Travis your statement about caribou herds declining is not proved by your link, 82% calf survival is an indication of an extremely healthy herd, also unit 13 caribou, the most heavily sought after herd in the state is considered to be above carrying capacity and needing to be reduced.
Christine there are always haters out there, many in Alaska rely on caribou meat and don't think your story is out of the ordinary.
Numbers of many animals in our "simple" environment vary, snowshoe hares, lynx are classic examples, I saw one fall a freezing rain on bare ground that killed off almost all of the red backed voles, the first year I hunted moose I only saw 1 yearling cow being chased by a grizz. Things have improved since then and thank goodness for the ADF+G for doing their best for the hunters and herds.