The 2001-2002 Harvest of Moose, Caribou, and Bear in Middle Yukon and Koyukuk River Communities by David B
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The 2001-2002 Harvest of Moose, Caribou, and Bear in Middle Yukon and Koyukuk River Communities by David B. Andersen, Caroline Brown, Robert Walker, and Gretchen Jennings Technical Paper No. 278 Results of the 2002 Big Game Harvest Assessment Project Division of Subsistence Alaska Department of Fish and Game Juneau, Alaska April 2004 The Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO) statement for use in Alaska Department of Fish and Game publications: The Alaska Department of Fish and Game administers all programs and activities free from discrimination on the bases of race, color, national origin, age, sex, religion, marital status, pregnancy, parenthood, or disability. The department administers all programs and activities in compliance with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, and Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. If you believe you have been discriminated against in any program, activity, or facility, or if you desire further information please write to ADF&G, P.O. Box 25526, Juneau, AK 99802-5526; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfield Drive, Suite 300 Webb, Arlington, VA 22203; or O.E.O., U.S. Department of the Interior, Washington DC 20240. For information on alternative formats for this and other department publications, please contact the department ADA Coordinator at (voice) 907-465-4120, (TDD) 907-465-3646, or (FAX) 907-465-2440. ii ABSTRACT This report summarizes the harvest and use of moose, caribou, black bear, and brown bear during the 12-month period from April 2001 through March 2002 in selected communities along the middle Yukon and Koyukuk Rivers. This was the fifth year of data collection in the Yukon River communities of Galena, Kaltag, Nulato and Ruby, and the fourth year of data collection in the Koyukuk River communities of Alatna, Allakaket and Huslia. Information is presented on the number of animals harvested, the sex, location and month of harvests, and the percentage of households hunting, harvesting, and sharing each resource. The research was funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service through an ANILCA 809 agreement and carried out by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Subsistence. Data were collected through household surveys administered by locally hired research assistants in each community. In 2002, surveys were completed with a total of 392 of 597 households (66 percent) in the seven survey communities. Hunters in these communities took an estimated 364 moose during the study year. An estimated 520 individuals, or one-third of the area population, spent an average of 8.8 hunter days and a total of 4,573 hunter days in pursuit of moose. To provide a context for the 2002 survey year, data from previous years are compared and elements of variability and consistency are briefly discussed. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .....................................................................................................................v LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................................v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ......................................................................................................vi INTRODUCTION......................................................................................................................1 METHODS.................................................................................................................................1 SURVEY FINDINGS ................................................................................................................4 Moose......................................................................................................................................4 Caribou..................................................................................................................................11 Black Bear.............................................................................................................................16 Brown Bear ...........................................................................................................................21 SURVEY COMMENTS ..........................................................................................................25 COMPARISON OF COMMUNITY HARVESTS BETWEEN YEARS................................25 REFERENCES CITED ............................................................................................................33 APPENDIX A. Survey Form ...................................................................................................34 APPENDIX B. Survey Comments...........................................................................................36 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Survey Design and Sample Sizes Utilized in the 2001-2002 Harvest Survey .............3 Table 2. Levels of Participation in the Use and Harvest of Moose, April 2001 - March 2002..6 Table 3. The Estimated Moose Harvest by Sex and Month, April 2001 - March 2002.............7 Table 4. The Estimated Harvest of Moose by GMU and Uniform Coding Unit, April 2001 - March 2002..........................................................................................................................9 Table 5. Estimates of Moose Hunting Effort by Hunters in Surveyed Communities, April 2001 - March 2002.............................................................................................................10 Table 6. Levels of Participation in the Use and Harvest of Caribou, April 2001 - March 2002. ...........................................................................................................................................13 Table 7. Estimated Caribou Harvest by Sex and Month, April 2001 - March 2002................14 Table 8. The Estimated Harvest of Caribou by GMU and Uniform Coding Unit, April 2001 - March 2002........................................................................................................................15 Table 9. Levels of Participation in the Use and Harvest of Black Bear, April 2001 - March 2002. ..................................................................................................................................17 Table 10. Estimated Black Bear Harvest by Sex and Month, April 2001 - March 2002. ........18 Table 11. The Estimated Harvest of Black Bear by GMU and Uniform Coding Unit, April 2001 - March 2002.............................................................................................................20 Table 12. Levels of Participation in the Use and Harvest of Brown Bear, April 2001 - March 2002. ..................................................................................................................................22 Table 13. Estimated Brown Bear Harvest by Sex and Month, April 2001 - March 2002. ......23 Table 14. The Estimated Harvest of Brown Bear by GMU and Uniform Coding Unit, April 2001 - March 2002.............................................................................................................24 Table 15. Harvests of Moose, Caribou, Black Bear ,and Brown Bear in Seven Middle Yukon and Koyukuk River Communities, 1996/97 - 2001/02......................................................32 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1. Map of Middle Yukon - Koyukuk Survey Area .........................................................2 Figure 2. Moose Harvests by Sex and Month, Ten Middle Yukon/Koyukuk Communities, April 2001 - March 2002. ....................................................................................................8 Figure 3. Caribou Harvests by Sex and Month, Ten Middle Yukon/Koyukuk Communities, April 2001 - March 2002. ..................................................................................................15 Figure 4. Black Bear Harvests by Sex and Month, Ten Middle Yukon/Koyukuk Communities, April 2001 - March 2002. ..................................................................................................19 Figure 5. Brown Bear Harvests by Sex and Month, Ten Middle Yukon/Koyukuk Communities, April 2001 - March 2002............................................................................24 v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The authors would like to thank the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Agreement No. 1448- 70181-0-J-236), Office of Subsistence Management for funding this research. The following tribal councils and offices also deserve thanks for approving this project and recommending candidates for local research assistants: Alatna and Allakaket Tribal Council, Louden Tribal Council of Galena, Huslia Village Council, Kaltag Native Council, Nulato Village Council, and Ruby Tribal Council. Special recognition also goes to the local research assistants who visited more than 480 area homes to carry out the household survey work: Henzie Williams Jr. (Alatna/Allakaket), Susan Esmailka (Galena), CeCe Nollner (Huslia), Charles R. Miller (Kaltag), Pat Madros, Sr. (Nulato), and Marie Dozette (Ruby). The daunting task of data entry and preparation of the survey data for computer analysis was expertly handled by Jessie Mallery, ADF&G Division of Subsistence. vi INTRODUCTION Accurate harvest estimates are among the most basic and essential pieces of information needed for the sound management of game populations. In Alaska, game populations are important subsistence food resources and harvest data serve to document