Wildlife

Frozen bison patty

Hunting … It’s a Crapshoot

One of the most common questions we get asked by non-hunters, and those new to hunting, is, “How do you find and track the animals…

Bear scat

Time To Talk Poop

As a trapper and hunter, you learn to identify wildlife excrement rather fast, as you’d want to. Why? To determine what kind of critters…

A statue of a sasquatch

Tales of Nahganne

For as long as humans have been in the Yukon, they have shared this vast land not only with various animals but also with…

A woman with a stack of books

Books To Read On A Trapline

When the evenings get longer, we enjoy reading a good book. So here we go with the books to hunker down with on a cold, dark night

A Robin

Counting Birds This Christmas

I was not sure what to expect for my first Christmas Bird Count, a few winters ago. For someone who, back then, didn’t know her birds…

Mountains and Valleys

A Long Time Coming Part 2

The moose continued barrelling on his path for another hundred yards or so. Between us was an elevated creek bed and then a tiny meadow.

The venerable Arctic ground squirrel

Freeze-Proof Animals

Each winter, our furry neighbours don an extra-thick coat of fur and fat to make it through the winter. But a coat isn’t the only strategy…

A woman and two men stand beside a float plane

A Long Time Coming Part 1

An hour before dawn, my alarm goes off like a foghorn behind my head. I frantically reach behind me to shut it off.

Sonja Seeber, setting a marten trap

Breaking Trail

The new moon brought winter, including swans and more ducks taking a rest on our little lake. We will soon be breaking Trail.

A man and a woman stand outside a log cabin in winter with furs from a season of trapping hanging on the wall

The Trapper’s Life

What is trapping? I had no idea. But I slowly but surely found out that hunting and trapping is a passion. Serious, gorgeous and grounding.

A coyote stalks through the snow and trees

Behind Every Great Flea Is A Lesser Flea

An area of land that includes habitat like water, or sources of food and places where animals seek shelter will support specific animals or birds. Because that parcel of land would support a grouse, does not mean the same parcel would support a different population of birds.

Canada Jays love their kibble!

The Canada Jays love their kibble!
They are especially happy when I keep them company while they eat it.

Moose Bush: The way-posts home

In the North, we measure distance by the amount of time it takes. A way-post is an item that marks your progress along a road or trail.

Conservation Photography

I have a confession. I work for CPAWS Yukon and I’ve never been into the Peel Watershed. (The small exception is the time I canoed the Blackstone River when I was a kid). Still, I’ve never hiked the jagged ridgelines of the Mackenzie Mountains, or admired the crimson-speckled stones on the shore of the Snake …

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Factors in wildlife management

Progression. Now there’s a word that’s important to the future of all wildlife. Look at a section of forest that has been harvested. A group of conservation-minded people entered the cut and made a number of bush piles. The bush pile becomes a safety net for rabbits, squirrels and other such creatures, but let’s not …

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Candy for the carnivores

Yukon Wildlife Preserve annual Wild Trick or Eat event. Stuffed pumpkins have been added to the menu for special carnivore feeding.

Counting birds is a social affair

The International Christmas Bird Count (CBC) is Dec. 14 – Jan 5. last year (2017) saw 12 in The Yukon from Watson Lake to the Tombstones.

Living With Wildlife: Steve Wilson

Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living With Wildlife by Steve Wilson Chickadees are the perfect Yukon bird. The crappier the weather, the happier they seem to be. Camera: Nikon …

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What’s on the river? – A winter warm-up to the Christmas Bird Count

It’s snowy and cold outside, and most of the Yukon’s migratory birds, such as swans, pretty yellow warblers, ducks and shorebirds, have long fled the territory. There’s always a few species, however, that linger. A favoured habitat for some of these birds is the Yukon River, just below the Rotary Centennial Bridge (“blue bridge”) near …

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Feeding our feathered friends … do it for joy, and do it for science

It’s winter—time to check out the bird feeders and stock up on “fast food” for our feathered friends. A huge variety of bird feeders are available in local stores or can be made easily from milk jugs or cartons. The cheerful black-capped chickadee is the most frequently reported “feeder bird” in the Yukon and in …

