PROTECTING BEVERLY AND QAMANIRJUAQ CARIBOU
AND CARIBOU RANGE

Annual Life Cycle Periods for Beverly and Qamanirjuaq Caribou

Life cycle period	Dates	Remarks on timing and location
Spring migration¹	16 Mar - 25 May	May be delayed if snow is deep. Timing depends on distance travelled. Route taken depends on winter distribution.
Calving	26 May - 25 Jun	Condition of cows affects timing. Most calves are born between 5 and 15 June. The same general area is used for calving each year, but the specific place where calves are born varies from year-to-year.
Post-calving	26 Jun - 31 Jul	Animals gather in large groups to reduce harassment by mosquitoes on calm days. Habitat used for escaping insects (sand, gravel, hills, lakeshore) is important. The post-calving period ends when caribou migrate south to near tree line
Late summer	1 Aug - 15 Sep	Groups break up when harassment by mosquitoes decreases and that by warble flies and nose bots increases. Caribou begin to regroup in late August and September. Little is known about movement patterns.
Fall migration and rut	16 Sep - 31 Oct	Migration timing is influenced by weather, particularly early snowfall and ice formation. Rut occurs in late October.
Early winter	1 Nov - 31 Dec	Rapid movements occur in some years. Animals generally move away from areas with deep snow.
Late winter	1 Jan - 15 Mar	Forest-dwelling caribou generally stay in areas where snow is 40 - 60 cm deep. Movements decrease as snow deepens. Caribou wintering on tundra seek range where the snow is relatively shallow, such as on the tops of hills.

¹ Migration of adult males occurs from April to June, about 1 month after other caribou in the herd migrate.