Quote:
Originally Posted by Full Curl Earl
Im not sure that was an opinion, more an observation?
An entire group returning without a single animal is definitely a bad sign, and by no means normal. How many bulls were taken last year, and 2018? I’m always interested in a decent Caribou hunt.
You should already know about what territories and provinces are closed to travel due to covid.
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I've done 3 DIY myself up there and 2 out of 3 times we missed the migration by a week and came home without, it's hunting it happens. In my years of guiding on once I didn't get clients an animal, that was last year.
I don't lie to my clients, I tell it as it is, there's no sense bsing them. One of my clients wants to come back again, he's 70, never shot a caribou but wants to come enjoy himself again and positively wants to hunt with me. I told him I'd love to but no slight to him but at his age I personally told him that he should hunt Nunavut as that's his best chance to ensure an animal. They migrate so the higher up you can get the better. I told him that he should hunt our north camp and I'd be happy to see him when he came through camp.
I said it to him straight, it's his best odds, even then nothing is a guarantee. If we could stay later until the end of September and 1st week of October they'd be thick like fleas. Can't unfortunately as everything freezes up fast. We've got snow in early September and I've seen it start icing up my 3rd week in September. It's a game of chance honestly.
I'll honestly say that anyone going should go as far north as you can but that's still no guarantee. Even locals last year when I managed the Baker lake camp for muskox were boating past us for Caribou, that's not the normal, they would usually be shooting just outside of town. They were boating past us and we were 60 miles from town. Even locals are struggling not just sport hunting.
Caribou are struggling everywhere in Canada and it seems to only be getting worse, there's lots of articles that one can read about it, unfortunately nobody knows the answer.
It's honestly just a passion for me being on the tundra or the arctic, not a full time job. Like any hunt it's what you make of it. Success isn't defined by killing in my mind personally but then I don't shell 10g out so I honestly can see the heartbreak about that. That said a slight bit of research and anyone can see caribou hunting as a whole is suffering everywhere. I know I'm in the process of signing a contract for an outfitted hunt and I've been researching as much as possible, nothing is a for sure except that regardless I'm going to make the best of my time and my hunt, not everyone can be as fortunate to travel to the places and see the things we all get too. I personally plan to enjoy the trip regardless.
The above is just my opinion of course. Good luck to those after caribou and if you are going try to go as far north as possible and enjoy your time. If you end up at the Lodge at Little Duck be sure to seek me out, I'm not hard to miss, I'll be the tallest, thinnest and craziest looking guide there that doesn't deck himself out in expensive gear lol.
Good luck to all.