Mathews Inc.
Quebec Caribou update ?
Caribou
Contributors to this thread:
Squash 11-Mar-23
Frenchman 13-Mar-23
APauls 13-Mar-23
Bou'bound 21-Nov-24
Shug 21-Nov-24
Rut-Nut 21-Nov-24
Dale06 21-Nov-24
Glunt@work 21-Nov-24
BOWNUT 21-Nov-24
Shug 22-Nov-24
longsprings 22-Nov-24
t-roy 22-Nov-24
Mule Power 22-Nov-24
ahunter76 22-Nov-24
Slate 22-Nov-24
Treeline 22-Nov-24
Ken Taylor 24-Nov-24
Jaquomo 24-Nov-24
Zbone 25-Nov-24
njbuck 25-Nov-24
Dale06 25-Nov-24
Stekewood 25-Nov-24
drycreek 25-Nov-24
Simmomons 05-Dec-24
Bou'bound 06-Dec-24
Buckdeer 06-Dec-24
Live2Hunt 06-Dec-24
From: Squash
11-Mar-23
A friend talked yesterday with Ray Halbritter, head of the Oneida Indian Nation in NY ,Turning Stone Casino. Halbritter use to organize here in NY, winter caribou hunting trips with the local First Nation tribes in northern Quebec. My friend asked him what was going on with the Quebec caribou herds, and if they are at low population levels ? As others here have stated , he said it is all political. His take was that after the Canadian Gov. gave the Inuits the Nunavut territory, now other 1st nation tribes want exclusive territories of their own, and the Gov. has so far refused to do so.

I’m don’t know if this is the reason for the hunting ban, but believe Halbritter would have knowledge of what’s happening . I know Jack Hume post here sometimes, maybe he can shed more light on this ?

From: Frenchman
13-Mar-23
Extremely unlikely to reopen - politics mainly. Glad I was able to go when it was there... --Frenchman who lives in Quebec and works in caribou country...

From: APauls
13-Mar-23
Nunavut has a commercial caribou harvest. They are paid to kill caribou.

From: Bou'bound
21-Nov-24
One of the best huts ever. Was so good. Did it 5 times and would Go back every two three years if they reopened.

From: Shug
21-Nov-24
3 x never shot an arrow… I’d also love to do it again

From: Rut-Nut
21-Nov-24
I think it’s time to change your handle Bou! ;-)

From: Dale06
21-Nov-24
Went twice to Bob Folkrods camp, Delay River. First trip, saw very few caribou and never came close to a shot opportunity. Second trip I arrowed a small one early in the hunt, so I didn’t get skunked again. And I shot a bigger one, but not one of the mega ones, the last hour of the hunt. Neither of my two hunts were very good at all in terms of seeing many caribou. I hope it reopens to give others a chance at this species.

From: Glunt@work
21-Nov-24
I lucked into a "Discovery Channel" migration after 5 pretty slow days. It was unbelievable. Caribou are still being hunted there, just not by folks paying thousands to enjoy a week up there.

From: BOWNUT
21-Nov-24
I went on two. Definitely the best hunts I have ever been on. I would definitely go again if I ever get the chance. Once with L.U.O and the second with Montunaise.

From: Shug
22-Nov-24
3 x never shot an arrow… I’d also love to do it again

From: longsprings
22-Nov-24
I loved it , no caribou first day , woke up to pee and was flabbergasted by the numbers , they where grazin right through camp we all got 2 caribou and tarmigan and lake trout Trip of a lfetime. Would do it again just for the adventure. Pretty shortsided on their part. They could even have the meat Oh well it is a memory

From: t-roy
22-Nov-24
Pretty sad that the opportunity is now gone. I was fortunate to have gone twice. Went in ‘06 and again in ‘08. 2008 was a great trip where we saw a lot of animals and filled all of our tags. 2006 was probably one of the most incredible hunts I’ve ever experienced. We saw good numbers of animals the first four days, then the floodgates opened on the last day. Like Glunt described it, the hills were literally crawling with thousands of animals. Our guide estimated that we saw between 30,000 to 50,000 caribou that day, alone.

From: Mule Power
22-Nov-24
I hunted it in 96 from the same camp Chuck Adam’s hunted. The week before us they killed nothing. Everyone in my camp killed 2 bulls and it was an incredible hunt. I would absolutely love to go back!

