Leaf River
- Range: 663,810 km2
- Herd size (2025): 136,000, a drop from 175,000 in 2024, and over 600,000 in the early 2000s.
The migration of the Leaf River subpopulation is approximately 1000 km, one of the longest known for caribou. The herd moves between the southwest and northeast of the Ungava Peninsula in Nunavik (northern Quebec) in the spring and fall.
A thriving sport-hunting business was once attached to this herd, but the sport hunt ended in 2018. The herd was also hunted commercially between 1994 and 2002.
Inuit communities have suggested that muskoxen displace the caribou from some sectors.
The Quebec government has attempted to protect the calving area of the herd with a legal designation that prohibits any human activity that may negatively affect caribou habitat between May 15th and July 15th. However, the area protected does not always coincide with the area being used for calving.
Th Grand Council of the Crees has posted information on its website that says, "Habitat disturbance and the 2023 wildfires have significantly impacted caribou habitat in Nunavik and Eeyou Istchee, exacerbating the effects of hydroelectric reservoirs and reducing winter range quality and availability. Since 2018, the Leaf River herd has shifted its winter range further south, with the 2023-2024 range extending southeast beyond previously recorded locations. "
Hunting of the herd by Innu was voluntarily halted in 2025. Most hunting of the herd is done by Cree communities in Quebec. In early 2026, the Cree Nation Government called for a pause on all hunting of the herd.
Related news
Caribou decline forces difficult cultural choices
A 2'11" news story about the discussion of a hunting moratorium for the Leaf River herd in northern Quebec. The herd crosses Cree, Naskapi and Inuit traditional territory. It has declined by 75% in the past 25 years.
10 April 2026 | cbc
Leaf River caribou decline sparks urgent talks among Indigenous leaders, Quebec officials
A story about the call for a moratorium on hunting the declining Leaf River caribou herd in Quebec. Cree leaders in Eyou istchee in Northern Quebec have already asked their own people to voluntarily stop hunting the herd. A spokersperson for Inuit in northern Quebec is quoted saying he wants to mantain some level of harvest for food security. The Quebec Ministry of Environment which would be responsible for declaring and enforcing a hunting moratorium has received the call for a moratoriium from the Cree but has not yet decided if it will take action.
1 April 2026 | cbc news
Cree leadership urges halt to caribou hunting as numbers fall
Following confirmation of a further decline of the Leaf River caribou herd (136,000 in 2025, down from 175,000 in 2024) the Cree Nation Government in northern Quebec is calling for a halt in hunting the herd. The Cree in the region are the primary hunters of Leaf River caribou. The story cites evidence that female caribou in the herd are underweight, a warning sign for successful reproduction. The neighboring George River herd almost completely collapsed in the past few years.
17 January 2026 | cbc news
Innu Nation forum slams Quebec government for inaction to protect caribou
The story discusses the frustration of the Innu with the government of Quebec over inaction on caribou protection. Both woodland and eastern migratory caribou (George River and Leaf River herds) are mentioned. The news follows a special two-day meeting on caribou convened by the Innu Nation. A spokesperson for the Innu says that the reaction of the province to caribou declines has been discussion and study but "nothing happens". The story notes that the Innu plan to hold another meeting in January to try to decide what action to take.
12 December 2025 | APTN
Ottawa slow to protect migratory caribou
A story (original in French) that focuses on the George River and Leaf River eastern migratory caribou herds. the two herds have suffered major declines in recent years. In April 2017, the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) recommended to the federal government that the herds should both be classified as 'endgangered' which would trigger a recovery plan under the Species at Risk Act. The designation of the caribou herds is still waiting for federal government action, and there is no timeline for the decision.
28 October 2024 | Le Devoir
Nearly $4.8 million to track migratory caribou in the context of climate change
A news release announcing multi-million dollar funding that will sponsor a project to research migratory caribou on the Ungava peninsula in Nunavik (Quebec). The "Caribou Ungava" project has been active since 2009; the new funding will take it to 2029. The project is to focus on five main areas of research:
1) the dynamics and connectivity of migratory caribou populations with forest and mountain caribou populations;
2) mitigation of the impacts of territorial development;
3) determinants of habitat use and change;
4) health indicators of caribou and their boreal and northern competitors;
5) the ecology of black bear and musk ox interacting with migratory and expanding caribou on the Ungava Peninsula.
