Anyone heard of Ganglers in Manitoba?
Caribou
It looks like I might finally be going on my dream hunt for Caribou.... Only problem is that JHA and Quebec will not be an option in 2018 ( deeply saddened by this ). I am starting to look at options and came across Gangler. Has anyone heard of them or do any of you have a suggestions on where to go.
Hitman
Hunted with them in 12. Had a good experience.
Mick,
Thanks for the response. Any additional details would be greatly appreciated. Would you go with them again? Also, did you see a fair amount of game? Did you hunt Caribou or something else?
Thanks
I'd like to know also, Mick. As much details and any pics would be appreciated.
I hunted there in 2010. If you want some information on the hunt feel free to PM me with you phone number and I will call you. Too much detail to type.
There was 6 guys in camp. !2 very nice bulls taken. Only 2 of which were with bow and 1or 2 with muzzleloader. I seen 20 to 30 caribou a day. So not a ton ,but more then enough to have a good hunt. The camp I was at was fairly wooded so it was stalking friendly. Mainly cruised around in boats till we spotted caribou then got out to hunt or check them out. Also went to higher areas to glass. Overall pretty gentle terrain. The last day fished for arctic grayling for couple hrs. great fishing. There main lodge is crazy big and beautiful with a lot of small nice cabins where we over nighted at the end of the trip. The camp we hunted out of was nice with three cabin/shacks for hunters and guide with wood stove and bunks. And a main food/gathering cabin. I would hunt with them again. Also got to see a wolverine (COOL). Take Care, Mick
You might want to keep your eyes and ears open. From what I've been seeing and hearing Manitoba might not be an option in 2018 either.
From what I've been told, the caribou have not migrated down from Nunavut for the past 3 years. I was in Northern Manitoba in 2013 and killed two nice bulls. I believe all of the outfitters went 100% that year. The caribou did not come down in 2014, 2015, or 2016 from what I understand. Northern Manitoba can be pretty "iffy", obviously. When the caribou are there, it's second to none. When they're not, it's a pretty expensive fishing trip.
I had a great Hunt with Munroe Lake Lodge in Manitoba in 2014. Killed two great Bulls. Since my hunt the caribou have not come down from Nunavat. I would not do a Manitoba hunt until things change. The "caribou climate" is not great anywhere right now, with the exception of most Mountain Caribou hunts in NWT and the Yukon, but those hunts are expensive. Ak can be good if you do your research, but many of those hunts seem to be less and less successful as well. Hopefully, it is all cyclical and be back to normal sooner than later.
I went with Gangler's in 2010. The first couple days was very slow and the caribou had not started the migration from Nunavut yet and were not into Manitoba. At this point we were super nervous, there were two camps of hunters the week before and none of them killed a caribou out of 25-30 guys. The weather was aweful, 40-50 mph gusts and solid rain. By day 3 of sitting in camp, we finally braved the waves on the lake and went clear to the north end where we found some caribou just before dark. By morning, the migration was starting about 3-4 miles behind camp, but with the wind we had to walk instead of taking out the boats, which made for tough hunting. Between the lack of caribou and cover to stalk in, and the constant wind, the stalking was nearly impossible. By day 5, I had nice bull on the ground. We were told that if the caribou were not close, they would move camps for us. That was not an option.
There's more going on with the caribou in Manitoba than them just not migrating down from Nunavut. The natives in Nunavut are killing them and selling the meat to other villages via advertising on the internet. The herd what was estimated at nearly 500,000 back in the 1990's is now estimated at 264,000 (as of 2015). Here's the link I obtained my information from..
http://www.nunatsiaqonline.ca/stories/article/65674caribou_board_says_herd_in_central_nunavut_needs_more_protection/
Manitoba has been a nearly slam dunk for the the past 12 years (prior to 2015 season). Now the caribou are not showing up in their normal areas which has caused an 80% decrease in success. But with Caribou hunting you never really know until you are there.
Alaska Barren Ground might be a better option if you cant swing a Mountain Caribou hunt. Woodland licenses are still available for the time being also....but areas with good numbers will charge much more.
Good luck
PA's comments are good things to consider- we went to Nunavut in 2014 (Henik Lake)and had a phenomenal hunt, I know some of the bowhunter's in 2015 (Ned and a friend who won the auction Item at GSCO) both shot bulls- but since then it has been tough going even for rifle hunters.
That could be an expensive camping trip to the Arctic with the current issues with the 'bou.