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Living With Wildlife: Matt Cook

Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living With Wildlife by Matt Cook I captured this little chipmunk getting a snack on a deck at Lake Laberge. Camera: iPhone 7

Living With Wildlife: Steve Wilson

Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living With Wildlife by Steve Wilson Gray jays, a.k.a. Canada jays, visiting our deck on Duncan Drive in the Golden Horn subdivision. We somehow …

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Saskatchewan in October

Once upon a time, “back in the days” (last year, in October) when the Greyhound bus still existed, a garter snake slithered out of the way, a pronghorn bounced over a fence, and I happened to step into cactus. This is the beginning of a most auspicious tale … In the days of the Greyhound, …

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The Wild Things are coming!

It’s no secret that Alberta artist Kari Lehr loves bears. You only need to look at her bright and expressive bear “portraits” to see she has an affinity with animals.

The art of pelts, skulls and antlers

Cindy Klippenstein is a small-business owner with a degree in fine arts degree, who spends her days fleshing, tanning and mounting hunting trophies as the Yukon’s only full-time taxidermist. And she couldn’t be happier.

Living With Wildlife: Philip Doehler

This little beauty watched me when I hiked up a hill by Schwatka Lake in Whitehorse. Lovely spot and there is always wildlife to admire.

Living with Wildlife: Faye Cable

The Whitehorse Photography Club makes a photo trip to Skagway during June every year to photograph the field of irises at Dyea Tidal Flats. We always see bears on the road on the way home.

Living With Wildlife: Peter Zenkl

Grey squirrel shot with Nikon D3300, Tamron 70-300 mm, 1/125 sec., f4.0  along the Dempster Highway. Submit your wildlife photos too.

Living With Wildlife: Steve Wilson

Here are two photos of a female fox who likes to visit us and clean up under our bird feeders in our backyard on Duncan Drive in the Golden Horn Subdivision.

Knowing the beaver

Picture this: an animal that lived in our waterways, here in Canada that was close to 8 feet long, big chisel teeth and could swim above and below the water line. Of course you would have had to live a few thousands of years ago. It was a beaver – and the beaver of those …

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Living With Wildlife: Judith Beaumont

Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Living with Wildlife by Judith Beaumont, Mount Lorne When we were clearing trees to build a guest cabin this summer, we discovered a woodpecker …

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Human Errors Re: Bears

Sadly some human errors are fatal mistakes when bears are involved. Bears are somewhat predictable, but there are many exceptions to that rule. As a result, humans must always err on the side of caution when in bear country. Recent photos in the news from Banff show two separate situations where a human has moved …

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Dreamtime, Bourbon Time

I’ve always loved the stories where people slip out of the present and into a different time; kid’s stories like Tom’s Midnight Garden, or the Narnia series, or, in adult fiction, The Time Traveller’s Wife. There’s something compelling about the notion of arriving in another time, unmoored from the present, where the universe bends and …

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Bear Spray

It’s that time of the year again, the bears are out and we need a refresher on bear spray. It isn’t magic – and definitely not the solution to all bear problems – but with a little know-how it will keep you safe in most bear encounter situations. Bear spray is a tool to help …

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The Life of Rabbits and Hares

Growing up in the 1930 and early 40s was tough times. First, there was the Great Depression, followed closely by the Second World War. For the average family, money was tough, far tougher than today and rabbits and hares often graced the supper plates. Of course the cottontail rabbit was the choice of the two …

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Coyotes in the Neighbourhood

Coyotes inhabit everywhere from Central America to the Canadian territories. Originally they resided in the west, but now they reside all across Canada including Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland since the 1980s – they crossed over when ice tied the islands to the mainland. They are somewhat opportunistic in their menu choices, but mammals make …

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Ode to Mosquitos

I love blood-sucking mosquitos In my eyes, ears and nose; On my chips, nachos and tacos, In my hair and between my toes.

