Caribou hunting at it's best.
Contributors to this thread:Caribou
From: DiRTY MiKE
29-Jul-21
Cleaning out the garage and found this.
From: Chief 419
29-Jul-21
It's hard to read the hand writing. Did you get to make a trip with them or did they fold before your hunt?
From: wild1
29-Jul-21
Ouch! I didn't get burned, but I was so disappointed with the Canadian government's lack of help, that have haven't set foot in Canada since.
From: JL
29-Jul-21
JL's Link
Is this one of the individuals often mentioned in the same breath with Tuttilik??
From: No Mercy
30-Jul-21
From: newfi1946moose
30-Jul-21
Boney was the business manager. When I worked for Tuttulik my expenses were paid by him.
From: Slate
30-Jul-21
I hunted with Safari Nordik and actually had a really good time. Everyone in camp killed 2 caribou. I was one of the few to give them a good review.
From: Rut Nut
30-Jul-21
This thread will likely bring up some very bad memories for some....................
From: Kurt
30-Jul-21
10 of us bowhunters (several that post on this site) had an excellent Quebec caribou hunt in 2000. We ended up getting quite a few P&Y caliber bulls plus one dandy camp destroying, caribou killing bear. We booked the hunt through Greg Bonecutter, not sure who the actual outfitter was? No guides, just one camp guy, Don, that dropped us off from a 23' freighter canoe for our daily hunt, then picked us up at dark. We were camped along a 100 mile long lake.
From: JL
30-Jul-21
^....that sounds like a fun hunt. Me and some buds did a bou' hunt with Safari Nordik circa 2002/3. It's rugged and beautiful country up there. I'd love to do another hunt there before I head to the pearly gates.
From: Chief 419
30-Jul-21
I doubt the Quebec Labrador species will ever be hunted by non-natives again regardless of if/when the population increases. Opportunity lost.
From: JL
30-Jul-21
Chief....why do you say that? Did you read something to that effect? I sure hope you're wrong.
From: Dale06
30-Jul-21
I went twice for Quebec caribou, with Bob Folkrods outfit. First year he told us as we arrived that every previous bow hunter in this camp had killed two caribou, so do not shoot the first one you see. Take your time and and pick big ones. These was eight of us in camp. A total of three caribou were killed during the hunt. I never saw a caribou inside of 400 yards. It was terrible, there were almost no caribou in the area. Bob allowed guys to stay an extra week to hunt. I could not do that. Bob gave me a discounted hunt the following year. The hunt was poor again. I killed a small caribou the third day and killed a fair size one, the last hour of the hunt. I believe that was in 1988.
From: Kurt
30-Jul-21
JL, Quebec shut down Caribou hunting about 3 or 4 years ago. Just like Central Barren Ground Caribou was closed in the NWT (not Mountain Caribou in the Mackenzies) quite a while ago. Low 'bou numbers now after years of high numbers. And BC is doing what they can to maintain and increase numbers in the north. Meanwhile the central herd west of Williams Lake was closed to hunting a year ago.
From: t-roy
30-Jul-21
Definitely can be feast or famine, for sure. Fortunately, both times I went (2006 & 2008) it was the former, especially in 2006. Everyone in camp filled both tags each trip. We saw several thousand caribou on the first day in ‘06, and filled our first tags with really nice bulls. We held out for bigger bulls. The second day, the numbers dropped significantly, and by day 4, there wasn’t a caribou to be seen. Fortunately, we had the option to charter a float plane to fly us out to near where the migration was occurring. Best $250 I ever spent! The last morning, we landed in a small bay and hiked up the mountain a few hundred yards, crested the top, and immediately we were right on the fringe of one of the most incredible sights I’ve ever experienced. There were thousands of caribou spread out all over the hills and the valley in front of us. Our guide estimated that we saw between 25,000 to possibly over 40,000 caribou, that day alone.
From: Chief 419
30-Jul-21
JL, I don’t have any information other than control of the herd was given to the natives. It’s doubtful they’ll every relinquish control of the herd back to the Canadian government regardless if there’s money to be made. I hope I’m wrong as well. Sure wish I had made that hunt when it was still open.
From: MA-PAdeerslayer
30-Jul-21
T-Roy that is crazy. I Can’t even imagine seeing that many animals at once…. Holy Crap
From: Kevin Dill
30-Jul-21
I never opted to hunt the QL species after having several friends waste their money and come home with nothing but sad stories. Instead I went to the NWT 4 times and hunted central barren ground bou. Nothing like chasing caribou on totally open tundra while eyeballing for grizzlies in the distance. I have great memories of those hunts with many animals taken. I personally doubt if Americans will ever regain those chances again to chase the big herds in Canada. I'm glad I was able to go and do it before the end.
From: Glunt@work
30-Jul-21
I was lucky enough to see the big migration after 5 slow days. It was amazing. Most of the camp was already tagged out on any bulls they could find but I was filming and hadn't hunted yet so I had two unused tags in my pocket. It was beyond what I imagined it would be like.
Hunt what you can, while you can. I never would have guessed that hunt would disappear.
From: huntinelk
31-Jul-21
huntinelk's Link
I was fortunate to avoid the scam outfitter era , but get in while the hunting was still open with decent quality and quantity....blind luck on timing for me.
