I want to see and hear about your caribou hunts

[Sean B]

Im itchin to hear some caribou stories, hits and misses.  Caribou and moose are at the top of my bucket list.  I"ll get there someday!

[frassettor]

     I would love to hear about them to

[wooddamon1]

Sounds good to me...  

[GRAYBEARD]

Caribou is at the tip top of my dream list. Come on and post some stories, we know you're out there!

[Geezer]

My friends and I have a flight scheduled out of Fairbanks on August 28th and I bet that I'll have a great story to share when I get back.    

[Sean B]

Good luck Geezer!  I'll be watching for  your story!

[Wiley Coyote]

Went to Quebec in '92. Missed the migration and only saw a few caribou. Good fishing for brookies and lakers. Would go again but the cost is prohibitive. I could hunt antelope for three years for the cost of one Quebec caribou hunt. Good luck if you go!!!!

[Flying Dutchman]

Ask Abe from Cari-bow.....

[huntmaster70]

I went in 2000 1 1/2 hrs by floatplane  from scheferville to camp.I was told average shots were 50-100yds so I took 54cal TC Renegade w/roundballs. I should have taken my bow-we hit the migration. The caribou were in the thousands!!!! Incredible!!! I don't think it would have been any problem to get shots. The fishing was great-lake trout hit anything that was orange & the Northern lights were spectacular.I took video of many herds to show my friends because words just couldn't describe it. As was said by Wiley Coyote the price now is thru the roof. When I went it was $2695.00 for 2 caribou round trip from Montreal & included everything except the tip s for the guide & cooks.

[Jake Diebolt]

Here's a thread I posted on my northern quebec Caribou hunt last fall.

 http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=122713;p=1#000000

Short version: saw a few caribou, had a shot, didn't connect. Still had a blast.

[Bowmag]

Our trip in '90 sounds about like Wiley's. Not much in way of migration. We all got two each but we didn't see the huge herds like they advertised. This was Quebec, by the way. My doctor went a year or two ago and he was not pleased with the experience. He said it was a real mess.

[Mike Bolin]

SeanB-be sure to go to the Members Video section here on tradgang. There are some videos from Quebec and several short videos on one post from my 2003 trip. There is a slide show as well and those will show you alot more than I can tell...........well better than I can tell anyways, BUT-

My first trip was in 1999. There were 9 of us in the same group as we booked together and asked to hunt together. Of the 9, there was 2 of us shooting recurves, 3 shooting selfbows, 1 longbow and 3 wheel bows. We did not hit the migration, but over the course of the week, we all had opportunities. The 1 longbow shooter killed to bulls and a black bear. One of the selfbow shooters killed two bulls and one the last day, 1 of the other selfbow shooters killed a nice cow. I missed a nice bull when he caught me off guard and I DID NOT pick a spot!!

We had a great time and the "killers" did a good bit of fishing. The camp cook fed us like kings and the "camp manager" was constantly on the move, glassing and looking for trails/crossings that showed activity to help get on some caribou. I was so taken with the tundra, that I spend alot of time doing "walk-abouts". I couldn't resist seeing what was over that next hill. We all had a great trip and even though I had sold my wife on this hunt saying it would be a "trip of a lifetime", I had a score to settle with those caribou! Upon on our arrival back in Schefferville, I told the outfitter that I would be back....not sure exactly when, but I would be back.........

[Mike Bolin]

In 2001, there was a 2 yr. job coming up close to home that was going to work overtime for the duration. Once I finally made the job, I called the outfitter and told him to book me for 2003 along with 2 of my friends.

We arrived in Schefferville and was picked up by the outfitter. He told us that the camp that he intended to fly us to was not doing well and that the gun hunters in that camp wanted to be moved and that he would figure something out. It was just after noon and we were to fly out within the hour. While we were eating lunch, he got a call on the satellite phone from the camp with the gun hunters. They had all killed at least one bull! That's how quick it changes up there. The migration was on and we were heading to that camp to take the gun hunters spots......didn't sleep too well that night.

We arrived late afternoon and unpacked our gear. The guide told us he was going to drop us off north of camp as the gun hunters were south and they had more caribou on the ground that they had to get to camp. No problem! The three of us split up an walked around a bit and saw a dozen or so cows and calves with at least half of them being close enough to shoot. After blowing the only shot I had in '99 I almost took a cow, but thoughts of big bulls made me let down on the string.

At dinner that night we found that the gun hunters were done and that for tomorrow morning at least, we would have the tundra to ourselves. Again, not much sleep that night....at 3:00 a.m. the wolves howling drew me out of our cabin and I was treated to the most awesome northern light show that I could ever imagine!

