BARREN-GROUND CARIBOU OF THE GEORGE RIVER HERD

Caribou are native to much of the tundra, forest and alpine areas of the Northern Hemisphere and are, simply put, “built for cold”.  Many caribou herds migrate each year between winter and summer ranges, sometimes covering huge, and unimaginable distances, in a relatively short period of time.

There are several species of the caribou family, or “rangifer tarandus”, as they are formally named. Caribou belong to the deer family, and as with other members of this family, they grow and shed antlers every year.  The caribou species, however, is unique in the fact that both sexes grow antlers. The barren-ground caribou are by far the largest in numbers and the George River Herd is by far the largest migration in the world.  The male barrenground caribou has the largest antlers of all other caribou in both length and width, providing outstanding trophy qualities and a big game hunting experience of a lifetime. Each year many clients of Labrador Hunting Safari return home with new entries in the Boone & Crockett, Pope &Young and Safari Club International Record books. The prized, high-sweeping, multi-tined racks of the barrenground caribou are much admired worldwide as they produce very impressive wall mounts.

The George River Herd has been estimated to consist of some 700,000 animals. The terrain in Labrador is dry and rocky, with rock surfaces covered in “lichen”, or “moss grass”, a staple of the barrenground caribou’s diet. The landscape offers many eskers and ridges, allowing you to get on higher ground for spotting and stalking. It also provides good ground cover and enables you to easily get within rifle and bow range.

Because of variations in the weather, not every year is exactly the same, however, there is a general pattern which has historically been followed by the George River Herd. Once the herd begins the annual migration from their calving grounds to the summer range, they can merge and travel in large groups, sometimes up to several thousand animals in a line. There is nothing more spectacular or awe-inspiring than to witness the movement of such a large group of these majestic and regal looking animals.

Once on the move, they can sometimes travel many miles per day, through valleys, over frozen lakes, along rivers and over ridges and mountains. Migration routes can vary from year to year, depending on the location of their wintering grounds. They are relentless in their pursuit of summer ranges, however, certain weather conditions, such as deep, soft snow can delay their travel, or cause them to retreat temporarily, in order to find food. They may spontaneously change, or reverse their direction of travel, altering the progress of the migration. The barren-ground caribou possess an extraordinarily keen sense of smell and fine hearing and have also demonstrated an innate ability to take stock of a dangerous situation and change routes to steer clear of danger. They are proficient swimmers and are equally agile, whether on land or in water. Whereas most of their body hair is hollow, it provides buoyancy as they swim across the many lakes and rivers they encounter along their journey.  The caribou herd can travel very fast at times, especially when cool, windy weather conditions are present and the harassment of biting insects is absent. On calm, warm days however, they can also become quite sedentary and have very little, to no movement at all.

  In August and September they are in their late summer range, amidst optimal feeding conditions and tend to spend longer amounts of time in one area. It is during this time that the caribou are fattening rapidly from the abundance of nutrient rich food available The calves have already grown to at least half the height of the adults. In late August the light to dark brown velvet covering of the male antlers begins to shred and fall off, turning them crimson red with blood. As the males rub and slash at shrubs and trees, the antler color changes from red to a light or dark brown. Usually by the end of September’s first week, the males are completely out of velvet. They begin to develop a white mane and a horizontal slash across the lower body, which will provide them with good camouflage in snow. The male is truly a magnificent sight at this time, with huge antlers and necks bulking up in preparation for the combat that will soon occur during the upcoming breeding season. The females are an impressive sight as well at this time. Their antlers have grown considerably by now, but unlike the males, they will remain in velvet into October. As September progresses the caribou begin to travel a bit more and groups of males and females begin to merge and unify, in anticipation of the mating season. The breeding period, commonly known as “the rut”, occurs in October, and once completed, the magnificent, highly prized male antlers start to fall off.  In natural progression, the time has come to once again begin the regimental, annual trek back to the winter range.  Persistent snow and harsh weather conditions may  at times force the herd to alter their migration route, influencing where they will winter. This in turn, will set the starting point for the spring migration route.

Labrador Hunting Safari conducts early to late fall caribou hunts only (August & September), as this is the peak period of the migration, when hunter success is at an optimum.  It is a time when the caribou meat is at its best tasting (prior to the rut), and the opportunity to harvest a trophy animal is at its highest. The official opening of caribou hunting season begins on August 10th and weekly bookings are accepted up to the end of September.  Labrador Hunting Safari has monitored the ever changing routes of the migrating herd over the years, and has established several, strategically placed camp locations along the migration route.  New locations are constantly being sought in order to adapt to any changes or alterations in the migration patterns. Our strong success rate can be attributed to the highly dedicated owner/operator, who, along with his experienced staff of guides and cooks, is seriously committed to providing you with a quality hunt. In addition, and with the exception of floatplane limitations only, Labrador Hunting Safari has no limits on where to hunt in Labrador. Sometimes mobility can be the key to a successful hunt and Labrador Hunting Safari is fully equipped to set up camp at any given location, should circumstances dictate at the time.  We also have the option of a reciprocal “co-hosting” of sorts with our border Province of Quebec, allowing both Quebec and Labrador outfitters access to the migrating herd in either province. In this situation however, a Quebec Big Game license would be required.

 In short, Labrador Hunting Safari will make every possible effort to ensure you receive the quality, successful hunting experience you deserve and to place you within close proximity of the migrating masses. Your success is our success!! Find out about Package Rates & Availability