luv2hnt

It was about mid 50 to mid 50's here in Northern Ontario with rain over our Thanksgiving week end. The moose were moving mostly at night.

BKMSTR

Looking at the migration maps, they seem a little ahead of schedule! I assume there is little to no snow on teh ground so hopefully they will stop and feed for a few weeks. They also seem much more spread out then last year, but there is a much larger group of collard animals then last year also. All we can do it wait and see what they do!!

T-minus 44 days and counting!!!

luv2hnt

Hey BKMSTR I'm hunting with Mirage from the 26th to the 29th of November. Which outfitter are you hunting with?

BKMSTR

We are hunting from Kiskimistakin Nov. 22nd to 25th. My in laws stayed at Mirage two years ago and then two years before that they stayed at Nouchimi. Mirage is very nice & Nouchimi is...well, a place to stay. I've heard that Kisk... is also nice, just a little bit further to drive. We were suppose to go last year, but Kisk... called and reccommended we postpone due to the lack of animals. They have been really good to work with so far. There are three of us in my group.

Good luck to all of us going up this year!!

luv2hnt

Same for us BKMSTR. 2 of the guys in my hunting party rebooked to this fall from last fall also because Mirage called them and said that there were very few animals. They had to pay an extra 20% on top of the original price to rebook for this fall. I think the migration looks pretty good so far. On the map it looks like there are still quite a few animals further North that will be heading South later. I'm also going to hunt ptarmigan. Just wondering if you've talked to anyone about their numbers. I heard they may be on the downswing of their cycle. Perhaps some of the hunters who have returned from their bou hunting trip will give an update on this forum.

BKMSTR

I also plan to shoot a ptarmigan or two. I would like to get one mounted. I'm hoping the migration this year is like the first year my relatives went up. They saw so many animals it was hard to decide what to shoot. They brought home some really nice bulls too. My goal is to shoot the first one with my bow and depending on what I end up settling for & the number of animals, I may shoot the next with my rifle or bow. At this point, the only thing I'm worried about is the road in. I'll be in a Blue Durango pulling a small 4 x 8 trailer. The trailer I know is not the best idea, but it's the only way we're going to be able to haul 6 bou over 1500 miles back home. We will have to take it slow and give ourselves plenty of time. We should be heading out when you are heading in. If all goes well, we'll be leaving to come home on Monday morning the 26th.

I have heard about this hunt & looked at pictures the relatives have broght back for the past 4 or 5 years now. I've also had to look at the bou they have mounted on their living room walls!! Now, it is my turn!

Nord QC Bouman

I would make sure you bring a few spares and a set of bearings for the trailer. A good set of bearing buddys' to start and keep them greased along the way. Plenty of snow if forcast starting in mid Novembre so stay on that upper road away from the shoulder. I would say you will be stopping every 10 feet for groups of 50-100 crossing the Kisk Road. Besthunting in 3-4 years is what the lodges are predicting and the herd is nearing 800K with a good yield of young - so shoot the bulls and get anice mount and a freezer full.From reading you posts I would say thiswill be something that you will come back for once you try it. Take itslow - they only groove the ice on the taiga road and uptop you will only be lucky if they plowed it.

spike00

L2HUNT we are staying at the mirage from Nov 27-30 we will be in cabins, there are six of us, this is our 7th year.

luv2hnt

Thanks for the good news Bouman. Have you heard anything about the ptarmigan numbers? I just bought an over and under Stoeger Condor .410and I'm itching to try it out on some ptarmigans. I've taken a few ruffed grouse and a sharptail with it already. Hey BKMSTR 4 of the guys in my group decided to take 2 trucks instead of one truck and a trailer because they had some problems alsoandBouman's advise is good.I live in Northern Ontario and you don't tow a trailer on any bush road without bringing along a spare set of bearings and some grease. Also check your welds on your trailer. Shovel and tow straps are also a good idea just in case. If any are cracked get them fixed because the steel seems to get brittle in the cold weather. I'll be travelling up on the 25th and 26th in a green ford F150 and two other trucks from Ontario. Too bad you'll be gone BKMSTR. I was looking forward to exchanging hunting stories over a few beers. Spike00I guess I'll be talking hunting with you and your group over a few beers. Can't wait man. Going out next week to do some long distance shooting with the .270 and the bipod I borrowed from my brother. By the sounds of it though if Bouman's information is on the money I won't have to shoot very far.

Later

Fortkiboom

Maybe one of you guys can give me some advice. This is our first time hunting caribou. We are hunting out of the Mirage starting November 22.I have read the migration post start to finish. Great site. There is just two of us staying at the Mirage. I know that you can rent snowmobiles if you need them but because of budget problems we were planning on trailering two of our own. You guys that have been there before-have you ever needed snowmobiles for the hunt? Would you advise against it. I understand that the trailer should be in good condition, etc. but not sure if we will end up using them. We live down near Ellicottville in New York so we'll have a pretty good ride. Thanks.