I was always a little baffled by the IF&G's big game rule brochure when it stated that there is no open season for caribou in Idaho. Caribou in Idaho? Where and how? I thought caribou only existed in the far north tundra, slurping up lichen as they migrate.
Turns out, a few of them prefer the forests, and abide in portions of North Idaho and Washington in the Selkirk Mountains, slurping up lichen off of our old growth forests.
Now, when I say a "few" of them, I mean that literally. Like three (3). In 2008, the IF&G surveyed the Selkirk Mountains for Caribou. In that range, which extends into Northeast Washington and British Columbia, 46 caribou were found. 43 were counted in B.C., and 3 were observed in Idaho.
In case you're interested in exactly where those 3 caribou were spotted in Idaho, below is the survey map:
Supposedly, the woodland caribou once roamed the northern U.S. in greater numbers. But in 1984, they were put under the Endangered Species Act, and have had protection there. In 1999, the population in the Selkirks was 48, 6 of which were located in Idaho. The population has remained steady since then, with an average of 2.555556 (exactly) caribou observed in Idaho during the last 9 surveys going back to 1999.
So what should we do about it? Well, I think having caribou in Idaho is a pretty neat idea. Especially if they grow to such a number that I get to hunt them someday. But the fact of the matter is I probably won't, and neither will my grandchildren. The woodland Caribou in the Selkirks is likely not a viable herd. Augmentation efforts in the past have not helped increased the population. And sometimes the "playing god" activities of wildlife agencies just makes my head spin. Like when they promote wolf, grizzly, and caribou all in the same area.
But the Feds have different ideas with their, er... our land. And how nice it was for them to let us know. They plan on designating 375,562 acres in Washington and Idaho as critical habitat for the caribou. While this proposal will not restrict any private land that doesn't have any federal strings attached, it will mean changes on federal land, and with lands that do have federal strings attached. Which means, unfortunately, since almost all lands these days have federal strings attached, that our three caribou might turn out to be a pain in the butt for more than a few Idahoans.
The anti-common sense of introducing animals into an area, in order to augment an unviable population of animals, and then to pull every string possible to ensure that population grows, is nothing more than a power grab at land, and job justification and security. Wildlife officials love it. Environmental groups and their lawyers love it. And we pay the bill in more ways than one.
More info on what the US Fish & Wildlife Service has planned here.
You can state your comments on the plan at this site.
And finally, you can read the 2008 IF&G survey study here.
~ J. Bunch
