where and what outfitter ??

out standing....

hey jon nice job! my friend and i plan on hunting caribou sometime within the next two years we are saving up some money for it so it may take a few years! anyway we were looking for some pointers on how and where to start the plans any info or advice from tou or anyone else would be greatly appreciated. thanks in advance for any info that can get us started in the right direction. chad

I've been twice.....once in '99 and again in '03. First trip, caribou were scarce but had a fantastic time with great friends. In '03 we hit the migration and I was in awe for the entire trip. Took two bulls, one being very nice! I agree entirely that if it is at all possible, a caribou hunt is one hunt you should try to make. I went to Quebec both trips and there is both a slide show and video footage in the members video section here on the 'gang!
The price has gone up considerably since I went. The cost for a comparable trip now is near what the two trips cost me. Thanks for sharing-Mike

JON

I have always enjoy your hunts and stories, hope there are still more to come in the near future and I wish you the best,

thanks for sharing and great pics!!!!!

What outfitter do you recomend?

One can accomplish almost anything when he or she wants to. Thanks for sharing!


ak.

Jon,

I didn't know you got married. Congrats!!!

COOL......  

Jason, he didn't just marry, he married UP!     I met Jon and his fiancee at Kalamazoo last year, but did not realize it until a few days later    

Anyway, let's hear some more about this caribou hunt...

Hey guys!  I was just telling Ryan, that I have really aged in the last few years.  I look young in those pics!  Anyway, yes this hunt took place in Labrador. (Not the same as the Quebec thing Steve)  I was with an outfitter named 3 Rivers.  www.trophylabrador.com   They are primarily a fly fishing outfitter that also offers a great caribou hunt.  Everything is first class.  I heard about this outfitter through TMB articles written by Don Thomas and Biggie Hoffman.  There is a HUGE river system up there and you can cover alot of area by boat.  Typically, caribou can be reached this way.  However, if there are no caribou in the area, they will fly you to another area to hunt, normally to other camps that friends run.  If you have a problem with flying and hunting on the same day, you may want to take that into consideration. Flying and hunting on the same day is legal in Labrador, but I realize that some people have ethical issues with this.  I'm not much of a flyfisherman, but I did some flyfishing on this trip and it was outstanding.  There were a few guys in camp that were hardcore flyfisherman fishing for trout.  Everytime they caught a northern pike they would get frustrated!  They shook their head at me when I said "to heck with the trout!" and started fishing for the pike on purpose.  BIG northerns.  Catching big northerns on a fly rod is a blast! The food was excellent, and the lodging was clean, and very comfortable.  I thought it was a well thought out and first class operation all around.

By the way if you go there, take some of that preservative that you inject into velvet antlers, or they will strip the velvet on your bulls. They may have some of that in camp now, but be sure to ask them.  They stripped the velvet on my first bull and when I got it mounted, I had to have the artificial velvet put on it.  I killed the second bull late enough in the hunt that I was able to leave the velvet on to get the bull home and then had it freeze dried for the mount.  The artificial velvet looks good, but the real thing looks even better.  If you want to mount your bulls in hard horn, then obviously you don't have to worry about that!

Steve, if you are at K'zoo this year we won't miss you now that we know what you look like!
I have heard alot about the caribou hunting in Quebec, both good and bad. I have never hunted there so I can't really comment on it, but I have never heard of anyone who did not enjoy their hunt with 3 rivers in Labrador. Besides...what else is there to do in August!

I gotta do it. My son and I have talked about going for years now. Thanks for re-kindling the spark.

Here's a pic of the 3rivers camp. The hunt was in '04, my second. In the pic is friend and guide Eldon Jandreau and the two bulls he shot. I had been there before with Biggie and his redneck friends two years prior and we all took two bulls if we wanted. I didn't have a digital camera then so don't have any of those pics to share. 3Rivers has outstanding accomodations and if you go there you will be spoiled. They have electricity which allows them to freeze your game, hot and cold running water, real toilets, washer and dryer, the most food you will ever see (Biggie was really happy with that). As Jon said, the fishing is great. When I went with Eldon we caught so many lake trout we stopped counting. The other nice thing about hunting in Labrador is that you don't have to wear orange and most of the terrain is made to order for spot and stalk.



Here I am with one of my lake trout,

Nice pix and incentive.  A caribou hunt or two is definitely on my bucket list.  I better get working on it.

Thanks for sharing Jon and Bill - Great photos, I think I'll have to try it soon but first I'm concentrating on Elk!

Yep, I'm saving up for that one.  That's the place Bertalan and those guys went and made the Black Widow videos I think.  I know so many people that have been screwed over in Quebec there is no way I am taking a chance there.

Thanks Jon--Bring some more pictures to Kzoo.

three rivers sounds like a good one to check into thanks.

After the trouble last year with Quebec, I would recommend that NO ONE HUNT THERE! If you see outfitters from there at any shows tell them that. Caribou hunting is great and I would like to go again for another species.