THE NORTH STAY EAT EXPLORE
MACKENZIE FRONTIER WILDLIFE IN THE FRONTIER THE MACKENZIE FRONTIER. MY FREEDOM. MY FRONTIER.
Come and explore the wildlife of the Mackenzie Frontier!
Be amazed at the over 80,000 square kilometers of beautiful wild country comprising the Mackenzie Frontier. Spanning across 12 percent of Alberta’s landmass, this vast, lush terrain is home to nearly 600 species of wildlife. The Mackenzie Frontier hosts a diverse group of habitats including the BOREAL FORESTS, the HAY-ZAMA WETLANDS, the CARIBOU MOUNTAINS, and the BUFFALO HEAD HILLS. Additionally, the renowned WOOD BUFFALO NATIONAL PARK CONTENTS borders the Mackenzie Frontier’s east side. With so many diverse activities to choose from, the Frontier is the perfect place to connect with nature. On any given day, you can cast a line into BIRDS | 2 WEASELS & RELATED | 16 Canada Goose / American White Ermine / American Marten / one of many lakes and rivers or feel the adrenaline of stalking a deer with Pelican / Birds of the Frontier American Mink / Fisher / Northern the support of a well-equipped hunting outfitter. From camping, canoeing, Species index River Otter / Wolverine horseback riding, ATV-ing, and hiking in the summer, to snowmobiling and cross country skiing in our winter months; the Frontier always has FISH | 6 GARTER SNAKE | 17 something to offer. Arctic Grayling / Lake Whitefish Northern Pike / Rainbow Trout / WILD CATS | 18 Walleye & more! Cougar / Canada Lynx
BEARS | 8 BISON, CARIBOU & HORSES | 20 Black Bear / Grizzly Bear Wood Bison / Wild Horses / Woodland Caribou DEER | 10 Mule Deer / White-Tailed Deer / Elk / Moose WOLVES & FOXES | 22 Red Fox / Swift Fox / Gray Wolf / REGIONAL MAP | 12 Coyote The HAY-ZAMA LAKES is one of Hunting zones / Ecology / Services the most extensive sedge wetlands CONTACTS | 24 in Western North America. Credit: Ron Garnett/airscapes.ca RABBITS & RODENTS | 14 Snowshoe Hare / Red Squirrel Over 250,000 ducks and 177,000 geese have been observed during Muskrat / Woodchuck / a single migration here. This park is also the only site in Alberta Porcupine / Beaver targeted for re-introduction of the Wood Bison. Explore the Mackenzie Frontier 1 EXPLOREEXPLORE t Rainbow La lican at Zama e a ke. pe Po WILDLIFEWILDLIFE es C A nd e re . G di C a t: re d A d a d it n a : m K a a C I y n l a T h W
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BIRDS OF y THE FRONTIER Hay-Zama Lakes Wildland Provincial Park, Machesis Lake, Hutch Lake, Rainbow CANADA GOOSE AMERICAN WHITE Lake, Tourangeau Lake, Wadlin Lake, and GENERAL STATUS: the Gull Lake Wetlands are perfect places Secure PELICAN to bring your binoculars to catch a glimpse These iconic geese nest in the of many of the 250 species of birds here in Frontier on their way north in GENERAL STATUS: Sensitive the region. Canoe along the Mighty Peace the spring and stop to feed These large, water-dwelling River or the Chinchaga River to experience every fall on their way south. birds inhabit a small island unspoiled landscape filled with wild in the middle of Wadlin Lake, populations of birds. Skies fill with V-formations of geese and the sound of honking known as Pelican Island. We are home to many birds species classified as at travels with them. Since they American white pelicans do not risk or sensitive by the Alberta Environment and Parks. feed off of the fall harvest, dive for prey, but catch their Barred Owl • Bay-breasted Warbler • Black-throated Green Warbler they are likely to be spotted in food while swimming. They eat Canada Warbler • Cape May Warbler • Harlequin Duck • Northern farmers’ fields. over 4 pounds of fish per day! Pygmy Owl • Peregrine Falcon • Short-eared Owl • Trumpeter Swan • Western Grebe • White-winged Scoter • Whooping Cranes •
