U. S. Department of the Interior

Bureau of Land Management

BLM Alaska Open File Report 111

BLM/AK/ST-07/010+6610+025

May 2007

Seward Peninsula Muskox Census, 2005

Kyle Joly

BLM

Alaska
The BLM Mission

The Bureau of Land Management sustains the health, diversity and productivity of the public lands for the 

use and enjoyment of present and future generations.

Cover Photo

Two muskox bulls in summer. BLM photo by the author. 

Author

Kyle Joly is a wildlife biologist at the BLM Fairbanks District Office in Fairbanks, Alaska. 

Disclaimer

The mention of trade names or commercial products in this report does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the federal government.

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www.blm.gov/ak/jrmic.
Seward Peninsula Muskox Census, 2005

Kyle Joly 

BLM-Alaska Open File Report 111

May 2007

U. S. Department of the Interior

Bureau of Land Management

Alaska State Office

222 W. 7th Ave., #13

Anchorage AK 99513

Contents

Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Figures

Figure 1. Current range of muskoxen in Alaska . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Figure 2. Seward Peninsula muskox census results, 2002 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Figure 3. Seward Peninsula muskox census results, 2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Figure 4. 2005 Seward Peninsula muskox census results, with topography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Figure 5. Seward Peninsula muskox census survey units for 2005. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Tables

Table 1. 2005 Composition Count Summarized . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Table 2. Results from the Seward Peninsula muskox censuses, 1992–2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Table 3. Composition surveys, 2002–2005 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Table 4. Results of previous muskox population estimates, 1970–1991 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

iii

1

BACKgROunD

Muskoxenlikelywere extirpatedinAlaska inthemidor late 1800s and may have disappeared hundreds of

years earlier from the Seward Peninsula . .Over-hunting

likely contributed to their demise in some areas . .By the

1920s,the global distribution ofmuskoxenwasreduced

to arctic Canada and East Greenland, where a high take

bywhalers, hide hunters, and locals continued . .Concern

over the impending extinction of the species worldwide led to a move to restore a protected population to

Alaska . . .In 1930, 34 muskoxen captured in East Greenland were brought to Fairbanks . .In 1935 and 1936, all .

survivors and their calves were transported from

Fairbanks to Nunivak Island and released . .Muskoxen

thrived on Nunivak Island and increased from 31 in

1936 to an estimated 750 by 1968 . .

Muskoxen from Nunivak Island provided stock

for relocating animals to formerly occupied ranges . .

The current range of muskoxen in Alaska (Figure 1)

comprises many of the locations where Nunivak Island

muskoxen were transplanted . .These locationsincluded

the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Cape Thompson,

the Seward Peninsula, Nelson Island, Wrangel Island,

and the Taimyr Peninsula in Russia .Thirty-six muskoxen were brought to the Feather River on the Seward

Peninsula in 1970 and an additional 35 in 1981 to

Brevig Mission .

Most of the transplanted animals quickly adapted

to their new surroundings and increased . .The Seward

Peninsula population has grown steadily from 1970

and was estimated at 2050 animals in 2002 (Figure 2) . .

Dispersal will be the primary method by which future

range expansion occurs . . Muskoxen have extended

their range to occupy suitable habitat throughout the

Seward Peninsula . .Herds are well established in Units

22C, 22D, 22E, 22B-West, and 23-SW (Figure 2) . .

Muskoxen continue to expand their range to the east,

with individuals and small groups being found in

Units22B-East,22A-North, along theTagagawikRiver .

and in the Purcell Mountains in Unit 23, along the

Yukon River near Ruby in Unit 21, and near Huslia

in Unit 24 .

The return of muskoxen to Alaska is a success story

in wildlife conservation . .However, the story holds an

important lesson . .Local villages were not part of the

planning process to reintroduce muskoxen and have

voiced their disappointment with that . .Muskoxen have

disturbed grave sites and become a nuisance in some

villages . .The primary defense strategy for muskoxen is

to stand their ground and face any threat . .This strategy

Figure 1. Current range of muskoxen in Alaska (courtesy of Alaska Department of

Fish & Game) .

(ADFG 1994, Machida 1997, Persons 2003)
Figure 2. Seward Peninsula muskox census results, 2002 (courtesy ADF&G). Black lines are GMU (game management unit)

boundaries; red lines are SU (survey unit) boundaries.
makes it difficult to scare off animals that wander too 

close to villages, airfields, or berry picking locations.

The Seward Peninsula Muskox Cooperators Group

was formed to help guide muskox management on

the Seward Peninsula and to avoid user conflicts. 

Member groups include the Bureau of Land Manage- .

ment (BLM), Alaska Department of Fish and Game

(ADF&G), National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Fish

and Wildlife Service (FWS), Bering Straits Native

Corporation, Kawerak Inc., Reindeer Herders

Association, Northwest Alaska Native Association,

residents of the Seward Peninsula, and representatives of other interested groups. The Seward Peninsula Cooperative Muskox Management Plan, finalized in 1994, outlined management goals developed .

by the Group. The first hunt, during which 15 bulls were 

harvested, occurred in 1995 and involved only subunits

22D, 22E, and 23SW.

