No luck on Caribou


Guest Colorado Bob

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Guest Colorado Bob

No luck on caribou for Iron Buck & myself. We went on the winter hunt in Quebec. We missed the migration by about 10 days. We went 11/20 -23----they are now in the zone ----right where we were.

The outfitter gave us the option of coming back on 12/8 or a discount on next year.

I can't go back on the 8th----Iron Buck is thinking of it.

The only caribou we saw taken were by a different outfitter who was flying his hunters back via a helicopter. The caribou were about 20 miles from the road we were on. The main river & larfe lakes were not frozen over & it had them stopped---just out of reach. We saw the caribou that the hunters had shot via the copter-----several were REAL nice.

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Re: No luck on Caribou

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Sorry to hear about that. Do most outfitters who hunt caribou usually move you to a different location once the party don't see game? I often see the advertisement.

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This is a drive to hunt that 8is usually unguided, essentially a road hunt that has no guarantee, but is good for those on a budget. It is located around the wintering grounds of the caribou and can be a sucessful hunt, but depends on timing. If they aren't there yet you see none unless you want to pay to fly out on a helicopter $$, and if you are too late they are all over, but dropping antlers.

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Guest Colorado Bob

Re: No luck on Caribou

AJ------It was a long drive. But it went pretty smooth. 3 drivers---we drove straight thru. 36 hours on the way up. 30 on the way back. Lots of gun talk & laughing. 1 would sleep while the other 2 would drive. Gas was not to bad except for at the site- a tank full 32 gallons was $134. Gas thru out the rest of the trip was 89 cent a liter. Both are in Canadian dollars.

I want to go again----IronBuck I'm pretty sure would do it again.

Your buddy & you ought to think about it. It's probably the cheapest caribou hunt----but when the caribou are there it's more of a shoot than a hunt. But IMO caribou hunting is like shooting a pedestrian. When you are into them they are everywhere & when they are not-----it's a camping trip.

We tried to hike into the woods---snow was about thigh deep & under it was either downfall or boggy. Really hard to move. Our plan was to find an open hillside or lakeshore & post there---not far from the road.

Temps were chilly but not bad. Lots of fleece & boot warmers.

I just check the tracking map of the herd, They are there now----Iron Buck & I were 10 days early. I guess they are everywhere now.

Lakes & rivers were not froze solid----I think they were in a holding pattern until it froze. Winter was just a couple weeks later this year.

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Guest Colorado Bob

Re: No luck on Caribou

Just got an e-mail. The caribou came down on 11/26-----3 days after we left. They were at KM 27 & they all shot nice bulls. Saw about 30,000 head over the 3 days they were there.

Fisherguy----Where in Ontario are you? We drove it from stem to stern. Start to snow on us from North Bay all tthe way up. On the way back we hit Tonoto right at 5PM----lots of traffic!!

LOL----some days chickens, some days feathers---LOL What a difference a couple days makes . CB

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Re: No luck on Caribou

SOrry to hear that Bob- sounds like our luck this year! We went in Sept.- out of 11 of us, we got 1 young bull(me) a cow and a calf. And that was from the camp they flew us to. Never saw a caribou from our camp!

Tell me more about the winter hunt! Where do you hunt? How far north? how much $$$? Is the meat any good that time of year?

I would like to go again, but this was a gift hunt and if I have to save for another hunt it will probably be 10 years before I can save that kind of money. But if I could do a do it yourself for a few grand, I may be able to go soooner.

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Guest Colorado Bob

Re: No luck on Caribou

Rut-----It's a winter hunt----4 days. It cost $1610 which includes your tags. It's semi-guided----meaning they say the caribou are at KM 66. You hunt off roads that were put in for the hydro dams. It's just of James Bay. There are 4 outfitters. Mirage is the best but you can't get in because this year's hunters can re-up for next year----so there are not many openings. We stayed at Donat---which is just down the road. Go to www.huntingnet.com go to the forums go to other areas. There is a 60 page thread there----it will answer all teh questions you can ask.

I have right at $2000 in the hunt adding the cost of the hunt, gas, food etc. We had to supply our own food, bottle water, Cokes, etc.

The meat is suppose to be A-1. Bulls are done rutting. Only thing I saw was that they would not be a pretty mount----winter coat----really hairy. I was going just to do a skull cap or maybe a Euro mount.

Go to the other site----Then ask away---I'll try & answer the best I can. CB

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Guest Colorado Bob

Re: No luck on Caribou

Anyone intersted in this wiinter hunt, there are some good photos at another site. www.huntingnet.com Go to the forums, then to other areas. find the "winter caribou hunt" thread. Go to page 63 &64 Good photos of caribou, the lodge, landscape etc. CB

IronBuck & I missed it by about a week. Otherwise grin.gif

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