The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) did some predator control work to try to do something about the historically low numbers of the Mulchatna caribou herd, according to a June 6 press release. The range of the herd is more than 60,000 square miles in Western Alaska, and it has been closed to hunting since fall 2021 because the Mulchatna herd has declined.
The control effort was specifically aimed at increasing calf survival on the herd’s western calving ground north of Dillingham. During a 17-day period from May 10 to June 4, ADF&G staff removed 94 brown bears, 5 black bears, and 5 wolves from the area. According to the press release, all bears and wolves were killed and hides and skulls were salvaged when safe to do so. Additionally, they said that meat from all black bears and some of the brown bears was distributed to local villages.
The Mulchatna caribou herd saw a 96 percent decrease from a peak of 200,000 in 1997 to just 12,000 in 2017. Herd numbers have remained dangerously low since, and the hunting ban has affected communities across Western Alaska.
“Recognizing that there are 48 communities within the traditional range of this once expansive herd, the public requested that the Department and Board work to rebuild the herd and restore this source of food,” the release said.
The release said that bear and wolf populations are currently healthy in Western Alaska, and that their range is large compared to that of the herd. They don’t expect their populations to be affected much.
The release said that predator control is an immediate tool the department can use to attempt to reverse the herd's decline, noting that other factors are habitat and disease.
According to the release, wolf control by the public, using aircraft and authorized by the Board of Game, has been active in the winter months in the area since 2012.
The Alaska Division of Wildlife Conservation will be monitoring calf summer survival to assess the effectiveness of the control program. They will use this information to determine whether to try further bear and wolf reductions in the area.
