Quebec Winter Caribou Hunting
12-10-2004, 09:08 PM
#321
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 43
RE: Quebec Winter Caribou Hunting
Gentlemen, I don't know if you remember some of my posts from 2 weeks ago or not but i was the guy that had my hunt canceled in Labrador. Well, short story on what happened:
Outfitter was honest and canceled due to the lack of bou. They told me to put the trip off till later in the year. I was pretty set on going anyway and talked them into letting me come up considering. There was another group from Kansas in camp that had plane tickets already bought and they were in the same boat as me, either now or never so the camp was full! The first day it was to difficult and risky to hunt the zone where the animals were becuase of a blizzard conditions so we road hunted close and decided not to use the skidoos that were included in the hunt that day. The next day we rode 80 miles on the skidoos (one way) to the open zones where the bou were spotty in the woods but some were traveling the half frozen bogs. Out of respect for our guide I did not ask or try to force him to take us out on the bogs due to the fact that they were not 100% safe to put alot of weight on. Other guides were chancing it and tagging there out for there clients. My partner got one nice bull and I had Texas heart shot at a cow but just couldn't get the shot in. A total of 8 hunters got 10 bou, 6 cows 4 bulls (not to shabby) Anyway in short, awsome lodge, awsome food, very nice people, hard working guides, beautiful country and all of this for a 3 day hunt for $1200 US with skidoos, gas, guides, license, lodging and taxes included. Oh! and one bonus I almost forgot! and please to all the French speaking Canadians out there don't get pissed at this comment but.........people from Labrador speak English very easy to talk to. IN A NUT SHELL, AWSOME TIME. Going back next year!
Outfitter was honest and canceled due to the lack of bou. They told me to put the trip off till later in the year. I was pretty set on going anyway and talked them into letting me come up considering. There was another group from Kansas in camp that had plane tickets already bought and they were in the same boat as me, either now or never so the camp was full! The first day it was to difficult and risky to hunt the zone where the animals were becuase of a blizzard conditions so we road hunted close and decided not to use the skidoos that were included in the hunt that day. The next day we rode 80 miles on the skidoos (one way) to the open zones where the bou were spotty in the woods but some were traveling the half frozen bogs. Out of respect for our guide I did not ask or try to force him to take us out on the bogs due to the fact that they were not 100% safe to put alot of weight on. Other guides were chancing it and tagging there out for there clients. My partner got one nice bull and I had Texas heart shot at a cow but just couldn't get the shot in. A total of 8 hunters got 10 bou, 6 cows 4 bulls (not to shabby) Anyway in short, awsome lodge, awsome food, very nice people, hard working guides, beautiful country and all of this for a 3 day hunt for $1200 US with skidoos, gas, guides, license, lodging and taxes included. Oh! and one bonus I almost forgot! and please to all the French speaking Canadians out there don't get pissed at this comment but.........people from Labrador speak English very easy to talk to. IN A NUT SHELL, AWSOME TIME. Going back next year!
12-10-2004, 10:06 PM
#323
Fork Horn
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Linwood, Michigan
Posts: 168
RE: Quebec Winter Caribou Hunting
As I said in my post last weekend when I got home, this is the toughest hunt I've had up there in five years. We have been starting on Nov. 30 for five years and it has been different each time. Twice we hit it right on the nose twice we were inbetween heards but there were still plenty of animals just a little harder to find. One year there were guys leaving when we got there who got skunked. We talked to a guide from Nouchimi that day and he said that there would be thousands of caribou tomorrow (yea sure). During the night a huge heard that was hovering north of the LA1 reservoire moved accross and south toward Mirage and CBA, but this year was a lot of work. We filled our tags but earned it. You can't control mother nature. I'm suprised to hear you had a bad experience with Mirage. The have always done anything they could to accomodate us. Last year the owner flew one of our guys out in his personal helicopter. The year before a guy in another group found out his brother died the day he got there. The owner flew him out to an airport and he came back the next year at no charge. Paul, the snowmobile guy at Mirage is a good guy. He let two guys use his garage to work on their trucks at night while we were there. One changed a fuel filter. I don't know what the other one was. We were told by the attendant at the welcome station just outside of Matagami that we had to stop at 381. Mirage also told us that all animals had to be registered there now instead of by the outfitters.
12-13-2004, 09:40 AM
#325
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW PA USA
Posts: 7,220
RE: Quebec Winter Caribou Hunting
I warned you that they supply you a room thats it, not to expect anything else from those lazy indians
Terry, I hope you didnt get the impression that I expected anything else. All your information was right on target and as I said before, all of it was very valuable and greatly appreciated.
