Caribou Management Report of Survey and Inventory Activities 1 July 2004–30 June 2006
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Caribou Management Report of survey-inventory activities 1 July 2004–30 June 2006 Patricia Harper, Editor Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Wildlife Conservation Photo by Jim Dau, ADF&G Funded through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Grants W-33-3 and W-33-4 2007 STATE OF ALASKA Sarah Palin, Governor DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME Denby Lloyd, Commissioner DIVISION OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION Doug Larsen, Director For a hard copy of this report please direct requests to our publications specialist: Publications Specialist ADF&G, Wildlife Conservation P.O. Box 115526 Juneau, AK 99811-5526 (907) 465-4176 [email protected] Please note that population and harvest data in this report are estimates and may be refined at a later date. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) administers all programs and activities free from discrimination based on 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 please write: • ADF&G ADA Coordinator, P.O. Box 115526, Juneau, AK 99811-5526 • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042, Arlington, VA 22203 • Office of Equal Opportunity, U.S. Department of the Interior, 1849 C Street NW MS 5230, Washington DC 20240. The department’s ADA Coordinator can be reached via phone at the following numbers: (VOICE) 907- 465-6077; (Statewide Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) 1-800-478-3648; (Juneau TDD) 907-465- 3646; (FAX) 907-465-6078 For information on alternative formats and questions on this publication, please contact the following: Publications Specialist, ADF&G/Division of Wildlife Conservation, P.O. Box 115526, Juneau, AK 99811-5526, or call 907-465-4176. Caribou Management Report of survey-inventory activities 1 July 2004–30 June 2006 Patricia Harper, Editor Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Wildlife Conservation Funded in part through Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Grants W-33-3 and W-33-4 2007 Any information taken from this report should be cited with credit given to authors and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Authors are identified at the end of each unit section. If this report is used in its entirety, please reference as: Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 2007. Caribou management report of survey-inventory activities 1 July 2004–30 June 2006. P. Harper, editor. Juneau, Alaska. CARIBOU MANAGEMENT REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS From: 1 July 2004 To: 30 June 2006 Unit Map and Caribou Herd Map ......................................................................................................... i Kenai Mountains, Kenai Lowlands, Killey River and Fox River Herds – Units 7 and 15 ..............................1 Mulchatna Caribou HerdS – Units 9B, 17, 18 south, 19A and 19B (Drainages into northern Bristol Bay and Kuskokwim River).......................................................................................................................................................... 14 Northern Alaska Peninsula Caribou Herd – Units 9C and 9E ............................................................................ 33 Southern Alaska Peninsula Caribou Herd – Unit 9D ........................................................................................... 43 Unimak Caribou Herd – Unit 10..... ............... ....................................................................................................... 51 Chisana Caribou Herd – Unit 12 and adjacent Yukon Territory (Upper Chisana and White River drainages in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in southeastern Unit 12 and adjacent Yukon, Canada)..................................................................................................................................... 56 Macomb Caribou Herd –Units 12 and 20D (Eastern Alaska Range between Delta River and Yerrick Creek south of the Alaska Highway) ..................................................................................................... 