Quebec Caribou herd
Caribou
Not sure if this has been discussed yet. I hunted caribou about 15 years ago in Quebec they were plentiful at the time. As almost everyone already knows caribou hunting in Quebec has been closed do to rapid decline to heard size. So with being curious I decided to do some research. This is what I came up with some of the press would like us to believe that it’s loss of habitat and over hunting. So I researched further and here is what I have found. Caribou have a long history of hearts growing to great number then plummeting quickly to very small numbers. I read some stories from a couple different wildlife biologists. Who’s names I can’t remember here’s my opinion according to what I have read. The caribou herd grown to such great numbers that they actually eat them selves out of house and home. IE they out grow the carrying capacity of there range and starve to death. MY belief is that under hunting has caused the herd numpers to plunge the way they historically have. Does anyone know if they have or if there are plans to research what the carrying capacity of the caribou range and hunt the herd to keep it at its capacity. Just my thoughts what are yours?
My thoughts are this is a political crime. There were less than 600 sport hunters the last season and bull take reduced to one per hunter. If all those guys tagged out it is still irrelevant to the herd dynamics. A crock. ..................an absolute travashamockery
Its over guys. The Fat Lady has sung. Sadly. Rory
Don't be surprised to see caribou open again, but it will be under Indigenous ownership and direction. Our current federal government and several provincial governments cannot give the indigenous people enough. In Canada they are known as First Nations and there are just over six hundred separate "Nations" within Canada. When chiefs yell, politicians of all stripes tremble, wring their hands and start promising.
Remember that BC canceled the grizzly hunt? Well, two Nations that essentially control the northwest corner of BC have announced that they will still hunt grizzlies. Courts have decided that Indians can hunt for sustenance and that includes trading with can be construed as selling, under a band authorization. They have declared that they will manage grizzlies. The provincial government just looked at their feet and mumbled about their undying support for First Nation's sovereignty.
I believe that our BC government (with full support of the Fed) would love to hand the entire management of wildlife and hunting over to local bands. And they have good headway toward that end.
And caribou? Well there is still enough for local "nations" to sell meat on facebook.
Ambush, throw in the Metis here in Manitoba where we now have 160,000 new subsistence hunters with "treaty" cards. When The Northwest Territories wanted to split, Nunivit wanted to commercially harvest the caribou and sell them to Greenland which had killed off or lost most of their own caribou. Here in Manitoba now, we have "wildlife managers" they call themselves, wondering where all the caribou are along with our moose and elk. My rant for this week.....
A few months ago, Ethic Magazine had an article regarding the sharp decline in the Quebec Caribou herds. The largest Quebec herd had an estimated population of 600,000 in the 1990s and today the size of the herd is approx. 12,000. Another herd had an estimated population of 200,000 in the 1990s and today it numbers approx. 68,000. There is a study underway to determine, if possible, what has caused such a huge decline.
I have hunted Quebec caribou on a few occasions and hunting pressure certainly can't be a factor to the decline-- logistically it is just too difficult to get many hunters into Quebec's interior and the weather limits access as well. According to the article, wolves, food sources and disease will be part of the study.
Butch
I agree politics at play here. But, don’t forget the winter hunts, Oct - Feb., that you could drive a motor vehicle to, via James Bay highway and transaigia highway. They did take a toll on the herds. Mirage Outfitters alone took on 3000 - 4000 hunters each winter, and they were only one of many outfitters offering winter hunts along the La Grande River, between Radission and the Caniapisca Resevoir. Mirage’s main lodge at LG 4 on the caribou wintering grounds could accommodate 150 - 200 hunters per week. Winter hunts lasted 20 weeks , do the math ? I hunted with Mirage on there fall hunt early Sept. 2003. The owner told me they killed 6400 caribou during the previous winters hunt.
I know of hunters from my area that went on these winter hunts and booked with one of the First Nation outfitters there. One hunter told me he shot 14 caribou, and the First Nation outfitter took the 12 he didn’t want. So I believe over hunting could be one of the factors.
I had never heard of those winter hunts, wow!
Canada's politicians vow to bring in 1,000,000 migrants...
and the caribou herd is plummeting.......Coincidence? /grin
Side observation.....I did a DIY type bear hunt a few years back in Ontario. I ran into some of the local guys in the bush who were native and we talked for a while and did some swapping. The one guy told me Ontario had recently (at that time) did a large purge of their native rolls. Apparently alot of folks were claiming native and getting native bennies but when the govt did an audit of the native rolls....many did not qualify for native status and those not eligible were kick off native status.
