Outfitter: Peter Martin, Kapriver Retrievers & Outfitters

Web Page: http://www.kapriveroutfitters.ca/index.html

Email: tmartin@onlink.net

Phone: 705-335-3163 or 705-335-2521

Hunt dates: 02/28/09 through 03/05/10

Game hunted: Wolf

I always want to go to new areas and hunt species I have not hunted before, and had been thinking about Wolf hunting off and on for a couple of years, but almost all outfitters that offered wolf hunts either offered them as hunts of opportunity or baited hunts with no more than a 10% to 15% chance of ever seeing a wolf, let alone killing one.

I did a lot of home work spoke to many outfitters and references and ultimately found Peter Martin who hunts wolfs in a very unique way by driving them out from forest squares towards his hunters who have been placed at the most likely points where he expects the wolf to come out. All this improves your chances of killing a wolf to about 40% to 50% given the right snow conditions.

I flew by Air Canada to Toronto and then caught a connecting flight to Timmins, which is an hour and twenty minutes flying time north of Toronto. I rented a car at Timmins airport and drove another 2 hours to Kapuskasing a small town with a population of 9300 where Peter Martin lives.



Kapuskasing’s economy is totally dependent on a paper mill and the timber industry that feeds the mill. There are no significant towns north of Kapuskasing; the land is covered by huge spruce forests stretching out 300 to 350 miles. A large part of this forest is not being logged and there are very few or no forest roads intersecting this huge stretch of forest, this is a strong hold of Moose and the Northern Canadian Wolf.

The forest land south of this uninterrupted forest is being actively logged and has many logging roads, the forest here is divided by roads and clear cuts into blocks 4 to 8 square miles, which act as magnets for the Moose because of the abundance of the plants they like and the Wolfs follow. Peter helps keep the Wolfs in these blocks by maintaining literally a 100 or so bait sites, which are replenished every few day, a remarkable feat in of itself.
My day started with a knock on my bedroom door at 5 am, Peter had been up since 4 am, making lunch bags for the five of us on this hunt. When I came up to the Kitchen the coffee was on the table, bread was being toasted, cereal an milk were there if you wanted them, by 6 am we were out of the house.







Our first stop was always Peters farm and kennel where we would load up more bait consisting of dead pigs and cattle which Peter buys from farms up to 3 hours away from him, these are brought up and buried in snow on the farm. Two to three animals are dug out every morning, cut in two pieces with a chainsaw and loaded on to a trailer.


Peters Farm early morning


Bait


Moving bait to truck

Every morning by sunrise we would be at a bait site and check for fresh signs of wolf activity, if fresh tracks were found, the hunters were placed around the forest block where the bait was located, and either Ryan or JF would go into the forest block with snow shoes on and follow the tracks until they saw signs that the wolf or wolfs were pushed out of their beds and were running, the pusher had a GPS and a radio and would call at regular intervals about the direction the wolf was moving towards. Peter would then make last minute changes, moving hunters about as the wolf would change direction. All of us were given a radio so we knew what was happening.


Wolf's were here


Wolf tracks






This wolf was moving through deeper snow


Movement in deep snow


Crossing the road

This is not passive hunting, it is an active hunt and when a wolf is found it may be pursued for hours, the wolf moves fast when pursued and Peter reacts fast moving the hunters as the chase changes directions.

I saw wolf signs every day, on the 3rd day I was placed on a 20 foot wide gap between two forest blocks, as I sat in the snow I could hear on my radio that the wolf was on the move, I turned the radio down as I could hear Ryan’s holler coming closer towards my direction as he followed the wolf’s tracks deep in the forest block. As I stared into the tree line I caught a movement from the corner of my left eye, as I turned raising my rifle I caught a glimpse of a large black wolf as he disappeared into the woods to the left of me, I was not expecting him to be so far ahead of Ryan, and not fast enough, but I had seen my first northern Canadian wolf and what a sight.


Peter Martin


JF our French Canadian Guide


Ryan the man with legs of steel


Shiny on the snow machine

The snow conditions were not good this year, the snow is usually 4 to 5 feet deep at this time of the year but it was half as deep. The deeper the snow the slower it makes the wolf run and the better the chances that the wolf will run on the trail, or its old tracks to avoid cutting a new trail in deep snow, which improves the hunters chances of getting a good shot.

On the 4th day we went to a bait site about 45 min away from town at the edge of a large frozen lake. We immediately saw fresh wolf tracks going into the forest block where the bait was located.

I was sent forward from a side route to the edge of the lake with Shiny one of the assistant guides, the other hunters were placed at other strategic points to block escape. I had just built a blind from spruce branches when I and Shiny saw the wolf break cover about 300 yards to the left 9 o’clock position as we sat in our blind at 6 o’clock. The wolf was crossing the frozen lake at full speed, Shiny told me to hold my fire until the wolf was at least 200 to 300 yards from the forest edge. My first shot was a clean miss, the second shot only made him increase his speed, but now swinging my rifle like a shotgun I saw the cross hair go past the wolf’s chest and I squeezed the trigger and saw the wolf summersault, I had done the impossible, hitting the wolf at full throttle 200-250 yards away, it is hard to convey my feeling at that time in words but all of you who have made an impossible shot know what I am talking about.


