[photo courtesty Midnight Sun Outfitting]
Few hunters have been fortunate enough to pursue this majestic beast in some of the most remote, unspoiled wilderness on earth. But if you're looking for one of the most rewarding hunting trips of your life, consider the Mountain Caribou.
With heavily muscled bodies, skinny legs, and strong hooves that balloon to the size of dinner plates come winter, Mountain Caribou are well adapted for life in their snow-covered domain. Their hooves are big enough to support the animal's bulk on snow and to paddle it efficiently through the water. The hoof's underside is hollowed out like a scoop and used for digging through the snow in search of food. Its sharp edges give the animal good purchase on rocks or ice.
Named herds include the Selkirk, Spatsizi, and Wells Gray. They are found in the Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories (NWT), British Columbia and Alberta. In the United States, the endangered Selkirk Herd extends marginally into northeastern Washington and northern Idaho. [1]
Little known facts about caribou:
- Caribou have scent glands at the base of their ankles that are used when the animal is in danger. It will rear up on its hind legs to release a scent that alerts the other caribou to the danger it is facing.
- Although the caribou can withstand the cold temperatures and hard terrain, it has a tough time coping with insects in the summer. They trek high in the mountains during the summer to avoid biting insects, then, as the season progresses, bunch up and move into lower valleys where there is less snow and more feed.
- The caribou belongs to the deer family and is the only member where both male and female counterparts carry antlers. The antlers of the female are smaller than those of the male, but they are carried for a longer period of time. Caribou start growing their antlers each spring and are normally done the process by August. Male caribou shed their antlers in November or December, after mating, while females will often carry them until June, after they have given birth. Antlers are a sign of dominance, and it is usually only the pregnant caribou that keep the antlers that late. It allows them to defend their feed and displace large caribou from favoured sites while nourishing their babies. [2]
Featured Guide
Midnight Sun Outfitting - Our hunting area offers an abundant population of caribou! We are also lucky enough to offer both Mountain Caribou and Barren Ground Caribou throughout our area as well. The world famous ‘Porcupine Caribou herd’ migrates across Northern Canada, traveling through our hunting concession in the late fall.
Midnight Sun Outfitting (hunting concession #4) has been fortunate over the years to take award winning bulls, scoring as high as 400″ B&C. We hunt caribou mostly as ‘add on’ species–-an additional trophy to your moose or sheep hunt. However, we offer as well a specific caribou hunt. The Mountain and Barren Ground Caribou hunts are offered as a horseback hunt throughout the hunting season. The caribou we harvest in the early season (til Aug 20th) are usually in velvet, making beautiful and majestic mounts. Trophy bulls are spread evenly throughout the concession in high numbers, so our clients can chose their trophy.
Dream Sporting Trips invites you to check out all our guides and outfitters
for your next hunting or fishing adventure!
Resources:
[1] Super Slam of North America Big Game
