TerryM

None of our group has gone that late. It does get cheaper but by then there are virtually no bulls with racks left so you are strictly meat hunting.

got a hunch

Hi Guys,

I haven't checked this board in a while. I see a lot of new activity. As everyone else I'm starting to think about hunting. I have a group of 19 hunters that I take to Mirage every year Nov. 30 to Dec. 3. I have seen guys hunt caribou with everything from a .243 (the smallest caliber they will allow) to .338 magnum (a little much). I use a 30.06 with 150 NBT. My hunting partner uses a 25.06 with 115 partition. Both do a fine job. I've had shots as far as 350 yards and as close as 30 yards. You may want a range finder in case you hunt the lakes as the distance is hard to judge with no reference point except frozen lake in front of you. We stayed at Donat the first year I hunted up there and I would not go back. This will be my 4th year at Mirage and I will use them as long as I continue to hunt up there. For a couple of hundred dollars it is worth it to have hot showers and not have to cook after hunting, gutting and dragging all day. I haven't stayed at Nouchime but have not heard anything negative about it from anyone who has. Anyone who likes hunting will enjoy this trip. You may not see the monster bulls but you will see some nice ones and you will see thousands of animals. A great photo and video opportunity.

rrules

I am booked to head up to Nouchimi from Nov 14 to Nov 18th. Has anyone gone this early an been successful?

TerryM

That is the dates that my brother in law and some buddies got skunked on in 2002. It all depends on weather. If it is a late fall and the lakes don't freeze you could have problems. We usually went 1 week later with great success. I would monitor the satellite website and if they are no where near the zone the week before think about cancelling. You will just have to wait and see what mother nature does. Not trying to be negative just realistic. Caribou are either there or not.

TerryM

This is the satellite web site.

BTBowhunter

Terry I know you've told us the temperatures to expect but I was wondering... it sounds like very open country. Is wind (and therefore windchill) a big deal most of the time??? Also, the info I've seen about the road mentions not blocking the road (common sense) but do they plow wide enough for trucks to pull off or are there plenty of pull offs. Around here, if we have much snow, the back roads have no place to park once the snow builds up.

BTW, gotta say it again, the info from all you guys has been invaluable and I'm sure will make the trip WAY more enjoyable for all us "newbies"

Thanks a Boone and Crocket million, guys!!!

TerryM

BTBowhunter,
The roads are wide enough to pull over on the side most places. If it is not then you just park a little further and walk back, no big deal. Interestingly I never felt that wind was a big deal. Matter of fact I always pulled my trailer for ease of transporting caribou and never had trouble getting turned around. Alot of the hunting is done from the shoreline of frozen lakes from a ground level ambush. You are actually in the thick trees quite a bit so wind was not a big deal. For a guy used to hunting Pennsylvania in December or other northeast states during the late season the cold should not be much of a hardship. If you are coming from Georgia or Florida then it might be more of a problem. What I am trying to emphasize most is vehicle preperation. As already said before, no cell phones, no AAA and the closest tow truck is 8 hours away down the same frozen road that got you in trouble.

got a hunch

My experience is that Nov. 15 to about Thanksgiving is a little iffy. I have a friend who hunted out of Kiskimastakin Camp last year Nov. 15-19 and did well. They saw nothing for the first two days and then all of a sudden the animals were there. That camp is past the Lafarge dam and is north a little of Nouchime and Mirage. The guys who guide for the fly in hunts out of Mirage said that the rut was a little early last year although I don't know if that had any effect on timing of the migration.

liquidorange

TERRY M- i really think your taking me wrong. did i ever say i was looking for a guaranteed animal. was i supposed to wonder the woods aimlessly in the snow counting song birds? is this what hunting hard is supposed to mean.(at least you can track them yourself now) my comparison is if you fish the salmon river in new york you can call a hot line to see if they have migrated into the rivers or if it is better to stay home and wait. i only expected a phone call or update on the conditions so i could decide to stay home.my hunt was 4 days 3 nights so it wasnt like i could go up there and spend 10 days waiting for them to arrive. NORTHERN CARIBOU ADVENTURES wouldnt even answer there phone before we went! and they left a generic message on there answering machine about how there are plenty of caribou in the area. THIS IS A CHEESEY WAY OF DOING BUSINESS! its not like deer hunting or hunting bear on a bait. the animals are there at least in the woods and its a matter of hunting them. i just wanted the animals to be in the area to be hunted and thats NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK FOR. you must have the wrong DONAT. i think his last name is ASSELIN . the animals were no where in the area to even be hunted. the lakes werent frozen over so you couldnt get to them anyway.there were groups worth of hunters that went through the same thing before me so I THINK I DESEVED A LITTLE HEADsS UP. THEY HAD MY MONEY ANYWAY I COULD HAVE STAYED HOME AND SAVED MONEY OR WENT LATER IN THE SEASON. im sorry if your fly in hunt was skunked but as far as i know if you go with the right outfitter they should move your hunting party or you could pay extra to be moved if the outfitter had other camps which sometimes they dont and they wont tell you this either.

TerryM

Liquidorange,
I can see how it is very frustrating when the herd is not in. But as already said no outfitter good or bad can control that. It is entirely related to weather. I have never done it (can't afford it ) but my guess is if one were to book an expensive sheep hunt for 10 grand and got pinned in the tent for days due to weather and could not hunt the outfitter would still expect to be paid for services provided. With proper research ( just like this forum) one could have realized that early to mid november is a gamble at best up there. The fact that Donat Asselin did not answer the phone and in fact had a misleading message to me shows pretty poor ethics. Really does not surprise me as Nouchimi don't bother much with the phone either. One has to realize that up there you are basically renting a cabin or room and then you are entirely on your own. Mirage offers more service and better accomodations but is more money. Just calling it as I saw it. If I return it will be again in the outpost camps at Nouchimi. We paid $ 800.00 CDN per person for a 5 day hunt (not including licences). The cabin is full electricity and running water with toilets and showers and sleeps 8 on bunks. We do our own cooking, and quite frankly eat better that way anyways.