No caribou rendezvous: Hart River caribou wander alone in Yukon

A small herd of Yukon caribou are wandering alone this year, ina situation that leaves them more vulnerable to hunters along the South Dempster highway.

That's prompted another hunting closure along the highway the same hunting restriction that was issued last year.

Hart River mountain caribou tend to live in Yukon's Tombstone territorial park. They number about 2,200 animals.

Often at this time of year, the tiny herds mingles with others,includingthe Porcupine Caribou herd, which has more than 197,000 animals, and the40-Mile herd, which numbers about 50,000.

Mike Suitor,a Yukon governmentbiologist for the affected region,says this mingling unique to the South Dempster region usually provides the smaller herd safety in numbers.

"[When the porcupine caribou arrive]it basically swamps out the Hart River herd. There's 2,200 caribou versus 197,000 so the chances of shooting a Hart River caribou are greatly reduced. Typically we would allow people to keep hunting caribou if the porcupine caribou were along the highway," he says.

Suitor adds the hunting restrictionis "not uncommon" and in fact has been enacted 8 times in the last 10 years.

Hard to tell caribou apart

This year the Porcupine caribou herd is still in Alaska.

And Suitor says, even though the Hart River caribou are slightly larger, "it's pretty difficult" to tell the difference between the two subspecies at a glance.

"From a regulation standpoint we can't tell people you can only hunt a Porcupine caribou," he says."It's just not a reasonable thing to ask hunters to do."

The closure affects five game management zones along the Dempster Highway, from kilometre 77, the North Fork Pass, to kilometre 195, Ogilvie River Bridge.

They might show up in big numbers next fall;they may not for another five years. Only the caribou know.-Mike Suitor, Environment Yukon biologist

It applies to both resident and non-resident huntersbut allows for harvesting by two aboriginal groups who hold rights in the area: the Trondk Hwchin and Na-cho Nyk Dun First Nations.

According to Suitor, the usual harvest for the Hart Riverherd is about 30 to 40 animals taken by licensed hunters, not counting the aboriginal harvest.

The emergency closure comes at a time when caribou herds across the North are declining, such as the N.W.T. Bluenose East and Bathurst herds, or even disappearing, like the George River caribouin northern Quebec and Labrador, and those on Baffin Island in Nunavut.

Suitor says the South Dempster hunting closurewill last untilJuly 31, 2015. It may occur again in future years if the Porcupine Caribou dont migrate into the area.

"It's really just a case of when [the porcupine caribou or 40-mile caribou]decide to show up in big numbers again.

"It's impossible to predict what they're gonna do. They might show up in big numbers next fall, they may not for another five years. Only the caribou know."