Quebec is not a safe place for Americans to spend there coin , what about the horror stories of American cars being broken inrto while hunting in Quebec .
CRIME PAYS IN QUEBEC !!! louis
I have sent close to 1000 hunters into the bush in this time and have many life long friends due to the days in the field. Its Quebec Caribou hunting that I know well and love, my part just happend to be with Safari. My affiliation was with Safari since the beginning at age 28, so of course Id back them up. I am not a ship jumper. However, as you have read, their things are not on the up and up. So it is time to part. I was instrumental in the paln to recover faith for the hunters left out in the cold and future hunting for caribou hunters, however things were not laid out as they were planned to be. So yes that leaves me the option to walk away. Through 13 years the last 4 have soured me with all the bad press. I was the last guy on the ship out of dozens and I stuck my neck out and will do it again for the right reasons for the right people. Thats why you know my name. I am not asking for pitty. Just simply stating that its not Quebec, and the whole industry shouldnt be judged by a few. Most of the hunters that are hanging out there I talk to on a regular basis. And I have talked to several outfitters on a plan to restore the temperment twards Quebec. As I said, I have no dog in the fight now, but I do feel as an American, an importance to help the guys who trusted something I was part of to get something for their money. As far as the outfitters left, I hope they continue to move forward as the bad rap hits.
But the note here was to the many who have not hunted Quebec, dont have a favorite outfitter and dont respond to these threads but to simply say Quebec Caribou hunting is safe and Safari Nordik failing to follow through shouldnt persuade anyone wanting to hunt Quebec with an outfitter for Caribou
I'm booked with Richard for September and have no second thoughts about my choice! I'm worried about my new truck as I'm driving to Montreal. Going to make that call tomorrow,
!! How many millions of American dollars have to be stolen before, Quebec gets off there ass and takes action ?
Tuttulik it was over 200 hunters plus deps 2009 2010 over one million dollars !!! not one person was held responsible in that scam .
And we should trust u guys in Quebec LOL
CRIME PAYS IN QUEBEC .
Now it's been proven that the very best Quebec outfitters can pull up their stakes and leave hunters with no recourse. It happened. It happens. The Quebec government isn't going to fight the battle for hunters. The track record of Quebec outfitters as a whole...and the Quebec government in these matters... is more than enough cause for hunters to make a logical decision to avoid the potential for huge disappointment. It's a bad deal for the good outfitters of course. I won't go there simply because so many good people taking it up the rump were told by both the outfitters and the government they could do nothing but grit their teeth and put up with it. Based on that set of facts, I see no useful purpose in supporting the overall industry which has harmed so many there.
American hunters got hurt, and hurt hard. If Quebec outfitters get hurt by the fallout from that, it's their mess to contend with. There are plenty of beautiful and wild places to hunt caribou in North America and sometimes for far less money than the going Q/L rates. I've sent plenty of friends to other places, but never to Quebec...and the latest news from there just confirms I'll advise people to go elsewhere. If they get hosed in Quebec, they had plenty of chances to avoid it.
Naturally, I prefer that all yanks hunt bears somewhere other than mb but i like to take guys out for waterfowl
The motivation for this post is hugely suspect. If you "realized" you were on the darkside you should have slithered into a hole and disappeared. Instead you have taken a position of PROVINCE PROMOTION???...Okay...as if that's not suspect!
Good luck with your agenda. Try using an address in Nigeria as those guys seem to do pretty well with their heart-felt campaigns.
Quebec has a history of treating visitors poorly(not just hunters, and not just Americans)!
There are too many places in THIS great country(USA), to take a chance with my time and hard earned money in Quebec! They will not get a penny of my money. If for no other reason, than the PRINCIPLE that Kevin Dill so eloquently articulated above!
sureshot's Link
3 days after I got back I got a phone call that they had found my truck at a hospital parking lot 30 miles outside of Montreal. It was fine except the ignition had been pulled. They were going to tow it to a toyota dealer in Montreal and fix it and my insurance co. Was going to fly someone to Montreal and drive it back.
The next morning I get a call from a French Canadian service manager at the toyota dealership and ask me if I had come and got my truck? It had been stolen a second time from behind a locked high fence in Montreal. I can't figure out how those French Canadians get the trucks over those high fences, they must be really strong!