Oh, and I have a correction. Some New York guys we met up there (who skunked as well) had been there before and one of them pointed John out as the owner. The website lists him as vice president and he's the one who was being secretive when we walked in on the conversation about a small herd of around 300 that had moved into the area. After looking at the website again, I realize the guy who did tell us where the bou were was Eddie and he is apparently the President of Nouchimi. John seemed to be the guy running things the entire time we were there though.
So it was just one bonehead that jerked us around but apparently he was the bonehead in charge.
Paul, the snowmobile guy at Mirage is a prince. Due their location and the way he helped us even though we were staying at Nouchimi was enough for me. Next time we'll go in late November and will stay at mirage.
2006 maybe........
12-13-2004, 12:35 PM
#326
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location:
Posts: 14
RE: Quebec Winter Caribou Hunting
Hi, all. I'm new here, having just got the link from Google.
My buddy/colleague and I have a free period and he's booked a Mirage. I thought I'd add my Cdn0,02$. I went to Mirage two Christmases ago and was extremely impressed bhy the outfit.
The guys with whom I went were there for their second time - two Christmases earlier and wanted to go back.
We stopped at all the other outfitters in order to keep our gas cans full and no-one was really impressed with any of them - especially Nouchimi.
Food and lodging (they have a spa now) were first class, as was the service.
The four of us had 4 caribou on the first morning's hunt and the pressure was off. We were meat hunting and looking for bou without antlers as we were tolsd the males lose theirs first.
At the end of the second morning we had six and my best buddy's brother and his best friend decided to get into the back country on snowshoes.
I wouldn't let them go without my emergency gear c/w headlamp.
They got back late after trying to manhaul two caribou on a plastic sled and we just made it back for the 19:00 cut-off when they call SAR. The others went for a shower and I went straight to the cafeteria where the woman checked me off and despite my assurances, waited till my buddies were sitting down before she left my side.
They rented a SkiDoo and got their two caribou back the next day.
We didn't need a guide and we did our own cutting - leaving the skin on to protect the meat on the drive back (27 hrs).
Mirage may cost a bit more, but you get what you pay for, IMHO.
We had a blast.
Doug
My buddy/colleague and I have a free period and he's booked a Mirage. I thought I'd add my Cdn0,02$. I went to Mirage two Christmases ago and was extremely impressed bhy the outfit.
The guys with whom I went were there for their second time - two Christmases earlier and wanted to go back.
We stopped at all the other outfitters in order to keep our gas cans full and no-one was really impressed with any of them - especially Nouchimi.
Food and lodging (they have a spa now) were first class, as was the service.
The four of us had 4 caribou on the first morning's hunt and the pressure was off. We were meat hunting and looking for bou without antlers as we were tolsd the males lose theirs first.
At the end of the second morning we had six and my best buddy's brother and his best friend decided to get into the back country on snowshoes.
I wouldn't let them go without my emergency gear c/w headlamp.
They got back late after trying to manhaul two caribou on a plastic sled and we just made it back for the 19:00 cut-off when they call SAR. The others went for a shower and I went straight to the cafeteria where the woman checked me off and despite my assurances, waited till my buddies were sitting down before she left my side.
They rented a SkiDoo and got their two caribou back the next day.
We didn't need a guide and we did our own cutting - leaving the skin on to protect the meat on the drive back (27 hrs).
Mirage may cost a bit more, but you get what you pay for, IMHO.
We had a blast.
Doug
12-13-2004, 04:13 PM
#327
Giant Nontypical
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: SW PA USA
Posts: 7,220
RE: Quebec Winter Caribou Hunting
Just saw this weeks satellite map. Looks like most of the collared bou are out of 22B! Could the pressure simply be getting to be too much in 22B?
we certainly saw hundreds of gut plies and lots of blood in the snow just about everywhere we went!
we certainly saw hundreds of gut plies and lots of blood in the snow just about everywhere we went!
12-13-2004, 04:34 PM
#328
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Rocky Mountains, Colorado
Posts: 1,964
RE: Quebec Winter Caribou Hunting
TerryM and LiquidOrange have done a tremendous job "babysetting", nurturing and answering the same questions over, and over, and over; and keeping nerves settled as the departure date approached--- what a wealth of information. I'm also planning my first pilgrimage to "up north/over east" to this area for a caribou hunt, based largely on what I've seen here --- though I've seen posts elsewhere about it NONE were as thorough as this one. LiquidOrange and TerryM, you two REALLY went above and beyond the call of duty, .... just one thing I don't understand....
