Do any of the Albertans here know anything about Mighty Peace Outfitters and owner Derryl Johnson? I am considering a Mulie-Moose hunt with an Alberta outfitter next year and want a solid, CANADIAN family-run operation with simple camps and good grub and polite guides, etc.

Anyone else have experience with this gentleman?

Dewey,

You better take a Whitetail tag as well. Freaking monsters in that area.

Only good things heard about them but I have never hunted with them.

Probably no.1 or No.2 when I actually can do a whitetail hunt.

Best
Thomas

I cant comment of MPO but Birch Creek Outfitters based out of Peace River is a good outfit. I know b/c I have guided for them in the past and a very good friend still guides for them. Mike/ John and family are great people. GREAT FOOD !!

Here is a link to their website.

Birch Creek Outfitters

Dewey - I know Derryl pretty good. He was born and raised where he hunts and certainly knows the muley areas along the Peace. There's some pretty decent moose in the area but 60 plus don't come along every day, but they're out there. Mulies were down last year but we had the easiest winter ever so I would think the numbers should be back. I think the whitetail population will be very good. We have some undesirable operations but I really don't know any locals that badmouth Derryl.

Any idea where you fly into.
I was looking into a outfit there from the people with Western Extreme Television show, but It would take my 3 planes to get there form the maryland area. That just seemed excessive for a 4 or 5 day hunt. I would love to find a area near there where I didnt need to fly so much. Seems like a GREAT hunt.
Good Luck.
W.

The drive from Edmonton airport to where Derryl lives would be about 350 miles, around 6 hrs. From Grande Prairie to Derryls about 100 miles, 1 1/2 to 2 hrs.
Peace River is about 25 miles away but the airfare from Edmonton to Peace River is not cheap.

As you don't care for Americans hunting "your game", I wonder how many Albertans are offended by the idea of a guy from BC coming over to hunt THEIR game?

First, what possible concern of a Yankee like you is what we Canadians do in OUR country?

Your characteristic arrogance and "continentalist" attitude as in your sneer at "your game" is WHY many Canadians, especially here in BC do not want you here, hunting, fishing or whatever. But, who cares as I am not into further discussion on this issue here at this time.

It is not your affair, however, my family pioneered in Alberta starting in the 1880s and into the 1890s, not long after we settled here in BC. We, along with other Canadians OWN BC, Alberta and every square inch of Canada including the Northwest Passage outright and WE have the RIGHT to share our resources among ourselves, as WE see fit, get it?

I also worked for Alberta Environment, Alberta Forest Service and qualified as a "resident" there and have been asked to return to my former position, thus, ensuring "residency" status.

Simply put, I am as welcome to hunt Alberta, under her current laws, as Albertans are to fish in BC, as thousands do every year.

quote:

Originally posted by bedrock:
The drive from Edmonton airport to where Derryl lives would be about 350 miles, around 6 hrs. From Grande Prairie to Derryls about 100 miles, 1 1/2 to 2 hrs.
Peace River is about 25 miles away but the airfare from Edmonton to Peace River is not cheap.

I would just drive with coolers as I will not and never have shot an animal that I am not going to eat. I am just interested in expanding my hunting "horizons" here in Canada, for the next decade or two and I like Alberta.

I just turned down an opportunity for Elk and Whitetail in Saskatchewan this coming autumn due to my wife's medical situation and am most eager to get back out and "bring home the bacon" in our traditional Canuck way.

Dewet

I use to live in that area and met Darryl a few times. I guided in that country as well and never heard anything negative about his outfit.

Not to dissuade you from using an outfitter, but if you have some buddies/relatives still in Alberta, why don't you just put into the draw with them for the Peace area and go on your own. Lots of access in 526 and 525.

I have been in the outfitting industry for a long time in one fashion or another and I understand your frustration with the non-resident situation. I use to be all for the outfitting in BC when most were locally owned and operated by BC residents and lots were family run operations. These days many of the best areas are owned by foreign interests with a warm body in BC holding the licence, but the investor(s) calling the shots.

