Woodland caribou are the largest caribou ecotype and favour mature coniferous forests across Canada and parts of the northern United States. Adults stand about 3.6–4.6 feet (1.1–1.4 m) tall at the shoulder; bulls weigh 350–500 pounds and cows 240–330 pounds. Their dark brown bodies contrast with a whitish neck, shoulders and rump, and both sexes bear antlers, although cows shed them in spring while bulls shed after the autumn rut. Large, rounded hooves and widely separated dew claws allow woodland caribou to walk on deep snow and wetlands.
Because woodland caribou inhabit rugged forests and mountains, hunts are usually small‑scale and physically demanding. Guides glass old‑growth spruce and cedar forests from high ridges and either still‑hunt through timber or call bulls during the rut when dominant males defend harems of 6–10 cows. Due to the limited number of animals and their endangered status in many regions, permits are scarce, and hunters often access remote areas by horseback or helicopter.
The southern mountain population of woodland caribou has been extirpated in Washington, largely because logging and roads increased predator access. Woodland caribou depend on old‑growth forests rich in arboreal lichens for winter forage; habitat fragmentation, snowmobile disturbance and climate change threaten their survival. Provinces and states restrict or close hunting seasons and invest in habitat protection, maternity pens and predator management. Where limited hunts are still offered, tag fees help fund research and community-led conservation projects.
Woodland caribou migrate vertically, descending to lower elevations in early winter and returning to alpine basins in summer. Their diet shifts seasonally from lichens in winter to grasses, sedges, huckleberry leaves, willow and dwarf birch during the rest of the year. Calves are born from late May to early July and can stand and follow their mothers within hours.
Woodland Caribou can be found in the following location:
Woodland Caribou has the following variations:
- (Varieties to be confirmed)
