Hulsey said the milder winters Maine has seen in the past 15 years have allowed deer to thrive here, while for moose, which are abundant in Alaska and Canada, the state is just about as south as they can go and survive. Hulsey said other changes in the landscape and habitat have helped these species, when for years both struggled. With moose back in the 1800s, the hunt was extremely liberal, with about 12 months and no bag limit, said Karen Morris, DIFW wildlife biologist and moose expert.