After breakfast, I was the first one dropped off. I climbed a high ridge and there on the rock was a blackened circle from a fire ring. I imagined that it was centuries old, left there by native hunters on their quest for winters meat and skins for clothing and shelter. It may have been from last season left by some guys from Nashville, but I liked my first idea better!

My friend were taken on up river to the south...I know that sounds backwards and it messed me up the first afternoon, but the river ran north to the Arctic Ocean. From my perch I could see hundreds of caribou crossing the river, moving from west to east.....right where my friends were dropped!

[IndianaBowman]

Sean, Jeff H. and I will be heading up to Alaska this fall and we hope to have a good story for you. This will be my 10th trip up. I've had good success in the past, but it's been 10 years since I killed a bull moose or caribou up there, so I'll wait and write up a new story.

[Mike Bolin]

So I set for 3 hours watching caribou cross the river a half mile to the south. Another smaller river tied into the big one, too deep for me to cross and blocking me from where the action was! The guide finally pulls up in the boat and points south and off we go. I saw probably 1000 caribou that day and never had a shot. Well, I did have shots, but not at the particular bulls I wanted to shoot. Imagine having a half dozen 300"+ bulls within 20 yards, but you've got another dozen smaller bulls, cows and calves blocking your shot!?!?!

Finally, on the 3rd day, smaller groups of bulls started passing thru the area. I made a poor shot on a huge bodied bull that I had watched for over 45 min. work his way toward me. I misjudged his pace and/or didn't follow thru and hit him in the hips. As he hit the water, another arrow was on the string and without thinking, I made a good shot. The arrow went into the right hip and passed completely thru the bull's body, sticking 10" out the front of his lower left chest. He was done is seconds. 15 minutes later another group of bulls came thru. Nothing big, but 1 was a chocolate color with a perfect rack....not a  big rack, but really cool with double shovels, nice tops and back points. I guess I needed to redeem myself from the first shot on the big bull. This 1 went as planned and he went down in seconds , running less than 30 yards!

Throughout the week, the outfitter moved more hunters into our camp as we killed out. A group from IL came in with 9 bowhunters-4 trad and 5 wheels. Herman and Judy Kovar came in as well and by the last day of our hunt there were 30 bulls killed by bow.

I have been asked to go again, but I doubt that I ever will. I don't see any possible way that I could ever top the 2003 trip. Judy Kovar and her husband Herman both said that they had never experienced a hunt like this before. Rather than go again with too high of expectations and be disappointed, I am just going to savor the memories. Elk this year I am hoping.....

[Gen273]

[Pete McMiller]

I had about the same experience in '91 as Wiley did the next year.  There were 14 hunters in camp and 5 of us were bow hunting.  I think the gun hunters shot 4 or 5 bulls and I was the only bow hunter to even get a shot.  Basically we missed the migration.  We got a discount on another trip but I passed - the other guys went the following year and I think missed the migration again.

All in all it was a good trip despite the lack of game - that's the way it goes sometimes.  I'd hunt caribou again but doubt I will, the cost has gotten too high.

[Sean B]

Great stories guys.  Good one Mike, sounded like a great time.  

Terry, good luck when you go.  I still have the check list you sent me a few years ago.  I Hope to put it Use sometime soon.

[Roadkill]

Thirty years ago I wascstationed in Adak.  Brought my bow and discovered a land with no trees, incessant winds and rain or snow.  We had "sunshine liberty". That is we took off when the sun came out.  Miserable
Place.  I rifle hunted. The game manager asked me to thin the herd in an unreachable corner of the island and I took 9. Took a boat around, 5 hours one way, and brought them back.  We had caribou steaks, stew and chili in the mess hall.

They are inviting fo,ks out to Adak as there are few folks to hunt the couple thousand animals with no predators.  Look it up, might be a place to go.  Realize Adak is 3time zones west od Anchorange. There is no help out there and boats are the mode of transportation required.  Big animals

[Roadkill]

Thirty years ago I wascstationed in Adak.  Brought my bow and discovered a land with no trees, incessant winds and rain or snow.  We had "sunshine liberty". That is we took off when the sun came out.  Miserable
Place.  I rifle hunted. The game manager asked me to thin the herd in an unreachable corner of the island and I took 9. Took a boat around, 5 hours one way, and brought them back.  We had caribou steaks, stew and chili in the mess hall.

They are inviting fo,ks out to Adak as there are few folks to hunt the couple thousand animals with no predators.  Look it up, might be a place to go.  Realize Adak is 3time zones west od Anchorange. There is no help out there and boats are the mode of transportation required.  Big animals