Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 10/00) - All reports indicate that this season's Barren Lands caribou migrations have taken an unusual turn compared to recent years.

Ernest Boucher, a hunter from Lutsel K'e, said that it is the first time that he can recall seeing caribou crossing Great Slave Lake to the southern shore this time of year.

"The elders say that this is the first time the caribou have come across the lake so early," Boucher said."They usually never come south of the North shore until later."

Boucher also said that the caribou have been moving much closer to town this year.

"Last couple of years we haven't seen any around here but it seems like we're going to have a lot of caribou coming through.

"It's been excellent this year. They're not that far from the community, right inside the town boundary now. We'll have plenty of meat for the winter."

Joe Mantla, from Rae-Edzo, also said that the caribou have been passing more closely to his community on their way to winter grazing areas than in recent memory.

"I went out hunting last weekend and saw a herd of 70 just off the lake," Mantla said.

"They're closer this year. Last year they were out further east."

Boyd Warner, who runs a caribou hunting camp just north of Wekweti but spends his winters in Yellowknife, said he can only remember two winter seasons out of the 30 years he has lived here that the caribou have been accessible by an all-weather road.

"If anyone wants a caribou they should get it now," Warner said. "There's lots close to town."

Caribou have been spotted as close to Yellowknife as Prelude Lake, about a 35 minute drive along the Ingraham Trail.

When asked for the reasons why the caribou might be moving in closer this year, Warner could only speculate.

"The only thing predictable about a caribou is that they're unpredictable," Warner said. "They move around a lot every year."

According to Dr. Anne Gunn, a caribou biologist for the Northwest Territories, the Bathurst herd are more spread out this year and the Bluenose herd have been migrating on a more southern and westerly route than they normally do.

"The freeze-up was a little late this year and they are pretty spread out," Gunn said.

"What was unusual this year were the movements of the Bluenose herd. We found one collared cow that came really close to Yellowknife. The herd is a little more west than usual."

Radio collars allow researchers to track caribou herds by using satellite imaging. By this method, researchers can assess more precisely the annual routes used by caribou during their winter migrations.

While it is typical for the Bathurst herd to move into the North Slave region on their annual migrations south, the Bluenose herd are more commonly found around Great Bear Lake this time of year.

Gunn also reports that a lack of snowfall up until mid-December allowed for greater mobility of the caribou herds.

"They were moving around quite a bit until mid-December when it started snowing and that slows down their movement," Gunn said.

Caribou migrate south -- sometimes as far as northern Saskatchewan -- from the Barren Grounds in search of rich grazing lands. They typically feed off shrubs such as labrador tea, grasses, sedges and lichens under the snow. Too much snow or hard-packed snow caused by melting then freezing can greatly hamper them in their efforts to find winter sustenance.

It appears that this year, the caribou herds have been exceptionally healthy.

"All reports from the hunters show that the cows are in good shape," Gunn said.

"The cows are still nursing and that's a good sign that they are doing well."

Caribou begin heading back North into the Barrens during March and April to where their summer calving grounds are located. It is there that herd numbers are counted.

The last count of the Bathurst herd was done in 1996, and its ranks were estimated to be at about 350,000.

As for this year's caribou hunt, RWED North Slave regional manager for Wildlife and Parks, Gerd Fricke, said that earlier warm winter conditions have likely slowed down the harvest.

"Hunting activity should be fairly limited because the ice roads have been out," Fricke said.

"However, hunting activity should pick up over the next month."