MOOSE. So, at present moose are not hunted anywhere in Michigan. Moose are native to Michigan. Moose are native to Michigan and were found throughout the Lower Peninsula in pre-colonial times. Moose soon disappeared from the Lower Peninsula and only a small number survived in the U.P., perhaps supplemented by animals coming in from Minnesota and Canada. A smaller population in the eastern Upper Peninsula is spread across portions of Alger, Schoolcraft, Luce and Chippewa counties and is estimated to contain fewer than 100 moose. As 19th century logging dwindled habitat, moose disappeared from Michigan's lower ⦠In pre-settlement times, moose inhabited all of Michigan except for the southwestern part of the Lower Peninsula. However, moose were probably never abundant in the L.P. By the 1880s moose were gone from the Lower Peninsula and scarce in the U.P. Additionally, whitetail deer, the moose's forest neighbor, harbored a nasty little worm that doesn't really harm them, but kills infected moose. Early settlers hunted moose for food. By the late 1800s, the majestic, half-ton animals disappeared from Michiganâs Lower Peninsula and only a handful remained scattered across the Upper Peninsula. By the 1880's moose were not found in the Lower Peninsula, and by 1889 they were given full protection by the state. Moose once lived in the Upper Peninsula and in Michigan's Thumb, but had disappeared from the Lower Peninsula by the late 1800s, with only a ⦠Moose have had a rocky road in the Great Lakes State. ... elk and moose program leader. Thanks to the vision and hard work of many DNR biologists a generation ago, moose are once again establishing themselves as a premiere Michigan mammal. Pure Michiganâs wild elk herd is flourishing, with over 1,000 elk living in an 105,000-acre area in the northeast Lower Peninsula. Michigan hunters in the lower peninsula will be able to pursue anterless deer with their deer or deer combo licenses this season. Gradually moose disappeared from the Upper Peninsula as well. This fall, when youâre looking to get away, take a trip up to the Pigeon River Country State Forest near Gaylord and see if you can catch a glimpse of a Michigan⦠Moose are native to Michigan and at one time were found throughout most of the state.