One of the management goals highlighted in the plan

is to conduct a complete census of the entire Seward

Peninsula (GMU 22 [except 22A-South and portions

of the Nulato Hills that drain east] and the southwest

portion of GMU 23) every 2 years. This census has

been conducted in March and April by the cooperators

every 2 years from 1992 to 2002. It was decided then

to conduct the survey every 3 years because of expanding populations and a desire to reduce costs. The results

presented here are for the entire census cooperatively

conducted by numerous members of the group and

compiled by the ADF&G.

The data gathered by the effort are directly used to

manage muskox populations on the Seward Peninsula. 

The census data is used to determine the number ofmuskoxen that can be harvested in each subunit and how to

divide the permits between the state and federal agencies

to reach combined quotas. The state administers Tier II

hunts in Units 22B, 22C, 22D, 22E, and 23SW. Federal

subsistence huntsformuskoxen occurin Units 22B, 22D,

and 22E. The Northern Field Office [now renamed the 

Fairbanks District Office] administered the 22B hunt for 

the 2004–2005 season, duringwhich 2muskox bullswere .

taken (6 permits were available). The Anchorage Field .

Office took over management responsibilities for .

the Seward Peninsula starting October 1, 2005. This

Unit Groups Adults Yearlings Unclassified Total

22B 26 260 45 (15%) 21 326

22C 18 200 20 (9%) 0 220

22D 56 713 61 (8%) 22 796

22E 62 445 84 (16%) 334 863

23SW 15 133 29 (18%) 20 182

Total 177 1751 239 (12%) 397 2387

Table 1. 2005 census data summarized. (Percent yearlings is the number of yearlings devided

by the number of yearlings plus the number of adults.)

Year

Unit Annual

22B 22C 22D 22E 23 Total % Change

1992 3 49 340 180 134 706 -

1994 11 79 405 184 246 925 15.6

1996 51 87 308 327 178 951 1.3

1998 27 124 714 362 205 1432 25.3

2000 159 148 774 461 255 1797 12.7

2002 189 257 771 632 201 2050 7.0

2005 326 220 796 863 182 2387 5.5

Table 2. Results from the Seward Peninsula muskox censuses, 1992–2005.
included the federal muskox hunt in 22B that began in

August 2005. Seven permits were available for this hunt.

RESULTS

The overall estimate for the total number of musk- .

oxenontheSewardPeninsula in2005is 2387(Table1). 

This is a 16.4% increase since 2002, when 2050 musk- .

oxen were counted, representing an average annual

increase of 5.5% since 2002 (Table 2). The distribution

of muskox groups was similar to the distribution seen

in 2002 (Figures 2, 3 and 4). No muskoxen were found

in Sample Unit 19, which is to the east of the Seward

Peninsula in the Selawik Refuge (Figure 5).

Snow cover was complete in most parts of the census

area and sightability was generally very good. Patchy,

low cloud cover initially interfered with complete coverage of Sample Unit 3, but the area was resurveyed

when conditions improved and a few new groups were

discovered.

Following the muskox census, the ADF&G, in conjunction with the NPS, classified 495 (57%) of the 863 

muskoxen found in Unit 22E during the census by age

and sex (Table 3). They found 15% yearlings, 14%

2-year-olds, and 18% 3-year-olds with a surprising

number of 3-year-old cows. There were 33 yearlings:

100 cows. The bull : cow ratio dropped to 36 :100

Conclusion

The results of the 2005 Seward Peninsula Muskox Census were utilized at the Muskox Cooperators

Group meeting held June 20–21, 2005, in Nome. Although there was 16.4% increase in muskox numbers

since 2002, representing an average annual increase

of 5.5%, the dynamics of this population are more

complicated than this single metric. The annual rate

of population growth slowed dramatically in the last

decade, when it reached a high of 25.3% (Tables 2, 4). 

This reduction in growth rate has been steady since it

reached this peak between 1996 and 1998. The average growth rate from initial introduction (1970) until

2000 was 14%, but from 2000 to 2005 the growth

rate dropped to 7% (Persons 2005). The even slowerrate

Unit Year

#, %

Sampled Bulls Cows Yrlg

Bulls:100

Cows % Yrlg

Yrlg :100

Cows

22B

2002 178 (94%) 39 67 32 58 18 48

2004 236 (87%) 42 109 43 39 18 39

22C

2002 208 (81%) 49 70 40 70 19 57

2004 217 (84%) 70 81 21 86 10 26

22D 2002 454 (59%) 95 215 88 44 19 41

22E

2002 314 (50%) 57 116 57 49 18 49

2005 495 (57%) 83 230 77 36 15 33

23SW 2002 170 (88%) 33 72 22 46 13 31

(Persons 2005)

Year Estimate

Annual

% Change

1970 36 Initial introduction

1980 104 Second introduction

1983 175 22.8

1984 225 28.6

1985 271 20.4

1988 527 31.5

Table 4. Results of previous muskox population estimates, 1970–

1991.