10 May 2024 | laval university
Quebec Cree and Innu leaders agree to reduce caribou harvest after summer wildfires
Cree and Innu leaders are reducing the number of caribou that Innu hunters can harvest from the Leaf River herd on Cree lands to 50, from a previously agreed figure of 300. The reduction is due to concerns about the impacts of recent forest fires in the herd's range. "...we must offer the caribou the opportunity to recover and adapt, especially amid growing climate challenges." said Chief Daisy House, of the Cree community of Chisasibi.The Leaf River herd numbers about 190,000 animals, down from imore than 600,000 in 2000.
26 January 2024 | cbc north
Sharing the Bounty
A news story discussing the "Traditional Mutual Understanding" between Cree and Innu First Nations giving Innu hunters permission to harvest up to 300 caribou from the Leaf River herd on Cree territory this winter. The story outines some of the protocols to be followed in the hunt.
23 February 2022 | Toronto Star
Cree and Innu sign agreement over caribou harvest in Cree territory
A news story about the agreement between Cree and Innu First Nations allowing Innu communities to hunt caribou on Cree territory. The Innu communities can take 2300 caribou this year under the terms of the agreement. the caribou come from the Leaf River herd. The George River herd on which the Innu communities had previously relied is at only one percent of it's peak recoreded population in 1990, and hunting the herd is banned. "For us, this community hunt will not only meet a need for our Elders' food security, but also perpetuate a sharing relationship that dates back to time immemorial," said Chief Mike McKenzie, Chief of the Innu community of Uashat Mak Mani-utenam and spokesperson for the nine Innu communities.
31 January 2022 | CBC North
Wild Cam: Camera collars reveal caribou survival rates in Quebec
This blog post talks about a study of calf survival rates in the Leaf River herd in northern Quebec. The study found 67% of cales made it through from spring to fall. The study used camera collars, and the post has a couple of brief videos embedded.
10 August 2021 | The Wildlife Society
Innu caribou hunt sparks debate over territorial and hunting rights in Quebec
A 2:32 video story about an Innu hunt of the the Leaf River Caribou herd in northern Quebec. Other First Nations question the right of the Innu to hunt caribou in this region, although they don't seem to question the sustainability of the hunt.
18 February 2021 | APTN
Nunavik pushes for its right to manage and harvest region’s caribou
The organization that represents Inuit in Nunavik (Northern Quebec) is working on an Inuit-led management plan for caribou in the region. They are concerned that the province does not recognize the priority of Inuit in hunting the caribou, and that federal government conservation planning does not distingush between the three herds in Nunavik. The herds in question (George River, Leaf River and Torngat Mountain) are all classified as Eastern Migratory Caribou.
21 July 2020 | Nunatsiaq News
Researchers watching the balance between Nunavik’s wolves and caribou
The Quebec government is responding to reports of increasing wolf predation on the Leaf River herd by satellite collaring wolves to track their level of caribou predation. The story also mentions that the provincial government is working on a management plan for the Leaf River herd.
26 May 2020 | Nunatsiaq News
Population monitoring: Leaf River migratory caribou herd
The Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (MFFP) has released updated population information on the Leaf River migratory caribou herd. As of November 2018, the data show that the population is still declining.
13 December 2018 | CNW Quebec
Related resources
The Naskapi Nation is committed to strengthening collaboration with our neighboring Nations and adopting a community hunting law
A news release from the Naskapi Nation (a First Nation located in northern Quebec) admitting that some community members killed endangered woodland caribou while believing that they were targeting the Leaf River caribou herd. The release says that First Nation will be "...promptly adopting a comprehensive Naskapi law to be developed in consultation with our members, which will include existing and new enforceable procedures and protocols applicable to any future community hunt." The Naskapi traditionally hunted the George River herd, but have voluntarily stopped doing so after the herd's steep decline in numbers.
(2025)
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Eastern MigratoryGeorge RiverLeaf RiverManaging huntingHuntingSentinel North: the wealth of improbable encounters
A web story about a collaboration to improve the data collected by collars on migratory caribou. Two professors at Laval university have collaborated to create a collar that is intended to measure the animal's position, the temperature, and provide information on habitat, forage, the abundance of biting insects, cloud cover, wind strength, and snow depth. The first fiften collars are scheduled to be deployed in the winter of 2027.
