Caribou in the lower 48.....

[Roger Norris]

Wouldn't that be awesome? I know it isn't an original thought, but I think caribou epitomize traditional bowhunting. And for my money, it is the best tasting wild game ever. I asked this question a few years ago (elsewhere) and the answers were interesting....has anyone seen a caribou in the lower 48? I was told that once in awhile they wander south into Idaho, Montana....does anyone have any knowledge of this?

[Tim Finley]

I think we should transplant some and North Dakota would be a good place to release them !!!....Tim

[wingnut]

Yep it would be something else for the wolves to eat.  

I never saw them but there was a small herd in NE Washington state at one time.

Mike

[Lucas K]

The herd in Idaho/Montana is something like 40 animals. There is an effort to reintroduce an herd into Minnesota's Voyagers National Park but there are concerns about the number of whitetail and the number of wolves. Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, not so much... It would be great to hunt them in the US though.

[Owlmagnet]

Like wingnut, I was aware of "caribou visits" in the extreme northeast corner of Washington State, north and east of Metaline Falls, back in the mid-1970's. I hiked a few miles of the International Boundary a few times, in hopes of cutting sign, but I never found 'em. I did find some bear sign that I'm pretty sure was grizzly, though....

[Shedrock]

Yes, that would be way awesome to have 'bou in the lower 48.

[hill boy]

Yea, That would be cool.Everyone could chase them right through the 300 acre lease they have each year.LoL    Those things require a lot of ground.Migration wouldn't last long down here.

[hill boy]

Roger Norris, To answer your question I have never seen a caribou in the lower 48.When I hunted caribou in n.e canada I was told that they migrate very close to the lower 48.Our camp never seen a bou.I was also in on hunt where the outfitters went bust 10 days before our departure.So yes I do wish that they were closer to hunt.I still have a score to settle with those animals.

[AZWarts]

it would be awesome

[Roger Norris]

Hill Boy - My only caribou hunt was in Newfoundland. Totally different than the boom or bust outfitters in Quebec.

[hill boy]

Wise move.Maby thats where i need to try my next bou hunt.I understand its a really neat place to visit.

[The Vanilla Gorilla]

I believe there is still some in northeast Minnesota...small herd, I assume.  Just something I read in passing a few months ago when I was reading an article about the range of mammals before the westward expansion.

[davidt]

maine tried bringing them back (transplanting) about 20 years ago.I remember they kept them at the university before releasing them.It was a failure dont know for sure what happened.

[Jake Diebolt]

Keep in mind that the caribou you'll see there are more than likely woodland or mountain caribou, not barren-ground. They're a different subspecies, and are generally threatened or endangered. If I recall from my wildlife classes, they tend to be shorter in the leg, bigger in the body, and bigger in the rack.

[Gator1]

Interesting question, I believe years ago, Minnesosta was home to woodland Caribou. Unfortunately like many animals that "man" tries to re-introduce evlolution is not favorable for long term success.  There was a reason there numbers dwindled I'm no biologist..

[Mojostick]

Evidently, mainland Michigan (UP I assume) had caribou until 1912.

Here's a good read...
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=natlpark&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Ddid%2Bmichigan%2Bhave %2Bwoodland%2Bcaribou%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D2%26ved%3D0CEcQFjAB%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fdigitalcommons.unl.edu%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1007%2526context%253Dn atlpark%26ei%3D1NcpULCkDqnfyAH79IC4Cg%26usg%3DAFQjCNHej1mdnok_PQ9i1wZ-cmx9vM5-6g#search=%22did%20michigan%20have%20woodland%20caribou%22

Distribution of woodland caribou

The woodland caribou's distribution and abundance along the southern edge of its range declined dramatically in the late 1800s and early 1900s (Bergerud 1974). In the Lake Superior region, woodland caribou were extirpated from the
mainland of Michigan in 1912 (Baker 1983) and from Isle Royale in 1928.
They disappeared from Minnesota in the 1940s (Fashingbauer 1965), but there were sporadic sightings of at least two woodland caribou in extreme northeastern Minnesota during the winter of 1981-82 (Peterson 1981, Mech, Nelson &
Drabik 1982).

[Roger Norris]

Thanks Mojostick, very cool.