PR (Wolf 2020): 065 - Satellite collaring in the Bathurst herd of barren-ground caribou, 1996-2005.

In 1996, the first cows in the Bathurst herd of barren-ground caribou were satellite collared. Subsequently, the program was maintained by using between five and 21 collared cows transmitting locations between 1996 and 2005. The purpose of this report is to compile information about the collaring program and the chronology of collaring. The report is an update of a 2001 summary and it is meant to be an illustrative not exhaustive review of the analyses. Satellite collared caribou locations have been used to describe seasonal and annual movements, and movement relative to three diamond mines in the NWT. The collared cows demonstrated fidelity to calving and post-calving ranges. The amount of overlap in seasonal ranges between consecutive years increased from calving throughout post-calving and the summer, before decreasing to be lowest during the winter. The area used during calving was annually the smallest and most variable in size compared to the other seasonal life history ranges. No trend was apparent in the size of the ranges between 1996 and 2005, although the southern boundary of the winter range appears to have contracted northward since 2002. Individual movement rates were more synchronized during pre-calving, calving, and post-calving and more variable in the summer and fall with an increase in movement in the time of the fall rut (mid-October to November). Average movement rates dropped from a high of 16 km/day in early summer to 4 km/day in winter.