Habitat use and selection by male and female moose (Alces alces) in a boreal landscape.

Moose (Alces alces) is a keystone species in boreal landscapes. I quantified seasonal range sizes, movement rates, and use of elevation and land cover for male and female moose in south-central Yukon. I used individual and pooled resource selection functions to define the influence of land cover, topography, predation risk, and harvest vulnerability on habitat selection. Seasonal changes affected use and selection more than gender or reproductive status (females with and without calves). High use and positive selection for shrub-dominated land-cover classes by all individuals in all seasons affirmed forage as a primary force driving seasonal selection patterns. Variation in selection among individuals was highest during the growing seasons and least during late winter, when options were constrained by climatic factors. These findings from telemetered moose generally corresponded with models based on local knowledge-based habitat suitability indices and post-rut locations from aerial surveys and they contribute to land-use planning processes. --Leaf ii.