This was "technically" supposed to be our last day of hunting. But we found out that the plane could not get to us so we have another day of hunting. This is a good thing, because the weather we woke to today absolutely sucked.
It was blowing so hard that if you walked outside you had to hold onto your cap. Sustained winds of 30mph with gusts to 50. We all looked at each other - with raised eyebrows - as we met over breakfast. Boney sat down and gave us the scoop. We would wait until noon, have lunch, and then see if the winds die down.
So after breakfast we all just killed time, doing whatever. I took a nap, and then worked on my PC a bit - Bill fiddled with his caribou and Richard read a book. By noon we were climbing the walls. The hunt was tough, and the last thing I wanted to do was to sit around camp with only one day left to go. After lunch, I discussed the situation with Boney. He told me it didn't look good - but to double check with Jean-Marie. He told me the same. This was bad news, but at least we knew what our options were, and it did not include waiting around any longer.
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The hike felt great - even though the caribou were nowhere to be found. |
So I told Bill, Matt and Richard (the bowhunters) that I was going to hump it on foot - running ridges behind the cabin. Boney gave me his GPS and some quick directions. In no time, Bill, Matt and I were heading for a long, long hike. With our packs, binocs, extra clothing and our bows, we moved WNW toward the area were the caribou had generally been headed. I did not expect to see large herds of animals, but I was hoping to find one stupid bull that was hanging solo somewhere in the hills.
We moved quickly over the first mile, over a mountain and through a swamp. Matt crossed first, and hit a hole which sent him clear up to his crotch in mud. He was stuck to the bottom and needed assistance. I found solid footing as close as possible to Matt then reached my arm toward his. He grabbed my hand and slowly got himself out with the use of my hand to pull, and his bow to push. He finally broke free. But he was pretty wet. Luckily, the mud had not permeated the goretex so he had not gotten too wet in the process. Today was not the day to fool around. It was cold, with fierce winds and intermittent downpours between small windows of sunlight.
Eventually we found a route through that swamp and made it to the start of a hogback which gave us firm footing for miles. We humped it 4.5 miles by foot and 3.79 miles (straightline) by the GPS. Unfortunately, we saw no caribou anywhere close - or in the distance.
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Matt Aide and Bill Gaunt spent a lot of time glassing for caribou. |
We decided we had gone far enough and it was foolish to push on any further - especially with our late start. So we headed back to camp, glassing occassionally enroute. By the time we reached camp again we had covered roughly 9 miles on foot in just five hours. We were trucking!
The day wasn't a total bust. The hike felt great. To me there is nothing better than running ridgelines with my bow through the northern wilderness. It made the day for all of us - Matt and Bill included. The only downside is that Bill developed blisters the size of half dollars on the back of his heels and Matt, who had a previous knee injury is hurting real bad right now. So hopefully our jaunt across miles of tundra does not affect our last day tomorrow. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will find the caribou.
Tuttulik's Camps
Cabins - There are four cabins like this one above. Each sleep 4 hunters on 4 individual beds. There are no bunks, and each cabin has an oil heater and electricity.
Meat and Trophy Care - This photo was shot inside the meat room. The meat room includes a freezer, a vacuum sealer for the meat, and enough space to hang everyone's salted capes and hindquarters.
Transportation - 23 foot freighter canoes, hand built by Inuits and designed for use on the big lakes of Northern Canada provide transportation around Lac Minto. I was very impressed with these boats - much more stable and with a tremendous capacity compared to the 16' aluminum boats I was used to.
Food - Food is included with some package hunts. We ate well while we were here. A hot breakfast is served at 7AM, and you have a sandwich or 2 packed for you each day. Dinner is generally around 6:30 PM and consisted of a variety of dishes from meatloaf to pork chops, to stew. After dinner is a home-made desert.
Bathroom Facilities - there is a 2-person outhouse 100 yards downwind from camp. It is rustic, but comfortable and functional. Inside the main dining cabin is a room with a hot shower - this was the best camp shower I've experienced in North America.
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