My other caribou trips have been to Alaska. I wouldn't go to Quebec or Montreal for another caribou trip if they paid me and threw in another toyota. In my humble opinion, while there may be good people there, overall it is a corrupt environment . I've hunted 3 other provinces over 10 times and have never seen the level of corruption that I experienced in Quebec. Again, only my humble opinion.
Post from Northern Rubicon (Jack Hume) on another similar thread on this site:
"Here is the latest News provided by the Hunting Report on June 17 th . Notice! Nunavik Expeditions/Safari Nordik Connection If you are considering a caribou hunt in Quebec with Nunavik Adventures, take heed! Kurt Santoro, the California taxidermist long associated with Safari Nordik and at the heart of several disputes reported in our pages (read our Special Report on Safari Nordik), is attempting to set up a supposedly new operation and sell hunts under the name Nunavik Expeditions. Santoro has created both an elaborate website and a Facebook page promoting Nunavik Expeditions.
We've attempted to contact Santoro both through the email address on the Nunavik Expeditions website and his email listed on his Lifelike Taxidermy of Madero, California, company website, but emails to both addresses failed to deliver. We wanted to ask Santoro who his partners are in this venture and how many hunts he had already sold. We will continue to try to reach Santoro.
A little digging in public records in Quebec produced the not-surprising fact that Nunavik Expeditions is simply a DBA for Silak Adventures, a company that has not taken caribou hunters for some years and therefore has no license quota. The most interesting fact, however, is that Silak Adventure's company records list Nicolas Laurin as the president of the board. In other words, Nunavik Expeditions is operated and promoted by the same people who operated and promoted Safari Nordik; the same people who, by their own admission, have left several hundred hunters minus deposits and "guaranteed" return hunts.
Moreover, we have contacted the Ministère des Forêts, de la Faune et des Parcs (Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks or MFFP) which controls caribou licenses in Quebec and have learned that Nunavik Expeditions, at this writing, holds no quota of caribou licenses for 2015 or 2016 and has no certainty that they will receive a license quota for either year. Caveat Emptor!"
Gobbler- you are right about the corruption. I posted a couple weeks ago on the bear forum about my buddy that got robbed up there while on a Spring bear hunt this year(by the local cops!) He got pulled over for "speeding". He was pulling a fully loaded trailer with ATV's and hunting gear behind his pickup with a large loaded campertop. No way he could have been doing anywhere near what the cop said- which was verified by his buddies following in the truck behind him. Bottom line was he had to fork over $188 American OR Canadian and was told if he did not have cash the cop would follow him to the nearest machine. Also said he needed correct amount, or he would keep the change(difference). He asked to see proof of his speeding, but was told there was no recording of the radar, so his word against the cops. He decided to pay the extortion rather than make another trip up there to fight it. BTW, he was stopped just after checking in his bear, when they were leaving for home.
But when I read this thread I can't help but think about the attitude when I was up there. That was when Quebec was trying to separate from the rest of Canada. They hated EVERYONE. They talked trash on people from Ontario and new Brunswick as bad as they did about Americans. We did not feel very welcome in Montreal.
I have lots of really good friends in Canada. From NB to Ontario to BC. Really great people. So while we might judge some of the outfitters in Quebec and the government of that province I hope nobody out there is generalizing enough to bunch all Canadians into that group. Just had to throw that out there.
There's a lot of horror story's going around about everything with these hunts in QB.
I was up in camp with Carr-gar when I went I flew into Montreal got a rental car and left it at the hotel when I got picked up to get the plane to Schefferville. Had an amazing hunt.
I herd that Carr-gar flew for other outfitters up there and not sure if that had anything to do with it or not but no issues were experienced I was lucky I guess and looked out for.
This is sad how things go on like this it really is the entire world is uprooted and its no surprise. This all sure makes me not to want to go back just in case.
how in the world does an unethical guide or outfitter tanslate to a venue.
your post above is no doubt 100% true, but why do you only name the province and not the operation and individual that engaged in such illegal and unscroupulous activity.
if you went bass fishing in florida and the uide fished without licesnes and suggested you take your limit by electroshocking the water would you blame florida and never go back?
I think that is the first post I have ever seen from you with out the sign off "God Bless".