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A Great Blue Heron in flight A flock of waders enjoys the Credit: Meagan Peters shallows at Hutch Lake 2 Explore the Mackenzie Frontier 3 EXPLORE A black-capped chickadee perched on a WARBLER Black-throated EXPLORE PERCHING BIRDS cont. GROUSE WILDLIFEWILDLIFE sapling in the woods near High Level grey Credit: Alexandria Neufeld ORIOLE Northern Canada • GROUSE Ruffed OVENBIRD Cape May • Spruce PARULA Northern Conneticut Sharp-tailed PEWEE Western Wood Magnolia PHOEBE Eastern MacGillivray’s PIPET American Mourning RAVEN Common Orange-crowned AERIALISTS REDSTART American Palm Tennessee GULL Bonaparte’s ROBIN American California BIRDS OF Grey-crowned Wilson’s ROSYFINCH Franklin’s • at risk SISKIN Pine Yellow Yellow-rumped Herring • sensitive SPARROW Chipping Ring-billed Clay-colored WAXWING Bohemian * irregular Cedar PELICAN American White Fox TEM Common THE FRONTIER V visitor House WREN House Black fall Le Conte’s Long-billed marsh F Winter spring Lincon’s S Savannah YELLOWTHROAT Common T transient Sharp-Tailed MIGRANTS Song Swamp BIRDS OF PREY Tree WADERS CRANE Whooping (S) • EAGLE Bald Vesper Golden DUCK FAMILY DOWITCHER Long-billed (S) PERCHING BIRDS White-crowned AVOCET American DUCK Black (V)* FALCON Peregrine • BUFFLEHEAD BLACK BIRD Brewers White-throated BITTERN American GOSHAWK Northern Harlequin • STARLING European CRANE Sandhill CANVASBACK GOOSE Blue (S/F) Red-Winged HARRIER Northern COOT American Rusty SWALLOW Bank DOWITCHER Short-billed HAWK Broad-winged Snow (S/F) Barn HERON Great Blue CORMORANT Double-crested White-fronted (S/F) Yellow-Headed Cooper’s GADWALL BLUEBIRD Mountain Cliff KILLDEER Red-tailed HAWK Rough-legged (S/F) Tree PHALAROPE Rednecked GOLDENEYE Barrow’s KNOT BUNTING Lazuli Sharp-shinned Red (S) TANAGER Western Wilson’s Common LARK Horned * CHICKADEE Black-Capped Swainson’s GOOSE Canada Boreal THRUSH Grey-cheeked RAIL Virginia KESTREL American OLDSQUAW (S) Hermit SANDPIPER Curlew GREBE Eared PHALAROPE Northern (V) COWBIRD Brown-Headed MERLIN Horned CROSSBILL Red Swainson’s Solitary OSPREY PLOVER American Golden S/F Varied Spotted Pied-billed Blackbellied (S/F) White-Winged OWL Barred • Red-necked CROW American VEERY Upland Boreal Semipalmated * VIREO Philidelphia SNIPE Common Western • SANDERLING (S) FINCH Purple Great Grey LOON Common FLYCATCHER Alder Red-Eyed SORA Great Horned SANDPIPER Baird’s (S/F) Solitary YELLOWLEGS Greater Red-throated Least (S/F) Great Crested Long-eared MALLARD Least Warbling Lesser Northern hawk Stilt (S/F) WATERTHRUSH Northern MERGANSER Common Pectoral (S/F) Olive-Sided Northern pigmy • Hooded Willow WARBLER Bay-breasted • Northern saw-whet Semipalmated (T) Black & White Red-breasted SWAN Trumpeter (S/F) • Yellow-bellied Short-eared • PINTAIL Northern GOLDFINCH American Blackburnian Tundra (S/F) Blackpoll REDHEAD TURNSTONE Ruddy (S) GRACKLE Common RING-NECKED GROSBEAK Evening Black-throated RUDDY DUCK Rose-breasted green • SCAUP Greater Pine Lesser WINTER RESIDENTS JAY Blue SCOTER Surf Grey (Canada) Be sure to pick up a bird White-winged • BUNTING Snow JUNCO Dark-eyed sighting checklist at the Fort SHOVELER Northen GYRFALCON (V) KINGBIRD Easten Vermilion Heritage Centre TEAL Blue-winged OWL Snowy (V) KINGLET Golden-crowned for your tour around the Cinnamon PTARMIGAN Rock (V)* Ruby-crowned The great grey owl is Mackenzie Frontier! Green-winged Willow MAGPIE Black-billed North America’s tallest owl, WIGEON American REDPOLL Common MEADOWLARK Western Hoary NUTHATCH Red-breasted standing up to 2 ft. White-breasted Credit: Adam in the Wild Photography 4 Species index adapted from Fort Vemilion Heritage Center research Explore the Mackenzie Frontier 5 EXPLORE WILDLIFE NEED A FISHING LICENSE?