65 Nelchina Caribou Herd – Units 13 and 14B (Nelchina Basin) .............................................................................83 Kilbuck Mountain and Mulchatna Caribou Herds – Unit 18 (Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta) .............................100 Beaver mountains, Big River-Farewell, Kilbuck Mountains, Kuskokwim Mountains, Rainy Pass, Sunshine Mountain, and Tonzona Caribou Herds – Units 19 and 21 (Drainages of the Kuskokwim River upstream from the village of Lower Kalskag; Yukon River drainage from Paimiut upstream to, the Blackburn Creek drainage; the Innoko River drainage; and the Nowitna River drainage upstream from the confluence of the Little Mud and Nowitna Rivers) .............................................107 Delta Caribou Herd (including Yanert) – Unit 20A (Central Alaska Range and Tanana Flats) ........................122 Fortymile Caribou Herd – Units 20B, 20C, 20D, 20E, 25C and adjacent Yukon Territory (Charley, Fortymile, Salcha, Goodpaster, and Ladue Rivers, and Birch and Shaw Creek drainages between the Tanana River and the south bank of the Yukon River; and up to 50 miles into the Yukon) ........135 Galena Mountain, Ray Mountains, and Wolf Mountain Caribou Herds – Units 20F, 21C, 21D, and 24 (Galena Mountain, Kokrines Hills, and Ray Mountains) .................................................................................158 Western Arctic Caribou Herd – Units 21D, 22A, 22B, 23, 24, and 26A (Northwest Alaska) ...........................174 Porcupine Caribou Herd – Units 25A, 25B, 25D, and 26C (Eastern portions of the Arctic Slope, Brooks Range, and northeastern Interior Alaska) .............................................................................................232 White Mountains Caribou Herd – Units 25C, 20B, and 20F (White Mountains area north of Fairbanks) ...........................................................................................................................................249 Teshekpuk Lake Caribou Herd – Unit 26A (Western North Slope) ..................................................................262 Central Arctic Caribou Herd – Units 26B and 26C (Central Arctic Slope and Brooks Range) ........................284 i WILDLIFE Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Wildlife Conservation (907) 465-4190 P.O. BOX 115526 MANAGEMENT REPORT JUNEAU, AK 99811-5526 CARIBOU MANAGEMENT REPORT From: 1 July 2004 To: 30 June 2006 LOCATION 2 GAME MANAGEMENT UNITS: 7 and 15 (8397 mi ) HERDS: Kenai Mountains, Kenai Lowlands, Killey River and Fox River GEOGRAPHIC DESCRIPTION: Kenai Peninsula BACKGROUND Historical reports say caribou were abundant on the Kenai Peninsula before a series of large fires in the late 1800s, including a massive fire in 1883 (Sherwood 1974). This large-scale disturbance may have destroyed much of the lichen forage used by caribou and, due to long regeneration times for this important winter forage, may have influenced their population decline. Allen (1901) reported that the Andrew Stone expedition of 1900 collected caribou from the Kenai Peninsula for the American Museum of Natural History and reported that caribou were very scarce and soon would be exterminated by hunters who sold antlers of moose and caribou "at good prices for shipment to San Francisco." It is likely that large-scale fire coupled with unregulated hunting caused caribou to be extirpated from the Kenai Peninsula by the early 20th century. Currently there are four recognized herds on the peninsula, which were recently established through reintroduction efforts. Reintroductions in 1965 and 1966 established the Kenai Mountain (KM) and Kenai Lowlands (KL) herds. Additional reintroductions in 1985 and 1986 established the Killey River (KR) and Fox River (FR) herds. The KM herd in Unit 7 currently numbers more than 300 animals and ranges over 1400 km2 in the drainages of Chickaloon River, Big Indian Creek, and Resurrection Creek. The herd grew to over 200 animals seven years after the 1965 reintroduction and numbered more than 400 by the mid 1980s. The population declined twice after it exceeded 400 animals. The herd has been hunted annually since 1972. From 1972 to 1976, the department issued an unlimited number of registration permits, and the season was closed by emergency order when the harvest exceeded sustainable limits. In 1977, a limited drawing permit system was implemented and remains in place. Past fluctuations in population size suggest the carrying capacity for this herd is 300-400 caribou due to limited winter range. The KL herd summers in Subunit 15A north of the Kenai airport to the Swanson River and in the extreme western portion of 15B. The population winters on the lower Moose River to the outlet of Skilak Lake and in the area around Browns Lake. Its range encompasses around 1200 km2 in and 1 around the communities of Soldotna, Kenai, and Sterling. This herd has shown the slowest growth compared to the other Kenai herds. Numbers slowly increased to more than 100 caribou 20 years after the reintroduction in 1966. The herd presently numbers about 120–135 individuals. Growth in this population has been limited by predation rather than by habitat. Free-