CTBuckKilla

I know there is another thread talking about winter Caribou hunts in Quebec. But it doesn't go too much into the type of hunt my buddies and I have planned for in a couple of months. That is a Caribou hunt with Safari Nordik on the Leaf River herd up in Zone 23. We are leaving Montreal on Aug 30 and hunting Sept 1st - Sept 5. Flying back the next day Sept 6 to Montreal.

Any thoughts from folks that have gone through Safari Nordik or hunted in Zone 23? I'd like to know any tips on gear, what to expect, average distances that caribou are shot?

I know we have to prepare for temps at night reaching freezing and daytime temps as high as 50F. So layers will be the best bet.

I'll be coming from the US. So any tips on how we should treat our meat for a 6 or sohours drive from Montreal? We were told they will be responsible to cape and quarter our meat and refridgerate till Montreal. Then its on us.

mustad

I think you have the temp changes in order. Also be prepared for sun, rain and snow; you will likely get all three. I would assume your outfitter has a weight restriction. It's not so much for the flight from YUL to shefferville, but for the beaver or otter they will use to get you to your camp. So, pack prepared but pack light.

You will likely be put in an area where there has been recent success. Make sure you have a good pare of binoculars as you will be doing a lot of glassing. You will likely be before the main migration; so you'll be seeing mainly bachelor groups of bulls. It's different every year, so who knows; but this is the trend I've seen.

You should be prepared for shots up to 300 yards; but most likely you'll be shooting at about 100-150 yards or less. Don't forget, people bow hunt as well.

I'm not sure how it works for Nordik. The outfitter I've used (Jack Hume) flies a floating cessna around. Every couple of days they will pick up the meat as long as they have meat. If you shoot your caribou early enough in the trip, there's a good chance they will be able to have hit butchered, vaccuum packed and frozen by the time you get back into Schefferville. At the camps they used meat rooms. They were uncooled, but had screens on them.

Good luck. You'll have a great time.

CTBuckKilla

Yes we are limited to 75lbs. So I might just be wearing a my heavier stuff on the plane. We are kind of limited to Sleeping bag, backpack and small duffle bag. In total 75lbs.

I am going with 2 other guys. One and myself are shooting .270 remingtons and the other guy is shooting a 300 win mag. We are dialed into 200 yards on our scope and noted our drop points to 100 yards.

As for binoculars I really have no clue with them and will be doing some reading up. I am used to shooting 50 to 100yards in thick woods here in the Northeast. Any suggestions on what strength they should be for a trip like this?

mustad

I would suggest 10x. The key is to find them early and position yourself to intercept them. As long as they can't smell you, they'll just keep coming. You will be able to see a long way up there.

Sounds like you guys are dialed in on the other fronts. Don't forget your smoked meat in montreal. I would recommend Lesters of Outremont.

Pygmy

I agree with Mustad that 10X is a good binoc power for a caribou hunt..They have enough magnification to evaluate racks withing reasonable distances, but still are not so high powered that they can't be held steady... 8X works well also, and might be a little better ALL AROUND glass...

You find that your .270 is as close to a perfect caribou rifle as there is...Most of my caribou have been shot with my .280 Rem. which is very similar, and I've had great luck out to nearly 400 yards with it..

As far as shot distance is concerned, you can generally get shots at whatever range you are comfortable with... I have a Harris bipod on my rifle and like to watch from vantage points that allow a steady prone rest...I think every caribou that I have ever shot ( about a dozen) was shot with me lying flat on my belly on the tundra...I don't mind taking longish shots as long as I have a dead steady rest and conditions are condusive to good shooting...

CTBuckKilla

I was looking at something like this from ebay:

Nikon Monarch ATB 10x42 Binoculars 7435 Team RealTree Camo



Nikon Monarch ATB 10x42 Binocular -Incorporates precision-aligned optics for extended viewing, the latest Camo Realtree Nikon Monarch ATB 10x42mm Binoculars have a rubber-armored, ultra-rugged, roof-prism design, with multicoated lenses for bright, clear images. Nikon Monarch ATB 10x42 Binoculars includes alimited manufacturer warranty.The 10 x 42mm Nikon ATB Monarch binoculars has been redesigned with phase-correction coating and fully multicoated lenses for bright, crisp and clear imaging with ergonomic styling and easily operable controls. Tough rubber armor and rugged construction make them perfect for the deer stand or duck blind. Extra long eye relief and twist out eyecups accommodate eyeglass wearers.

mustad

Go to a store and try different models out to see which one you like better. There's probably some good info in the optics forums of this site as well. Personally, I'm partial to the German brands, but that's just me.

cheers,

m

TerryM

Caribou hunting is a blast. If you hit the migration right you could see thousands of animals in a 5 day hunt. As already said expect weather extremes but mid day temps @40-60 are quite common. One thing you can't go up there without is a quality headnet and some good deet bug repellant. You can hit warm days where they can be brutal especially if following a stream. Those streams by the way are usually full of trophy speckled trout and arctic char so think about bringing some tackle. The next important thing is footware. You will be walking on a combination of muskeg type tundra and rock so quality waterproof boots ( knee high is best ) will serve you well. You also need to wear Blaze Orange in Quebec so make sure you pack some of that too. As for rifles, caribou bulls weigh about 275 lbs on the hoof on average so the .270 is just about ideal. They are not a tough animal at all to anchor and most shots are under 200 yds but you still need to be ready for that 400 yarder in case a nice trophy is out there. Remember when crossing in to Canada that handguns are prohibited so leave them at home, or plan on an extended stay in jail. Also a quality rangefinder is an excellent pc of gear. As for bino's you should also look at the Vortex brand. Its what I went to after much studying and they are alot of glass for the money. I bought 8x42 which serves me well for everything.

Nord QC Bouman

CT - These one of thesame pair I have and they are great. Power is not huge but the objectives are good and you FOV is adequate. I have had these in not so good NQC weather and they keep working well.

Talk of smoked meat is also getting memissing Montreal - you will appreciate this on the way back.

Good luck and let us know how it goes- early hunt news isgreat to hear for us winter hunters.

sliceman

I am new to this forum, but have experience with caribou hunting in Quebec.I was there last Sept 1-6 with LUCO outfitters 130 miles north of Canapiscau. The first 3 days were hot- I hunted with only a thin shirt and blaze orange vest. It cooled then, and needed a fleece with a rain shell.Several thoughts:
1. If hot, there are millions of flies-you need to cover exposed meat with ground black pepper-2lbs should easily do 2 animals-and the meat should be kept in cheesecloth game bags. The flies are there in minutes after the meat is exposed.
2. That is the last week of catch and keep fishing- we actually planned 3 dinners of fish. The lake trout and specks are FANTASTIC eating!! Bring silver/blue and siver/gold 3"spoons and just longline them.
3. If you are going with other guys. one should bring a spotting scope- it was invaluable as you could spot the 'bous up to several miles away and plan a stalk. We used a Leupold 12-40X-I plan to get one for my next hunt as it is light and compact.
4. I took my gear to the bush camp in the largest of the BassPro camo packs-I used the frame to pack out half the caribou at a time(ie., 2 quarters)
5. Our weight was limited to 70 lbs, so you cannot take much. I took my Nokia knee-high felt linerrubber bootsreal coldrubber boots for hunting in, and a light pair of running shoes for around camp. I brought some over-boot warming liners in case I was onstand and it was cold-it gets very windy on those exposed hilltops. As it turns out, I stalked most of the time( I was hunting with a muzzleloader)
Hope this helps.