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Quebec Changes Caribou Licensing to Support Herd Management

(posted February 05, 2016)

The Quebec Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks has announced changes in caribou hunting licensing in order to support continuing management of the Leaf River caribou herd. For the 2016-2017 hunting season, hunters will be allowed to take one caribou per hunting license. While they may purchase two licenses, their second caribou cannot exceed 40 cm (15.75 inches), essentially a management caribou (bull or cow). The Hunting Report learned of the change from Dominic Dugre of the Quebec Outfitters Federation at the Safari Club International convention in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In the past, caribou hunters in Quebec were allowed to take two mature caribou bulls with one hunting license. Due to continuing concerns over caribou numbers in the Leaf River herd, the ministry has implemented several closures and quota cuts over the last several years. In 2014 the ministry was going to limit the bag to one caribou, but instead chose to cut the quota.

A statement issued by the ministry on the latest changes says that the Leaf River caribou population was estimated at around 332,000 caribou in the fall of 2015, a decline of around 6.7% compared to the fall of 2014. "This decline can mainly be explained by the low survival rate of males. As a result, more restrictive measures will apply for sport hunting," says the ministry. The intention of the measure seems to be to encourage hunters to take only one trophy caribou, thus reducing the harvest.

The fee for licenses has not been finalized at this time, although the ministry initially passed a fee of $378CAD per license. The Quebec Outfitters Federation has requested the ministry lower the amount to about $225CAD. At this writing the Federation was awaiting confirmation of the amount and was confident the ministry would agree.

Hunters who booked caribou hunts prior to the ministry's announcement should contact their operator to discuss how the new restrictions and license fees will affect their hunts.

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