Take into consideration the Quebec hunter's and your options are fairly restricted.
The outfitters in Manitoba and Nunavut are going to have to start getting creative in how they book hunts or they're going to end up out of business. Caribou hunting is always a bit of a gamble when the hunt depends on the migration, but when the caribou don't come down for 3 years in a row and when the numbers overall are dwindling, not a lot of people are going to be willing to spend several thousand dollars and hope they get lucky. They could book some hunts on an "on call" basis...that is, for hunters who are flexible they could pay a deposit and the outfitter could give them a call if the caribou come down.. A couple outfitters in the NWT do that. The only problem is that in 2014 the caribou started down and hunters did great for the first couple of weeks and then for some unknown reason, they turned around and went back north to Nunavut. Most Outfitters in Manitoba do not have the option of moving hunters, and that option is useless if the caribou stay up in Nunavut. I suspect due to what has been happening the the herd and the migration, we're going to see prices start coming down in order to attract hunters. If that happens is anyone's guess as well as how much they might come down.
It's not just the hunt cost, but also the transportation and lost time & immense frustration of the caribou aren't any where around...
This caribou scored 431 6/8 SCI points. #23 all time.
This caribou scored 431 6/8 SCI points. #23 all time.
I hunted with Ganglers in September of 2014. Search for my outfitter report here on Bowsite. Ken is slow to respond to e-mail but he runs a very tight ship. I had a great experience and we saw caribou every day. Not a lot, but 25-30 each day. During that trip I talked to a couple of guys that hunted with Ken the previous year, at the same camp, and between the two of them, they saw only one cow the entire week. The herd never can down. Since my trip (2 years ago) it has been really slow. I was fortunate enough to get it just right. I wrote a post on Ganglers, search for it. My camp tagged out in 5 days, but I heard that has not happened since. If you want a well oiled machine with good equipment and good hospitality, Ken has it. He can't move you north if the animals are not there..... His camp is right on the border. Long story not short. I would book with Gangler again, but not for a $10k week long fishing trip, because that is what has happened the last 2 years. If you have any other questions, PM and I will send my phone number.
This is how close you are to the border. This was only 500 yards north of my camp.
Here is a picture of one of two the camps.
The terrain is very contusive for bow hunting.
The people on Bowsite have helped me over the years on several hunts. I hope this helped you. Good luck and may your arrows fly true and thru.
I spoke with Ken the other day. He seems like a great guy and I found out that a very good friend and hunting partner of mine hunted with Ken 3 years ago. He saw plenty of bou and filled one tag. He said that the camp was amazing. I am still considering it, as the prices have dropped with a trophy fee if you fill out. I feel that this is a better option. Ken feels that the herd is in good shape and expects a return to normal this year. Not sure what we will do yet, but thank you all for your responses.
2014 caribou were fine. Its been 2015 and 2016 that were the problem. From what I hear Ganglers are a good outfit.
Take a look at Webbers Lodges in Manitoba. They have Manitoba camps and Nunavut camps. They are willing to move hunters. They have restricted to 40 hunts / year so that if needed I believe they will move you up into Nunavut to hunt the bulls up where they are. Kind of reading between the lines but I think that's what they're doing. I don't know if there is another MB outfitter with this capability or not, or if they're willing to do it. Something to check into. I'd feel good about booking that kind of hunt.
The post above says the outfitter said he expects it to return to normal this year did he by chance indicate why he felt that way
Webbers or Ganglers, that is the question...
David A. - Don't forget about Munroe Lake Lodge. Several bowsiters have been there as well. Fantastic place and people.
David A, the cost of Webbers is much higher, but with the ability to hunt Nunavut and move camps, that would be where I would put my money until the caribou routinely start coming back into Manitoba.
There is no way an outfitter would know that the migration would return to normal...that right there would be a red flag to me.... They're hoping it will return to the way it used to be but saying it is expected is nothing but a sales pitch.
In 2014 the caribou started down and hunters did great at all the camps the first two weeks or so, then for some unknown reason the caribou turned around and went back to Nunavut and hunters that came in after that pretty much struck out.
There hasn't been a "normal" migration from Nunavut to Northern Manitoba since 2013. If taking meat home isn't important and you have the money, Webbers would be my pick these days.....