Except for one fellow with photo posting problems, not one photo posted from any one of the many groups who went.... (The straight forward photos were from the guy who went to Labrador).... why would that be?
It is a pattern I've seen over and over on the internet, including when I've helped people with elk hunting, it seems the mantra is "pick their brains, get'em to write an encyclpedia, take the info and run, go hunt and then give next to nothing back in return...." When someone "stays behind" but gives you all the info needed to "go" then the "quid pro quo" is a detailed story WITH PHOTOS --- pretty darned weak to date, couple of stories, quite a bit of complaining even though most should have known what they were getting into, and NO PICTURES. So far, this is one is the "longest running" and "most massive" in terms of content that I've witnessed to date.... What a great but incredibly abused resource --- 33 pages!
Liquid Orange and TerryM, thanks again for essentially "handing over" the deed to the "caribou farm" without taking payment, since I didn't go 'bou hunting, the only photos I have for this year are for elk hunting and would look pretty odd here. TerryM you had the patience of a saint and provided a great information base! LiquidOrange, your posts had a bit of an "edge" to them, but covered the basics plus got into some serious nuts and bolts, what if's and watch out for's, do's and don'ts, I find that kind of stuff priceless. My hat's of to both of you two.... thanking you in advance of the trip!
Just Amazing,
EKM
Except for one fellow with photo posting problems, not one photo posted from any one of the many groups who went.... (The straight forward photos were from the guy who went to Labrador).... why would that be?
It is a pattern I've seen over and over on the internet, including when I've helped people with elk hunting, it seems the mantra is "pick their brains, get'em to write an encyclpedia, take the info and run, go hunt and then give next to nothing back in return...." When someone "stays behind" but gives you all the info needed to "go" then the "quid pro quo" is a detailed story WITH PHOTOS --- pretty darned weak to date, couple of stories, quite a bit of complaining even though most should have known what they were getting into, and NO PICTURES. So far, this is one is the "longest running" and "most massive" in terms of content that I've witnessed to date.... What a great but incredibly abused resource --- 33 pages!
Liquid Orange and TerryM, thanks again for essentially "handing over" the deed to the "caribou farm" without taking payment, since I didn't go 'bou hunting, the only photos I have for this year are for elk hunting and would look pretty odd here. TerryM you had the patience of a saint and provided a great information base! LiquidOrange, your posts had a bit of an "edge" to them, but covered the basics plus got into some serious nuts and bolts, what if's and watch out for's, do's and don'ts, I find that kind of stuff priceless. My hat's of to both of you two.... thanking you in advance of the trip!
Just Amazing,
EKM
12-13-2004, 06:37 PM
#329
Join Date: Jun 2004
Location:
Posts: 67
RE: Quebec Winter Caribou Hunting
ELK your correct....I need to upload my pictures and a BIG, BIG THANKS TO TERRY M AND LIQUID!!!! YOUR CHECK IS IN THE MAIL.
ELK - Seriously, looking at doing an Elk trip in the future what advise do you have? I seriously just purchased a digital camera for this trip and did take a few pictures, but was mainly taking care of my dad who fell 18 feet out of the tree stand prior to our trip up north. So I need to get more savvy with it and download them off of the memory cards and post.
Look forward to your response please feel free to respond on here or via e-mail: [email protected]
Thanks again!
ELK - Seriously, looking at doing an Elk trip in the future what advise do you have? I seriously just purchased a digital camera for this trip and did take a few pictures, but was mainly taking care of my dad who fell 18 feet out of the tree stand prior to our trip up north. So I need to get more savvy with it and download them off of the memory cards and post.
Look forward to your response please feel free to respond on here or via e-mail: [email protected]
Thanks again!
12-13-2004, 07:00 PM
#330
Typical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: durango Colorado USA
Posts: 567
RE: Quebec Winter Caribou Hunting
There are a few more photo from this year winter hunt. Just go down about 10 or 12 posts. TN HUNTER post.
EKM---you are right----Terry & the boys have answered some may questions.
I'm booked for Thanksgiving week of 2005. I'm excited about everything except that LONG LONG drive !! But it's part of the adventure also.
EKM---you are right----Terry & the boys have answered some may questions.
I'm booked for Thanksgiving week of 2005. I'm excited about everything except that LONG LONG drive !! But it's part of the adventure also.