Table 3. Composition surveys, 2002–2005.
of growth between 2002 and 2005 may be a signal that

the Seward Peninsula muskox population has reached

or is nearing a population plateau, at least in some subunits. Analysis of the trends within the subunits gives .

us a better understanding ofmuskox population dynamics on the Seward Peninsula.

Subunits 22B and 22E showed an annual increase

of 24% and 12%, respectively. However, subunit 22D

was fairly stable with an annual increase of just 1%. 

Muskox numbers actually declined in subunits 22Cand

23SW by 5% and 3% annually, respectively, from the

previous census. It is not known whether the declines

in these two subunits, and population stagnation in

22D, represent actual declines or emigration to other

subunits. Factors identified as possibly limiting muskox numbers in these subunits were reaching carrying

capacity, predation, adverse winter conditions, and

social-density dependent factors (Persons 2005). The

huge increase in muskox numbers in subunit 22B may

have been in part due to emigration from these three

othersubunits. Likewise, it is possible that the increase

in 22E may have involved emigration from 22D (Adkisson 2005) and 23SW (Persons 2005). Subunit 22E

is the only area in which the population has increased

during every census. Subunit 23SW is the only unit

to have less muskoxen in two consecutive censuses

(2000 to 2002 and 2002 to 2005).

Although composition surveys tend to underestimate bulls because they are found in smaller groups,

it is important to keep track of the bull: cow ratio to

determine if a trend toward lower bull: cow ratios is

beginning. There were fewer cows were taken in the

22E hunts than in past years, and local people suggest that a preference is developing for young bulls

(Persons 2005). Subunits 22B and 22E have had approximately 15% yearlings for the past 5 years and

have had expanding populations. Subunits 22Cand 22D

have shown just less than 10% yearlings and relatively

Figure 3. Seward Peninsula muskox census results, 2005 (courtesy of ADF&G).
stable populations. Composition counts can give man- .

agers a good tool to analyze muskox population

trajectories(the yearling: cow ratio); however,real-life

situations may be more complicated. There were 18%

yearlings in subunit 23SW, but the population showed

declines in both the 2002 and 2005 censuses. The

obvious implication is that muskoxen from subunit

23SW are emigrating to other subunits.

The Seward Peninsula Muskox Cooperators Group

Meeting was well attended and productive. Consensus

was reached on a number of items. The first was that 

the ADF&G should try to replace codified harvest quotas with codified harvest goals based on agreed-upon 

percentages. These percentagesrepresent themaximum

harvest level that ADF&G could allow. More liberal

harvest percentages would be presented to the group if

necessary. There was consensus to raise harvest rates

in some limited areas (e.g., 22D-SW). The group also

endorsed proxy/designated hunter regulations for

muskox. The ADF&G revealed data showing that only

about 50% of the allowable harvest is currently being

taken. The group then came to consensus on allowing

managersto change how the number of permitsis determined. Previously, 33% more permits than harvestable

musk-oxen were distributed; now themanagers can pass

out permits based on past harvest success rates. This

change may allow actual harvest to reach allowable

harvest. The largest regulatory change was that consensus was reached to allow changing the Tier II hunt

in 22E to a Tier I hunt. Permits would only be available in Wales and Shishmaref, and all subsistence

hunt regulations would still be in place (destruction of

trophy value and utilization of meat). These regulatory

changes would still have to be adopted by the Board

of Game to be enacted. Several of the participants

suggested that research needs to be conducted on the

habitat requirements of muskoxen and how that

would relate to carrying capacity. Finally, June 2007

was agreed upon for the next group meeting and March

2008 will be the next census.

Figure 4. 2005 Seward Peninsula muskox census results, with topography (courtesy ADF&G).
references

Adkisson, K. 2005. Personal communication.

Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 1994. Wildlife

Series Notebook: Muskox.

Machida, S. 1997. Muskox survey-inventory management report. Pages 16–20 in M. V. Hicks, editor. Annual

report of survey-inventory activities. Muskox. Alaska

Department of Fish and Game. Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Progress Report Grant W23-4, W23-5. 

Study 16.0. Juneau, Alaska.

Persons, K. 2003. Unit 22 muskox management report. 

Pages 13–42 in C. Healy, editor. Muskox management

report of survey and inventory activities 1 July 2000

–30 June 2002. Alaska Department of Fish and Game. 

Juneau, Alaska.

Persons, K. 2005. Seward Peninsula Muskox Cooperators Group Meeting. Nome, Alaska. June 20 and 21,

2005.

Figure 5. Seward Peninsula muskox census survey units for 2005 (courtesy ADF&G).