Opportunity for Caribou...

[Jake Diebolt]

OK, here's the skinny. I may have an opportunity this fall to go to a northern Quebec caribou hunt.

My dad has gone for caribou once and my uncles twice. The last time they got back my dad told me that I was going the next time they went. When I pointed out that that was way out of my price range, my dad said, and I quote: "You don't have a choice."

He'd apparently set aside a bunch of money from a windfall - enough for both of us to go. Needless to say, I took this and ran (my independent pride doesn't extend to turning down hunting opportunities).

But this past fall it looked like things had fallen through and it wasn't going to happen. Today, my uncle visits me at my office and tells me its a go - haven't talked to my dad yet though.

The outfitter is Cargair - my dad and uncles have used them twice and been very impressed with them. One of my uncles used a bow and got the first two caribou out of the camp. So I know its possible.

However, I find the whole thing intimidating as heck. I've never been on a hunt like this, never hunted out of the province, and never hunted anything as big as caribou. So where do I turn?

"Alas!", says I, "If only there was an internet forum of traditional archery experts who love to discuss bowhunting! Oh wait, there IS!"

So I need advice. Anything you can give me: equipment, tactics, practice techniques. I figure I have six months to get prepared for a caribou hunt. Here's my bow setup:

Martin Hunter 50 @ 28 - drawn to 28
Woodsman Broadheads OR Zwickey Eskilites.

[Bowhunter4life]

Few questions first...

How heavy is your total arrow weight?  What is the terrain where you will be?  And what are you used to hunting/experience level?

[Bowhunter4life]

Oh, and by the way, very jealous!  Love hunting Caribou...

[Bjorn]

C'mon you are going with your father and uncles and you are intimidated by going hunting in Quebec? What's the problem? What have you killed with your bow?

[David Yukon]

Where are you from? I think one thing for sure, are distances can be pretty deceiving in the tundra... so what seam to be close, might be far and vice versa... Caribou are not hard to kill, they are not really thick animals, and have pretty light bones(ribs). Be ready to cover a lot of ground, in rough terrain, it can be easy walking but also really hard as well, the tussock are hard to walk in.
Have fun!

[Jake Diebolt]

Some answers:

My experience level is two years hunting white-tails recently, plus when I was 14-18 I hunted 3 years. So 5 yrs total.

I'm from southern Ontario originally...the intimidation factor is generally the unfamiliar territory. I'm used to hunting woods and fields. The terrain we'll be in is open tundra with some taiga woods, and apparently lots of hills and valleys. I'm used to tree stand hunting - the only thing I've stalked before is bunnies.

I just checked my arrow weight - 560 grains on the scale, including 125gr point. About 11 gpp. I'm considering going to the Zwickeys because I've heard good things about their durability, and I have six of them waiting to be sharpened. I'm down to my last 3 woodsman broadheads, and 3 rivers doesn't seem to have the original in my size anymore (125 grains). The elites are too pricey for me right now.

What do you think of the arrow setup? And Zwickeys or Woodsmen? I have a feeling the two-blade would give me a little penetration advantage on a larger animal...

[Jake Diebolt]

Also I do a lot of practicing in an open field, I think I'll try practicing at varied distances in the open to try and train for that kind of estimation.

[TDHunter]

X2 do lots of practicing in and open area!!!  great advice

and another thing that throws people off , they're not as big as you think!   much smaller then elk or moose.

[Jake Diebolt]

There's a question - how big of a vital area are we looking at here (as compared to whitetails)? Does anyone have a picture like in that shot placement thread - didn't see a caribou one in there.

[Bowhunter4life]

Arrow setup sounds good, either broadhead will do the job as Caribou are not all that tough to get through.  Size wise, they are between a big deer and a small elk... I've never put one on a scale as I've only boned and packed them out.

Practice from the ground, kneeling, sitting, etc... with open tundra you will have little to hide behind if anything.  Lower your profile the better.

[Fletcher]

Congrats, Jake!  You will love it.  Caribou are a great bowhunting animal; plenty challenging, but not as spooky as whitetails and quite stalkable.  Your equipment will work great.  I would prefer the Woodsmans over an eskilite, but sharpness and placement are the real key.  Caribou are bigger than deer, maybe 350 lb/160 kg for a big bull, but they have big lungs and hit well go down pretty quick.