I have seen MANY problems with these situations and lets face it, when they do not live there, they do not tend to value the land base and wildlife quite as much as the revenue generated.
While this is not always the case..........you do not have to dig too far to find instances of guiding areas with foreign ownership and a local holding the licence, that have gone down in a ball of flames and multiple wildlife infractions.

Ultimately though, I am for an outfitting industry and non-resident allocation. I like to go to other places and hunt and can hardly expect that I should be able to do so if I am of the mind that no one else should be able to hunt where I live. Still the needs of the residents should have priority and as populations grow (as it has rapidly done in BC and Alberta) less of the allowable harvest should be available to non-residents. Those paying the taxes should get first dibs for the majority of the tags.

Down the road (and perhaps this is already due in some jurisdictions) the outfitting industry will need to downsize due to local demand. With the way things are going right now this will happen anyways due to supply and demand. There are less and less hunters and when the baby boomer crew is done with the bush and firearms, what is coming behind us is going to be only a fraction of what was.

That post says everything that needs to be said on this issue here and I totally agree. I have seen some of the major GOs here already diversify into various aspects of non-hunting tourism and expect this to continue and increase.

Only one of my four nephews was even remotely interested in hunting/guns and I offered guns and trips to all of them. I gave one a minty Sako Finnwolf, an 870, a Marlin 336 and a Cooey .410, but, he moved to Australia and is not coming back,so, I have these stored for who knows how long.

There are SO many different things for kids to do since I left school in '64 and many do not enjoy the hard work and exposure to harsh weather that is a part of hunting.

I don't know anyone in AB now, it is nearly 20 years since I last worked there and using a GO is more efficient in my present circumstances.

I understand the problem. I no longer have any friends or relatives in BC who still hunt and I could go with............so I am in the same boat and need to think about using an outfitter. Most of the good ones I knew have sold out and the few left in the business have areas that receive too much resident pressure due to access issues and so they do not interest me. I have moose in my backyard and so even though I would love to hunt in northern BC one more time before I am too old and crocked, I just can't bring myself to drop $12,000 on a moose hunt.

I have a friend in Alberta that I put in with and we only apply for antelope and mulies together.

quote:

Originally posted by Dewey:
--- RANT ---

Too easy.

quote:

Originally posted by tendrams:

quote:

Originally posted by Dewey:
--- RANT ---

Too easy.

Too stupid, typical troll, pathetic foreign wannabe.

Dewey, why are you so full of hatred?

RyanB, What possible concern of yours is a question asked by a Canadian to other Canadians in the Canadian section of an international guns, shooting and hunting forum? This, actually puzzles me and your presumption that I am ...full of hatred... is rather bizarre and hardly an appropriate intrusion into a thread from some weeks ago.

As it happens, this thread was never intended to be a discussion concerning who should/should not be allowed to hunt anywhere, merely, a query for some current info. on a specific outfitter. So. while one foreigner interfered in an unacceptable and all-too typical manner, I see no valid reason for your comment and suggest that you forgo further intrusion into my concerns.

"No harm, no foul", as it were.

Doggone it Dewey. Just got into my popcorn over on your "boat people post" and now I am back in the kitchen poppin' up a new bunch for this one.

You surely must carry a hot lightening rod in your back pocket because it sure is boring when you are not posting!

Best of luck in Alberta my Canadian friend.

Ya think? Maybe I should charge "admission" to my posts and make enough money to afford a guided Stone's Sheep hunt????

Hmmmmmmm...........not a bad idea!!!!!

American capitalism at its finest!

No, MG, not in this instance. It would be CANADIAN "private enterprise" at it's finest.

We Canucks, that is, REAL ones like me, detest any form of "capitalism" as it is too akin to the evil machinations of the mega-corporations which have impeded our free national evolution for centuries.

We prefer individual private endeavour by our own people. Simple, really, but, different from the American model.

Actually I was implying "NORTH" American capitalism but as you say, real Canucks, etc., etc. In any event even the evil capitalist on your Southenr border can no longer claim to be true capitalist as we have come under the "spell" ourselves of late.

