Mr. Hanbury, in another part of his book, mentions that on October 26, 1901, he hunted caribou near Baker lake, west of Chesterfield inlet. He writes:—“On looking out I could see deer in thousands away to the west. They seemed like small black stones in the distance, but with the glass their movements could be distinctly seen.”
Mr. Hanbury announces that he was informed by the Eskimo of Ogden bay that caribou are found on Kent peninsula, at Cape Barrow, and near the coast of Victoria Land, throughout the winter, but that none remained during that season between Cape Barrow and the Coppermine or near Ogden bay.
Mr. Warburton Pike (See p. [19]) in his book “The Barren Grounds of Northern Canada” makes frequent and interesting references to the caribou. He mentions that during his journey northward into the Barren Grounds from the eastern part of Great Slave lake, in the autumn of 1889, caribou were first met with on Lake Camsell, about seventy miles north of Great Slave lake, on September 15. The animals were then on their way south, and many were seen during the remainder of September as the party travelled northward.
Description of a Migration.
Mr. Pike encamped for the winter on the south shore of Mackay lake and while there witnessed the migration southward, which he thus describes:—“Scattered bands of caribou were almost always in sight from the top of the ridge behind the camp, and increased in numbers until the morning of October 20, when little Baptiste, who had gone for firewood, woke us up before daylight with the cry of ‘La Foule! La Foule!’ and even on the ledge we could hear the curious clatter made by a band of travelling caribou. La Foule had really come and during its passage of six days I was able to realize what an extraordinary number of these animals still roam in the Barren Ground. From the ridge we had a splendid view of the migration; all the south side of Mackay lake was alive with moving beasts, while the ice seemed to be dotted all over with black islands, and still away on the north shore, with the aid of the glasses, we could see them coming like regiments on the march. In every direction we could hear the grunting noise that the caribou always make when travelling; the snow was broken into broad roads, and I found it useless to try to estimate the number that passed within a few miles of our encampment. We were just on the western edge of their passage, and afterwards heard that a band of Dogribs, hunting some forty miles to the west, were at this very time in the last straits of starvation, only saving their lives by a hasty retreat into the woods, where they were lucky enough to kill sufficient meat to stave off disaster. . . . . The caribou, as is usually the case when they are in large numbers, were very tame, and on several occasions I found myself right in the middle of a band with a splendid chance to pick out any that seemed in good condition. . . . . This passage of the caribou is the most remarkable thing that I have ever seen in the course of many expeditions among the big game of America. The buffalo were for the most part killed out before my time, but, notwithstanding all the tall stories that are told of their numbers, I cannot believe that the herds on the prairie ever surpassed in size ‘La Foule’ of the caribou.”
No Danger of Starvation.
On his way north, the following spring, Mr. Pike first fell in with the caribou in June. In his book, “The Barren Grounds of Northern Canada”, referring to this event, Mr. Pike states:—“From this time, all through the summer, till we again reached Great Slave lake late in August, we had no difficulty about provisions; although there was many a time when we could not say where we might find our next meal, something always turned up, and we were never a single day without eating during the whole day. I really believe it is a mistake to try to carry enough food for a summer’s work in the Barren Grounds, as the difficulty of transport is so great, and after the caribou are once found there is no danger of starvation.
“We were now travelling with the bull caribou, which had just left the thick woods, and made easy marches from lake to lake in a northeast direction; the weather became cold again for the last time, and June 7 was like a bad winter’s day with a strong north wind and snowstorms. Then the summer came suddenly, and on June 11 we were obliged to camp on a high gravel ridge to await le grand dégel, which rendered travelling impossible, till the deep water had run off the ice.”
When descending Lockhart river on his way from Artillery lake to Great Slave lake, on his way back to civilization, Mr. Pike remarked “caribou walking the ridges and swimming the lakes in every direction.”
A Migration Near Artillery Lake.