Winter Caribou hunting - reference/price check

Campbery

Campbery

CGN Regular
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Location
Bruce Co., Ontario
Hi guys, a couple buddies are organizing a "winter" caribou hunt, 3rd week of November with Mirage outfitters. Has anyone used this outfitter or can recommend one? What kind of money do these "winter" hunts usually cost? Would appreciate any advice. Thanks.
 
Wow,thats late in the season.My brother co-owns a caribou guiding business here in Manitoba.They usaully run the season from the 3rd week in Aug. till late Sept. before lake freezeup happens up north.From what I know it is a Manitoban only hunt,I have never been up there to hunt as I don't fly.
Wish I could help some more.
 
hunted with Nutchimi outfitters down the road from the Mirage camp a few years ago. 8 of us stayed in one of their outpost camps right in the thick of things. The people staying at the main camps sometimes have to drive a long way to where the caribou are, but there were lots of caribou. Most hunters just shoot them from the road, its really just a firing line. We took one tundra ski-doo with us to haul out the animals and so were able to get back off of the road and see a lot more animals. At the end of November, the really big bulls have mostly shed their antlers, but the next size down still have theirs, but some of them will be loose. Saw both antlers pop off one decent bull when he hit the ground! Probably saw close to 10,000 caribou on the trip, it was awsome.
 
I've been on a few caribou hunts and none of them were like shooting at a steer! Mind you, I've never been on a winter hunt or seen hundreds or thousands of them at a time either. I guess it depends on when and where you go.
 
Yeah, I'm not sure where Kodiak is coming from, but I think it's too close to the microwave. Caribou, while not Elk, aren't like shooting a steer in a pen. Nor are they poor tasting. The fall animals taste better than winter ones because they feed on moss and lichen in the summer and browse in the winter.
 
By far the worst tasting meat I have ever eaten, and I've given it more than its fair share of chances.

Moose is my preference, by a long shot.
 
So can anyone answer the fellow CGNer's question about the outfit doing the tuktu(caribou) hunt or not? Experiences?

Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
CANADA

p.s. if it didn't cost a bajillion dollars to fly where I live and such ... I'd invite ya' all up here ... we got sheitloads of tuktu all the time ... ;)
 
I priced out several outfitters at an average of $5800 plus last season. They wanted almost the same for my son to come along so I had to pass.

With your flight/accomodations/trophy fees etc you might wanna have a $7000 bill in your pocket.
 
Mirage is a nice camp. Be advised the winter hunts are an assembly line of hunters. Volume of hunters at the cheaper winter rates is what the outfitters pursue. I had the misfortune of staying at Donat Asseline's (about 30k from mirage)staff were rude and the accomodations were nasty. Mirage does offer professional staff and good chow. I went once and I will never go again. My next trip for caribou will be in Manitoba in 2009. I was there in the fall of 2006. (november)(Quebec)

cheers Darryl
 
BigUglyMan said:
Yeah, I'm not sure where Kodiak is coming from, but I think it's too close to the microwave. Caribou, while not Elk, aren't like shooting a steer in a pen. Nor are they poor tasting. The fall animals taste better than winter ones because they feed on moss and lichen in the summer and browse in the winter.
Click to expand...

Be that as it may, anytime an animal walks up to you (curiosity or stupidity?) I don't consider it to be a great hunt. The taste wasn't bad, but I much prefer our local corn and soybean fed venison. Any day hunting is better than work! Never said the steer had to be in a pen...a hundred acre field would due.
 
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