bjess

We are going to Mirage for Nov. 19 - 22.
A question about the ptarmagin, how abundant are they, is it worth purchasing a license to hunt them or do you just see the odd one while searching for caribou.
Do any of you guys hunt them after you fill your caribou tags?

fire3517

bjess the ptarmigan are very abundant and well worth your while in buying a licence. They are littered along the road eating the small bushes. Very fun to shoot but not to tastie to me. Spruce grouse are around also but usually early in the morning by the spruce groves. hope this helpes you is this your first time going?

bjess

Thanks for the reply fire3517, yes this will be our first time going and we are really looking forward to it.
This site has been great with tons of information, I am hoping we will not be too early, looks like maybe we should have booked a week later towards the end of November.
My son and I are going so now we will be taking our shotguns for some ptarmigan along with our rifles for the caribou.
I have seen some of your posts and you have done very well on the caribou...congratulations, hope it continues for you if you go this year.

liquidorange

i went 2 years in a row. the first year there were no birds to be found. the next year we found them mostly in the low bushy areas. after a while you could pick out the good areas that held them. you might need snowshoes to retrieve them though.i would concentrate on your caribou first. you can always shoot birds later. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...e/9ad713ff.jpg

Nord QC Bouman

Yes - Birds are the filler hunt to keep you having fun after the bou tags are full. I also see a swing from year to year. In 2008 we did not see many at all - more were up top than around K358. When the roads are clear you will see them picking rocks in the flocks on the road. One year we saw a group of 20 or 25 in the road and hit a couple as they did not move fast. Great fun to hunt with a small shotgun in the sunny weather.

I see the most successful week of the last (on average) of the last 10 years is 26 NOV - 30 NOV. This weeks seems to be hitting the migration the best - with the big bulls coming down first. I would be in this week if I could miss Thanksgiving - we take the 30 NOV hunt which has also kept us successful, with some years having to work to get them. I think this makes 153 days for us to be in the taiga again!

bjess

Thankyou for the information liquidorange and Nord QC Bouman.
I hope there are some caribou around while we are there on the 19 - 22 of November, it's a long way to go to shoot a few ptarmigan but it is nice to know they are available.
Prior to finding this site we were told that Nov. 19 - 22 should be a good time to go and catch the herds coming down, hope this holds true.
Will you guys be hunting caribou in 2009, if so, best of luck to you.
Thanks

Hunter Dave

Hi guy's I have been following this thread for the last two years and it seems like no one is going hunting this year. We are going Nov. 19-22. I was there in 2007 and Bou's were everywhere hope this year will be the same.

got a hunch

Will be at Mirage Nov. 30-Dec. 3. This will be 10 consecutive for winter hunt. Last year was marginal at that time. Every year is different. Hoping for a good year this year but only time will tell. Also flying in Sept. 25 with Luco. This is second year for that. It's not that far away.

Hunter Dave

got a hunch,
sure am glad to hear some one is going hunting this year, hope you have a good time on your fly-in, what outfitter are you going with?
I was up in 2005 and no Bou's for the first two hunts, 2007 was great,
any word on the migration map posting for both herds? or is there anymore talk on the 3 tag licence?

got a hunch

Doing the fly in with Luco. Went with them last year also. Not a lot of animals but all eight hunters in camp tagged out plus two of the guides who hadn't gotten their animals yet until then. No spectacular bulls but a couple of nice ones. Big bodies but not big antlers. Haven't looked at the map lately. I don't pay much attention till a few weeks befor the hunt. I'll start looking after Labor Day.