 |
Camping & Wilderness |  |
Parks & Conservation |
 |
Wildlife & Biodiversity |
 |
Monitoring the Environment |
 |
Fishing |  |
Hunting & Trapping |
 |
Education & Youth |
 |
Publications, Maps & Data |
Big Game: Wood Bison
Bison were reintroduced to the Yukon in the late 1980s as part of a national recovery program. The species was common throughout the Yukon 2,000 to 3,000 years ago and was present in local areas as recently as 400 to 500 years ago. A range reconnaissance study carried out in the early 1980s identified the Nisling River watershed as the best bison range in the southern Yukon, with a carrying capacity of at least 400 animals.
Between 1988 and 1992, 170 bison were released in the Nisling River valley. Since then the herd has grown to about 1,100 animals and expanded its range into the Aishihik, Sekulmun and Hutshi Lakes watersheds and beyond. The bison management plan calls for a herd size of about 500 animals.
Since wolves have only recently begun preying on bison, hunting is the primary means of limiting the herd size. Without hunting, the herd would grow at a rate of 15-20 per cent per year.
A bison permit hunt began in 1998. About 700 animals have been harvested since then, with about two-thirds of these being bulls. In the 2007-08 season 99 animals were harvested. Even with hunting, the herd continues to grow. Environment Yukon encourages hunters to harvest female animals to regulate herd growth and balance the sex-ratio of the herd.
The Aishihik Wood Bison Herd is now providing meat hunters with an alternative to moose in southern Yukon. A large bull can weigh 1,000 kg (2,200 lb.) on the hoof but much of this weight is made up of viscera and head. An average adult cow weighs about 450 to 630 kg (1000 to 1400 lb.).
Bison were easy to approach when hunting first began. After 10 years of hunting, they are now wary of people. Environment Yukon requires each hunter to take a workshop on techniques for hunting bison before issuing a permit. A successful hunt requires considerable time and effort.
Environment Yukon staff are collecting data from about 30 radio-collard animals in order to learn more about Yukon wood bison. These animals are protected from hunting. For more information, see page 3 of the 2008-09 Yukon Hunting Regulations Summary booklet (“Collared Wildlife”).