A population surge in the popular Nelchina caribou herd prompted Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologists on Thursday to extend the fall season 10 days to Sept. 30.
A combination of mild winters and limited predation in Game Management Unit 13 has helped boost the size of the herd to more than 48,700 animals, according to a state photo survey done in July.
That number is higher than the herd's population has been in more than 20 years, said Ken Marsh, a public information officer at Fish and Game. The last time it was higher was when about 50,000 caribou were counted in 1995. With so many animals back then, the caribou experienced "nutritional stress" as the animals' range became overgrazed.
State biologists have not seen evidence of that this year, but they note that a population between 35,000-40,000 is healthiest for the herd.
"Basically," Marsh said, "the caribou are flourishing."
About 14,000 Nelchina permits were distributed to hunters. The harvest quota is 4,000 animals, and "something in the range of 2,500 caribou have been taken" so far, Marsh said.
Three different hunts target Nelchina caribou — a registration hunt, a subsistence hunt and a drawing permit hunt. Typically, the limit is one caribou per household.
"To help bring herd numbers closer to management goals, hunters are encouraged to harvest cows," according to a Fish and Game press release. "Later in the hunting season, as caribou bulls enter the rut and meat becomes strong and gamy, hunters often prefer to harvest cows."
Wasilla hunter Kyle Moffat has hunted the Nelchina herd since he was a boy, and he said the state has done a good job managing the caribou. "The numbers are strong, and you don't want to overpopulate a given habitat," he said.
This year Moffat hunted the western side of the GMU 13 near Cantwell and didn't see many caribou. "It's kind of like for red salmon, they're either there or they're not, and we were there during a slow tide."
But friends told him hundreds of animals were bunched up on the north side of the Nenana River. With the river water running high, the animals were reluctant to cross.
Typically, Nelchina caribou migrate out of Unit 13 in late September or early October.
After a brief pause beginning Oct. 1, the winter Nelchina hunt begins Oct. 21, running through the end of March. Hunters who have yet to bag a caribou can participate.
Call the Nelchina caribou hotline for further information at (907) 267-2304.