Caribou Hunting in Newfoundland
The Newfoundland woodland caribou hunt is one of Canada's special resident opportunities. The Island's herds: from the Middle Ridge and Grey River animals of the south-central barrens to the Northern Peninsula herds: are hunted through a limited licence draw open to residents, with hunting concentrated in the late-September-to-November window when herds are on the barrens.
Licence numbers are conservative while herds recover, which makes a caribou licence a once-in-a-lifetime tag for many Newfoundland hunters. Season tables below quote the current Hunting and Trapping Guide with citations on every row.
Caribou hunting in Newfoundland: the basics
- Draw: resident caribou draw through the Wildlife Division: priority builds over years of applying.
- Season window: generally late September through November, with either-sex and bull-only licences by area.
- Where: the south-central barrens (Middle Ridge, Grey River), Buchans plateau, and Northern Peninsula zones.
- Non-resident caribou hunting on the Island is essentially closed: the Labrador hunt runs separately under outfitter allocation.
Caribou (Island of Newfoundland)
📋 Table column headed '2026 Season'. Bow hunting season begins August 29, 2026 in all CMAs, excluding 70, 71A, 71B, & 72 (no cross bows). Hunters advised against harvesting adult male caribou during the peak of the rut (generally the first three weeks of October). Totals: 30 either-sex + 362 male-only (resident), 222 non-resident, total 614 (+2 vs 2025-26). New for 2026-27 states 'a total quota of 614 caribou licences including 36 either sex and 578 male only' and that CMA 71A is now titled Grey Islands (Lower) and 71B Grey Islands (Upper). Quotas for some CMAs may change pending winter 2026 aerial census. Non-resident quotas provided to licenced outfitters and include promotional licences administered by the Department of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Recreation.
| Zone | Season | Bag / tag limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| CMA 61 Lapoile | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 38; Non-Resident: 27; Total: 65 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 38; Non-Resident quota: 27; Total quota: 65; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 62 Buchans | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 48; Non-Resident: 37; Total: 85 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 48; Non-Resident quota: 37; Total quota: 85; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 63 Grey River | CLOSED | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 0; Non-Resident: 0; Total: 0 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 0; Non-Resident quota: 0; Total quota: 0; quota change: 0. Area CLOSED for the 2026 season.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 64 Middle Ridge | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 188; Non-Resident: 82; Total: 270 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 188; Non-Resident quota: 82; Total quota: 270; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 65 Avalon Pen | CLOSED | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 0; Non-Resident: 0; Total: 0 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 0; Non-Resident quota: 0; Total quota: 0; quota change: 0. Area CLOSED for the 2026 season.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 66 Gaff Topsails | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 25; Non-Resident: 19; Total: 44 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 25; Non-Resident quota: 19; Total quota: 44; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 67 Pot Hill | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 16; Non-Resident: 14; Total: 30 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 16; Non-Resident quota: 14; Total quota: 30; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 68 Mount Peyton | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 10; Non-Resident: 5; Total: 15 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 10; Non-Resident quota: 5; Total quota: 15; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 69 Northern Pen | CLOSED | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 0; Non-Resident: 0; Total: 0 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 0; Non-Resident quota: 0; Total quota: 0; quota change: 0. Area CLOSED for the 2026 season.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 70 Merasheen | Sept. 19 – Oct. 4 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 25; Resident Male: 0; Non-Resident: 0; Total: 25 | Resident either-sex quota: 25; Resident male-only quota: 0; Non-Resident quota: 0; Total quota: 25; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 71A Lower Grey Island | Sept. 12 – Nov. 30 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 5; Resident Male: 0; Non-Resident: 0; Total: 5 | Resident either-sex quota: 5; Resident male-only quota: 0; Non-Resident quota: 0; Total quota: 5; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 71B Upper Grey Island | Sept. 12 – Nov 30 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 0; Non-Resident: 6; Total: 6 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 0; Non-Resident quota: 6; Total quota: 6; quota change: 2.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 72 Fogo Island | Sept. 12 – Oct. 11 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 4; Non-Resident: 0; Total: 4 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 4; Non-Resident quota: 0; Total quota: 4; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 76 St. Anthony | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 19; Non-Resident: 26; Total: 45 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 19; Non-Resident quota: 26; Total quota: 45; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 77 Cape Shore | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 10; Non-Resident: 0; Total: 10 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 10; Non-Resident quota: 0; Total quota: 10; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 78 Hampden Downs | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 2; Non-Resident: 3; Total: 5 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 2; Non-Resident quota: 3; Total quota: 5; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
| CMA 79 Adies Lake | Sept. 12 – Dec. 6 | Licence quota - Resident Either Sex: 0; Resident Male: 2; Non-Resident: 3; Total: 5 | Resident either-sex quota: 0; Resident male-only quota: 2; Non-Resident quota: 3; Total quota: 5; quota change: 0.Source: Hunting Seasons and Zones > Island > Caribou (web section; table 'Caribou Management Areas') |
Caribou (Labrador - George River herd and Boreal caribou)
📋 The guide's Caribou Conservation and Management page describes four nationally significant caribou groups (Newfoundland Island population ~27,115 in 2021; George River herd 8,600 in 2024; Torngat Mountains caribou 2,997 in 2024; Boreal caribou of southern Labrador <4,000). No open season is provided for any Labrador caribou population in the 2026-27 guide.
| Zone | Season | Bag / tag limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labrador (George River Caribou Herd) | No open season - hunting ban | n/a | 'In 2013, the department issued a hunting ban on the George River Caribou Herd in Labrador for conservation purposes.' The ban continues ('Maintaining the hunting ban... is essential at this critical point'). July 2024 population estimate: 8,600 animals.Source: Caribou Conservation and Management (web section) |
| Labrador (Boreal Caribou: Lac Joseph, Red Wine, Dominion Lake, Mealy Mountain, Joir River populations) | No open season - protected | n/a | Considered 'threatened' and protected under the Newfoundland and Labrador Endangered Species Act since July 2002; listed as 'threatened' under the federal Species at Risk Act since June 2003. No hunting season exists.Source: Caribou Conservation and Management (web section) |