In some years, the Bathurst herd’s winter range overlaps the winter ranges of its neighboring herds (Bluenose East and Beverly herds). The overlapping winter distribution between the herds has complicated monitoring and assigning harvest quotas and possibly impacts potential switches of cow caribou between calving grounds. In the 2019 Reasons for Decision report for the Bluenose East caribou herd, the Wek’èezhìı Renewable Resource Board (WRRB) noted that a lack of analyses on winter distribution which contributed to the WRRB’s uncertainty about the reliability of harvest information (Wek’èezhìı Renewable Resources Board 2019b). To increase understanding of the overlapping winter ranges, the WRRB initiated analyses of caribou distribution using the Government of the Northwest Territories collared caribou. We measured the extent of overlap at the herd and individual caribou scales which will be useful in the context of, for example, harvest and predator management. We applied an index to measure the overlap and found that, since 2005, the overlap between the winter distribution of the Bathurst and Beverly herds increased, especially in recent years. The presence and extent of the overlap between the neighboring herds varied during the 16 winters we examined. The overlap between the Bathurst herd and at least one of its neighbors was minimal for only 3 - 5 years of the 16 years we examined. The Bathurst herd has recently shifted its winter distribution northeast which reduced overlap with the Bluenose East herd and increased overlap with the Beverly herd. Additionally, the Beverly herd shifted its winter distribution north and west.
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