Fortymile caribou hunt delayed

The winter Fortymile hunt was scheduled to open in those areas Dec. 1 and close when the harvest quota of 340 animals was met.

However, areas accessible from the Steese Highway and Chena Hot Springs Road in Zone 1 of the Fortymile hunt and the area from the Taylor Highway south of Milepost 60 in Zone 3 will remain closed until caribou have moved away from the road or out of the area.

"Opening the season now would mean the Fortymile quota would likely be exceeded within a day," Tok-area wildlife biologist Jeff Gross said. "Delaying the opening date will allow the season to remain open longer and give more hunters opportunity to get into the field once the caribou move away from the road."

The winter hunt for the White Mountains caribou herd in the Chatanika River drainage also is being postponed because there are Fortymile caribou in that area, state game managers said.

The department has 16 caribou in the Fortymile herd fitted with satellite collars, and nine of those collars are within 10 miles of the Steese Highway, department spokeswoman Cathie Harms said.

This is the first year the department has used satellite collars on caribou, which allow game managers to track the herd without flying, something that has been impossible the last few days because of the ice storm that hit the Interior this week.

The department also wants to prevent Taylor Highway hunters from shooting Nelchina caribou and hunters in the portion of the White Mountains hunt from shooting Fortymile caribou that have moved into the area. It's impossible to differentiate one herd of caribou from another, Harms said.

"Caribou don't wear team jackets; you can't tell which one's which," she said. "Mixing herds in different areas when you've got permit hunts is challenging."

Department biologists will track the herd over the next several days by following the satellite collars and using aerial surveys to determine when to open the season, Harms said.