Location: Quebec – approx. 800 miles North

Species: Quebec - Labrador Caribou (limit 2)

Hunters: Hunting partner Mike from Montana and myself

Point of departure for the hunt is Montreal. If flying, it is usually a 9 day trip.
* Day 1 – Fly into Montreal
* Day 2 – Fly from Montreal to camp
* Days 3 through 7 - Hunting days (5)
* Day 8 – Fly from camp back to Montreal
* Day 9 – Fly out of Montreal


Day 1:
Started with me leaving at 6 pm for the 2 ½ hr. drive up to Winnipeg as I had a non-stop flight from Winnipeg to Montreal the next morning at 10:00 am. I drove the 6 miles from my home to the US/Canadian port of entry, answered their questions, filled out the Firearms Declaration Form and paid my $25.00 fee. Total time……..15 minutes!!


Day 2:
I arrived at the Winnipeg airport 2 hrs. early just in case there were any issues/hassles with my gun. As usual, there were none……….breezed right through. The staff at West Jet was very polite and helpful. I avoid Air Canada at all costs. Air Canada charges $50.00 (plus tax) for transporting your firearm……each way. Even if it’s your only pc. of checked luggage, you will get charged unless you have status with them, or purchase a certain fare ticket (higher cost). Air Canada also wants you to pre-register your hunting equipment 24 hrs. before departure!! Kind of hard to do when you’re in the middle of nowhere. West Jet…….no B.S. and no fees for your firearm unless it’s over your baggage allowance.

1:30 pm and I was in Montreal. I grabbed my bags, found the pickup spot and caught the shuttle to the hotel (Holiday Inn Crowne Plaza).
I arrived at the hotel and checked in for the hunt. Note: when arriving at the hotel, before or after check in, you must go to the back parking lot where you will check in (small trailer) and weigh your bags for the charter flight in the morning to Lac Pau. One thing to remember is that once your bags are dropped off here, you will not see them until the next day (Lac Pau or maybe even camp). Your bags are locked up and transferred to the airport (charter)on a separate vehicle. You will want to grab what you want to wear/need for the flights up to camp the next day.

The check in trailer



5:00 pm. Mike arrived from Great Falls, checked in and we went down for supper at the bar. Wouldn’t you know it, some of the hunters from last year were here also (I hunted with this outfitter in 2013 as well). We had a couple of drinks, caught up with some of the guys from last year and hit the hay as we had to get up early.


Day 3:
Everyone met in the back hotel parking lot at 4:15 am, loaded onto a charter bus and rode approx. 45 minutes to Mirabel airport outside of Montreal. Here, we had a quick breakfast (small restaurant), loaded onto the charter plane, and settled in for the 2 ½ hr. flight to Lac Pau.
** In the past, hunters flew this charter out of
Duval airport in Montreal. The reason for Mirabel this year was due to the charter company changing their base of operations (Mirabel).


Charter - Convair 580



After landing in Lac Pau (gravel runway – VFR rules) we were loaded onto a bus and taken over to the float plane base. Here, everything is unloaded, weighed again (gear and hunters) and loaded onto the float planes for the flights out to the various camps. The outfitter runs 2 main camps; the 1st camp (Lake Camp) is approx. a 1 hr. flight North, while the other camp (River Camp-main camp) is about a 2 hr. flight NNW.

The bus



The twin Otters lined up and ready.



Weighing of the gear



And hunters



Picture on the way to camp



We arrived into camp (River Camp) right at noon. We picked a cabin (2 per cabin) and unpacked. After unpacking, a light lunch was served, licenses were bought and rifles sighted in. Just before dinner, a meeting was held with all of the hunters and their guides about the rules of the camp and what to expect on the hunt. The cabins; furnished with 2 single beds, mattresses and pillows. Heat is provided by a vent less propane heater. Construction was plywood floors, walls and roof (lake camp has heavy tarp roofs on their cabins).


Ariel picture of camp



Another picture of camp. The larger cabin on the left is what they call the saloon. It's a big one room cabin where the hunters can relax, shoot the breeze, play cards, watch movies, etc. The larger cabin on the right houses the toilets and showers.



Boats used for the hunt



I sat down with the outfitter and talked about the season so far……. they had been getting caribou, but with a lot of work. With very warm temperatures (high 70’s), the majority of the herd was still very far north. The caribou that did come down hadn't been crossing the river like they always do. They were staying on either side of the river and walking parallel, keeping up high to avoid the flies. The hunters had been getting their caribou, but they had to do a lot of walking. Some weeks were better than others. If numbers were down at one camp and high at the other, he was flying hunters back and forth in order to help them fill their tags.

Total number of hunters in the camp for the week was 18. 12 stayed at the lower camp, while a group of 6 were in the upper camp. Basically, it’s all one big camp; the only difference is that the upper camp is about 200 yds. away (uphill) and has separate cabins and their own cook.