Spring Guests

If the crocus is the official flower of spring, then the swan must be the official bird of spring in the Yukon. Each year thousands of swans ascend to the Yukon from winter feeding grounds along the coasts of Washington and southern British Columbia. Their annual stop brings them to Marsh Lake, where the birds …

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Swans are an ‘easy sell’

Sylvie Binette probably has the easiest job at the Department of Natural Resources.  As a wildlife viewing technician, it is her job to make the public aware of swan habitat and why it is important to preserve it.  It’s an easy job because Swan Haven, on Marsh Lake’s M’Clintock Bay, offers a marvellous view of …

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Living with wildlife: Maggie Leary

Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Here’s a photo of two female pine grosbeaks arguing beak to beak about who’s turn it is on the birdfeeder.

Yukon See It Here: Donald Graham

​What do you do when a porcupine decides to gnaw on the underside of a shelf for the salt content in plywood ? [ in the production process of plywood, veneers are impregnated with a salt solution ]. – Problem is the shelf is about two feet from your slumbering head and it’s four o’clock …

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From the Catch to the Table

For those who don’t like the taste of fish, the reason is because of the lack of proper handling of the fish from the time it is caught to the minute it is served. It might come as a surprise to some, but a fish starts to deteriorate the minute it is hooked. More often …

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Yukon / Utopia

In “Spell of the Yukon,” Bobby Service suggests, The realm’s Utopia—snock snarls of forests; Avalanches that out-grumble politicos; Gold that outweighs paper dollars backed by zeroes; Where the cussedest blizzard outlasts even August; And extra white comes snow, pure as a virgin’s Lust; Where dew fanatically lavishes each grass blade; Damned good is muck where …

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Winter Bird Feeding

I feed the birds in winter because it makes me feel good to do it and the birds certainly seem to enjoy it as well. Squirrels certainly take advantage of the situation, but seem to be much less interested in the feeders that do not contain sunflower seeds. Squirrels can also be stopped by blocking …

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Waterbugs in Winter

I use the word ‘bug’ here, to describe little creatures with … legs. Insects, but more than that. Not everything I call ‘bug’ living underneath the ice are insects, some turn out to be crustaceans. In the beginning of October, before it started snowing, there was a brief period when the thermometer dropped below zero …

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To go where few people go: I wonder if that is why we saw four wolverines playing?

On August 13, my friend Nancy Ohm and I went for a hike in my backyard. I’ve been working on a walking trail towards the mountains for 20 years. I am making slow process, using only a small ax and clippers. Lately, I have seen signs of people, probably neighbours, establishing the trail. Great! Still, …

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Ptarmigan, Yukon wildlife

Ptarmigan: Nothing but facts

The Ptarmigan is the territorial bird of the Yukon. Ed. Note:  The distinction of being known as the Yukon’s territorial bird goes to the raven, which, Canada Post recently announced, is to be featured on a stamp.  Ravens are more widespread than ptarmigan. They are found throughout the territory and are totally black.  The Ptarmigan …

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On memory, and bears

This is a story from many years ago, about the day I was followed by four bears – a close-call bear encounter kind of story. I was on a solstice hike up Kelvin Mountain with Allison Morham and Jane Vincent. Jane and I see each other regularly, but I only run into Allison every few …

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Continuing the Legacy of Alex VanBibber

The late Alex VanBibber had a favourite refrain: “An outdoor life is a healthy life.” This is according to his friend, Harvey Jessop. Jessop wrote some remarks about VanBibber’s life for the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board, pertaining to a new scholarship it is offering in VanBibber’s legacy. The Alex VanBibber Sharing the Land …

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Avoiding Calamity with Bears

Yes, bear stories, undoubtedly a favourite topic in the Yukon and one that gets people talking. As I write here, there is a black bear poking around on our property. I have never had a true calamity involving a bear in my 30 years of hiking and living in the Yukon. Recently, I tripped and …

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Vestmannaeyjar Voyage

The road that encircles Iceland, called Highway 1 or the Ring Road, offers access to many of the sights on the tourist track, called the Golden Circle. We explored the usual postcard sights; geysers, rift valleys, craggy ocean shores, and flat, glacier-formed black alluvial plains. However, there is one place in particular, our first overnight …

