CBG Caribou Thompson Manitoba
Caribou
Any Bowsiter's going to be staying in Thompson Manitoba September 19, either coming or going CBG caribou hunting? I will be there and love to get together for dinner or a drink.
Mike T
We will be up in the 21st, just missed you.
Just returned, no bow kills in our group. Only shots were 4- 200+ yd rifle kills.
Who did you hunt with moosehunter?
moosehunter, how many animals did you guys see while you were up there?
Deerhaven, chance my bro and I are up there but we may be a day or two after as well. My anniversary is the 19th so I should probably be a good boy and stay home for that
moosehunter I am also interested in which outfitter you were with and any other news from the north you might have. Feel free to pm if you have any special tips.
M.Pauls I get the importance of the anniversary obligation. That's why I just load up my wife and take her along. Only downside is she usually shoots better critters than I do. If by chance you are in Thompson before we fly into the bush it would be great if we can meet up!
Hey deerhaven, if the bou haven't come down yet we might end up moose hunting around that time. Being that we live in MB we'd prob plan on driving up in time for our flight so we wouldn't be "kicking back" in Thompson. If by chance we get weathered in for a night like what has happened to me the last 3 times running lol than we'll shoot you a PM if we are there at that time. Looks like at this point we'll be leaving 22n or 23rd if we do moose, unless one guy jams then we might be 19th/20th. Loooot of moving parts this year...
Hahahaha APauls! I am envious of you residents. I only wish we could be so fluid on these caribou hunts. I have a very long and terrible track record on these CBG's!! Good luck on whatever you do!!! I will watch my pms
This was a special negotiated situation. Normally not available to be "fluid" on a caribou hunt for residents either. And it looks like we are striking out anyways this year again :( Last and only other time I went was 2015 which was a strikeout.
This past week's report is it was a strike out again.
Manitoba has sure turned into "fickle" hunt. What was as close to a "sure thing" for many years has proven to be 50/50 at best the last few years.
Ha!! You guys sure aren't very encouraging!! This is a long ways from being.my first rodeo though. I am pretty used to assuming the position. Oh well I still have 12 days left and I have seen a lot of caribou "miracles" in my career also. face it we have to be the ultimate optimist to be serious bowhunters right?
Mike...I'm shocked! You mean you've actually been on a caribou hunt or two in your day? :):):):) Good luck...Let us know how it goes.
I will try to post something Cory even if am shut out. I guess there are a lot worse places to be than the north even with no caribou around.
Hoping for a "miracle"...
Good luck Mike! Hoping you have a good hunt!
Just got back. Total Bust. Didn't even see a squirrel. Do NOT book with Monroe Lake Lodge. Total rip off. And not just because there were no caribou!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Rory, if it was that bad, fill out the outfitter report. Many here have had great luck and times with them. Would love to hear your story.
I had a GREAT hunt with Munroe the year before the caribou stopped coming. Great people, great set up, lots of caribou. Would be curious to hear what was so bad, besides the obvious...
Michael I guided up there long ago when there were caribou everywhere. Everything now is late but you may hit it right if there's weather in Nunuvit to push them south. We used to be closing up camps 3rd week in September as the snow came down horizontal. Now you're going when we'd be leaving. Things change with the climate change. Numbers are way down and I heard of a study they had done on it and came up with everything from the commercial harvest in Nunuvit to wolves, barren ground grizzlies and even polar bears. In a nut shell, I don't think they know. Good luck on your hunt.
Winter isn’t far away today in Norman Wells, NWT. The puddles are all iced over and the Mackenzie's are white. Hope it kicks the Mt Caribou into gear for a good hunt.
Mike, shoot a nice one!!! They should be headed south with the cold???
Kurt
I was in the first group to go with Munroe Lake this year. Out of 6 hunters and 3 guides, no one saw a caribou. With that said, the camp was well outfitted, there was electricity, hot water, and firewood for the wood stove. The guides worked their butts off and they fed us too much food at meal time. The fishing was pretty good. There were a bunch of 40+" northern pike caught and quite a few lake trout too.
