Yukon bison more elusive and smarter than ever
'They have adapted and the bison have a strategy to distance themselves from hunters,' says Tom Jung
The largest mammal in North America could also be the most elusive, at least in the Yukon.
With just one month left in the hunting season, hunters have harvested fewer than a hundred animals.
The Aishihik herd was estimated to be around 1,300 in 2015 and wildlife managers are hoping hunters can bring down the population to a thousand. There were two bison hunting seasons this year, in the fall and winter. Bison hunting is promoted in Yukon because the Aishihik herd is larger than desired.
Whitehorse butchers feeling the pinch
Off the Hook butcher shop is usually busy this time of year, making sausage, hamburger and bison roasts for their customers.
"We usually have 30 to 35 bison hanging in here," says John Pouch, owner. "As you can see right now, the cooler is fairly empty."
Hunters have told Pouch that they're spotting bison, but there isn't enough snow to travel by snowmobiles. At the same time, there's too much snow for ATVs.
"Some people luck out. They get them in the first six to eight hours of their hunt, where a lot of guys have gone for four or five days and haven't seen a thing," he said.
You have to be 'a little bit of a smart hunter'
"There is one fellow, he skis in, he parks his machine and he puts on a set of skis and skis right up to them [bison] and pops one," says Hans Kolaritsch from Off the Hook. "He is a little bit of a smart hunter."
Conservation officers know how challenging it can be to get a bison.
Thomas Jung, a senior wildlife biologist for the Yukon government, has studied the Aishihik herd for over a decade and has seen how they adapted to their surroundings.
"When we started hunting bison it was actually fairly simple," he said. "You could almost Ski-doo up pretty close to them and take one," he said.
"However, they learned about hunting and they have adapted and the bison have a strategy to distance themselves from hunters so they been able to learn how to keep away from hunters."
9,000 square km of roaming grounds
Environment Yukon does aerial surveys to see where the bison are and to help point hunters in the right direction, but with a warmer winter and less snow than usual, getting close to bison has been a challenge.
Hunters say bison have moved from traditional grazing areas to higher elevations where grass is exposed. Many say trying to get near enough to hunt their 9,000-square km range is the biggest challenge.
Karl Blattmann says although he was successful this year, he still has a lot to learn.
"My impression now is that hunting bison is 50 percent luck and 50 percent skill. You need to know were to go, you need to know how to look for them, but you also need the luck to run into them."
Last year hunters harvested 173 bison in Yukon.
The bison were brought to the Yukon, mostly from Alberta, in the early 1980s as part of a plan to safeguard the survival of wood bison in Canada. The original herd was 140 animals.