According to Charles Schweder, the Caribou do not move about much at
night; that seems to be their principal time for sleep. They exhibit a
definite tendency to pause and rest also toward the middle of the day.
Several instances have already been given of the animals resting at such
a time on frozen lakes and rivers: lakes southwest of Reindeer Lake,
March 18; lakes south of Lake Athabaska, April 16; Seal River, May 31;
Windy Bay, June 6 (mid-morning). Open hilltops are evidently sought
likewise for both nocturnal and mid-day rests: knoll by Windy River,
June 3; Josie’s Hill, June 20; ridge by Little River, August 24 (about 9
a.m.). (For details, see sections on _Winter range_, _Spring migration_,
and _Fall migration_.)
Although we noted a small band of Caribou passing through a thick and
extensive stand of spruce at dusk on October 2, Fred Schweder, Jr.,
remarked that they do not rest in such a place; they are safer from
Wolves in open areas. Charles Schweder reported about 50 Caribou, in
three slightly separated bands, appearing on the south side of Windy
River near Four-hill Creek during the evening of September 24, but not
making up their minds to cross; he thought they might have been scared
by Wolves. Possibly there was a similar explanation for the crossing of
the river at this point by large numbers of the animals during an
October night several years previously.
According to Fred Schweder, Jr., a day’s movement of Caribou past the
mouths of Little and Windy rivers during the fall migration generally
does not commence before 10 a.m. and ends about 3 p.m. The explanation
of such a phenomenon is none too obvious; and in any event, there were
exceptions enough, though the general statement may hold true for the
bulk of the migrants. As remarked in the section on _Spring migration_,
the daily periods when the Caribou crossed the ice of Windy Bay were
mainly from 10 to 11 a.m., from 2:30 to 5 p.m., and in the evening.
On August 27, about 5:50 p.m., a majority (say half a dozen) of a small
band of Caribou were lying down on a slope near the mouth of Little
River. They faced down wind to watch for enemies in that direction,
while their noses would warn them of any approaching from the opposite
direction. Their attitude was very much like that of Norway Reindeer
figured by Seton (1929, +3+: pls. 11, 15, 18).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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