In this short article, Gillespie examines the new technologies the Chipewyan adopted as they moved into the Boreal forest to harvest fur-bearing animals for the fur trade. European traders taught them to shoot rifles, set traps, and treat furs. The Chipewyan also adopted the larger Cree canoe to travel and transport goods along the lakes and rivers. The original Chipewyan canoe was small, more delicate and used exclusively for fishing. The guns proved useful for hunting woodland caribou, although the overall influence of firearms is still not well known. This paper examines changes in the territorial occupation of the early contact period Chipewyan and their movement into the full boreal forest in the 18th century. The environmental shift into a richer fur area was encouraged by the fur traders of the Hudson's Bay and Northwest Companies, but the new environment required technological adaptations to be successful. These included learning to trap, use of another type of canoe, and use of muskets for hunting. The significance of the technological innovations is considered here.