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Summer Birding: It’s All About the Kids

In summer, birding is all about the kids. Or, chicks. After the spring blitz of migration and mating, many birds are rearing offspring and staying closer to their nests. It’s a time when many Yukoners stop birding. “Our forests are usually more silent and less colourful as males no longer have to advertise for mates or rivals,” …

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A Family Tradition

When the hooligan are running, the rivers and harbour In Haines, Alaska host a fiesta of wildlife that congregate to feed on this little fish that First Nations prize for its high fat content. Sea gulls, eagles, sea lions and even whales feast on the bounty when it arrives. For generations, the local Tlingit people …

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Camaraderie in a Canoe

Nine ladies in a voyageur canoe whose ages range from 23 to 62; 715 kilometres; paddling for Yukon Cancer Care Fund. Stix Together is a team of Whitehorse women participating in the 18th Annual Yukon River Quest. The race begins with a mass start at noon on Wednesday, June 29. Participants gather at the gazebo …

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A Bird in the Hand is Messy

I don’t like crows. I never have, and probably never will. I can spend hours watching eagles soar and glide on the thermals. I love blue herons, in flight or standing in solitude along the shoreline. Ravens are mysterious and interesting. Loons, well you get the point. There are many birds I like. As a child …

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Sharing His Knowledge of Wolves

For 20 years, Robert (Bob) Hayes was the Yukon’s wolf biologist. During those years, he studied hundreds of radio-collared wolves and conducted several long-term wolf-prey studies. He is considered a world expert on moose and caribou predation by wolves and the effects of wolf control efforts on wolves and their prey. Over time, his studies …

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You Know It’s Spring When the Swans Arrive

“Last year was a big year,” says Scott Cameron, Environment Yukon’s Wildlife Viewing Technician. “We were up to 2,000 swans every day for a few days.” The height, he says, was April 9, when 2,200 were counted out on M’Clintock Bay. Typically that number is closer to 1,200. “And early too – usually you expect …

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Visiting the Glaciers

We always said that when the kids were old enough we would take them for an Alaskan kayaking expedition, just like the one we had gone on before the kids were born. So last summer we did just that, and what we learned is that an eight-year-old and a 13-year-old are awesome ages for such …

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Ode to Kusawa Lake

Boxing Day: we drive out to Kusawa Lake. My beloved lake, Kusawa. The joys of the lake for me include swimming, boating, floating, skating, to be in it/ on it or crossing the lake. I have even bicycled on it and now I walk on it. I have often sunbathed on its sandy beaches or …

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One-Two-Tweet…

There’s nothing like a bird count to inspire new and seasoned birders. This Great Backyard Bird Count (GBBC) takes place Feb. 12-15 and it’s a family-friendly event for any skill level. The GBBC helps to give a snapshot of bird life throughout Canada, the continent, and the world. Last year 5,090 species were recorded – …

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Bison: From the Edge of Extinction

People driving down the highway may see a few bison, and never realize that this animal was at one time on the very edge of extinction. The bison made  some people extremely wealthy, others kept some people from starvation, some were shot for sport from a traveling railway cars, herds were driven over cliffs simply for …

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The Story of Eagles Paradise

Every November up to 3,600 eagles gather in one place: the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve in Haines, Alaska. It is the largest gathering of eagles on earth. The Preserve holds unique conditions for these magnificent birds: Sections of the Chilkat River remain ice-free and an unusually late run of salmon from November until January provides …

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Things the Forest Hides

Talking to my friend Mary Whitley, a fellow explorer, we started discussing how many trails we had found this summer that we did not even know existed. She was finding them on her side of town around  Mount Lorne, and I was finding them on mine around the Mendenhall Subdivision. So, on one of those …

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Musings on Ice: A Changing Yukon Winter Story

Ice is important. It allows people and wildlife to use or cross lakes, ponds and rivers. Ice also provides access to what’s below: fish, muskrats and water, for example. Unfortunately, the mild fall temperatures in many parts of Yukon have again delayed ice formation. This isn’t new. Recorded observations of Yukon River freeze-up in Whitehorse …

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Living with Wildlife: Richard Brochet

Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] I got this sweet picture of a mama Grizzly. A family of three was hangin’ out near the carcross desert. The cubs were chewing on roots while …

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Living with wildlife: 2015-11-05

Hello Everybody,  We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] This is what happens when you put fish heads on a lake shore cabin roof. Camera: FinePix S8000 set on continuous mode.