Would you like to bring D.C., Kalif, NY into your "private enterprise" system? We will gladly take a note in perpetuity as payment.

I'm genuinely intrigued by your unstable demeanor. I don't understand the source of your anger. Are you running out of animals to shoot? For that matter have you ever hunted anywhere outside of Canada?

I'm in this forum because I'm thinking about shooting some of your animals next fall. Come to think of it, I'll make sure to send you some pictures.

What you do and do not understand, has nothing to do with the issue of this thread which I initiated for a specific purpose. Your intrusion is highly offensive, provocative and, I suspect that you may well be a deliberate troublemaker, planted here by the foreign-dominated GOABC, simply to attempt to eliminate legitimate criticism of foreign "trophy" killing here in BC-Canada.

That is precisely the sort of antic which these ecologically-destructive and resident access-denying scumbags would try and it will not work. All you can "accomplish" here, is to revive a topic which has been very thoroughly thrashed out several times here and the moderator indicated that such discussions were best left on those threads, IIRC.

Let me politely advise you concerning what you are ...thinking about... and your offensive remark about sending me ...some pictures....

Guys with an attitude like that, "continentalist", "entitled" and "I,ll show that Canuck, what we Amurikins can do anytime we want in his country", are extremely unpopular here and you may not find your trip(s) very productive or enjoyable.

My advice to you is to take your drunken and pot smoking hunting partners and go elsewhere, because such behaviour here will be reported to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police...and, you will face serious charges, lose your guns for good and perhaps become a guest of HM the Queen.

Yes, sonny, I READ your posts about your Alaska hunts, your drunken father and drug addict companions! So, given your arrogance and stupidity in discussing that on AR with decent hunters, I doubt that you will enjoy a trip to BC....and, the photos you will send to "cock a snook" at me will assist the RCMP to identify you so that you can all be banned from further entry to Canada.

...Anger..., not at all, I am just disgusted by drug addicts posing as hunters and you are not welcome here.

Gents, please keep it civil. Personal attacks are not appreciated on this forum...keep it on topic, or I'll send this one to the Political Forum, or the trash.

Thanks for your cooperation,
Canuck

Last time I hunted Alberta, was in October a number of years ago, up in the Brazeau River area. The area was not hunted heavily Monday thru Thursday, but I was dismayed because on Friday we began seeing lots of the locals running up and down the logging roads with 4-Runners, looking for any big game to shoot.
I was on a guided hunt with my 16 year old son and we had tags for moose, elk, and black bear. I call it "The Hunt and Outfitter from Hell"

There are always more people out hunting, cutting firewood, picking berries, fishing and so forth on the weekends, anywhere you go in Alberta and BC. I tend to schedule my hunting trips here in BC from Monday to Friday for that reason and I prefer to be at home on the weekends.

We strongly advocate a management approach to harvesting most of our game species that tends to mimic the natural mortality of a given species-population. I am very much in favour of shooting some females, smaller and immature males and fewer large males as this will help keep our wildife populations healthy and provide the wholesome meat for our families that most of us hunt for.

That Brazeau River-Smokey River country was fabulous hunting back in the mid-20thC. and then resource roads gave much increased access to the average local working stiff. This needs to be carefully managed, but, it is largely a positive development in Alberta's economy and hunting...although I would love to see much greater restriction on ATVs!

Dewey,

I just returned from a trip to the Yukon, where I am happy to report everyone treated me very graciously. No one seemed jealous of the possible record book bull moose I shot. Everyone seemed very happy to have me spend shitloads of money.

I did note that Europeans seem to be buying all kinds of hunting operations in the Yukon.

Never fails.....stop by the Canadian forum and see any number of examples of Mr. Canada's rage against anything non-Canadian. Dewey, are you the Imperial Wizard of your local KKK equivalent up there? I'm all for loving one's country but why such hatred for guys who love to hunt as much as you do(very few of whom EVER want to ride in a helicopter to shoot game)?

quote:

Originally posted by AnotherAZWriter:
Dewey,

I just returned from a trip to the Yukon, where I am happy to report everyone treated me very graciously. No one seemed jealous of the possible record book bull moose I shot. Everyone seemed very happy to have me spend shitloads of money.

