Berland river moose hunt

Jakal · #1 12-12-2018, 11:05 AM

Good afternoon guys and gals. Looking for any info you can contribute. A few friends (4 in total)of mine are looking a doing a float down the Big Berland river Moose hunting. We've heard of some old timers doing back in the day. we would be putting in around the Big Berland camp ground and the pull out location is yet to be determined. I think somewhere south of Fox Creek before the Berland river meets up with the Athabasca River. Has anyone here done this float in recent years?

Questions I have are

What would be the best boat/motor choices? Its all down stream but im thinking a motor is still a necessity just in case. Keeping in mine we would be hoping to be harvesting at least 2 moose.

Should we all run our own boats or 2 per?

Is the river high enough during the late September to be able to successfully navigate such a trip with out a lot of portages?

We would be packing light and living off the land for at least 1/2 of our food supply. Fishing etc. Anyone have info on the fishing on the river.

35 whelen · #2 12-12-2018, 11:11 AM

Don't know about that River but the rivers that I've floated chinchaga ,peace, Athabasca, Wabasca, they have different zones on each side of the river something to check into

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Torkdiesel · #3 12-12-2018, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jakal

Good afternoon guys and gals. Looking for any info you can contribute. A few friends (4 in total)of mine are looking a doing a float down the Big Berland river Moose hunting. We've heard of some old timers doing back in the day. we would be putting in around the Big Berland camp ground and the pull out location is yet to be determined. I think somewhere south of Fox Creek before the Berland river meets up with the Athabasca River. Has anyone here done this float in recent years?

Questions I have are

What would be the best boat/motor choices? Its all down stream but im thinking a motor is still a necessity just in case. Keeping in mine we would be hoping to be harvesting at least 2 moose.

Should we all run our own boats or 2 per?

Is the river high enough during the late September to be able to successfully navigate such a trip with out a lot of portages?

We would be packing light and living off the land for at least 1/2 of our food supply. Fishing etc. Anyone have info on the fishing on the river.

Unless it gets a lot bigger then what it is near highway 40 you’re not going to make it far. A couple friends floated the first few kms there, the inflatable raft was torn apart.
Maybe in canoes with a lot of cutting, carrying and walking ????

1shotwade · #4 12-12-2018, 11:54 AM

I have hunted along the berland and you can walk across it without much problem. some spots are ok but lots are a foot deep at most.

C&C Outdoors · #5 12-12-2018, 11:58 AM

Last time we went fishing the Berland a couple yrs ago it was all catch & release, no bait etc. Might want to check on that as well.

3blade · #6 12-12-2018, 01:59 PM

Nope nope and nope. Used to fish and hunt chickens around there every fall, don’t even bother with that anymore.

C&R fishing for trout and grayling, whitefish have been hammered during the spawn for years and are few and far between, almost none over 30 cm. Different zones on each side. Absolutly zero chance of floating even unloaded - plenty of sweepers, 6 inch deep 200 yard riffles, boulders. Very, very poor moose population due to the grizzly, wolf and unlicensed hunter infestation. I’ve talked to guys who camped and hunted every day of the season in 344 and saw exactly zero bulls. And none of this is new, it’s been that way for as long as I can remember, 15 - 20 years.

Guys do float/jet boat the Athabasca above the berland (there’s a put in/take out spot just below the confluence) for moose and elk, it used to be a productive way to hunt until the predators wiped out the herds. On the Athabasca you certainly wouldn’t be alone, but 4 guys with tags and a couple weeks...I’d give you a 10-20% chance at getting one shot at a moose or elk.

The days you are speaking of are long over.

Sooner · #7 12-12-2018, 02:08 PM

On an average year and in the fall, that river may give you a lot of walking stretches if your in anything larger than a canoe. Even a Canoe will be bouncing off the rocks a lot. If your planning a larger boat, i bet you never start a motor and regret taking it.

I have fished that river where it enters the Athabasca every sept long weekend for more than 30 years and up until the spill that closed it to catch and keep, seen many try to run it up stream from there in everything from dedicated river boats to alum with jet pumps. Seen a lot of river boats hit rocks before they got out of sight and almost all turn back. We used to rent a white water raft for the long weekend and float down from the bridge to the Athab camp site. Even then the raft was sketchy in spots.

Best to scout scout scout a backwoods location you can drive to and make a base camp and hunt from there.

West O'5 · #8 12-12-2018, 04:29 PM

As posted,it’d be a pretty tuff float in September even in a canoe with lotsa skinny water, ankle deep flats that go forever,boulders,log jams etc.....unless you get LOTS of rain prior,then there’s still the log jams,sweepers and boulders.
There’s pockets of moose and “was” some elk some years ago but your not likely to just have a leisurely float and shoot em from canoe,your gonna have to work and hunt hard to find them,my last couple trips in there I seen more wolf and grizzly tracks then elk,I haven’t been back for a few years now.

skidderman · #9 12-12-2018, 04:46 PM

I agree with those above. Too shallow in the fall. Used to be lots of moose there but as others have said not so any more. I burned a tag there a few yrs ago and won't go back. Seems like finding moose in the boreal is more & more difficult. A few yrs ago my son counted 24 wolves in one pack. I am a priority 6 next yr & no idea where to put in. Not like the old days at all.

Jakal · #10 12-12-2018, 05:16 PM

Thanks guys. I will rethink my idea and look for a larger river. We do have a decent spot to drive to. Just wanting to switch it up a bit and see how it is. Maybe the little Smokey would be ok between valley view and smoke lake.

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Mateo · #11 12-13-2018, 12:22 PM

My dad trapped that river with his cousin in the 80's. back then it was full of animals. we canoed in a few years ago with the brothers and dad and it was pretty scarce for game sign. we did see some deer, but also a wolf. the fishing was pretty decent. he talked about some of the monster moose that used to live out there. but with all the logging activity they would have moved on. the water was low too. wouldn't do it with anything other than a canoe.