Studies on the movement of the caribou indicate that the caribou migrate over an area that extends from the south of latitude 53° North to the very limits of northern Québec.

However, not all of the caribou belong to the same herd. They can be found in one of three large herds:

The George River Herd,
The Torngat Mountain Herd,
The Leaf River Herd.

The name of each herd usually comes from an important geographical element such as the George River. For the George River herd, this geographic entity designates its birthing ground that they frequent in June and July. It covers an area of around 30,000 km² near the George River between latitude 57° and 58° North.

According to different sources, the area of distribution of the George River herd covers an area of 700,000 km2 to 800,000 km2, which is equivalent to the size of France and part of Italy.

This region is characterized by its tundra where trees are rare and from where the Innu name Mushuau-nini comes, the “Land without Trees”. Moreover, the Innu nation called this territory Atiku-mitshuap, the “House of the Caribou”.

It was in the House of the Caribou that the Caribou Master (a powerful figure in local mythology) was hiding the caribou when he wanted to punish the hunters who had not shown enough respect towards them (Elton, 1942).

Société de la faune et des parcs
Gouvernement du Québec
http://www.fapaq.gouv.qc.ca/en/faune/caribou/index.htm

Map of caribou migration to follow…