I did note that Europeans seem to be buying all kinds of hunting operations in the Yukon.

I don't doubt it, the hunting industry is an important aspect of the economy in the Yukon, far, far more so than in BC, for example.

As a Canadian, I am opposed to the Euros or any foreigners being allowed to invest in/buy GO operations, however, these are provincial-territorial policies and the jurisdiction over them is as well. So, a BC resident can have little influence on such situations, unless some concerned citizens were to initiate a national campaign to ban all "consumptive tourism" nationwide...and, this would probably result in further restrictions on resident hunting and more of the "give aways" to the aboriginals....not a wise move in that respect, IMHO.

Your acceptance and friendly treatment is probably a result of you being a nice and friendly guy and not acting like you have some special "right" to hunt in Canada. A certain type of American comes here, boasts about how much money he is spending and how Canada is "defended" by the USA and so on and so forth.....the results are obvious.

But, one comes here, acts like a gentleman and is treated as one might a favoured cousin and the implication here is also obvious.

Sounds like a great Moose, I was invited to for two weeks in Sept. to the Yukon and northern BC for Moose and could not leave my disabled wife, so, my buddy got his, but, I remain "Mooseless".

C'est la vie, should get up there next year.

You ought to try hunting the Kootenays, Canuck and I can give you some tips and it is among the finest areas here, very tough going and game is thin on the ground, but, the whole experience is simply wonderful....maybe a Bighorn?

Dewey,

Everyone treated me great; I have spent a lot of time in Canada both for fun and business. Like any other country, if you don't act like the sun shines out of your ass, people treat you pretty well. After you get out of the bush and are sipping a cold one, it also helps not to ask the guy at the bar to turn the TV from hockey to Monday Night Football.

I was in Toronto on 9-11; I was floored by the number of American flags on highway bridges. I will remember that for the rest of my days.

I did hunt out of Smithers 3 years ago; flew about 2 hours north. I did a moose backpack hunt - now that was work! It was a great hunt.

While the Yukon does have some stunning places (Kluane Nat Park, for example), for the most part BC is more beautiful IMO. Muncho Lake is one of my favorite places.

The Yukon seems to be a favorite of Germans and Austrians. There are two flights directly from Frankfurt to Whitehorse (I am guessing seasonal) and the baggage claim area even has a sign in German.

My moose was a good one, but the meat I brought back is a little tough. Next up I will marinate it for 24 hours. Ms AZwriter cannot eat beef so we try and eat a lot of game instead (try means I have to shoot something first).

My next hunt will be deer in Birchdale, MN, which is tucked up under the Ontario border. Some of my friends wonder why after all the hunting I do I even bother with deer hunting there. For me, it is perhaps my favorite hunt: I spend time with old friends, I visit the same woods that like me are a year older each time I visit, and I get to sit in a treestand on a cold, damp, gray day and listen to the clucking of the ravens and get lost in my own thoughts.

If you and Canuck ever get to Phoenix drop me a line. There aren't too many BC'ers here in the winter, but there are lots of Abertans...gee, I wonder why?

quote:

Originally posted by Dewey:
Well, well, well, here is that "little badger doody" Norton, who has made several disgusting personal slurs upon me here and now returns to voice his opinion and hijack my thread. Typical.

Norton, why don't you mind your own affairs and keep your ignorant comments off my thread as it is a CANADIAN talking to OTHER CANADIANS on an INTERNATIONAL forum....get it ?

READ what the moderator posted above and stop trying to hijack my thread, you pathetic whiner.

Eh, I should have just left you to wallow in your own froth, you angry old man.

My apologies for offending the others on here.

Norton,

You know, it's fine to disagree but you are showing a truely unpleasent side...why don't you put a bit more thought in your replies...

+1

quote:

Originally posted by jjs:
Norton,

You know, it's fine to disagree but you are showing a truely unpleasent side...why don't you put a bit more thought in your replies...

Well said.