Thanks for all the well wishes guys!
Kurt you are probably already on the mountain but good luck to you.
Rory I been on a couple of those real sour hunts and I feel for you. Sorry you had such a bad time.
Spoiled by JHA!!! No effort from the outfitter. Glad others had a good experience with them.
Do NOT pass any gas stations if you drive to Thompson from Winnipeg. Road was really bad on the way up but thankfully had been worked on by the trip back. Very boring drive to Thompson. Be aware of your surroundings in Thompson. Just saying. Wouldn't go off alone.
Spoke with Ken Gangler yesterday. Asked how season went. I believe "absolutely terrible" were his words. They killed 3 and as far as he knew only 3 were killed all year. Sounded like the heard (part of it anyway) camped out 2 miles north of the border for 2 weeks straight and just recently part of them came down but no one was there to hunt them. At this point I think they better start offering a 3k fishing trips with a 5k caribou trophy fee. Havent heard anything about how the nunavut hunters have done. I will say Greenland is looking better and better every single second.
We just returned from hunt with Webber's lodge at Barazlon lake. Out of 8 hunters we saw 1 cow and calf and 1 small bull. That was it all week. I walked a loty and all the migration pinch point trails had not had any traffic on them for a few seasons. They looked worse than 2 years ago when we also saw only one small bull for the whole hunt. We saw the bulls the hunter's shot the week before us and for rifle bulls they weren't very impressive. According to manager we had the best camp in Nunavat this year and caribou in Manitoba we're basically non existent. Supposedly they had a pretty fair year last year but I don't know what that means exactly. I know I personally have spent 4 weeks in the last 5 years in Nunavat and haven't seen 20 Caribou total and 4 bulls none of which I even cared to shoot. It is definitely a hunt that is a huge crap shoot at best right now.
That’s CRAZY Mike. What a bummer. These caribou have seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth.
Yeah I don't get it Cory. They keep telling me there are still all kinds of CBG Caribou, but for several years now no one seems to be able to pin them down. I am pretty sure some of these outfitters have had some embarassingly low success rates overall for the past few seasons and they continue to sell hunts with a straight face. Everyone should be extremely cautious if you book.
rtkreaper the drive is always exciting with anticipation and the gorgeous color of autumn. As for caribou I think a guy would be better off moose hunting, way more meat and much more exciting calling in a mature bull moose.
Sure makes me happy that I hunted all of those back in the good old days when there were plenty of Caribou around.
The guy I guide for here in NW Colorado went on a full combo hunt a few weeks ago and did not see a Moose, Caribou, Bear, and only heard wolves... pricey camping trip for sure.
At what point is it ok to call a spade a spade and ask why the hell are these hunts still being booked ?
Simple- because people are still willing to put their $$ down for these "hunts"!
I don't subscribe to that line of thinking. I feel that if you're going to offer a hunt for sale its incumbent upon you to have a reasonable expectation that you will be able to pursue the animal in the location you're selling the hunt. At some point if you an honest person you have to come to the realization that what you're selling isn't no longer honest. Its upon them to either stop selling the hunt or change the location to some place that now has a reasonable chance to pursue the animal.
Caribou are tricky...For 15 years these outfits were 100%. Then, a couple down years of almost nothing and back again for the most part last year...Now, nothing. Tough for everyone involved.
I hunted Manitoba in 2011. The group before us had caribou crawling everywhere the entire hunt and everyone tagged out with 2 animals (bow and rifle). We got into camp as the weather turned nice and for 3 days there were very few caribou to even be seen, let alone hunted. The next day the weather turned, and a number of the animals that moved out of the area were back; but according to our guide still not to the degree they had been seeing in the previous days prior to our arrival. We had a good hunt that day. The following day the weather turned nice again, and for the rest of the hunt very few animals were seen. To say it's tricky from year to year is true, but It goes as far as day to day based on our time there.