My wolf where he fell








I had my male Canadian Wolf and what a trophy, he was a bluish steel grey in color, even Peter said his color was very unusual. I slept well that night.

The same day, moving to a second bait sight we again saw fresh wolf tracks and Jimmy a hunter from Boston was placed on one edge of another frozen lake while I sat on the opposite edge with another hunter and Peter as luck would have it a large black wolf broke cover where Jimmy was sitting and the 2nd wolf of the day was shot.


I and Jimmy with his wolf


This one gives you a better idea of the Wolf's size

We did not see any fresh activity the next day. The last day of the hunt was a disaster with two snow machines breaking down, they were fixed fast but it wasted the morning. These snow machines take a lot of beating, it is amazing that Peter is able to keep them in good running condition; he always has 2 spare machines and is now thinking of adding another couple.

We would usually stop hunting by 5:30 PM, and go to Peters home for a fabulous 3-4 course meal prepared by Terry, Peter’s delightful wife. She had a different menu every evening.

Terry and Peter are excellent hosts and I felt I was amongst friends.

Aziz

Very cool. You always post some great reports. Keep it up. Planning on a full mount?

That was a great Hunt Report...

In fact, I'm signed up to hunt Jan 2011 w/ Peter.

I'm curious, what caliber & bullet did you guys hunt with? And how far were the shots?

Did you guys see/shoot any fox, hares, lynx or coyotes?

How about any calling w/ electronic callers?

Did you guys weigh & measure the wolves? age?

Finally...wall-mount, life-size, rug or?

Thanks in advance...

p.s. any advice or heads up would be appreciated.

Thank you guys, it will be a full mount. I was using my 7mm STW with 160 Gr nosler partition bullets. The shot was between 200-250 yards.

Jimmy was using a 300 Win Mag, most shots I am told are under 200 yards with the majority under 150 yards.

The fox and lynx season had ended but I did see this Lynx in the middle of one of the logging roads.



My wolf was old with worn down teeth age estimated to be over 8 years.

Some of the other hunters did go calling but without luck.

You will have a good hunt CamoManJ.

Regards
Aziz

Aziz Sb, very nice report and good trophy and above all excellent shooting. It is not easy to pull that shot off, welldone. I like the color of your wolf, congratulations.

Excellent report of a hunt that's right up my alley....thank you. And beautiful trophy!

Great report, a wolf makes a wonderful trophy !

Thank you for the great report. I have been thinking on a wolf hunt for some time also.

Congrats on a couple fine looking wolves. Yours in particular should make for a great full body mount.

Great report
congratulations on the wolf!

how expensive are these hunts?

Rich

Thank you everyone. These hunts are not expensive and are a little over 1/3 of the price everyone else charges for a wolf hunt in Canada.

Regards
Aziz

The more wolf hunters the better. We are litterally getting to infestation numbers up here. Here in BC a sled is allowed, but them dirty buggers are smart.

A smart GO should offer a deal on wolf hunts. Those friggin', fourlegged, killing for joy, bastards kill more than they eat, so it would go a long way in protecting their investment areas.

Great report and that sounds like a great time.

Nice wolf. What a great trophy.

Aziz, another great report and great adventure. Congrats, and thank you for sharing. Oh, and nice bloody shot! Third time's the charm sometimes, eh?

Aziz,

Fantastic report and pics...Definitely a hunt I must do in the future!

Beautiful trophy

Aziz,
great hunt and wonderful pictures. You have got a really difficult trophy.

Congrats!!! Very Cool.


ddj

Aziz,

Your hunts continue to amaze me!

Congrats,

Bob

Thanks again Aziz. Your reports are inspiring.

Thanks for wacking a wolf! Great trophy and great accomplishment.

Aziz,

Great report. You really do some interesting hunts.

I know when they open the hunting of the three legged maroon sheep, you will be one of the first ones to hunt it and post a report.

Great hunt, Aziz.. That dog looks OLD and grizzled!! Congrats on the hunt and making that shot!

In what sense is this "hunting"? Is there any aspect of the hunt that you would consider "fair chase" or is it just target practicd at moving targets?

Here is the definition of hunting or hunt, so you have no illusions when you ask that question again

Webster’s Dictionary
Pronunciation: hŭnt
v. t. 1. To search for or follow after, as game or wild animals; to chase; to pursue for the purpose of catching or killing; to follow with dogs or guns for sport or exercise; as, to hunt a deer.
[imp. & p. p. Hunted; p. pr. & vb. n. Hunting.]


Your definition of ethics doesn’t concern me in the least.

I pursued it and killed it.

Aziz

quote:

Originally posted by cooper325:
In what sense is this "hunting"? Is there any aspect of the hunt that you would consider "fair chase" or is it just target practicd at moving targets?

piss in your own pool!

CamomanJ: The practices described here constitute as you so colorfully put it "pissing" in the hunting pool that we all share. I have no problem describing this "hunt" as predator control. It's not the most effective way of course, helicopers and gunners are a lot better and that is the way that Fish and Game does it here. But what is described here doesn't do any of us a favor in the way hunting is viewed.

