. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1987 Carruthers, Ferguson and Sopuck: Caribou in Alaska 427. Figure 4. Average Caribou density in the Central Arctic region in late May based on 1982 and 1983 surveys. Figure 5. Average Caribou density in the Central Arctic region in mid-June based on surveys 1981 to 1983. Itkillik River, along the Sagavanirktok River and north of the White Hills and Franklin Bluffs. Most of the area between the Itkillik and Kavik rivers up to 100 km south of the coast was occupied in all survey years. Pre-Rut: By September, Caribou had begun moving into the southern foothills
. The Canadian field-naturalist. 1987 Carruthers, Ferguson and Sopuck: Caribou in Alaska 427. Figure 4. Average Caribou density in the Central Arctic region in late May based on 1982 and 1983 surveys. Figure 5. Average Caribou density in the Central Arctic region in mid-June based on surveys 1981 to 1983. Itkillik River, along the Sagavanirktok River and north of the White Hills and Franklin Bluffs. Most of the area between the Itkillik and Kavik rivers up to 100 km south of the coast was occupied in all survey years. Pre-Rut: By September, Caribou had begun moving into the southern foothills but most were still found in the central portions of the study area (Figure 9). High densities were found in the area between the Kuparuk and Itkillik rivers and between Franklin Bluffs and the Canning River. Both areas were consistently used during the three years of the study. High densities in the southwest were largely the result of an influx of Caribou from the west in mid-September of 1981 and 1982. This influx appeared to continue during the rut. Rut: In October, Caribou were widely dispersed over the study area (Figure 10). In all years, the highest densities occurred from the Colville River delta southeast to Franklin Bluffs and thence northeast to the Canning River delta. High densities of Caribou located west of the northern part of the Colville River in 1983 and in the southwest in 1981 and 1982 were likely the result of an influx of Western Arctic Caribou into the study area. On 9 October 1981 we observed 2500 Caribou west of Galbraith Lake along the foothills. In October 1982 we estimated, based on 10% survey coverage, that 27 000 caribou were in the study area, with over a third of these located within the foothills. In 1981 and 1982 extensive trail systems indicated that Caribou had entered the study area from the northwest and were travelling through the foothills along river valleys in a southeasterly direction. In October 1983 an estimated 29 000 Caribou were
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