Well guys as an outfitter myself I agree with everyone here. I geuss my honesty would put me in the place that if there is not an opportunity to harvest an animal something would be done for sure to help the hunter. When caribou have been there the year before it’s hard to know if it’s going to be good or not. If I knew there was not going to be caribou I definitely would not try and ruin my reputation on booking guys and failing. It’s definately hard for both sides but at the end of the day hunting is hunting. Hopefully in the next few years they will be predictable and give everyone a chance. Just my thoughts.
Craig and everyone else following this post I would like to be perfectly clear about my intent in my posts here. It has never been my intent to bash the outfitters that I have been with. I do believe they have been trying to do the best they can under the circumstances.
I do want everyone to be aware of what truly is going on with CBG caribou. I do believe that as individuals we each see a pretty small peice of what's going on inside an entire industry. On the other hand getting these small peices out in the open can hopefully help others make the best decision decision where they want to spend their hard earned money and precious vacation time.
I personally will still try to find a good place to harvest a large CBG caribou as I have set out to do :^)
I feel for the guys who's hunt was a "bust". That's a lot of money to drop. I hunted with Munroe in 2013 and had a fantastic hunt. I have recommended them to a few people, but now I am hesitant to do so anymore, not because of Robert and Michelle or their guides, but because of the caribou.
Deerhaven I did not think that at all. I just agreed that honesty is the best policy and what I would do in that situation. All good and I hope the caribou do come back because it would help my family out a lot. This is a good post and have been following it it’s good to have updates on here.
Yes the reality sucks when it comes to the CBG caribou. I hunted the very first year they never came down. Then was supposed to hunt this year. Thankfully this year we had a flexible arrangement so we never ended up going. Being "on a moment's notice" for a month was no picnic though with work and family life. Not sure I could do that again in the near future. Wreaks havoc.
It's extremely difficult for anyone to tell anyone what's happening because no one knows. For Manitoba outfitters, you are talking about a herd of unknown size, that for whatever reasons seems to have changed what was a usual migration route. Everyone is just learning what is happening. Supposedly Nunavut flew a survey last year but won't share the data. Even so, surveys are not flown across the entire north. They just do a couple grids and multiply by land mass. So we're talking about a herd that really is of unknown size. Our provinces do not have the $ to properly do anything resource related so it's a giant crapshoot. Where outfitters like Craig are concerned, they don't have any data to go on from resources, so all they have to go on is their experience and others. Take a look at Manitoba and Nunavut on google maps. Take a look at how big it is. There is no foggy way for people to know what is going on around the province. They know what they see from the air, but even that is a piss in the wind compared to the land mass out there.
For 40 years these animals did the same thing, now they're doing something different and everyone is in the same boat learning every year. Sure I'd love to yell at someone why I never saw any caribou but I know I wasn't sold a hunt based on future success. It was sold based on past success. Any outfitter who tells someone what they are going to see regarding caribou is a fool. Usually an outfitter tells a guys what they've seen, and what has happened in years past. If you decide to take that gamble it is your money. All they can do is tell you the truth and supply a service. The year I went we saw nothing, but I worked and built a cabin on Barlazon and saw thousands upon thousands while working. They covered the landscape. That was a few short years ago. I yearn to be hunting while seeing animals like that. Yes, I was able to turn my hunt into a moose hunt this year and for that I am very grateful. Sure moose and elk hunting is exciting, but I CAN'T imagine the type of fun it would be to be hunting a deer with a giant rack in such a target rich environment. It's a dream, and I hope it can be reality one day.
The thing about a giant herd like this, is you could be in an area where a few thousand bou move through, and to you it may seem like the herd is 350,000 strong, but 10 miles away could be dry and there you'd swear there isn't a caribou alive in the world. It could be reality that there are 10,000 caribou left, but if you happen to be where they move through, you could have a better hunt than some people had back in the "hay days" when there were 800,000 animals. If they're there, they're there, if they're not it just plain sucks and there's no two ways about it.
