How to Cooperate and Co-exist Peacefully with Alaska’s Wolverines
Wolverines tend to get a bit of a bad wrap. These little guys are native to Alaska, and contrary to much lore surrounding them, are actually quite innocent. In fact, you may have never seen a wolverine even if you’ve been in Alaska for several years (or your whole life!). While it’s highly unlikely you’ll come across one of these little guys in your Fairbanks Alaska rental car, we still thought we’d debunk some myths.
Myth: Wolverines will attack
In all honesty, it’s improbable that a wolverine would attack you unless they feel threatened. They’re actually quite small creatures with thick bodies and short legs and would be hard pressed to attack a larger predator.
Wolverines are great at climbing trees and travelling long distances. This is all in the name of foraging for food for themselves and their families. While they have been known to kill moose, caribou, or Dall sheep, these require supreme circumstances and are quite uncommon. Generally, their food comes from carrion and smaller prey, such as voles and birds.
Wolverines habitat
Wolverines spend a majority of their adult lives travelling around looking for food, or else in their den with their families and litter. They will defend their food and territory from smaller predators. Unless you’re treading on their den and going near them in a threatening way while they eat, you’re safe. That being said, you still may want to see these beautiful creatures from the interior of your Fairbanks Alaska rental car to offer them a sense of safety.
You’ll recognize a den in the snow. It will be visibly a small hole in the snow, carved right in and stretching up to 60 yards in length (though, of course, you probably won’t be able to see that). Snow is needed for the wolverines to nurse their young and build their dens.
Studies have shown that dwindling snow patterns across the state of Alaska could be troubling for wolverines. Earlier melts have an impact on the safety and habitat of wolverines. This means that we need to be particularly careful when hunting and trapping these creatures.
Hunting and trapping wolverines
If you’re an experience hunter or trapper, then you understand that each species has its limitations. We can’t overhunt or trap, because that would cause the population to dwindle quicker than it can be replenished. The same goes for wolverines.
Wolverine fur is used to line coats and hoods. While this is partially because of its elegance and beauty, wolverine fur is also highly durable and incredibly frost-resistant. In colder climates, where the wind chill can freeze your face, wolverine fur can be an important resource in maintaining health and safety throughout the winter.
But it must be done properly. Unless you’re an experienced trapper with all of the proper legal documents, we’d highly dissuade you from taking your Fairbanks Alaska rental car out to track wolverines. Approximately 550 are hunted in Alaska every year.
If you do feel confident to try your hand at trapping wolverine, make sure to read into the regulations. Hunting regulations in Alaska can be found on the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website, here. You can find bagging limits, seasons, and information on where to find wolverine.
However, we’d also just like to encourage you to simply enjoy the sight of a wolverine if you happen to be lucky enough to see one in your Fairbanks Alaska rental car. These myth-inducing creatures are absolutely gorgeous and relatively harmless – particularly in comparison to the other wildlife we have in the area!
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