Hi Guys, I was able to talk to Webbers, and what they are doing is knocking their client numbers down to 40 for the utmost in flexibility. They operate 4 camps, 2 in Manitoba, one a little ways into Nunavut at Baralzon lake, and one another 100 miles further North into Nunavut. Reason they are doing this is so that they can take the hunters to whichever of the 4 camps have caribou. If that fails, they will fly the hunter to where the caribou are with a mobile tent camp. About as good an option as I think you'll find for Barren Ground bou.
Back in 2014 my buddies and I built the new camp that is at Baralzon. That was the first year the caribou did not come down into Manitoba. While we were working at Baralzon we saw thousands upon thousands of caribou and were salivating at the mouth while working. It was like watching Nat Geo, saw wolves in the herds and everything. Word is the majority of caribou were still further North even. We had Manitoba tags, and hunted in our province and only killed some resident caribou. I only saw 1 in a week, but killed it with my bow. My buddies saw a few more, and shot one each with a rifle.
When I think of what caribou hunting should be like I think of what I saw at Baralzon there. Just thought I'd share what they are doing as I think it may be a unique way to hunt the Barren Ground bou as far as what the outfitter is offering. I've never heard of this mobility before.
Before someone asks, no I am not an employee of Webbers, so I don't think I'm breaking any bowsite advertising laws. I've done some work for them, so I know them, and since people were wondering about the Barren Ground situation I thought I'd fill in what I know.
I maybe wrong but I have a hard time believing that u can use a Manitoba tag in another province?
I lover the idea of Webbers, just not sure I can afford over 10g's for the hunt. Thank you all for the responses. I am very conflicted. Just a note Ken said that they met with the biologists and they stated that from what they could tell there was no reason to believe that the migration wouldn't return to normal. He said that there are bou all over Manitoba right now and that the migration was just delayed. I want to go on this hunt so bad and this may be my only chance since the stars have aligned just right, but I don't want to go and see 0 animals.
Alexis, if you're talking about me when I went, I had a MB tag, and only was able to hunt MB, hence having only to stare at the Nunavut caribou. You're correct, you can obviously not use a MB tag anywhere but MB.
As far as Webbers, I think they only have 40 Nunavut tags, on top of all the MB tags - hence limiting their hunts to 40 people so that they can sell the client the tag needed for where the caribou are at. They are not selling them a MB tag and taking them to Nunavut. They are selling the hunt, and telling the hunter they can buy either a MB tag or a Nunavut tag, and will suggest the best place to go based on where the caribou are. I imagine they are limiting it to 40, because in the past couple years it looks like you couldn't count on needing any MB tags at all, so you wouldn't want to be stuck with some hunters having to stay in MB when the caribou are not there.
If I was going to Manitoba right now, I would want the ability to hunt Nunavut. I think that leaves Webbers as the logical choice. I hunted with Munroe Lake and had a great hunt, but the last two years up there have been tough.
$11,000 plus is a lot for a caribou hunt, but with what's happening in Quebec and other places, odds of the prices coming down aren't good. If anything, they'll creep up. Outfitters have a lot of expenses. Their biggest expense is for the air service, but if you add up everything else I think you'll find that aren't making a ton of money. I don't know of any outftters that are wealthy. This coming from a guy who has to save up 3 or 4 years to go on a hunt...... Outfitted hunts are not cheap, but the ones I've been on have been worth every hard earned penny I spent... Once you hunt Northern Canada (and I assume many places I haven't been), you'll want to go back.
Who knows what will happen to the whole caribou thing, but after almost experiencing it, I just want to hunt them in the worst way. I hope it is not a situation where these could be the final years possible to do so, and when I finally save up enough the hunting is shut down.
APauls thats what I thought u either get a Manitoba tag or a Nunavut tag, some guys won't know which province there hunting till they get there. I wish them the best this year the hunters and outfitters it can be frustrating for both parties when the bou don't cooperate
I will be able to give you a Manitoba report. The wife and I are hunting with Munroe Lake the first week. Hopefully things will be back to normal.
Definitely hope it goes back to normal. Good luck coyote. If Munroe is far enough North the other good thing about being first week in is you can kill the odd resident caribou that hasn't bunched up for migration.
Is it hard to get within 25 yds. of these caribou? If I go, it would be longbow...
Also, I wonder how these hunts compare to Quebec...has anyone gone on both?
If the caribou are there, they are the perfect trad bow spot and stalk animal. Prob the easiest animal to get close to on the ground. Right there with black bears I'd say. If you like shooting a trad bow, I'd take it.