I guess a thread suggesting some needs to be "needs hung by their balls and beat" does not warrant such a sign off. LOL
I am still pro good outfitters in Quebec and anti bad outfitters in Quebec which I guess is the point. My support or disdain is directed at deserving entities not a place on the map.
Why won't the "good" guides get off their butts and actually do something to fix it? Ultimately Quebec and the ones running legit businesses should have the power to fix this unless they are all getting paid some how. I know I will not be hunting there until they provide basic consumer protections!
Also with regard to the negative comments they were never made without empathy for those, like you, who were robbed of $5300 each.
I do recall that there were a handful of guys who lost money who directly blamed me to some degree for their loss since I was so vocal in my support of tuttulik based on my real experiences. I had good trips and rebooked, and spoke highly of them, just like the Bowsite leaders did when they ran a live hunt and booked an promoted a second one (that was ultimatel lost in the 2008 debacle). I was offended by those comments and found them crazy. that would be akin to someone booking a sheep hunt with Brent Sinclair, losing money, and saying you were partially to blame since you spoke so highly of Sinclair.
I do especially credit the guys who moved on immediately and booked other hunts on short notice, while short on funds, and made something happen to replaces the 2008 problem. they moved on in a matter of weeks and posted stories about success in those endeavors. others, to this day, are still hung up on the loss and have not moved on. they choose instead to blame a place vs. a company or a person. stuff happens. we have to persevere.
As with regard to the negative remarks!!! Grant says they were never made without empathy towards those that got robbed. Grant explain your need to attack guys that just lost a lot of money , lost vacation time ,airfare etc ,, Grant why kick those American hunters when down on there luck !
Grant i never took your negative remarks serious just you being you , But if u go back and read some post a few bowsiters wanted to hang you on a meat hook !
The past is the past i only post about Quebec to Warn other hunters about all the Scams over the years .
This thread and every quebec caribou thread does make me laugh anymore. I realize some people have had bad experiences there. But 100x more people have enjoyed the hell out of it. Its a proven fact that people are far far more likely to talk about a bad trip and write a bad review on it than those people that had a good trip. Type 2015 chevy truck problems into google sometime. Why anyone would buy one is beyond me. Point being there are probably 100,000 perfect ones to every bad one. People still buy them.
And to the gentleman that had issues with the corrupt police in quebec. A) that sucks. B) if you think it is only in quebec.....you have another thing coming. Happens everyday somewhere in the US as well.
This Thread was started by Kurt Santoro. An American that has helped screw over many other Americans in Quebec. Warn people about him. Warn them about Safari. Tell them do do the research to find the best caribou hunt available. But don't blindly put down the entire country and every caribou outfitter because you had a bad experience with 1 of them.
I understand a bad hunting experience can happen anywhere. I also understand theft can happen anywhere. What I don't understand is why the authorities in Quebec don't seem to care about (American) hunters that have been victimized by blatant fraud and theft.
I've been wanting to do a caribou hunt for years, but I'll spend my money elsewhere until Quebec decides to support American hunters that have been ripped off.
Unfortunately the world we live in rarely works off handshakes anymore. And we all have to cover our own back sides. If that means you don't hunt Quebec, more power to you. But sorry for your loss as well. Maybe it means we have to buy trip insurance. We did learn from these events that these guys that paid with credit cards got there money back.
When considering with whom to book in 2007 between Tuttulik and JHA, I fortunately chose JHA...the deciding factor for me was the fact Jack Hume's name is/was his business. To me, then and now, that speaks volumes.
For those who have followed the saga that has been Québec caribou hunting over the past 8 years, you are aware of the lengths Richard has gone to not only give his clients the best experience possible, but also those who were screwed by the outfitters mentioned above.
JHA is the only outfitter in Québec I would ever consider. In 4 more years, I expect to return with my 9 year old daughter.
Take care. Mike
I've never had a person turn their back on me before going through Montreal airport. An airport official turned his back on me when I was asking a question, directions. When I moved back in front of him he turned around again. When I went to the airport desk I was told "So? Maybe he didn't want to talk to you."
Finally made it to New Brunswick for my hunt, told them of my experience.... they said "now you know all you need to know about Montreal.... "
"You're using a bow instead of gun? Well, at least you're giving the poor caribou SOME chance."
