Yukon hunters harvested a record 177 woodland bison this past hunting season ending March 31.

Environment Yukon biologist Tom Jung said there were likely a number of factors leading to the largest harvest in the 15-year history of the hunt, including favourable winter weather conditions.

There was also the cancellation of the mid-winter break from Jan. 1 to Feb. 14 in some sections of the Aishihik herd’s core range, he pointed out.

Jung said the department also put out four maps indicating the general location of the bison to assist hunters.

Of the 177, 119 or 67 per cent were bulls and 58 were cows, he said.

Jung said the percentage of bulls harvested was larger than they see in most years.

The preference, he emphasized, is for a greater number of cows to be taken, as shooting cows is a more effective method of preventing growth in the Aishihik herd, which is already well above the target population of 1,000.

A census last summer estimated the herd at 1,470 animals, which has been reduced by the hunt to approximately 1,300 heading into the summer calving season.

Jung said they are not planning another census this year, though they will be conducting a post-calving composition analysis to estimate the number of calves born.

The previous high harvest was in the 2012-13 season, when 162 animals were killed.

March was by far the busiest month, with 73 bison harvested, representing 41 per cent of the total.

February was the next-busiest, with 29 animals shot.

Seven were shot to open up the roadside season last September, 13 were taken in October, 29 in November, 16 in December and 10 in January.

“Most of the activity happens in late February and March,” Jung said.

Environment Yukon sold 1,333 bison tags for the 2014-15 season.

The bison were introduced to the Aishihik area in the late 1980s and early 1990s from Alberta as part of a plan to diversify Canada’s woodland bison population which is classified worldwide as a threatened species.

While the original goal was to manage the herd at a ceiling of 500 animals, as the bison grew more weary with hunting pressure, they became more difficult to hunt and the population continued to mount.

A new population ceiling of 1,000 was established in 2011 by the technical team that provides bison management recommendations.