My Favourite Word is Grandma

On December 1, 2007 at 1:32 p.m. my life changed forever.  I was introduced to Darwin Orion Murray. At about 10 p.m. the evening before I received a telephone call from my son-in-law, Avery.  Kirsten and Avery were on their way to the hospital. Even though they said I could wait for a bit before …

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Living With Wildlife: John Birmingham

Hello Everybody,  We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] Golfing at Annie Lake I thought I could shave a few strokes off of my scorecard but, this Yukon sentinel was keeping me honest. Camera: Samsung Galaxy …

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Living with Wildlife: Nancy Ohm Eagles

Walking along the Millennium Trail in mid-July, it was just perfect to catch a shot of these two (eagles), sitting on the cliffs

A scientistʼs letters to the future trace a journey to find optimism

What kind of world will be handed down to my daughter’s generation? That question led conservation ecologist Alejandro Frid to write A World for My Daughter: an Ecologist’s Search for Optimism, which is scheduled for publication by British Columbia’s Caitlin Press later this month. Alejandro Frid is an assistant professor in environmental studies at the …

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Are You Ready?

Hunting season is right around the corner; I started to go over my equipment this weekend. There are a lot of things that can be done to make a hunting trip more enjoyable; it can also be a headache when you get home if you didn’t make the right arrangements before you left. I use …

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Living With Wildlife: Jacqueline Clancy

Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] These pictures were taken at the Dredge Pond subdivision near Dawson City. It’s the resident wildlife in my yard. The momma bear and her three …

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Folk art in the forest

The forest is my palette. The flora, the fauna — they inspire me. I am so lucky to have an acreage at my disposal. I’ve created walking paths and gardens. Over the last few years I’ve enjoyed yarn bombing the forest paths I’ve created. It is a great way to create pattern swatches and use …

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Where the Wild Women Are

The paths of Maureen Morris and Sandra Grace Storey have crossed more than once during their careers, but today is the first time they meet.

Cranes Fly High Up in the Sky

The thermals above the town of Faro may account for the “tens of thousands” of sand hill cranes that fly above it each spring. Or so Rose Fulton speculates. Fulton works for the town, and is the Faro Crane and Sheep Viewing Festival coordinator. She says she’d be the event coordinator, but there aren’t enough …

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A Northern Diary

I have been in the wilderness of the Mackenzie Mountains for six weeks, and have decided to begin a diary. It’s maybe not the right time to start one, but now that I’m not quite as busy and not nearly as tired at the end of the day, I’ll begin one anyway so that I …

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The Encounter

The following story was my submission for the 1994 Yukon Young Authors’ Conference. There, I got to work with acclaimed Canadian playwright Guillermo Verdeccia, who first sparked my interest in dramatic writing. Happily, 21 years later, this important conference is still going strong. The 35th annual version is being held from April 23-24 at F.H. …

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My Yukon Bison Hunt

There’s something special about waking up in a cabin with a bunch of peers who all want the same thing: to catch a bison. It puts a goal in everyone’s head, a sense of unity. There is also the excitement and thrill that this could be the day, the day we finally get that elusive …

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A Trumpeter’s Perspective

Hiya, my name is Ed, and I am a proud trumpeter swan. I’m eight-years-old and grew up in the Red Rock Lakes area of Montana, USA. Although I am American, I consider Canada to be a second home since my family and I migrate through there every year. My wife is Lily. We have four …

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Living With Wildlife: Maggie Leary

Hello Everybody, We invite you to share your photos of Yukon wildlife. Email your high-resolution images with a description of what’s going on and what camera equipment you used to [email protected] This photo submitted by Maggie Leary The pine grosbeak was sitting in a tree in our backyard, planning his launch onto the birdfeeder.  I took this …

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Living with wildlife: Maggie Leary

The baby peregrine falcon was photographed on the Stewart River.  There is actually another baby crouched in the background. I used the Nikon D80 with a 18-135 mm lens. Photo Maggie Leary

How About a Winter Road Trip?

