My Hunting Stories
Back in 2005 when I retired from the guide business, the Mulchatna caribou herd was crashing. I had guided for them through the peak which topped out at about 250,000 caribou. It dropped to an estimated 80,000 or so and finally dropped on down to about 60,000. Those caribou hunts were by far the most fun hunting experiences that I have ever had and I have always wanted all of my grandchildren to have that experience.
This is my last story of the year and I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
One of the main reasons I loved our Western Alaska area so much was hunting the Mulchatna caribou. I have always enjoyed caribou hunting and the scenery during the September season with all the beautiful fall colors. In my opinion the white maned bull caribou is one of the most regal antlered animals.
When we first started hunting around Otter Lake in 1987 we only had a few scattered bulls on the mountain tops. However after the herd started its rapid growth, we would have caribou somewhere in the area by the thousands for two or three weeks during September. The initial population of the Mulchatna herd in ’87 was somewhere between 15,000 to 20,000. By 1990 it was believed to have been around 80,000 and by ’94 it was approaching 200,000. It peaked around ’98 with 250,000 caribou. Some days flying in the area I would see 20,000 to 30,000 and at their peak many clients would see 5,000 plus in a day. That was quite a sight!
