This was my first of 3 trips (so far) with JHA. The weather was very warm the first few days, and the bugs were awful. They were so bad after the first day, they would suck right through the netting we were wearing. The bugs became less and less once we had an evening of frost thankfully. At that time, Jack ran the business and Richard handled logistics in the Shefferville office. They both were very friendly and sincere about treating their customers right. We flew into McCabe Lake where the caribou were supposed to be heading, but they never showed up. On our second to last day, Jack moved us to Merville South, which was still under construction. We slept under a tarp, but we didn't care because we finally saw some caribou. We each took 1 cow upon arrival at Merville, and the next morning we each took a small bull, and one guy took a large bull in the waning moments of the hunt. The experience left me wanting more, and definitely a return trip with JHA. I did get to fish for a couple of hours at Merville, and caught some HUGE brook trout - in the 5 lb range. The guide at McCabe Lake was Arel and his wife Gilbete' was the cook. Both were great people, Arel did go out with us, but we didn't see any caribou there. When we were moved to Merville, Lionel took us into the field, but wasn't able to spend any time with us since he was helping Jimmy and another guy build the camp. Lionel is a great guide and works his butt off for his clients. After the last guy got his caribou, he stayed up most of the night packing out and cutting up meat to meet the floatplane the next morning. I was truly impressed with his work ethic! My only disappointment with this trip would be the limited amount of hunting time we had at Merville. Being moved on the next to last day left us with just a few hours one evening and one final day of hunting. Consequently, we each took the first cow we saw, and then the first bull we saw the next morning due to the limited time left. I know, that's hardly a complaint when other hunters are unsuccessful altogether. I think we would have liked to be moved sooner, but the outfitter knows more of the caribou movement than anyone, so his expertise is what the customer must rely on. Obviously Jack & Richard know what they are doing, as we did get into some carbou at the end of the trip. It left me wanting more, as I realized the potential for a trophy bull is very doable with JHA. Next trip Sept 2004. Details to follow.
Thanks for the report Dan.
Extremely warm at the start, more normal temps at the end of the week. A very little amount of rain.
