DIY Canada

[matechakeric]

it is a dream of mine to hunt caribou in Quebec. is it possible to do so without a guide as a non-resident?

 

[F250]

The caribou season in Quebec closed a couple years ago. It is no longer available to residents or nonresidents. The population took a serious dive. While the government of Quebec points to several reasons for the decline, they fail to note the damage to the James Bay region caused by Hydro Quebec and the flooding of hundreds of square miles to fill their power generating plants reservoirs. Migration routes for the caribou were destroyed, river courses were altered, tundra destroyed by flooding and road building.

 

[matechakeric]

The caribou season in Quebec closed a couple years ago. It is no longer available to residents or nonresidents. The population took a serious dive. While the government of Quebec points to several reasons for the decline, they fail to note the damage to the James Bay region caused by Hydro Quebec and the flooding of hundreds of square miles to fill their power generating plants reservoirs. Migration routes for the caribou were destroyed, river courses were altered, tundra destroyed by flooding and road building.

o man. that's terrible. I remember reading about how awesome that migration was and the hunting when I was a kid. did the migration go elsewhere or are the caribou dying out?

is there any similar migrations in eastern Canada still doing well?

 

[F250]

Dying out. There is a caribou hunt for the Woodland sub species in Newfoundland. A bit pricey though.

 

[matechakeric]

that's a huge bummer. hopefully they can right that ship and prevent the ultimate extinction or extirpation of that herd.

 

[OntarioHunter]

that's a huge bummer. hopefully they can right that ship and prevent the ultimate extinction or extirpation of that herd.

I doubt it will ever be the same. But we must keep those golf course sprinklers running and billboards lit up. Most of that power, by the way, is shipped south of the border. Your welcome.

 

[matechakeric]

I doubt it will ever be the same. But we must keep those golf course sprinklers running and billboards lit up. Most of that power, by the way, is shipped south of the border. Your welcome.

that upsets me. man that's tough to read.

 

[Cheesehead]

that upsets me. man that's tough to read.

Worth a read...

https://www.outdoorlife.com/last-season-caribou-hunting-quebec/

 

[SaskHunter]

One of my biggest hunting regrets is not to have taken caribou hunting seriously while I lived in Quebec. The original draw was extremely flawed IMO. Residents could only DIY in one zone and the tags were very limited. Everywhere else had to be done through a very pricey outfitter.

 

[matechakeric]

One of my biggest hunting regrets is not to have taken caribou hunting seriously while I lived in Quebec. The original draw was extremely flawed IMO. Residents could only DIY in one zone and the tags were very limited. Everywhere else had to be done through a very pricey outfitter.

I understand outfitters serve a purpose and help many people out but I hate folks profiting off hunting and game. especially if it negatively impacts the hunting of DIY hunters. I don't like the pay for play model but i get it

 

[SaskHunter]

I understand outfitters serve a purpose and help many people out but I hate folks profiting off hunting and game. especially if it negatively impacts the hunting of DIY hunters. I don't like the pay for play model but i get it

My beef is where outfitters have monopoly over all/most of areas and tags. The Quebec caribou hunt was a prime example of that, the zone that was open to residents was a much lesser zone if I remember correctly, meanwhile outfitters controlled the rest of the prime hunting grounds. I've applied many years as a resident for the open zone with no luck. Still, the expensive Quebec caribou hunts of the time were nothing compared to what you will pay elsewhere.

 

[matechakeric]

My beef is where outfitters have monopoly over all/most of areas and tags. The Quebec caribou hunt was a prime example of that, the zone that was open to residents was a much lesser zone if I remember correctly, meanwhile outfitters controlled the rest of the prime hunting grounds. I've applied many years as a resident for the open zone with no luck. Still, the expensive Quebec caribou hunts of the time were nothing compared to what you will pay elsewhere.

do you think the fact that the majority of hunters didn't have access to the prime hunting areas, the resistance to the factors that resulted in herd declines and migration disruptions, was less because Quebec/Canadian hunters weren't advocating for their rights and animals -- because they really couldn't get close to them without paying an outfitter. maybe the outfitters are responsible for a portion of that too?