Yup that’s explains it best! Apauls
Turned into a very expensive fishing trip. Rory
Glad I had my fill of caribou, just before the downturn. Guided and hunted 3 weeks a year, when even on the worst weeks there were still dozens of mature bulls passed on. I feel bad for all the guys going now, but I agree all an outfitter can do is explain the situation and it’s up to the clients to decide if it’s worth the risk.
Just returned from Greenland and I guess I made the right decision because I really wanted to go to Nunavut but it is too much hit or miss for me to take that chance. Greenland was cool but it is not cheap at all. Travel for me was insane but I harvest a animal.
Congrats on the successful Greenland hunt.
Please share details of Greenland experience and more photos when you get a chance
Or you could just enjoy the ride there.Last time I was there you flew in on a mail plane and landed on a hill.Yes a hill.Or,you could take a very slow train ride through the bog.A ride often made 'scary' by the other passengers who came from all over the world to work on the dam and lived in wire enclosed camps.
I must have hunted with Munroe the same year Kota did, seems things have changed drastically since then. Not much an outfitter can do when they rely on a migration and the migration doesn't cross the border. I seem to recall that looking out the back of camp the Nunavit border was clearly visible only a mile or 2 off, unfortunately you cant go that way to find them.... That year, we got to camp 2 days late due to weather, but still filled every hunter with 2 bulls/. Incredible #'s of caribou that year. Sorry it was such a bad year, but I find it hard to believe that Robert and Michele didn't try to make it work.
This past June, while waiting in line to buy my caribou hunting license in Thompson, I had a chat with Daryl Hedeman, of Manitoba conservation. I’m not sure what his title is anymore, possibly Regional Director for the northeast region of the province. I know he was or still may be a wildlife manager for the region (if he isn’t a regional director now). Anyway, Darryll has been heavily involved with the caribou in Manitoba as well as being on the Beverly Qamanirjuaq caribou management board. Due to the poor hunting results the past few years I asked what the heard numbers were like. Were they declining? Are the number of hunting licenses going to be reduced? Simply put, the numbers are only slightly lower than in recent past, but not significantly lower. The biggest problem with lack of harvest is the migration isn’t following what we know as traditional areas. Even the winter hunt has been hard to connect on.
With outfitters, they’re put in a tough spot. I know the outfitter that I’ve flown up with 4 times didn’t sell any hunts last year. They didn’t feel that they could, in good conscience, sell hunts after the two previous falls were a complete bust. They were booked full, but canceled right after the second poor fall in a row. Unfortunately last fall was somewhat successful. So they missed out. Hoping things were back to normal, they booked hunts for this fall. As the reports go, things didn’t go well this year. Outfitters want to see their clients be successful. It’s hard to know what the right thing is to do.
They went straight through to Montana I guess! :-)
Man what a bummer for those doing these hunts. I have been to Barlazon in 2015 and 2017. In 2015 I went the 2nd week. I was the only one in camp that did not get at least one caribou. By the end of the week there were very few caribou around. It is my understanding that it got worse as the season went on. In 2017 I went the first week and had a really good hunt. You could see the caribou running around camp when we flew in. Shot a very nice bull the 4th day with my bow. Everyone else in camp (5 other hunters) shot two (all rifle one other bow hunter). I only had 1 tag and I was happy with what I had. It sounded like the hunting actually got better as the season went on. One of the guys that was there in 2017 was also there in 2016 and said the hunt was a complete bust. I feel very fortunate the way it worked out for me. It would be nice to go back but.....
Any updates from the recent 2019 season? Any bowhunters roll the dice in Manitoba or Nunavut? Success, near misses or bust??
Manitoba was a bust again this year.
Too bad to hear that about Manitoba.
