Fiordland or Te Rua-o-Te-Moko: Hunting, Shooting & Fishing - Moose on the Loose

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Central & Western Murihiku Southland Archive

This photo of two Moose bulls in a river, was donated to us by the family of local legend Les Johnston. It appears to be a copy of a photo by Les Murrell of two bulls in the Seaforth River, 1927. Image is Public Domain. HISTORY From 1900 to 1910, there was reportedly a deal between the Canadian government and the New Zealand Premier, for the Hudson Bay Shipping Company to capture and ship 10 moose calves from Saskatchewan. This release to the West Coast of Aotearoa NZ, was a disaster, none survived past 1908. Another release in 1910 into Dusky Sound, went much better. Many imported game animals and fowl were bought in by Acclimatisation Societies to allow sport hunting in the 'new' country, but it was found they often decimated native animals, flora and fauna and food sources. After 10 years, the New Zealand government commissioned Eddie Herrick to survey the area to check if there was a huntable moose population at that time. In 1923, he reported back that the moose, and red deer, were thriving, so he recommended a legal hunting season. Then, after hunters harvested two bulls, Herrick was to change the population model as he felt the animals were actually far less common than he'd previously thought. The last Moose bull to be legally harvested in New Zealand, was later shot by Herrick himself. Over the next 20 years or so, moose were commonly sighted around Dusky Sound by local hunters. But after the last properly confirmed photograph of a moose in 1952, which showed a glimpse of a cow standing on a riverbank, these majestic animals seemed to disappear. In total, only about a dozen moose were harvested by hunters in half a century. Their existence was finally all but forgotten except by those on a mission to prove they were still in residence. It was only during a spate of sightings and shootings during the 1950's which raised their profile with the general public again. And the interest in finding them still exists today. An article on the 'meateater.com' reports that: "Moose hunter Ken Tustin, a 67-year-old biologist, began putting cameras in the bush in 1994 in the hope of photographing descendants of the North American moose. Over the years he has had many close calls, such as castoff antlers; footprints; and the best evidence yet – hair samples that were determined to be moose by DNA analysis in 2000 and 2002." Much of the modern myth and legend of the Fiordland Moose has been tainted with faked video footage and doctored photos, but the legend lives on and eventually gained a lot of public attention, leading to the NZ clothing brand Hallenstein’s, offering a $100,000 reward for a legitimate photo of the moose not many years ago. The prize was never claimed! Cruise Milford, have created a great timeline of the Moose in Fiordland: "1910 - In two separate introductions 10 Moose were released at Supper Cove in Dusky Sound. 1952 - Confirmed sighting of a Fiordland moose by Robin Francis Smith, who photographed a moose cow at Herrick Creek 1953 – Fred Stewardson (78), of Hikurangi, in Northland, only recently released photos he had taken on a hunting trip to Wet Jacket Arm in 1953 after his best friend and mentor swore him to secrecy fearing the moose would be shot by hunters if the photographs were revealed at the time. Late 1950's - moose melted back into the bush and were thought to have become extinct in the area. Introduced red deer were thought to outcompete them for food, probably keeping their numbers well down. 1970s - a hunter claimed to have shot a bull and seen a cow and her calf." MODERN TIMES According to another hunting blog, there have been two authentic DNA confirmations of the NZ moose this century. In 2017, the writer records encountering fresh browse and fresh moose scent in the Hauroko Burn. Then on 5 March 2020, Te Anau helicopter pilot Ben Young came forward with a pretty genuine sounding claim (believed by those who have been trailing Moose in Fiordland), that he saw one, in the Doubtful Sound area. There was a Radio interview with Ben Young about his sighting at the time that anyone interested can look up online. He was also reported in a local newspaper interview, saying: "We were flying along a valley and out of the corner of my eye I spied a moose standing in a clearing." Ken Tustin also believed him, and flew back across the area with Ben to look for the animal, but it couldn't be found. There have been no sightings reported since, but the hunt for the mystery Moose remains, and many hunters still believe the myths and legends that they remain out there. Then again, now in 2025 there is another potentially credible sighting of a moose in Fiordland. On 19 March 2025 NZ Herald published a story of a visiting American Veterinarian Norbert Nigon claims to have seen a moose while on the Kepler Track a few days earlier, on 13 March 2025. His wife who was tramping with him, missed the encounter. After researching local moose sightings, the pair decided to report the incident and also made contact with long-time Fiordland Moose researcher, biologist Ken Tustin and informed him of the sighting. Tustin is reported as having found their account "compelling". NOTE: it is not known how or when the late Les Johnston, owner of this photo obtained his copy, but as a keen hunter and outdoorsman, he was as fond of the Moose myth as many other locals, so it meant a lot to him. We are thankful the family donated us a copy to showcase a local legend. Hopefully this entry will be added to as more information comes to hand. If you or anyone you know has any more information or photos to share or accounts of Moose in Fiordland during the years, please do share this with us in the comments section. You can do this by making a comment in the space provided under the image page. Or you can make contact with us as per the archive front page.