Local meat market has Rabbit all year. Get it about twice a year. Big fan.
I see rabbit quite frequently in restaurants, but that’s mostly just in major cities.
I called the Captain Cook this afternoon and the Crow’s Nest hadn’t opened yet, but the person who answered the phone told me that venison is on the menu, but she didn’t know which species.
Caribou are big; males look like Clydesdales with chandeliers on their heads. I had a streamside encounter with one once that left me pretty shook.
Errrrm. So. Venison is deer, completely different from caribou/reindeer. The venison dish has been on the menu for a long time and it most definitely is not caribou.
And no, caribou aren’t big, nowhere near Clydesdales. You must be confusing them with Moose.
Reindeer/caribou are the size of deer.
Venison is deer meat and reindeers are deers…
I never ate venison there; when we used to go we ate king crab. Same with Simon.
No. Reindeer is a completely different species.
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Male Caribou are huge at the end of summer. Moose are huger and more terrifying in the wild because they are stupid. I’ve had up close and personal encounters with both, and brown bears.
No they are not. You are getting them confused with elk or moose. Reindeer are small. A grown man can easily wrestle a male reindeer.
I’m talking about Alaskan Caribou.
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Same exact thing. Caribou and reindeer are the same species.
Right. The males get very big in the summer/early fall.
Alaskan Caribou grow to more than twice the size of Finnish Reindeer according to my buddy, AI.
My family has history of about 1000 years of herding these animals. I know something about reindeer (or caribou).
You are getting them mixed up.
Finnish reindeer (domesticated subspecies of Rangifer tarandus) and Alaskan caribou (wild subspecies of the same species) differ in size, reflecting their environments and roles in human societies.
Finnish Reindeer:
• Size: Smaller and more compact than Alaskan caribou.
• Height: About 31–39 inches (80–100 cm) at the shoulder.
• Weight: Typically 130–260 lbs (60–120 kg), though well-fed individuals may be slightly heavier.
• Adaptations: Bred for strength, endurance, and cold resistance. Their smaller size makes them well-suited for human management in harsh northern environments.
Alaskan Caribou:
• Size: Larger and leaner, adapted for long-distance migration.
• Height: About 39–51 inches (100–130 cm) at the shoulder.
• Weight: Typically 180–400 lbs (80–180 kg), with males (bulls) at the upper range.
• Adaptations: Built for speed and efficiency, they cover vast distances in search of food across the tundra and boreal forests.
Key Differences:
• Finnish reindeer are generally smaller and more robust due to domestication and selective breeding.
• Alaskan caribou are larger and leaner, optimized for their migratory, wild lifestyle.
These differences highlight how domestication and environmental factors shape the physiology of animals within the same species.
30cm height difference. Think how small they are. Come on now.
I was standing on a riverbank with nothing in my hand but my rod (interpret that however you want) and a big male was snorting and pawing at me. I didn’t know whether it wanted to fight or fuck!
This was in Katmai National Park, where the wildlife is safe from hunters and grow large. I spent parts of 25 summers in and around Katmai. The Caribou grow to be big there.
Enough thread drift.
I admit, I might be more comfortable around them than most, but if a full-sized bull attacked me, I would laugh. I would grab it by its horns, wrestle it down and tell him to f off. They can’t do shit to you. Elk/moose are scary. Reindeer/caribou really are not. If they get too close, slap them.
There is nothing scary about them. They are dumb and really not that big. 130cm shoulder is a huge bull, and that’s like the height below your shoulders. And all they can do is wave their heads.
As context, my family background is mostly reindeer herders from Lapland. I grew up spending a lot of time around reindeer. That’s why when I hear people say they are scary, it makes me giggle a bit, because to me they really are not.
Moose scare me the most. We were in Katmai during Sockeye spawning season, so the bears were fat and happy. Moose are always angry. And stupid.
The Caribou encounter was unique because it was a lone male and he was agitated. I’m 5’6” and that Caribou towered over me (including its chandelier).
I would have gone over and punched it to calm him down. During rut they can get a bit aggressive, a good punch in the face calms them down.
They aren’t very strong if you wrestle them, no matter the height. An average man can grab them and calm them down with no trouble.
Wild Alaskan caribou? I don’t think so. Had a near encounter in Denali backpacking. We were about to descend off a ridge and deciding which way to go. Caribou went right ran by my friend, almost go hit with the rack.
Bears are bigger in Alaska too, in case you were wondering. Almost crossed between a mother and her two cubs. Same group that chased some newlyweds off the ridge at diner.
I spend a few months per year in Alaska. I am somewhat familiar with the wildlife there.
In case you were wondering.
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