cwcjr119

Well it's not looking real good right now, and I'm leaving tomorrow morning.

Does anyone know if sleds can be rented at Mirage or Camp Kisk if you don't stay there?

Anyone have any Ideas about how to get near them based on the current tracking maps?

Rodmax

From what I have read on both the Kisk and Mirage websites there are sled rentals at both but to be sure of availability you should call ahead and reserve.
I heard that this weekend there were thousands of caribou near and around Kisk. Rodney.

DARKSIDE55

WI Shedhead...If you leave your computer on the map, it takes about 30 seconds or longer on a slow computer but it will come up. The animals that were Northwest of Kisk and Mirage have turned and gone Southwest and right out of the hunt zone. There are still several large herds Northwest that just moved into the area. If they go Southeast you will have to beat them off with a stick. If they follow the rest of them we're SOL for the time being. And no, the ice up there is not thick enough to support the herd. We've had fairly mild weather. Certainly not cold enough to form good ice. But remember, Caribou can swim. They don't need ice.


BKMSTR...It's roughly 650km from 381 to Kisk. Minimum 9 hour drive unless you're crazy! If you go to Radisson that's 80 km (or 50 miles) past the Trans-taiga. Then you have to turn around and come back down the 80 km again. If you are in Radisson and coming back down to Kisk, it's 560 km. But you've gone 100 miles out of your way by going to Radisson.


Rodmax...Yes there were a lot of Caribou Northwest of there. Don't let the maps fool you. You'll be riding a snowmobile more than 2 hoursone way to get to them. And now about 80% of them are where you cannot hunt them. They are well Southwest of 22B

Nord QC Bouman

This is sound advice - similar mirgration to 2004, with the exception that all of the herd was @ LG3 and southwest byThanksgiving US. I see that the herd is moving very little - the miration has been within 150 KM of this area since early October - very little movement as compared to what I have seen since these collars have been implemented (25 by the way for the Leaf Herd). This hear winters in the Eastmain River valley and they will hang from the Taiga Road to the East Main River and west. It appears to me that they are in no hurry to mograte hard - good food, warm weather, etc. Below zero and no browse will push them into south zone 22A, but you can get animals until Feb below the road if you work at it. The weather forcast is still mild and Mirgae today had 30F with no snow falling which is going to keep the herd moving in circles. The heard is split - like last year - a good group feeding at LG3 and the other split still above Laforge and looking to move east. I believe the heard is too large to follow the leader at this point - last year most of the heard stayed north and never came down due to the warm weather - this I think will also be the factor this year. Thewill not push south unless the weather pushes them - the Lac's above Laforge are muchbeeter feed than the brush south of the road.

Keep the faith and plan to hunt!

DARKSIDE55

75% of the herd is at LG3 right now. 5% is Southwest and out of any zone where you can hunt. 20% is still Northwest of the road. Only time will tell if they are going to go Southwest or Southeast. Flip a coin Nord. LOL. Anyway there should have been 2 sets of hunters up there already. They should be back and posting any time I think. I have taken the floats off and put skis on, took the skis off and put the floats back on, over and over. It's getting to be tiresome, plus a lot of work. LOL.

pipper

Was @ Mirage for season opener,nice place,party of 6 all tags filled.Animals were all over groups of 10 to 100 above the dam.from the sound everyone was getting them.road was a ribbon of ice going in & a blizzard going out.had a great hunt!!!

mullis56

No pictures from the hunt???? Please post pics. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Surreel

Man, I thought the week before deer hunting made me crazy until I found this thread. At5 am I'm checking the weather for LaGrande and looking at the new migration map and reading the new posts.If the hunt is going to be tough this year does it make sense to use a guide for the first time up? At Miirage I heard they have nightly meetings and do flyovers of the area torelay current herd info. Does anyone have any suggestions for a good guide at Mirage? Isthegeneral idea to get the topo area map at km 381, getthe herd info from mirage, and justhead in with skidoo, sled and gear to set up at a trail crossing, or ridge or just skidoo until you find'em? Will they spook easily at a skidoo? Will they settle down once you shut down or just keep on moving? Lots to learn! Found a place to get my guns well degreased(that was a great tip) Bringing a shotgun for birds, any suggestion on what size shot for ptarmigan? Using a 12ga O/U.
I shoot skeet with it all winter and never actually degreased it, just kept it clean and use white lithium grease on it each time I used it. Well, good thing for work or I'd spend all day thinking of bou! Thanks for the tips.

Cheers

Tughiller

Hi guys, I'm excited about our trip. I'm hunting out of Mirage from November 30- December 3. I have not rented a snowmobile. I'm a well experienced rider. Does it make sense to rent a sledwith the idea of traveling miles to go after the caribou? The remainder of my party are not snowmobilers. Yesterday's map looks like a lot of the caribou arein 22a the resident zone. I'm a long time hard whitetail hunter. Will there be small pods of Caribou still in 22b? I'm probably the guy that got a hunch is telling not to panic. I like Nord QC Bouman's post. Does that name mean Norther Quebec hunter?please post pics.

Thanks

BKMSTR

LOL - you sound like 90% of us in this thread!! Thanks for the travel info Darkside, we will be meeting over thanksgiving (US) to discuss our final plans. Next week's map will tell the story I believe. Everyone keep there finger's crossed!! Somebody needs to shoot that lead cow that's dragging them all down so far!!