From: Slate
31-Jul-21
From: Kevin Dill
31-Jul-21
I've never really written about it, but I got caught in the migration in the NWT on my second hunt. I had maybe 70 caribou walk past my position in the rocks. I picked out a large bull and drilled him with the longbow. The herd scattered and ran off. I waited 15 minutes and then began finding traces of blood in the snow. I looked ahead and could see the tops of antlers moving my way just over the crest of a rise. Lots of antlers.
I moved into the rocks and jumped onto a VW-sized boulder, standing upright. The caribou came streaming over the rise....dozens...then well over a hundred...and more behind them. They came directly at me and in a few minutes I had them flowing by me on each side. Eyeballs moving...tendons clicking...some grunting...it was amazing. I could've touched several of them with my bow tip, but it was better to just be quiet in the moment. I had different large bulls within 10' of my rock. This went on many minutes and I have no way to know how many hundred or thousand animals passed by me. The rock was basically a ship's bow splitting waves of caribou to each side. I recall having a timeless moment....feeling like this could've happened 50 or 10,000 years ago. I was just fortunate to be part of something so few will ever experience.
When the last of the caribou passed, I slipped down off the boulder and located my bull lying dead just over a hump about 80 yards distant. There were fresh caribou tracks all around him....and I gave thanks for the easy recovery.
From: Bou'bound
31-Jul-21
Three great hunts with tuttulik in 2006 2007 and 2008. When we flew out in of camp in 08 we boarded up camp and emptied it behind us. They were great operation until they weren’t. Went two more times with JHA and they were great until government put them out of business.
Only once in all those trips did I not fill all tags.
From: blindgood
31-Jul-21
I was fortunate to hunt them twice Club Chamboiux. Took two nice bulls in a few minutes of each other. The thing I remember is watching the migration on the internet. Is that still available? Would love to get online and watch the progress. Someone have a link?
From: Tilzbow
31-Jul-21
I hunted the Mulchatna Herd in AK in the 1990’s, Quebec with JHA in the early 2000’s and with Tuttulik in September 2008. We saw a few caribou on each hunt but never saw more than 10 - 20 each day. Now I’m trying to decide if I want to give it one more try and hunt NW Alaska with some friends who have never been. Maybe the fourth time will be the charm!
As far as Tuttulik, we had no idea the outfit had gone out of business while our hunt was underway until we got back to the little airport on the shore of Hudson Bay (I think this was at Umiujaq). We knew something was going on, but the guide running the camp (I think his name is Lou) had instructed the camp staff to keep it on the down low so the clients could enjoy our hunt. I found out when the cook, Jammer (I think), told me he was out of a job after we landed at the airport. We flew back to Quebec with some clients that had their hunt canceled part way through.
From: T.O
31-Jul-21
I hunted with leaf river outfitters twice once in 2000 and 2005 we saw so many animals both times one of my favorite places i have hunted, i was hoping to take my boys to show them the barren lands of the caribou.
From: No Mercy
01-Aug-21
Tilzbow-I was there the week before you. Still friends with Lou to this day. Such a sad ending to a fantastic hunting area.
From: Slate
01-Aug-21
Do whatever you can don’t put It off things changing all the time. This is the second place I have hunted that has closed. Another is in NWT where I killed some great animals. Never in my lifetime will it be open again to hunting. Animals will die of old age and other animals only.
From: ahunter76
05-Aug-21
1989 I went with great expectations. 6 incamp & not one killed. I saw a cow & a calf & 1 other saw a small Bull. No one that season at that camp killed a Caribou. I went again in 1990 & took my son to the "same" oufit. I thought we were going to have a repeat until the last 2 days & then they came through. I could never afford it at todays prices & my son is "so" thankful Dad took him.
From: Pat Lefemine
06-Aug-21
My bull scored 406 SCI
My bull scored 406 SCI
Steve just after hammering this nice bull the first day of the hunt
Steve just after hammering this nice bull the first day of the hunt
I will never forget the day I shot this caribou with tuttulik while hunting with Steve Kremp of Pennsylvania. We both tagged out and am pretty sure the entire camp went 100%. Great times. Two years later I and hundreds of other guys got burned by either poor management or fraudulent practices, who knows.
From: Helgermite
06-Aug-21
That's a beautiful Caribou Pat. Did you do a taxidermy shoulder mount ?
From: Nick Muche
07-Aug-21
I shot this one this morning, it was pretty great.
From: t-roy
07-Aug-21
Good stuff, Nick. Congrats!
From: Kurt
07-Aug-21
Way to go Nick!!! Nice early season 'bou!
From: Nick Muche
08-Aug-21
From: M.Pauls
08-Aug-21
Congrats Nick!
From: Whocares
08-Aug-21
You know how to get it done, Nick. Congrats!
From: Heat
08-Aug-21
Right on, nice Nick!
From: CurveBow
08-Aug-21
Congrats Nick on Gittin' er Done!!
From: Southern draw
09-Aug-21
Congrats Nick, nice touch with the flag !
From: Beav
09-Aug-21
Hell yes Nick!
From: LWood
09-Aug-21
Congrats Nick
From: Zbone
10-Aug-21
Nice Nick, CONGRATS...
From: Kevin Dill
10-Aug-21
I love Nick's pix. Gorgeous-looking bull my friend. Tallest flag for 50 miles?
