Mulchatna Caribou WAY down

[Dand]

I spent much of Thursday and Friday in the Nushagak Advisory Committee meeting.  Area Biologist Jim Woolington presented a bunch of information on the  Mulchatna Caribou herd.  He is estimating the herd, once over 200,000 animals is now about 45,000.

They have been struggling to sort out a bunch of confusing data and came up with some inspiration. One of the problems was that when the herd was big there were lots of cows. The large cow abundance continued for a while, but as the cows aged, their reproductive rate declines. The cows don't die off as fast as the bulls so bull - cow ratios were strange and the cow calf ratio was poor.

Those abundant old cows are now fading from the herd and things could get balanced out in a couple years.  In the mean time those old low reproductive cows are munching food - probably providing good wolf food too.

So ADFG is hopeful things will turn around but it will take some time. Question is what to do until there is improvement.  The department is proposing to reduce the nonresident season dramatically, shorten the resident season, eliminate the resident - same day airborne season, and reduce the bag limit to 1 caribou.  The current 3 per year bag limit hasn't been in effect for a whole season yet and it is unclear what effect its had or how many animals will be taken.

The local folks support some measures but are objecting to the bag reduction.

This will all get sorted out in March in Anchorage at the Board of Game meeting. 
People interested in the process or who want to comment on the proposals should check out the ADFG web site at: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/

and proposal book at: http://www.boards.adfg.state.ak.us/gameinfo/meetinfo/gprop.php

Hunters planning on a hunt next fall should reconsider if they are looking for caribou in this area.

[Sourdough]

Don't know about the Mulchatna Herd, they don't brief us up here on that herd.  But for the 40 mile herd we do get briefed on, and I would think the predation and hunter ratios would be similar.  85 to 90% of the mortality rate is from Wolf and Bear predation.  Only 2 to 3% was due to human hunting.  Therefore I have never understood the importance placed on bag limits.

 When are they going to enforce a bag limit on the preditors?      (Excuse my venting)