In the fall, the group divided into small units that did not contain more than 30 people. The reason was simple: each family had a hunting area of approximately 1,000 square kilometers; a larger group would not survive on a hunting area of that size. These groups included family members; a grandfather, a grandmother, their children, spouses and grandchildren. When warm weather returned and the snow melted, ice on the waters broke, then the cycle would continue and families would move to summer camps.
Territory was divided by family and if a neighbor trespassed to kill a moose for example, it was easily accepted and they were allowed to enter to follow the animal they were hunting. Generally, when a hunter would catch his prey, he needed to share the fruits of his labor with the family identified within that sector. The fur of the animal, the main currency of exchange between First Nations groups, was left to the holders of the rights over that territory.
However, the trapping territory was reserved for family members because of the value of furs in the exchanges with the other groups. For this reason, the installation of traps by trappers in the territory of another family was considered theft or assault. Tensions resulting from this kind of situation were obviously compounded with the explosion of the fur trade with the Europeans and the depletion of the resource.