Day 4 – Hunt day 1
We ate breakfast and left camp about 8:30 am. We got in our boat, headed East and 20 minutes later we were at our spot. We pulled in the boat, tied it off and headed uphill. 15 minutes later, we spotted our first group (approx. 50) of caribou. Out came the binos and spotting scope and Mike found a bull he wanted to try for. 20 minutes later (9:30 am) and Mike had his bull.

1st group of caribou



A smaller bull in the group



Mike and his 1st bull



After caping out the bull and taking care of the meat, we headed up to the top of the hill for a little break and snack. Well....that didn't last long! No sooner did we sit down and unpack our drinks/snacks did I spot a bear. It was about 1/2 - 3/4 mile away…….the chase was on! The wind was in our favor and we closed the distance in good time (downhill). We had picked out a landmark near the bear and were now close. Only a small knoll and creek were between us and where I had spotted the bear. We crouched down, snuck up the knoll and peaked over. Just then, the wind switched. There was the bear………..looking right at us. Within a split second he was in the brush. While sitting there cussing about missing our chance, he popped back out. This time, he was about 200--250 yds. away and at a fast pace……in and out of the brush. A few shots were taken, but no dice……..

After missing the bear we had to walk back up to the hill where we had taken a break, as some of our gear was still there. We get back up, sit down and decide to have lunch. Just when we were finishing lunch, we spot a group of caribou.....about a mile away (1/2-3/4 mile past the spot of the bear). Out came the spotting scope for a better look and I could see 2 bulls in the bunch. One of the bulls had an almost white coat with what appeared to be a good set of antlers. It was hard to tell on the antlers as his were very light in color. The other bull......darker coat/antlers and I could clearly see what he was a shooter. Off we went again. After what seemed like forever, we decided to stop and get a position on the bulls. We all glassed....nothing. Needless to say, our enthusiasm dropped. Travis, our guide, said we should push on as he thought they were still there. We walked for another 10-15 minutes and stopped again to glass......we found them!! They were about 700 yds. out and quartering a little towards us. We picked up our pace and closed the distance. At 200 yds. we dropped. The bulls were there in the open. Since it was my turn to shoot, I decided on the bigger one with the darker coat. Mike decided to try for the other bull. Within a minute, 2 more bulls were down!!! High fives all around…..

My bull



This is a bull we ran into on the way back to the boat.



The first day was great.....between the two camps, 15 bulls had been taken.



Day 5 – Hunt day 2
We woke up to beautiful weather, but it didn't last. With a constant wind of about 30 mph up on the high ridges and temperatures in the high 30's, it made for a long cold day.
The wind had switched from NW to South last night and the Caribou just weren't moving like they were yesterday. A lot of the Caribou that were seen today were not moving. Most were bedded and hunkering down.
Forecast for the next 3 days didn't look good. Lows in the 20's and highs in the 40's with rain every day. We hoped they were wrong....at least on the rain. The only positive note was that the wind was supposed to change to the NW. Hopefully that would push some more of the caribou down from up north........

Despite the bad weather, 4 more bulls were taken.



Day 6 – Hunt day 3
Rainy day.....rained off and on all day with low visibility. Temps. were in the low to mid 40's. Wind....not enough! Whenever the rain quit the black flies were terrible!! Glad I brought a head net.

4 more bulls were taken today along with 4 cows. Yes……..some guys do take cows. One older gentleman from Maine used both of his tags on cows. He was there for the experience, not the trophy!


Day 7 – Hunt day 4
Weather.....cloudy, a little rain here and there, and 30-35 degrees with 15 mph. winds....enough to keep the bugs at bay.

4 more bulls were taken today.....only 5 tags were left to fill between the upper/lower camps.



Day 8 – Hunt day 5
Last day. Well.....it was only Bob (Wisc. hunter) and I that had tags left to fill from our camp. I had one and Bob had both. The other camp (6 hunters) had two to fill.

We started the day with boat ride about 15 miles upriver. We arrived at our spot, climbed up a knoll and glassed. Around noon, with little action, the wind dying and the bugs coming out, we decided to head further upriver.....about another 10-12 miles. On the way, we noticed one of the other boats coming our way. We stopped to chat. Turns out, they were headed back.....both hunters in the boat had taken bulls. It was 2 of the hunters from the upper camp. They were now done....filled out.

We said our goodbyes and headed up river. A couple minutes into the ride and Travis suddenly yelled.....bull!! He was about 1/4 mile away and heading up hill. We stopped the boat to get a better view…..it was a good bull! He was heading towards a little outpost cabin that the outfitter has up the river. We took off down the river and beached the boat at the cabin. We bailed out, ran up the hill and I quickly pulled out my spotting scope and glassed him once more.......great bull! Pretty wide, nice tops/bez's and at least 1 really wide shovel. Unfortunately, the bull decided to stay up high and was headed south.....and on a mission. He wasn't stopping and there was no way we were going to catch him or cut him off. With no chance on the bull, we got back in the boat and continued up river to where the other 2 hunters had taken their bulls. They had seen good numbers while they were there. On the way, the weather worsened. The wind picked up, it started raining and the temps. were dropping....

We arrived at the spot around 2 pm. I had a couple of hours to get my bull. We glassed everywhere, but didn’t see a thing. They had already moved through.