From: ahunter76
22-Nov-24

ahunter76's embedded Photo
Son headed back to the lake a half mile away with his best bull of 2.
ahunter76's embedded Photo
Son headed back to the lake a half mile away with his best bull of 2.
ahunter76's embedded Photo
ahunter76's embedded Photo
Went twice. 89 saw a Cow & Calf no one took a shot. 90, took my son age 16. Zero Caribou until last day & then the Dam broke. Bulls everywhere. He definitely knows the treasure he has on the wall. It was the trip of a lifetime.

From: Slate
22-Nov-24
One of my favorite hunts.

From: Treeline
22-Nov-24
Sucks that I didn’t go. Had lots of opportunities, just thought it would last forever.

From: Ken Taylor
24-Nov-24
I worked at a fall hunting caribou camp for 16 years and I live in the southern part of the migratory caribou winter range (only the "threatened" non migratory woodland caribou live around here all year round).

When the migratory herd was up (about 1,000,000 for several years), they would show up near our community, but these years we have to drive 4- 5 hours north to see any. The numbers do seem to be slowly increasing though.

Coincidently, some of my American friends have been asking me lately about how the caribou numbers are and if I think that a hunting season will reopen. Besides my own observations, I'll ask my friends and relatives to let me know what they see this winter.

From: Jaquomo
24-Nov-24

Jaquomo's embedded Photo
Jaquomo's embedded Photo
Jaquomo's embedded Photo
Jaquomo's embedded Photo
Jaquomo's embedded Photo
And Atlantic Salmon on dries as a bonus, while we were glassing for 'bou.
Jaquomo's embedded Photo
And Atlantic Salmon on dries as a bonus, while we were glassing for 'bou.
Had the privilege of hunting the Leaf River camp twice. First trip, mature bulls were a little scarce but my partner and I each killed a nice bull with stickbows.

Second trip, I held out until the last day, hoping for a good one. The whole camp was tagged out except me, and a major migration of 30,000 (pilots estimates) came through our valley. I was in the middle of the wave. It was an unbelievable spectacle. The biggest challenge was getting one of the bigger bulls to come clear. I eventually killed a 366 bull with a longbow built by my partner.

Our boat driver tried to convince me to crawl back up there and shoot another, but I had the one I wanted. We went back to camp, I celebrated with a Scotch or two, then caught a 5 lb brookie right behind camp on a Micky Finn I tied, on a rod my daughter built for me.

A good day. I miss it.

From: Zbone
25-Nov-24
I remember when the population crash happened but never did hear what caused it???

From: njbuck
25-Nov-24
I unfortunately missed out on this hunt and massively regret it. A group of guys I know would go up each year and would invite me but I always said "next year". Well, it was a lesson that tomorrow is never a given. Hopefully it will open back up sometime in the near future.

From: Dale06
25-Nov-24
I probably shouldn’t tell this but. My second trip to Quebec was 1989 . I went alone and was paired with some kid (30 years old I’d guess) from I believe Massachusetts. Early in the hunt, our guide was taking us some where to watch for bulls crossing the river. We came upon two good bulls swimming the river. The guide motored next to the bulls and encouraged us to arrow them. They were literally feet from the boat, swimming. The kid grabbed his bow, and I said no, not going to do that. So we motored up the river, beached and waited for caribou to cross. After an hour of no sightings, I decided to take a walk in the hills. After a couple hours I returned to find two big bulls dead on the bank of the river. They were soaking wet and it was obvious that they had not exited the river and shook off. I looked at the kid and said “ you went out in the boat and shot them swimming in the water didn’t you”, he said yes. I’ll always remember that.

From: Stekewood
25-Nov-24

Stekewood's embedded Photo
Stekewood's embedded Photo
Stekewood's embedded Photo
Stekewood's embedded Photo
Such a great hunt and was one the most accessible and affordable (at least in the early years) true wilderness hunts for those of us in the Northeast. Fond memories of northern Quebec. Photo credit goes to Pat.

From: drycreek
25-Nov-24
What would be more cool is for you to stop posting spam on a bow hunting site.

From: Simmomons
05-Dec-24
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From: Bou'bound
06-Dec-24
Do you have a question ?

From: Buckdeer
06-Dec-24
When we went it was one of those they will move you if needed.We had to mutiny camp to get moved and they told us if we all went we could only keep antlers and no meat so we threatened to report them and they changed their tune but my buddy and I still slept in a plane floating on river as they didn't have anymore beds.But it was an adventure as we slept in a morgue in Sheverville the first night.But would love to go back also

From: Live2Hunt
06-Dec-24
Just a thought, does anyone think the crash has anything to do with the snow goose overpopulation and what they have done to the food sources up there? Just a thought, that was the concern with the geese.

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