NEW HAMPTON, N.H. (AP) — Biologists in New Hampshire and Maine are teaming up on a five-year study to better understand why moose populations are declining.

WMUR-TV reports that Maine's estimated population of 60,000 moose has fared better than New Hampshire's herd of about 4,000 but both states are seeing a decline, largely blamed on more winter ticks.

Lee Kantar of Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife and Kristine Rines of the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department are collaborating on the study.

Despite a harsh winter, where long stretches of cold and deep snow make it harder to survive, Maine's only lost two of its 68 collared moose. New Hampshire has recorded no deaths among its collared moose.

The next two months will provide a better picture of how the herds fared.