I heard on the radio today that Alaska fish and Game is planning to release wood bison into the wild with the intent of giving harvest opportunities to subsustance, and native hunters then open to general hunting.
This will happen if the herd increases. In the Yukon our herd is growing in leaps and bounds.
Watson Lake

That idea to introduce wood bison into the Yukon flats NWR has been in the plan for quit a few years - and the bison were moved to Alaska. but the natives corporations, and oil companies who have their eyes on their lands, are fearful of introducing an endangered species into the mix.

The news said the idea has been discussed for at least 10 years. But now looks like it might go ahead..

Watson lake..

There are already several herds in the state.
Very few get permits to shoot the ones that can be acessed.

sounded to me like all the wood bison in alaska are behind fences though in very large areas?

The intend I believe is to have a free range herd like we have in the Yukon Territory..

Watson Lake

I think this will finally happen and am very happy it will!

quote:

Originally posted by Watson Lake:
sounded to me like all the wood bison in alaska are behind fences though in very large areas?

The intend I believe is to have a free range herd like we have in the Yukon Territory..

Watson Lake

There's a herd on the other side of the Copper River, another in the Fairwell burn area and the one in the Delta area. As well as some private stock in Homer, Kodiak and Delta areas that I know of. Maybe more?

so far the information I find is that the bison which are free roaming are plains bison. the ones proposed to be released are wood bison..

Watson LAKE

Here is a link about the story...

http://www.sitnews.us/0113News...1913_wood_bison.html

Watson Lake

quote:

Originally posted by Watson Lake:
so far the information I find is that the bison which are free roaming are plains bison. the ones proposed to be released are wood bison..

Watson LAKE

Correct.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Brooks:
Very few get permits to shoot the ones that can be acessed.

We'll know who the lucky people are within a month.

The state is currently housing the woods bison down in Portage AK at a wildlife park. I am not sure of the exact reason, but they need to be quarantined for 3-5 years to make sure they don't have a particular disease before being released in the wild.

Nice idea, but the average Alaskan hunter will never draw a permit for the Delta herd (easy to drive to) in their lifetime. Not sure how they will permit the woods bison. 36 years of trying for the Delta herd has netted me zip.

From what I have read some of the wood bison (maybe in Canada)have been or are infected with
brucellosis.

Here's a google on it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001623/

Thsat's probably why they're still in the pens.

I would love to hunt a wood bison in the future. But im sure it is a long shot no pun intended.

quote:

Originally posted by Mike Brooks:
From what I have read some of the wood bison (maybe in Canada)have been or are infected with
brucellosis That's probably why they're still in the pens.

Here is a map describng both infected and disease free herds. The Yukon herd, not shown on the enclosed map, is also disease free. I don't think the failure to release herds in Alaska has much if anything to do with disease but more to do with politics and community relations. The Yukon herd going crazy and probably tripling initial target numbers probably doesn't help make the case in Alaska either. I did my part on that front, three times, so don't blame me!

http://www.bisonandroads.com/default.aspx

The Bison that are currently free ranging and huntable are Plains Bison. Permits are difficult draws and success rates have dropped to below 50% on the kills.
The Woods Bison are currently being fenced and have been for a number of years. The hold up on the release is due to the animals being classifed as endangered, which would put a stop to oil and gas exploration on Doyon lands (native owed land) in the Yukon Flats. Its my understanding the animals will now be reclassified as experimental and released into the wild. Gas, oil and mineral exploration will be allowed.
I killed a Bison bull on a solo hunt 2 years age in Delta. I put in 30 years for the permit and finally just bought the Governors tag at auction. Figured it would be the only way to get a tag.

10-20 years ago a dozen or so wandered from the Yukon Terr. to Ak along the road during the winter. They went as far as Tok Junction, decided it was too cold and turned around and went back to the warn climate of the Yukon Territory!

quote:

Originally posted by Alaska Hunter:
bought the Governors tag at auction.

What do they usually go for?

That makes me wonder how many years the Gov. put in for that tag!

I bought it at auction for just under $9,000.
I told my wife that I'd have to go to at least $10,000 or more, so she was pretty excited when I saved all that money.

Well played sir

I've seen Bison along the road and down on Copper River towards Kenny Lake. Also seen a few up near Delta. I know quite a few people who have drawn the tags, so it's not impossible. I heard stories from Indian friends & neighbors who claim there were still wood bison along the upper Yukon just 200 years ago; they were hunted out before Whites got here.

We need Elk here in the interior, thats what I figure.

In Canada, between Haines Junction and Kluane I saw two beautiful Mule Deer bucks, last June. That's nearing the US/Canada border. Reports of Mule Deer and, their natural predators, Mountain Lions, have come from East of Tok. These are natural populations expanding their range. Elk are also expanding their range north, into Yukon. They will get here ... without our interference.

Sounds like good news.
However, for those of us unfamiliar with the animals, what is the difference between a woods bison and a plains bison?
Historical info too?
Thanks

Friends in Dawson have deer in their yards all winter. Deer have been seen near the Y up the Taylor. I also hear there are elk only a couple hundred miles from the border in the Yukon.

People here in Eagle have seen mnt lions. they follow the caribou back from Canada.

I never see the good stuff like Bigfoots which the tourists see all the time, ghosts, or little green men. Lucky to see moose & bear with all the wolves around.

Karoo ...

Here are links to the Ak Dept of Fish and Game that will explain North America's two varieties of Bison:

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/ind...?adfg=woodbison.main

http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/ind...dfg=plainsbison.main

As I recall, the Russians were in Alaska, trading with the natives, at the time of the extermination of the last Wood Bison, i.e., firearms may have been a factor.

I saw Rocky Mountain Elk in the area of Whitehorse a couple years ago. Beautiful critters, and pretty tasty. I'm told.

Thanks Endgame
That is a world away from me and they are definitely magnificent animals.