So let me make this very clear- I am not saying all Quebec outfitters are bad. Unfortunately though, we all know how it works..................if you are a member of a larger organization, you undoubtedly will reap the consequences when things go south! I have no doubt that Richard Hume runs a top notch business. However he is a member of the Quebec Outfitters Association and does business in Quebec. With all the problems that have occurred up there the last 10 years or so and the lack of action by the Association and the government to help AMerican Hunters get restitution or compensation, this reflects badly on all outfitters, whether justified or not. Just a fact of life- call it "collateral Damage" if you will.
I have personally made the decision to stay out of Quebec, so I have no dog in this fight. And I am not singling Jack Hume out. This is a personal decision. Everyone has to make up their own mind. But I think folks should have all the information before making that decision.
And don't say "yeah, but in the US I can go to court".
You have apparently never stood in line as an unsecured creditor at a bankruptcy hearing if you think that will really matter to an average joe with a lost deposit due to US outfitter default.
it certainly does not matter to me if anyone else hunts in Quebec or Canada, but if you choose not to at least do it with a realistic view of the situation and the differences (or lack thereof) with your other options (including risk and reward).
Also, I make my decision based on a multitude of factors. Tutulik and Safari Nordik are just 2 of those factors. The others involve both personal experience and experience of others, as stated above in regards to how Quebec treats visitors.
And we didn't even bring up the Native Uprising that occurred in Schefferville that happened one year that caused major problems OR the group of hunters that got arrested in Labrador another year because they were hunting "unguided" (when they thought they were legal! ;-)
All these factors combined help me make up my mind.
If you mean out financially, I am out nothing. Actually it is just the opposite. I had two extraordinary tundra hunts with Tutulik and one very good hunt with them before they became destitute criminals. I have since had one exceptionally great hunt with Richard Hume and have another booked with him.
So I am "out" $0.00 dollars and "in" the value of four great hunts that I invested about $20,000 in but am richer for having visited the tundra and look forward to a 5th in a couple years.
Your passion is to inform people of the crooks in Quebec which is fine, but somewhat like warning people the horse is out of the barn and go close the door. The people you are warning our fellow hunters of are aleady dead and gone. Harmless. It's kind of like someone who got burned by Madoff warning people today about Madoff.
My passion is to inform people of the upside to hunting the north country which is fine. It serves a benefit since people who want to can actually use my information to gain something they otherwise may not have had. The people I am supporting before our fellow hunters of are still alive and helping to make dreams become memories.
We both serve a purpose here I believe. I am not suggesting you "move on" from your message and don't plan to take your counsel that I "move on" from mine.
One thing I do know.............nothing I say will result in you spending a nickel in the province of Quebec and nothing you say will prevent me from revisting it to hunt with solid outfitters like Richard Hume as my schedule allows.
Grant not all of us Americans have the money u spend on all your guided hunts . Some saved years for that hunt and your remarks were time to move on . Grant im sure if you sat at a table with these robbed American hunters you would not be saying move on ! Grant 6000 to you i guess is not a big deal but to many of us it is .
Grant if u sit here and promote Quebec for only the good hunts, you have had in the past and not a word of the troubles, and you have knowledge of it ,Then u are not helping other hunters make a good choice .
Hunters need all the facts good bad ugly, and Quebec has a history of UGLY !
With all the facts then a hunter can make a decision to go hunt Quebec .
Since 2008 what's has the Quebec Govt or Quebec ASS have in place to stop the lawless outfitters ???NADA
I bet many of the those that got scamed in this saari nordik had no clue to all the problems in Quebec .
Rut nut let Richard be upset call me names behind my back . Dear!!!!! Richard HUME im not the problem only the messenger !
On a side note go to Quebec no outifitter needed for BLK bear baited hunts DIY
I had Martin and Nick's word too when I called them in June of 2013 and before we sent our final balance questing the tag availbilty since it was cut to all the outfitters the month before. I specifically questioned this and was promised all was well. Here we are 3 years later and nothing to show for it!
don't feel too special. Richard tries his hardest to give each and every one of his 200 guys a year a great hunt..........and he does it. you'll just be one of the guys when you go.
