Leaf River and George River Herds

[YellCoAR]

I have been trying to find any current information on the conditions of the caribou herds in North East Canada. I am not finding anything.
Does anyone know of any publications or information I could get. Back in the late 80's I backed out on taking a hunting trip there. I was worried about the cost as I had a young family. This was the biggest mistake of my life. Round trip leaving from Little Rock, AR including everything with 2 tags would have been $2,300.00. If you know of any information list it here or pm me. Thanks

 

[medvedyt]

well i guided there for both herds and i do think you will not hunt them in your lifetime:

last official count george river herd for 7 200 in july 2022. july 2020 was 8 100 and 2018 5 500 ... peak was 823 000 in 1993.


for the leaf river 2017 187 000 2022 168 000 peak was in 2001 and 650 000.

numbers are dropping and hunting has been banned but the harvest continue for some and will lead to the extinction.

i will not go on the reasons why the population are declining but i will say that for many years counting was done by outfitters and they had no interests in reducing the harvest nor the quottas given to them.

weather changes, big reservoir, diseases, no control on predators (mostly bear and wolves), over hunting you get the picture.

one of the best time in my life as a hunter and a guide. you have to believe in seeing on the opening day on a ridge or small mountain and all the hunters of our camp tagged out before 8am in august ... 10 000 caribous moving that was insane. as a resident hunter i was able to harvest 8 caribous in total for fall and winter season ...

most of the information found now are only in french and if you want some links let me know.

 

[YellCoAR]

Thanks for the reply. You answered my main question. "I do think you will not hunt them in your life time".
I was hoping for a rebound. I should of took the risk and spent the money. Great example of don't wait for a better time.

 

[MallardMaster]

I do find this fascinating stuff. I harken back to the days when you would go to the shows and see the booths for Safari Nordiq, Explo Sylvia, Jack Hume Adventures, etc. advertising these hunts. It was such a cool deal to see these heads on the early tv shows roaming across the Quebec tundra. Was always something that I wanted to experience once I became an adult, but sadly things have changed.

 

[bowuntr]

I missed out too... I thought 3k was expensive for an adventure... Ed F

 

[Trial153]

I was lucky enough to bowhunt both those herds three different times, the last time was the year it closed for good in 2017. I doubt it Reopens in my life time, but one can hope. I have buddy I text with to weekly who flys daily in the areas the herds traditionally lived and migrated too. He says the George river herd is functionally extinct at this point. The leaf is still somewhat viable but a fraction of what it used to be.
This is the last Caribou I killed in Quebec.

 

[eaglemountainman]

Glad I went when I did in 2000. One of the best hunting adventures I've been on. I believe the cost was $3,400 Montreal to Montreal including airfares, overnite in Kuujjuaq and 2 tags.
So sad what a major role greed played in this, though not surprising.

 

[2531usmc]

Interesting that the OP mentioned that he could not find much info on the herd’s decline.

I hunted with Jack Hume maybe 17 or so years ago, paid $3000 for my first guided hunt and took two bulls and saw hundreds more. Hunted on the Pons River camp. Adventure of a lifetime.

but over the years I’ve tried to keep track of the herds as they declined and never came across a “real” reason. Lots of possibilities and lots of herd data analysis, but nobody (it seems) has come online and says “this is why the herds declined and why they declined so rapidly”

 

[Trial153]

Pretty simple, they ate the tundra faster than the tundra could regrow.
When Calf recruitment was less than over all mortality, you have rapid declines in population

 

[eaglemountainman]

Pretty simple, they ate the tundra faster than the tundra could regrow.
When Calf recruitment was less than over all mortality, you have rapid declines in population

Agreed.
But greed and exploitation from many angles also played a huge part.

 

[wildwilderness]

I should have gone in 2017 but thought the price was too high when outfits raised the last minute price. Who knows if it will ever come back for non-res hunters

 

[butcherboy]

I went in 2008 with Ungava Adventures. Awesome camp, great guides and all were from Newbrunswick and hated the French Canadians! hunting was not great however. 3 of us all got our three Caribou. 3 bulls and 3 cows. Saw about 5-10 per day so the migration hadn’t come through yet. Outfitter only had 3 camps open at the time but had about 10-15 different camps. The ole’ outfitter promise of moving you to the herd was promised but they never did unless you were filming a TV show. Fishing was a lot more fun than the hunting was. Wish I would have went with Jack Hume instead.

My idea of why the hunting stopped has different reasons. Political to appease the First Nations and a lot of wanton waste because of subsistence hunting.

 

[GeorgeShaw]

I joined this forum recently for research on a future moose hunt, but am visiting the caribou threads to stir some great, but now sad memories. Money never being in great supply, I would attend shows and dream of big game hunts I couldn't afford. Caribou was one of the least expensive, and I figure I'd do it later while I saved for bigger hunts. Fast forward from the 80's to the early 2000's, 5 children and prices climbing. I spent money our family really didn't have, $3495 for a "European Plan" hunt through Club Chambeaux, Michelle Guy was the broker. No guide, no cook, bring your own food, all gear and food under 100lbs. Drove from Ohio to Montreal, fly to Schefferville, buy the license from a beautiful young woman Ms Nadeau, eat at The Caribou Bar, stay overnight, an fly a day late to camp 25 to hunt the George River herd. The hunters I met coming out were mad, no one got anything. It sunk in that because I paid less, I'm being put in a camp on the fringes. Why would the give me the same chance as the people who paid more for guides? Made sense now, I was nervous. I couldn't imagine spending money from our household, and coming back with nothing. I had even spent time with a local taxidermist learning how to preserve a cape. I was hunting alone, but they placed 6 elderly hunters who came as a group, paying extra money to bring enough food for an army. A deal was made, they'd feed me if I packed out for them. All week we worked hard finding one, maybe two at a time. I shot a small bull, spent a day caping it, a cow the next day. I would gladly give them back if it would have saved them.

 

[VernAK]

Caribou herds around the world are suffering. The cause of most declines is not obvious, but history indicates recovery may take 2-4 decades or more and predator control may help.

 

[eaglemountainman]

In the case of the Leaf River and George River herds, it may be part of a natural cycle, but I'm certain that greed, on the part of many different factions, was a major contributor in their decline.

 

[medvedyt]

In the case of the Leaf River and George River herds, it may be part of a natural cy

Caribou herds around the world are suffering. The cause of most declines is not obvious, but history indicates recovery may take 2-4 decades or more and predator control may help.

cle, but I'm certain that greed, on the part of many different factions, was a major contributor in their decline.

what i can say is that not only greed but no real control on the part of harvesting killing from all plus the big introductions of those reservoirs to produce electricity changed the migrations routes, no predator control (wolves only can be killed by 1st nations) and the cycle now more a 50 to 100 years with a lack of knowledge of the cycle did not help.
now the climate change may affect as well but some herds are growing at least in the yukon and to some point in alaska but predator control needs to be set up again. we re getting more mule deer and that is not helping caribou for sure.

i ve seen moose moving farther north in quebec where the caribous were nature never stay empty