As for the statement "I pursued it and I killed it", you didn't pursue it. It was driven to you by a guy on snowshoes coordinating the kill with a gps and radio. You and your radio were transported to a good spot for a shot.

Ethics police is out again??

I see no problem with driving them. Wolf are scum and need to be controlled.

Excellent Hunt report complete with many photos.

I too hunted with Peter. I went with another member here Feb. 2009. I shot a huge wolf that I had full body mounted on a pedestol with casters. If I had computer skill, I would post up some photos to add here.

I recomend a medium claiber, lightweight rifle that is fast handling. The shots come very fast at moving targets.

We should put together an Accureaterealoading Wolf hunt with Peter.

Great report and hunt, Aziz. A driven hunt for wolf sounds like great fun.

Much like a driven hunt for boar or other big game in the European tradition. Running shots and fast action!

And your running shot was certainly a tough one! But well-made - congratulations!

Of course, narrow-minded critics will never appreciate the varied ways in which we hunt now, and have hunted throughout history.

Finally - I will ask, since no one else has done so yet -

How cold was it?

I hunted there with Cold Zero. My bud Norm came up too. The three of us were lucky to get wolves on our first hunt. I've been way too busy to do many hunts since then. Those wolves in the pics by Aziz are really nice looking too.

Great report, I wonder why Calling isn't used to bring them in? I've seen it described out west also. Cheers

Aziz, Congratulations on getting your wolf.
Any wolf taken from the ground in wild country requires skill, planning, and some luck, too. They are one of the most difficult to hunt of all wild animals. You have shown us some amazing hunts in far-off places. Thanks for that.
The "critic" from Alaska must think there isn't much to going out and killing a wolf. Perhaps not if you hunt from a helicopter or live in the wild and have a bone pile where they feed.

As I understand it quite often pheasants are driven to hunters by flushing dogs or other hunters. Deer are commonly pushed by "drivers" to other hunters sitting on "stand". Ducks frequently are flushed off a pond to hunters waiting off the other side of the pond under the ducks flight path. Even schools of fish are frequently herded or channeled into waiting nets.

Unethical? I'm of the opinion that only an animal rights activist would think so.

Aziz, I was wondering if I saw correctly that the second wolf pictured had a spotty or rubbed coat. If this is true were you given any kind of information regarding?

Thanks much for taking the time to post for us.

Scott King,

Thought that you would be too busy discussing Pebble and offshore drilling in Alaska to spend any time on this thread!

Driving game is fine but you may have overlooked the fact that the wolf hunting methods discussed in this thread depend critically on radio communications and would be not be considered "fair chase" by very many hunters. (As I'm sure you know, radio communications of the type discussed here are illegal in Alaska.) Obviously the method is legal in Ontario but that doesn't make it fair chase. If you think that only an "animal rights" person would find it objectionable, guess again. I hunt and trap and I don't know very many persons who object to fair chase hunting or clean trapping and I don't know any hunters who would consider the use of radios in communicating the location of game to be part of fair chase hunting.

I applaud anyone who can either call in wolves or hunt them "fair chase" when the pelts are good. It is tough and that's why most wolves that are shot in AK are taken by guided Outside hunters and are incidental in Fall hunts. (When the pelt is of little value except as a wall hanging.)

SGraves155,

Did you overlook the fact that "bone piles" are an essential part of keeping wolves in the area so that they can be driven by the radio and GPS equipped beater to the radio equipped shooter?

Not possibly, but probably this is not the proper venue to argue over ethics as they apply to hunting. I think it has generally been advisable to not crap on a members hunting report but to bring up the topic for debate in the applicable forum, in this case maybe the Canadian Hunting forum.

I'll pass on arguing with you any further here. It would appear that the original poster isn't particularly interested in your opinion and the majority of the responses to the original post seem to not share your opinion.

quote:

It would appear that the original poster isn't particularly interested in your opinion and the majority of the responses to the original post seem to not share your opinion.

Thanks Aziz for the flattering words but man do I look tired that morning. Probably the day after I chased a wolf for 10km's. Too bad I'm not a coffee drinker cause looks like I needed one bad.

cooper325- just a guess, friends much? You've got such a negative view of us. Hunters hating hunters is SAD. Perhaps it's time to take up a new hobby. I hear kites can be relaxing!

Hey Doc and Coldzero. What's up? Ryan

quote:

Originally posted by Displayed Name:
Thanks Aziz for the flattering words but man do I look tired that morning. Probably the day after I chased a wolf for 10km's. Too bad I'm not a coffee drinker cause looks like I needed one bad.

cooper325- just a guess, friends much? You've got such a negative view of us. Hunters hating hunters is SAD. Perhaps it's time to take up a new hobby. I hear kites can be relaxing!

Hey Doc and Coldzero. What's up? Ryan

Is this Ryan M. that guided out of Iriquois Falls, ON, and lived near Big Nellie Lake?

Great hunting report! Wonderful pictures and nice trophies! Thanks for posting.