Barren Ground Caribou Hunting & Woodland
Caribou Hunting in Canada
Generally, the largest antlers of all species of
caribou are produced by the Barren Ground. Most
hunters start with the Barren Ground because they
can be found in herds and are generally hunted with
6-8 hunters in a camp. Barren Ground are popular
add-ons to mixed bag hunts.
are the largest members of the reindeer family
(Rangifer tarandus) and are native to the arctic
and sub-arctic regions of Siberia, North America
and Greenland. Reindeer, which are traditionally
herded in northern Europe and Eurasia, were introduced
into Alaska in 1892. Although some herding of
reindeer continues in Alaska today, many of the
introduced reindeer interbred with caribou. The
four caribou subspecies-barren ground, Peary's,
tundra and woodland-differ greatly in range, size,
coloration, behavior, food habits and habitat
The woodland caribou Rangifer tarandus caribou
is a large, dark caribou that is usually found
in small herds in (boreal) forests from British
Columbia to Newfoundland. Average weights are
180 kg for bulls and 135 kg for cows. In mountainous
areas of western Canada, woodland caribou make
seasonal movements from winter range in forested
valleys to summer range on high, alpine tundra.
Farther east, in the more level areas of boreal
forest, they may move only a few kilometres seasonally
from mature forest to open bogs. The George River
Herd, however, is an exception to this pattern
and makes extensive seasonal movements between
forested and tundra habitats in Quebec and Labrador.
This herd is currently estimated at over 500 000
animals and is the largest herd of caribou in
caribou became extinct in Prince Edward Island
before 1873 and in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia
by the 1920s. Today only a small, relic herd on
the Gaspé Peninsula remains of the maritime woodland
caribou population south and east of the St. Lawrence
River. This herd is considered threatened by COSEWIC.
Caribou have also been severely reduced on the
southern edge of their distribution across the
rest of Canada and exist only in small, scattered
herds from British Columbia to Quebec.
- BlueWaterBigGame.com & Canadian Wildlife
Territories - Northwest Territories, Nunavut,
Yukon, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario,
Quebec, and Newfoundland and Labrador.