DONNELLY — Wednesday morning saw 30-below temperatures on Donnelly Flats. Paxson was much warmer at 0 degrees. New snow over the past few days has improved the ground cover, so it actually seems warmer. But the side benefit of new snow is fresh tracks. New Nelchina caribou tracks will help hunters find the best hunt locations.
Knowing where to hunt is paramount to success. One can drive up and down the Richardson Highway and possibly get lucky when a caribou crosses the road. But most of the animals moving across the highway are doing just that — moving. They have been hunted and chased. Spooked and nervous, they are moving along their age-old migration routes and feeding as they go.
By contrast, other groups of animals in the Nelchina herd seem to be settling in for the winter in areas with little snow cover and good feed. It has been several years since a sizeable group of Nelchina caribou wintered in the Tangle Lakes/Maclaren/Susitna areas, but it appears they may be doing just that.
Solid ice
The Paxson-Summit Lake area has about 6 inches of snow on the ground. There has been some wind along the ridges, so feeding is easy for caribou. Conditions are similar at Tangle Lakes, a 16-mile-long chain of lakes connected by streams. There are scattered caribou on the ice, which is solid everywhere except around the always-open springs. Snowmobilers who might consider using the area should use extreme caution.
There is enough snow for poking around along the lakes near Maclaren. In fact, the Maclaren Summit is actually decent if one can avoid the heavy willows. There is nearly a foot of compacted snow on the ground. Hunters have been taking a few caribou along the Denali from Paxson to the Susitna. The most successful are those willing to sweat a little.
This past weekend I spotted numerous guys with pull sleds bring in animals from a mile or so out. ATV hunters were sweating too, mostly while trying to get their machines out from where they were stuck. Snow mixed with stiff, frozen willows make for very poor cross-country travel, and there is just enough snow to lose traction. But snowmobilers — especially those with small, light machines — were able to retrieve their kills with relative ease.
1,000 caribou spotted
Almost all of the larger bulls have dropped their antlers. I spotted at least 1,000 animals Saturday, with fewer than 10 percent of them being bulls. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game has been encouraging permit holders to shoot cows in an effort to reduce the herd size, and this has lead to some unfortunate breaches of hunting protocols.
Three times Saturday, I watched hunters shoot caribou cows accompanied by this season's calf. I can understand this happening by accident. Many times in a large herd of deer that are moving, it is tough to tell which cow is with which calf. However, in the instances I've personally observed, single cows, alone with their calves, were shot. It is tough to watch a newly orphaned calf standing near its now-deceased mother while "hunters" prepare to haul her away.
The proprietor of Water's Edge Cottages in Summit Lake, Lee Harper, told me he watched this happen several times this past week on the lake. There is no hunting regulation specifically prohibiting taking a cow caribou accompanied by a calf. Ethics control the practice. Are we Alaskans losing them? I sincerely hope this isn't something we need to regulate.
This fall has been one of the most successful hunting seasons in recent memory for Nelchina caribou. The caribou are scattered and have been available to hunters much of the season. In fact, this is the first season since 1996 that more than 5,000 caribou have been harvested, and this year's count includes federal subsistence harvest numbers. Expect the number to grow.
The hunt two decades ago saw more than 5,000 caribou harvested with 50,000 registration permits issued. Hunter success this year has been much greater with only a third that many permits out.
Aiming to cut herd size
With the Nelchina herd nearing 50,000 animals, Fish and Game is struggling with herd reduction tactics. The likelihood of an early season Nelchina closure is minimal. That could rapidly change if the caribou remain near to the highway and accessible.
Another wrench thrown into the works is the recent memorandum of understanding between the federal government and Ahtna Corporation. This agreement appears to grant a Native Corporation the right to be the primary manager of hunting on their private lands, something that could affect the entire caribou management program in the Copper River Basin.
Meanwhile, along the Denali, the weather is cold but pleasant and fresh snow is on the ground. While it's always important to think about the future of Southcentral's biggest caribou herd, it is not something to worry about today. If you are interested in winter meat, now is the time.
John Schandelmeier is a lifelong Alaskan who lives with his family near Paxson. He is a Bristol Bay commercial fisherman and two-time winner of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.