How to Track Northern Alaskan Caribou
Caribou are one of the most common animals you'll find in the northern regions of Alaska. According to Alaska's Department of Fish and Game Division of Wildlife Conversation, roughly one million caribou exist in the state, with the Western Arctic herd said to be the most plentiful---and many of them migrate thousands of miles from their winter to summer grounds during the year. While it is usually a challenge to follow their entire journey, many adventurists follow some caribou migratory patterns to beautiful Alaskan locations.
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Instructions
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Winter Migration Patterns
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Locate an Alaskan tour company that can take you on an excursion to Northern Alaska. Be advised that some of these are quite expensive, and you need to be in fit condition since you'll be traveling on foot for many miles. The tour company will set up your lodging.
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Fly into the Richardson and Ogilvie Mountains along the Alaskan-Canadian border in eastern Alaska. Porcupine caribou, in particular, use this area as their winter grounds from roughly November through March.
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Watch the caribou rest on frozen lakes or meadows in nearby areas. They do this after feeding on vegetation in areas that are less accessible to humans, in the Ogilvie Mountains. The reason caribou rest in these more open areas is so they can watch out for wolves. Wolves prey heavily on caribou during winter.
Spring Migration Patterns
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In the spring, take an excursion into the coastal plain of northeast Alaska and into the nearby foothills. Caribou migrate there starting in about April. Many of the caribou are pregnant, and these females usually lead the large herds.
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Find some of the many rivers that exist in the Brooks Range between the Ogilvie Mountains and the coastal plains. The Kongukut and Nigu Rivers are two of them. There, you can see caribou attempt to cross the rivers, sometimes with fatal results. These areas are sometimes inaccessible to humans, so this is a fairly uncommon sight.
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Return to the coastal plains within weeks and you'll be able to see several caribou hanging around the coastal foothills with their calves nearby. This usually happens by early summer, though many of the calves die before the end of the year due to the dangers of surrounding wildlife and, sometimes, even abandonment by their mothers.
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Take part in watching the caribou move across the tundra in the foothills in search of relief from summer insects. Insects landing on them sometimes drives both the male and female caribou to near madness. While it is a bit depressing to see the caribou at their most vulnerable, it's also a rare chance to see some of Alaska's most treasured animals making their valiant effort to survive.
Migration Back to the Mountains
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Head back to the coastal foothills in the fall to watch the caribou migrate back to their winter grounds in the Ogilvie Mountains. When they cross the Porcupine River in the Brooks Range, aboriginal people living in the region hunt them. This tradition goes back thousands of years.
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Study how the caribou look at this point in their journey and notice how the stress and strain of living in the insect-infested coastal plains takes a toll on their appearance. Many of them can't eat due to swelling in their necks, and the males become belligerent, sometimes even killing one another.
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Return to the Ogilvie and Richardson Mountains when the caribou first return. Notice the growing calves that made the journey and how their appearance has changed. They'll be the next generation to make the migration year after year. Caribou have a life expectancy of 13, but they usually live to only 6.
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Tips & Warnings
The Dempster Highway in the Yukon Territory of Alaska is a good place to see caribou starting their trek to the coastal plains. Even though highways and other obstructions such as oil pipelines sometimes spook caribou during migration, you can sometimes see them along highways and in their nearby feeding areas.
Spend time paddling in rivers near the Brooks Range to possibly get a view of the caribou as they cross these rivers during migration.
Alpine areas around the coastal foothills can offer views of the caribou as they seek higher ground to escape the madness of summer insects.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit reindeer silhouette image by Catabu from Fotolia.com