At 3:40 pm we started our journey back to camp. It was going to take us at least 1 1/2 hrs. to get back. The hunt was basically over unless we ran into some caribou on the way back. I was fine with that......I was happy with my first bull and this being my 7th caribou hunt, I had been fortunate to have taken some very nice bulls over the years. If I went home with one tag unfilled, so be it. I had a good hunt.

The long ride back began......the temps had dropped a little more, it was raining harder and the wind had switched. It was coming out of the .East. Not good.....usually means bad weather. To make matters worse, we now had to head back directly into the wind. 20 minutes into the boat ride, Travis suddenly yelled something......I couldn't hear a thing due to the boat motor and wind. He yelled again......”Bulls”! I finally saw them....2 bulls heading across the river. They were only about 20 yds. from shore and they had now spotted us.....they picked up the pace. Travis headed to shore. I pulled up my binoculars to get a better view and couldn't see a thing......I had left them on the outside of my coat and the lenses were full of water. Great!! Luckily, Travis had already picked out the better bull......”take the lead one he shouted”. We hit the shore and got out of the boat.....the bulls were already out of the water and were starting to head up and over the bank. I pulled off my scope covers, chambered a round and found him in my scope. I pulled the trigger, heard the “whack” and saw the water spray from where the bullet hit. Solid hit!!! All of a sudden, my hunting partner Mike yells to me..."you shot high". What......are you kidding me!! I saw the water spray when the bullet hit. I couldn't believe it. Turns out that I did shot a hair high and it was a solid hit, but it was the water spraying from my bullet hitting the wet rocks right above the bull! So with the bull heading over the bank, I quickly chambered another round, and fired. The bull collapsed. Both my tags were now filled.


My last day bull



Back at camp, the outfitter had the tally. The total for the week was 34 for 36.
The one hunter from Wisconsin (Bob) was the only hunter not to fill his tags. And you know what……..he seemed fine with it. He told me that he came again, hoping to catch the migration and to take one with a bow…..the first one with a bow. It just never came together.

9 bear were seen during the week, but none taken.


Day 9:
Fly out day. We were supposed to fly back to Montreal but it didn’t happen………..weather set in and we were stuck. Basically hung around camp, shot the breeze, took a nap and just relaxed.

Day 10:
Repeat of Day 9!!

Weather



Day 11:
Woke up to good weather. Finally looked like we were going to get out. Sure enough, about 9 am the plane landed, we loaded up and were on our way. We landed in Lac Pau, transferred over to the charter flight and landed in Montreal about 2 pm.

Upon arriving back at the hotel, you are once again back at the trailer. Here, they will have a taxidermist and a butcher present if you would like any of their services. On prices….. the butcher charged $50 an animal for cutting/wrapping. One could choose steaks (thin/medium or thick), roasts, stew meat, hamburger and maybe one or 2 more choices. All of the meat is processed, vacuum sealed, chilled (not frozen)and ready for you by approx. 3 am the next morning………pretty nice! Taxidermist………prices varied of course on what one wanted done.

Back in Montreal



Taxidermist



Day 12
Headed home….non-stop back to Winnipeg. I brought all of my meat with me on the airline. Antlers and capes are being shipped from the taxidermist. For all my checked luggage (2 bags, 1 big hard rifle case and 3 boxes of meat (50 lb. each)) I was charged $250.00 (West Jet again).
I didn’t think was out of line for the amount of luggage/weight.



As I mentioned earlier in the post, I also hunted with this outfitter in 2013. On this hunt, I was with my brother Dean. My partner in crime……this hunt was to complete our Caribou Slam.

Here’s a brief synopsis on the hunt (Lake Camp).

Weather was terrible. Most of the week (right after Labor Day) produced high winds, snow, sleet rain and low ceilings. We actually lost one day of the hunt on the way up due to the weather.

The caribou numbers were down and they just weren't moving. Due to this, the outfitter brought a plane in for a fly out. It didn’t happen. The plane did make it to camp, but the weather worsened. The pilot (and plane) sat in camp for 2 days. When the weather finally cleared it was too late for the fly out.

Dean wound up taking his 2 caribou (and a bear) while I managed one. I held out til’ the end for that special one, but it just didn't happen. I had a chance on the last day and we tried, but he gave us the slip.

My caribou - sorry for the picture. I had issues with my camera that day and only got a couple decent pictures.



Dean's 1st caribou



2nd


His bear




If anyone is interested in this hunt, please give me a call. We will be taking a group of hunters on this hunt next Sept.(16th-24th). This will be our 7th Hosted Hunt we have had with this particular outfitter. One, possibly two agents from Hosted Hunts will be accompanying the hunters on this hunt.

Very nice !!!!

Mike

Very nice. Thanks for sharing your hunt. Tough about the weather and the bear too - but it happens.

I like that taxidermist and butcher set up they going there.

Good hunt report. Nice boo

Congratulations!
Awesome hunt report/photo documentary...thanks for sharing I enjoyed it

How different to hunting Africa can you get?

Fantastic report, superb landscape and great detail.