Buffalo Migrations In The Canadian Plains

Abstract

AbstractThis paper examines the seasonal movements of buffalo in the Canadian Plains during the furtrade period. Using the primary accounts of fur traders and missionaries, it demonstrates thata regular migration into the parkland in winter, and back onto the prairie in spring and summer, was characteristic of buffalo movements in the region. The migration into the parkland in winter was initiated by the need for shelter. The specific temporal and spatial manifestations ofthis general movement, however, were conditioned from year to year by a variety of factors whose effects were largely predictable to both the aboriginal and non-aboriginal residents of the region. Most important among these factors were winter mild spells, heavy snow, hunting pressures and fires.