Winterize the camper, stash the emergency parkas and boots, pack all the necessary clothing for three seasons (fall, winter, and spring), get coffee to go, and we are off. When you work in the construction industry as my guy does, you don’t always get to pick your vacation season. Unfortunately, slow times are rare when …

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The Unexpected

It was a cool November morning in 2010, when the unexpected happened. My dog Gypsy and I had walked the Fish Lake Road area for the past five years, enjoying the tranquility and beauty of McIntyre Creek. Par for the course was to park the truck at the bird-watching pull out, just before Icy Waters …

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Finding the Essence of Experience in Nature

Yukon artist Helen O’Connor’s textural, organic, large-scale sculpture, assemblages, and installations beg the viewer to reach out and touch them. The works seem as though they are part of the natural world, not made by human hands. Indeed, O’Connor’s works are made with reverence to nature. However, instead of literal depictions, she tries to find …

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Ecologically-inspired Cuisine

When I first arrived in Kluane as an aspiring biologist, it seemed fitting that I would land in the place where the famous lynx-snowshoe hare cycles had been studied since the ’70s. Famous – at least to ecology students and trappers – graphs showing their staggered 10-year oscillations had figured prominently in my university courses. …

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Capturing Something Intangible

If you need a break from winter’s dominating shades of grey, a collection of paintings at the Yukon Arts Centre will remind you how colourful the Northern landscape is during the rest of the year. The centre is hosting two solo shows featuring the work of icksYellowknife artist Jennifer Walden and Yukon artist Jane Isakson. …

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The Butterfly Report

On July 16, 2013 I saw a super big moth. I am not into moths yet, I’m just getting to know butterflies, but this Bedstraw Hawk-moth is special and it loves my garden because of the Northern Bedstraw that grows abundantly. I had not seen this moth for several years, but it is unmistakable due …

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When a Moose Waits…

Rocky was waiting for me. For three days in a row, Rocky, one of our moose bulls, was waiting. To put this into perspective, I had been working at the Yukon Wildlife Preserve for about two months before I got within a kilometre of any moose. The day I did, I called home, woke my …

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Thank You, Yukon!

What a terrific day! It was another one of these fabulous spring-like days we’ve been having. The mountains were covered with snow, the sky was blue, the sun was blazing through my windows and the caribou were grazing on the horizon. Despite the enticing weather, I was sitting at my desk, embroiled in resumes for …

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Road Trip Reveals Yukoners’ Fortune

Irecently attended my cousin Jessica’s wedding in Vancouver. Since the wedding was the first stop in an extended holiday, we decided to drive. Long, yes, but the weather was perfect, the scenery beautiful and, for wildlife viewing, I was not disappointed. Our first big encounter was bison. While I am fortunate to see bison most …

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Schwartz on the Job

One of my pet peeves is dogs (no pun intended). More specifically, other people’s dogs that come onto the farm. One reason dogs were domesticated was that they were territorial and would protect their territory and their pack. Farm dogs are here for security of the pack, which includes humans and farm animals. Our dog, …

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Witnessing Arctic Change

On my second day on board ship we saw a cow and calf blue whale,” says Emerald Kains. “The opportunity to share a moment with the largest animals on the planet was so surreal and moving.” Kains, a recent graduate of Vanier Secondary School, was part of the Students on Ice Arctic Youth Expedition that …

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Skiing the Animal Trail

Bison and foxes and sheep. Oh my! The Yukon Wildlife Preserve on the Takhini Hot Springs Road offers all of these and more—and it’s recently added a series of track-set ski trails to give visitors a new way to get up close and personal with the animals. The Wildlife Preserve covers over 700 acres of …

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