Time is getting short and so far, very few caribou have been sighted. I think it upset Boney and the staff more than it upset me. Quite frankly, I was having a ball - as usual. I was in spectacular country with friends and anticipation of what the day would bring.
It had rained hard all night and we awoke to a light drizzle with showers off an on before breakfast. The wind had shifted from the North and it was quite a bit cooler. This was good news as it gave us hope the caribou would get moving again.
Matt and Richard, along with Bill and I were the only groups not tagged out. Richard, and his son Matt were in the same boat as me - with no tag filled. So we loaded into two boats and headed East toward a long peninsula which then turned north to go to where the caribou were two days earlier. As we turned the corner, the lake swells were five feet tall and spraying water across the bow of Tuttulik's big 23' freighter canoes. Jean-Marie was at the helm with Bill and Joe sitting in front of him, and me and Boney sitting in the middle bench. We continued north, fighting the swells, until Boney and Jean-Marie called it off and decided the conditions were too risky to continue. They asked us for our input, but we were in agreement - safety should always rule the day. But the decision was based more on what the conditions would become, rather than what they were at that moment. While we turned around and started back, Matt and Richard's guide pushed on and passed us. Our guide took a more conservative risk posture - which we supported. We wished the other group well.
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Jean-marie was at the helm and decided that it was not safe to continue down the bay - the swells were bad now, and could get worse. We did not question his wise decision. |
From there we fought the rising wind and waves back to the camp. Our goal was to sit it out for an hour or two and see if the wind lays down. It did, and by 11AM we were back on the water. Boney and Jean-Marie decided to head West and take a bay which leads to within three miles of where we were headed this morning. On the way to the bay we saw no caribou and the same held true when we reached the bay. It was really wearing on Boney and Jean-Marie. This was about as bad as they had ever seen it. We checked a few bays on the way back but it was the same story everywhere. The caribou were simply not moving and were not in this area. That's caribou hunting. Tomorrow we could see thousands of caribou, or none - that's the nature of hunting a migratory animal. I was OK with this, this is hunting - there's no guarantee.
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Boney and Pat discussing nothing - we were basically just posing for the photo. |
I spent the balance of the afternoon practicing my bow. Right before supper we heard the drone of an engine coming off the lake. Matt and Richard had returned - a relief for sure - but what made it even sweeter is they had found good numbers of caribou. Matt had shot a honker of a bull, which later taped out at over 400 and netted at 399 - easily making Boone and Crocket. Richard, Matt's dad arrowed a nice bull at 12 yards. They had made the right decision to move forward. This gave us hope for tomorrow's hunt - the plan is to go back there tomorrow and hit it hard.
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Matt Aide with his huge B&C bull. The bull grossed over 400 and netted 399 green. |
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Richard Aide with his fine bull shot at 12 yards with his bow. |
Tuttulik's Meat Donation Program
In 2005, we were asked if we wanted to donate any meat to the local inuit community. Bill and I jumped all over this since it provided a much appreciated benefit to the local people, and it spared us from having to deal with the meat upon our return in Montreal. In 2006, the meat program will be expanded. All the front shoulders will be donated to the local community, and the hunter will have the ability to donate the remaining meat at their discretion. This program helps to foster good will between US hunters and the local populations. Boney, Harry and the crew that make up Tuttulik Outfitters should be commended for putting this program together.
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