Although last year saw low numbers of winter ticks on Maine's moose population, the state's moose biologist expects much higher numbers for the coming winter season.

Lee Kantar said that's because the moose population has risen this year, and with more moose come more ticks.

"Now here we are today, talking to you, and the numbers came in last week on our winter ticks, and it shows that the tick numbers are going to be considerably up, and we're going to expect a moderately bad, if I can say that, spring with our collared animals," he said.

The state has tested new management techniques, including more permitted hunting in a small area of the state, with the hope of reducing the moose population and disrupting the winter tick population.

But that method hasn't worked out, and Kantar said it will likely conclude after 2025.

Trying to control the winter ticks is a challenge when there are so many variables biologists can't control, he said.

"We can put management practices into place like try to reduce the moose population, but at the same time, we had so much survival this past spring, of overwintering calves and probably better reproduction, that the moose population comes right back up," Kantar said. "So that's some of the things that we have to deal with to try to understand this complex system."

In 2022, biologists reported that of 70 moose calves collared, 60 of them had died by May. But this past spring, Kantar said only five died.