Wil Anglers over the age of 16 must have a Wildlife Identification Number (WiN) n The d Pho FISH i to am gr card and a license before fishing. Fishing license and WiN card can be purchased d ap : A h it y online at www.albertarelm.com or at selected retail stores. d Cast a line in one of The Mackenzie Frontier’s many e r C . stunning bodies of water. Home to seven different Every lake in Alberta has specific guidelines beyond the general fishing e y e native species of fish, the flowing rivers make for a regulations. Mackenzie Frontier is zoned NB3. To find the fishing guidelines for l l a serene evening of fishing. For weekend excursions, the lake you will be fishing at visit www.albertafishingguide.com
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A stay at one of the Frontier’s many campgrounds. Regulations change every year. They include daily/trip possession limits and In winter, feel the thrill of pulling a fish through an cleaning/transporting rules. For updated fishing regulations visit: open hole in the ice while standing in the middle of www.albertaregulations.ca. one of many frozen lakes.
NORTHERN PIKE GENERAL STATUS: Secure FOUND IN: Bistcho Lake, Chinchaga River, Hutch Lake, Peace River, Rainbow BURBOT GENERAL STATUS: Secure Lake, and Wadlin Lake FOUND IN: Bistcho Lake, Chinchaga River, They have been known to weigh up to 50 pounds! Peace River, Rainbow Lake, and Wadlin ARCTIC GRAYLING Lake RECOMMENDED HOOKS: Len Thompson lures They are bottom feeders and have skin GENERAL STATUS: Sensitive instead of scales. FOUND IN: The Peace River and Chinchaga River They can weigh up to 2.9 pounds. Arctic grayling feed on small fish, insects, WALLEYE GENERAL STATUS: Secure worms, slugs, and snails. FOUND IN: Bistcho Lake, Chinchaga River, RECOMMENDED HOOKS: The colour pink LAKE WHITEFISH Hutch Lake, Peace River, Rainbow Lake, seems to catch their attention and Wadlin Lake through murky waters. GENERAL STATUS: Secure RECOMMENDED HOOKS: Smaller spooners; FOUND IN: Bistcho Lake, Wadlin Lake divers for trolling and jigging during the summer months with frozen bait RECOMMENDED HOOKS: Use small hooks. Lake whitefish are most commonly caught while ice fishing. RAINBOW TROUT GENERAL STATUS: May be at risk BISTCHO LAKE, in the northwest corner of the province, is perfect for adventurous FOUND IN: Machesis Lake, Rainbow Lake YELLOW PERCH souls. During the summer, fly to TAPAWINGO LODGE, or snowmobile on a 93 Pond, and Zama Community Pond kilometer trail during the winter. Experience the tranquil lake filled with WALLEYE GENERAL STATUS: Secure and NORTHERN PIKE while surrounded by vast wilderness filled with wildlife. RECOMMENDED HOOKS: Small spoons and spinners FOUND IN: Hutch Lake and Wadlin Lake
6 Thank you to the friendly staff at La Crete Home Hardware who recommended hooks for each fish species. Explore the Mackenzie Frontier 7 EXPLOREEXPLORE A black bear near For trapping and hunting regulations please visit www.albertaregulations.ca WILDLIFEWILDLIFEBEARS Rainbow Lake Credit: Adam in the Wild Photography BLACK BEARS GENERAL STATUS: Secure
IDENTIFICATION: Black bears are the smallest of the BEARS North American bears. Distinguished by their large, almost pointed, ears and straight face Both black bears and grizzly profile. 18 cm bears call the Mackenzie Frontier their home. Many Adult Male (boar) 220-440 lbs 9 cm 9.5 cm tourists hope to achieve even bow Lake C Adult Female (sow) 100-310 lbs ain red a glimpse of one as they drive r R it: ea A n da r m through the vast boreal forests HIBERNATION: a Black bears hibernate for 5 to 6 e i b n of the region. t months in their winter dens. They do not eat, k h c e a l W drink, defecate, or urinate during the entire b International hunters travel i l A d
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CUBS: o Black bear cubs are born at g
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about 5 pounds by the time they leave the y den in spring. These symbols of Alberta’s untamed wilderness GRIZZLY BEARS can be found in the boreal forests blanketing the northwest part of the Mackenzie Frontier. GENERAL STATUS: Threatened Bears are very intelligent and complex animals. Each IDENTIFICATION: Grizzlies are distinguished by a bear and each encounter is unique; there is no single shoulder hump and a dished face. BEAR SAFETY strategy that will work in all situations.
