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According to the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, there are some 60,000 moose and several large herds of up to 1,500 caribou ranging across territories of between 5,000 and 10,000 square kilometers in the Cassiar region. There are also up to 500 dall sheep and assorted elk and deer populations in this beautiful area. These are all plant eaters, and sometimes compete for the same food sources.
But, their territories are a little different. You'll often find moose foraging in the valley bottoms for leaves and other greenage, particularly in old river bottoms and bends and swampy areas. The dall sheep prefer the mountain tops and the foliage that covers them. The deer and elk like open areas more than the moose as they likely find it difficult to move around in heavy brush. You often see large increases in the deer and elk populations in areas that have been recently burned by wildfires.
But, the caribou travel in large herds and are more nomadic. While they're abundant in the cassiar area, they like to stick to the higher plateaus and wander through the buckbrush in search of food. So, it's not unusual to see large numbers of caribou together.
Sometimes you'll see an animal or two in the summer, but usually at this time of the year they're in the higher country, perhaps in the Horseranch Range just to a bit to the east of McDame Creek, or perhaps wandering through the Jennings River area which is west of us, towards Atlin. For those looking on a map, the Horseranch Range forms the north end of the Rocky Mountains, and is at the start of the Rocky Mountain Trench - which is essentially a valley that runs right down to the Rockies in the United States.
Often, you'll be driving down the road in the winter, minding your own business and trying to keep warm, when off in the distance, you'll see something large on the road... First, you'll probably just see a couple of caribou. They will have heard you coming, so may even glance back for a look at you.
When you get a little bit closer, if you're lucky, you might see many more animals - sometimes dozens of them, crossing the road. The woods are their freeway - and highway 37 is just a bit of an "off ramp" for them to rest, before they go on the rest of their journey.
So, you never really know what you're going to see on your journey through Cassiar country. Wild animals have called this area home for many thousands of years. People of the North have always felt a connection to the land - to the wild animals. The caribou are just another example of majestic creatures that, from time to time, allow us a bit of a look at their world.
