Before the arrival of European firearms, hunting caribou required a great deal of skill and hard work. Several techniques were used and entire communities were often involved.

Hunting styles changed with the seasons and the caribou's migration patterns. In the spring, when the barren-ground caribou moved westward through the wooded areas between Great Bear and Great Slave Lakes, Dene hunters set snares and built drift fences to entrap them. The spear and the bow and arrow were used to bring the animals down. For very large numbers of caribou, a fence such as the one built at Fence Narrows might be used.

In the fall and winter, Dene hunters often simply stalked individual caribou, when deep snow hindered the caribou's speed. Again, spears and bows and arrows were used to hunt the animals. With the arrival of European explorers and fur traders came firearms and ammunition, items which would make hunting caribou far easier for the Dene.