As we write this in late September, the 2010 hunts for caribou in Quebec are winding down. As far as we can tell, it’s been pretty much business-as-usual for Quebec’s caribou outfitters this season, though there’s clearly been a decline in the number of outfitters offering caribou hunts and an equally steep decline in the number of hunters heading north since the heyday of caribou hunting a decade or more ago (more on this in a moment). Outfitters hunting the George River herd are reporting good numbers if not top quality trophies. Outfitters hunting the Leaf River herd had some trouble early on with a delayed migration, but seem to have been getting animals with good antler growth as the season progressed. If you want to see where the caribou have been recently, go to http://www.mrn.gouv.qc.ca/english/wildlife/maps-caribou/maps.jsp for downloadable maps of the recent position of collared animals within the herds.
It’s definitely NOT been business-as-usual across the border in Labrador. As E-mail Extra subscribers are already aware, all caribou hunting in Labrador has been suspended pending the final outcome of a 2010 census of the George River herd.....