Adult Male (boar) 400–790 lbs 24.5 cm Adult Female (sow) 290–400 lbs 13 cm 14 cm IF YOU ENCOUNTER A BEAR HIBERNATION: Grizzly bears are active from spring until late autumn. In the Frontier, they hibernate in the winter, although the time spent in their dens Leave the area or take a detour. If this is impossible, wait until the bear is slightly less that the black bear. They will occaisionally wake up and roam Stay calm. Most bears don’t want to moves away. Always leave the bear an near the den during the winter. attack you; they usually want to avoid you and ensure you’re not a threat. escape route. A THREATENED SPECIES: The Bear Management Area 1 (BMA1), which includes the forested and farmlands of the Chinchaga, is Cred Immediately pick up small children the second largest in Alberta (approximately 42,000 it: Ri Talk calmly and firmly. If a bear rears and stay in a group. ch square kilometres). It is the most remote grizzly a rd on its hind legs and waves its nose L habitat and the only high boreal habitat in the e about, it is trying to identify you. e province. The area is saturated by bog-land and Remain still and talk calmly so it Back away slowly, never run! Bears can knows you are a human and not a prey tight stands of mixed coniferous and deciduous run as fast as a race-horse, both uphill animal. A scream or sudden movement forest. and downhill. may trigger an attack. FUN FACT: Bears rub their backs against trees and power poles to leave behind their scent as a If a bear stalks you and attacks, or message — “a grizzly bear’s version of Facebook.” Don’t drop your pack. It can provide attacks at night, do not play dead. protection. Fight back! 8 Explore the Mackenzie Frontier 9 EXPLOREEXPLORE A mule doe in Buffalo Head Prairie For trapping and hunting regulations for deer please visit www.albertaregulations.ca WILDLIFEWILDLIFE
Mule deer and white-tailed deer ELK (WAPITI) GENERAL STATUS: Secure are similar in seasonal coloring and overall appearance, and both SIZE: Elk are one of the world’s largest species of deer. They stand almost 5 DEER species possess excellent senses of feet tall at the shoulder and adult males can weigh over 700 pounds. sight, smell and hearing. DIET: Adult elk consume approximately 20 pounds of vegetation per day. FUN FACTS: Unlike any other deer, the elk have upper canine teeth, which serve no purpose at all, but in the 18th century were very popular for jewelry. Elk’s antlers are made of bone which can grow up to 1 inch per day. SIGHTINGS: Elk are most likely to be seen in the Rocky Lane area.
Credit: Gary Muzichuk Cows average about 770 lbs, and are White-tailed deer are the antler-less. most commonly sighted deer in the Mackenzie Mule deer are named for Frontier their large, mule-like ears.
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Healthy cows have a high chance of bearing twins.
WHITE-TAILED DEER MULE DEER MOOSE GENERAL STATUS: Secure
GENERAL STATUS: Secure GENERAL STATUS: Secure DIET: Moose need to eat 55 pounds APPEARANCE: Moose are the world’s of plants per day, and can hold ANTLERS: Unbranched tines extending ANTLERS: Divided into two equal tines largest members of the deer family. up to 100 pounds of food in their from single beams Bulls can weigh over 1000 pounds TAIL: Narrow, brown tail with a stomachs. and stand 7.5 feet at the shoulder, TAIL: Broad brown tail, fringed black tip, held down as they run, with antlers that can measure as HABITAT: Moose tend to live in with white, held erect as they run, surrounded by a white rump patch much as 6 feet tip to tip. Moose swamp-like wetlands. They can hold exposing a white underside BEHAVIOR: Inquisitive. When alarmed have a pouch of skin that hangs their breath underwater for up to a BEHAVIOR: Wary and running, they often stop for a last from their necks called a bell. minute and dive up to 20 feet. look before bounding out of sight. 10 Explore the Mackenzie Frontier 11 EXPLORE WILDLIFE NOR HWES ERR ORES ORDER