I was fortunate (very, very fortunate!) to be invited by some of my childhood buddies to hunt with them on a draw that they got for the Matane Wildlife Reserve. It's unguided but you get exclusive rights to a very large territory (ours was about 1200 acres) and a nice cabin. We had four full days to hunt. We were lucky that the group before us was checked out, so they let us in early to go and scout our territory. We picked out good place to sit for the next morning, and divided into two "teams". One team included myself and another "moose virgin", plus the guy who won this draw and has been the shooter on the last two trips. The second group included two guys who were after bigger bulls - trying for something in the 50" class.
It didn't take long on the first morning. The other newbie shot a nice young bull on the first morning at 8:17! The other guy graciously tagged it with him (as he has been a shooter on the last two trips), so I could join the "trophy team".
That afternoon, we all had some good responses to raking trees, including a decent bull that came charging out (but he was not a shooter, based on what we had agreed on that day). On the second day one of the guys who has been waiting for a wall-hanger for a long time spotted a nice big bull and fulfilled his dream.
As for me - always the bridesmaid, never the bride! LOL Seriously though - we could not have hoped for a better outcome. One newbie got his first bull, and one trophy hunters got the one he wanted. And we ALL went home with lots of meat! The eight quarters without hide, hooves or heads weighed 1340lbs on the butcher's hook!
Once again I was so impressed with the impeccable service of the SEPAQ system. They really do everything in their power to ensure a safe, enjoyable and successful trip. A new addition this year was a free 24/7 tracking dog service. As much as I would have hated to see a moose wounded, I would have loved to see one of those dogs in action! The cabin was clean and comfortable, even if it was not quite as luxurious as the "chalet" that we had last year. And of course, I continue to be grateful to my childhood buddies for including me on these hunts - without them I would not be able to participate (the draw is only open to Quebec residents, although non-residents like me can be invited to join winning groups).
-Dave
It didn't take long on the first morning. The other newbie shot a nice young bull on the first morning at 8:17! The other guy graciously tagged it with him (as he has been a shooter on the last two trips), so I could join the "trophy team".
That afternoon, we all had some good responses to raking trees, including a decent bull that came charging out (but he was not a shooter, based on what we had agreed on that day). On the second day one of the guys who has been waiting for a wall-hanger for a long time spotted a nice big bull and fulfilled his dream.
As for me - always the bridesmaid, never the bride! LOL Seriously though - we could not have hoped for a better outcome. One newbie got his first bull, and one trophy hunters got the one he wanted. And we ALL went home with lots of meat! The eight quarters without hide, hooves or heads weighed 1340lbs on the butcher's hook!
Once again I was so impressed with the impeccable service of the SEPAQ system. They really do everything in their power to ensure a safe, enjoyable and successful trip. A new addition this year was a free 24/7 tracking dog service. As much as I would have hated to see a moose wounded, I would have loved to see one of those dogs in action! The cabin was clean and comfortable, even if it was not quite as luxurious as the "chalet" that we had last year. And of course, I continue to be grateful to my childhood buddies for including me on these hunts - without them I would not be able to participate (the draw is only open to Quebec residents, although non-residents like me can be invited to join winning groups).
-Dave
