Officials say the moose population in Michigan's western Upper Peninsula continues to inch upward.
A recently completed aerial survey estimated the herd at 509 animals in a core area that includes parts of Marquette, Baraga and Iron counties.
The Department of Natural Resources says moose there are increasing about 2 percent a year.
The DNR says the total doesn't include a small number believed to wander outside the core area, or a herd of fewer than 100 in the eastern Upper Peninsula.
The previous survey in 2017 was cut short because of bad weather. It put the population at 378, but officials believe a complete study would have turned up 420 to 470 moose.
The department says there aren't enough moose for them to be hunted.