Practice walking speed shots, as caribou move a lot and stand little.  It is also quite likely to be windy and/or raining so I recommend a heavy point / higher FOC arrow as they perform better in both, IMO.

Once a caribou gets past you, they are next to impossible to catch up with.  Get ahead of them and let them come by, shooting after they get a little past you.  Yes, you do have to play the wind.  Caribou often seem to follow the same path as the group ahead of them so if you see a couple groups go past a spot, get there and set up.  When hit, they will head for water; that is their safety response from predators.  Besides that, have fun and enjoy the remoteness.  Understand that caribou is a feast or famine hunt.  Go into it understanding that it may only be an adventure and you will do great.  

[Matt Quick]

I have hunted caribou in Quebec once.  I did shoot two bulls.  A few things you need to know.  Your bow set up and arrow are fine.  Caribou are not hard to kill.  Understand caribou hunting in Quebec has not been good for several years as far as bowhunting is concerned.  You may luck out and have the hunt of a lifetime.  But you have to realize the odds of that are not good.  I have not heard of the outfitter you are using.  How many camps do they fill up at once?  The better outfits will have 20-25 camps but only fill five or six at a time to increase the odds of caribou being in some of them.  Will they move you if "Mature Bull Caribou" are not in your camp?  All the adds show giant bulls.  What happens if you only have cows and calves in your camp?  Some outfitters call that hunting and feel they have met their obligation.  You need to know the answers to these questions before you go.  Once you are there you have to take charge of "your" hunt.  Some guides are better than others but almost none of them bowhunt.  They will ask you to use a rifle.  
   Based just on the population decline and none of the other reasons to be cautious about hunting caribou in Quebec I would recommend you look for another species to hunt.  Caribou are made for bowhunters but its very expensive and the odds are stacked against you having a good bowhunt.  If your rifle hunting its a different story.  You only need to see two nice bulls to make your hunt.  I'm not suggesting you start rifle hunting I'm just saying its a totally different game.  How many years ago was it when your dad and uncle hunted with this outfitter?

[Terry Green]

I got.a question. ....when do.they offer hunts and how much money you talking? ....I'd lobe to hunt bou.

[Mike Vines]

If I were you, I wouldn't think twice about going.  Your going to be with your Dad and Uncles.  Those are memories you cannot buy.  I would give just about anything to be able to enjoy 1 more minute with my Dad, let alone a whole hunting trip with him.  

Go, have a great time, take tons of pictures and share all of them with us on here.

[JamesKerr]

Your setup will kill anything that you are likely to come across. A 50 pound bow with a 560 grain arrow with either a 2 or 3 blade will have plenty of umph for a caribou.

[awbowman]

Plenty umph!  Go have fun!

[Jake Diebolt]

Terry:

I think the hunts are from july to September, depending on whether you want to hunt them when they're in velvet or not.

Cargair is kind of a 'semi-guided' operation. It comes out to about $3000.00, apparently, for people who want the price info (I hope this kind of info is appropriate as they're not sponsors). That's two caribou tags, the camp, and flying in from the base. I think they cater more towards guns than bows (when my uncle went he was the only bow in camp) but my uncle proves it can be done in that area.

I have heard that recently the caribou herds have been down. In my position I can't say I'm too worried as I'm just kind of mooching along anyway.

[David Yukon]

Have you been to the north before? And even if you have been, just going there is good anought reason to go and try to get close to a few caribous!! I live in the north, not above tree line, have easy access to it and for the last 14 years, every time I have a chance to get up to the tundra, I take!! It is the most beautiful place on earth!!! You sound like you are ready. And if you don't kill any thing, or see any thing, give me a call...
Best of luck and enjoy!!

[Bjorn]

Jake bring a camera for sure, this is a hunt of a lifetime and we want to drool over your pictures. Lots of places are not issuing tags to non residents; so consider yourself very fortunate.  
So don't be a hoser-eh?

[Hopewell Tom]

Make sure you have a good rain suit. You'll probably be in it everyday. The Cabelas MTO50 sounds like a good setup. I don't have one yet, but will by this fall. I rifle hunted in Northern Quebec and Newfoundland and always had the rain jacket on. If not raining/wet, it was windy.
Good luck, you're going to have a blast. Northern Quebec was above treeline, my first time in a place with no trees. BIG country.