 

[SaskHunter]

do you think the fact that the majority of hunters didn't have access to the prime hunting areas, the resistance to the factors that resulted in herd declines and migration disruptions, was less because Quebec/Canadian hunters weren't advocating for their rights and animals -- because they really couldn't get close to them without paying an outfitter. maybe the outfitters are responsible for a portion of that too?

You may be onto something, it is hard to advocate for something that you know very little about and caribou hunting is a foreign concept to the average Canadian hunter who lives in the provinces. I believe predators, Hydro Quebec and unregulated hunting are the biggest factors in the declining herds.

I don't believe opening up a certain amount of tags to all residents/Canadian residents would've changed a whole lot for outfitters either. Anyone who's been to northern Canada knows the logistics involved with it and not many people would dare make the trip on their own.

 

[F250]

I did four caribou hunts in Quebec. Two were in the "fall". A 737 jet from Montreal to Fort Chimo (AKA Kuujjuaq). A float plane west 110 miles to a tent camp owned by Arctic Adventures. There was a "camp man" representing the outfitter at the camp. However, he did no guiding, camp work, or cooking. He was there to comply with the law only. Food was there for us, and a 14' boat with a 9.9 motor. We booked the last week of August both times. Each year we were greeted with snow squalls and ice skimmed lakes in the mornings. My group of six tagged out with two bulls each both years. Brook trout, lake trout and ptarmigan rounded out the trips. This was 1988 and 1989. Cost was $1600.00 plus licenses.

 

[F250]

I did two winter caribou hunts in Quebec in the late 1990s. A two day 1200 mile drive from the US border into the James Bay region near Laforge #1 power dam. Another DIY with only meals and lodging provided. We went between Christmas and New Years. The last 400 miles or so was an ice covered dirt road. We leased snowmobiles and traveled until we cut sign. Then, strap on snowshoes and hunt them in the bush. Great hunt !! The big bulls had dropped their antlers. This was billed as a meat hunt. We shot cows and young bulls. Weather tended to be around -20 F. Saw lots of wolves !! The camp was owned and run by the Cree. I doubt that there were very many hunters taking advantage of that opportunity. My group of 6 tagged out with two each both years and had a ball hunting ptarmigan. The damage from Hydro Quebec's flooding was very evident. It was interesting talking to the Cree who ran the camp, how the flooding had impacted the caribou migration.

 

[Panda Bear]

You may be onto something, it is hard to advocate for something that you know very little about and caribou hunting is a foreign concept to the average Canadian hunter who lives in the provinces. I believe predators, Hydro Quebec and unregulated hunting are the biggest factors in the declining herds.

I don't believe opening up a certain amount of tags to all residents/Canadian residents would've changed a whole lot for outfitters either. Anyone who's been to northern Canada knows the logistics involved with it and not many people would dare make the trip on their own.

I am late to the party, but I agree with the above. The Porcupine herd is doing well, the forty mile herd is rebounding slowly but others like the woodland are vulnerable and some herds are close to extinct.

I personally feel that mining and logging are the largest culprits. Granted the Eagles, Bears and Wolves take their fair share and also moose have created a problem for them--but that s because of the logging and then the moose leaving the Caribou with nothing to eat.

Govt is a joke. They spent several millions --yes, millions, to kill 500 wolves in an effort to save the Caribou. We would have done it a hell of a lot cheaper for them.

Back to the purpose of this revitalized thread :

The "Territories" will require a guide for anyone not living in the Territories. In some cases and hunts that outfitter will need to also hire an Inuit to take you and your guide on the hunt --plus additional written permission will need to be obtained if you want to hunt on any tribal land. Some hunts have just gotten crazy expensive. You can hunt plains game in Africa cheaper than some hunts in Canada

 

[SaskHunter]

Some hunts have just gotten crazy expensive. You can hunt plains game in Africa cheaper than some hunts in Canada

The majority of outfitters in Canada advertise their prices in USD, I think that tells a lot about who they cater to. TBH, those outrageous hunt prices in USD make it very hard for regular Canadian residents to go on those hunts with the exchange rate...