(2025)
CARIBOU UPDATE: PRELIMINARY REPORT ON THE LEAF RIVER HERD
This update on the Leaf River Caribou herd is contained in Eeyou Eenou, a newsletter produced by Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) / Cree Nation Government. It includes new estimates of the herd size (down to 155,00). It says flooding from hydro developments, widlfires, and industrial impacts have degraded the food available in the herd's range, and have resulted in shifting migration patterns. It notes voluntary reduction in harvest by Cree and Innu communities, and calls for reliable harvest monitoring.
(2025)
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Eastern MigratoryLeaf RiverManaging huntingRange managementHuman disturbanceNatural factorsHuntingMorphological Traits Are Not Consistently Related to Population Size in Four Migratory Caribou Populations Across North America
Can physical appearances of caribou be used to infer population health? That was a question asked by authors of this academic paper who looked at body mass, body fat, and hind foot length in four caribou herds (Porcupine, Beverly, Leaf River and George River) and tried to see if there was a connection between those indicators and herd size or trend. The paper found that those physical indicators were not sufficient to accurately assess herd numbers or trends.
(2024)
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PorcupineBeverly and QaminirjuaqEastern MigratoryBarren-groundGeorge RiverLeaf RiverRange managementAboutEvidence of migratory coupling between grey wolves and migratory caribou
An academic paper examining movement of wolves following caribou herds in Northern Quebec.
(2023)
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Barren-groundLeaf RiverManaging predatorsNatural factorsArctic Caribou Contaminants Synopsis Report 2021-22
This is a synopsis of work done under the Northern Contaminants Program to assess levels of contaminants in northern caribou herds in 2021 and 2022. In this period caribou were sampled from the Porcupine and Leaf River herds and in the south Baffin region
(2023)
contaminants in Arctic caribou synopsis report 2023
This report describes work to measure contaminants in the Porcupine and Qamanirjuaq caribou herds in 2023, but also refers to results obtained from sampling the Leaf River herd and caribou from the south Baffin. Levels of most contaminants in the caribou sampled were not of concern with the possible exception of mercury and cadmium levels in the caribou kidneys. The report also suggest harvesting caribou for sampling with copper bullets to avoid contamination of samples by ammunition used.
(2023)
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PorcupineBeverly and QaminirjuaqBaffin IslandLeaf RiverContaminantsReport to the Hunters of the Leaf River Caribou March 2023
This two-page report details the results of contaminant sampling information from the Leaf River caribou herd. Fifteen caribou sampled were tested for levels of contaminants such as mercury, cadmium and PFOS (perfluorooctanesulfonic acid, a chemical used to repel stains). the report also includes some general lessons learned about studying contaminants in northern caribou.
(2023)
Honouring the ways of our ancestors, the Cree and Innu Nations sign a traditional understanding built from the customary values of sharing, sustainable harvest and respect for the caribou
This 3 page news release outlines the terms of an agreement between the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee (James Bay region of Northern Quebec) and the Innu Nation of Québec on sharing caribou resources in the region. The release notes, "In the last decade, the many Indigenous nations that depend on caribou for their food security and the preservation of their culture have been significantly impacted by the decline of caribou populations, especially those depending on the George River herd - last estimated in 2020 to have dropped to 8,100 animals." The agreement gives the nine Innu communities access to caribou in Cree territory, up to 300 animals in 2021-22.
(2022)
"You can never replace the caribou": Inuit Experiences of Ecological Grief from Caribou Declines
A 59-page academic paper on the effects of caribou declines on Inuit in Nunatsiavut and NunatuKavut (Labrador). The paper discusses their grief and cultural loss.
American Imago, Volume 77, Number 1, Spring 2020, pp. 31-59 (2020)
Where to spend the winter? The role of intraspecific competition and climate in determining the selection of wintering areas by migratory caribou
A 2019 academic paper on the effects of competition between different caribou herds in choosing winter ranges. The paper focuses on the George River and Leaf River herds.
(2019)
Maps of the Leaf River Herd Migration
This site has monthly maps of the migration of the Leaf River herd for 2017-2018.
Government of Quebec (2018)
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Leaf RiverHuman disturbance effects and cumulative habitat loss in endangered migratory caribou
A 2018 academic paper to assess the effects of human disturbance on barren-ground caribou herds. This study focuses on the Leaf River and George River herds in northern Quebec and Labrador. The paper finds caribou do avoid human disturbance but makes no findings on the impacts to the health of the two herds
Université Laval (2018)
Biological status report of migratory caribou, Leaf River herd
A lengthy 2016 government of Quebec report on the Leaf River herd
Government of Quebec (2016)
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Leaf River