Late last week I returned from my 8-day moose hunt in British Columbia. I had booked this hunt almost 18 months ago with Big Country Outfitters in BC. My buddy, Bret Shaw, and I stayed in a little cabin with two guides on Margaret Lake which is about 70 miles northwest of Prince George, BC. At least one of us saw a moose every day but we were never able to stretch the string on a bull. For some reason the bulls didn't appear to be rutting in the area so that made calling them in difficult. We had a couple of days of crappy weather which didn't help either. Another big problem we faced was the fact that neither one of our guides knew the first thing about bow hunting. One of the guides had never even been in the area before we pulled up in front the cabin with our gear. I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard one of the guides say, "If we were rifle hunting, we would..." To say the outfitter totally dropped the ball on this hunt is an understatement! It was what it was, though, so Bret and I made the best of it. It was great to spend time with him again and we got to see some beautiful country. We also got plenty of exercise and ate very well. Here are a few photos from the trip.
We drove 90 minutes from Prince George to a place where we left the trucks. Then we rode quads back into the bush at least another hour to reach the cabin. One of the quads never would start and the guides, Shawn and Tom, spent over an hour trying to get it to run. That pretty much set the tone for our hunt.
(https://i.imgur.com/WOSCwfS.jpg)
Margaret Lake
(https://i.imgur.com/1rkyZU5.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/HKxFOCW.jpg)
Home sweet home for the next 8 days
(https://i.imgur.com/7620Kqn.jpg)
Roughing it
(https://i.imgur.com/JvVSwAI.jpg)
The closest I got to a moose
(https://i.imgur.com/w51kA7s.jpg)
A typical day of hunting for me went like this: Shawn and I would get dropped off at the east end of Margaret Lake just after daylight and we would walk out to one of the cut blocks of timber. From there, we would glass, call, and walk back to camp sometime around noon. That was usually a 6 or 7 mile loop. That afternoon, we would drive the quads back out to the cut blocks and do the same thing only from the back of the bikes. Shawn was big on road hunting. Setting up a bowhunting ambush was not in his toolkit.
Bret Shaw ready to hunt
(https://i.imgur.com/siu3VTx.jpg)
A typical day for Bret and Tom went like this: They would motor around the lake trying to spot a moose feeding. If they saw nothing then they would park on the shore and bust brush all morning trying to find a moose. They would repeat the procedure in the afternoon. I guess the guide, Tom, thought they would somehow miraculously sneak up on a bull within bow range while doing this. Oddly enough, they did come the closest. They saw two immature bulls; one at 75 yards and one at 40 yards. Tom was upset that Bret didn't borrow Tom's rifle to seal the deal.
My guide, Shawn.
(https://i.imgur.com/6pJnpHK.jpg)
One evening, Shawn and I actually had a real moose hunt just like you see on TV. It was almost dark and we were walking back to the quads to go back to camp. A cow was standing near the bikes so we stopped and Shawn called. A bull immediately answered about 100 yards away and started coming in. We had about 15 minutes of shooting light left and I told Shawn that the bull was going to have to be close. The bull was still out there but it got too dark to shoot. The cow had left so we walked down to the bikes. Shawn started calling to the bull again. I thought this was foolish because it would make the bull call shy and I told him so. He said he wanted to see what the bull looked like and continued calling. The bull came in, tearing up brush and grunting. He stopped about 50 yards away. Through the binoculars we could see he was a monster. He finally turned and went back the way he had come. We never heard or saw him again.
Scenery
(https://i.imgur.com/nSuBm6a.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/TmH1cMO.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/L3rtl8q.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/gaLWnms.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/vMyrM2k.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/0mSx4We.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/GfGJTga.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/KIx8N6P.jpg)
The silver haired hunter
(https://i.imgur.com/uzHmUnK.jpg)
Last day at camp
(https://i.imgur.com/8euHexk.jpg)
Darren
Great pictures
<><
<————————-<<<<<<<
I've heard other tales of trad guys getting guides that were only familiar with rifle hunting that pretty well ended the same. What a bummer!
Sorry to hear that the trip didn't go as well as you had hoped.
I was accompanying my Dad and his party 20 minutes SE of you from September 24th until October 3rd. The moose rut the same time every year, and yes, they were in rut when you were there, but the current bull/cow ratio made calling difficult.
The BC moose population has been in decline in the regions from the Cariboo south for about ten years now (increased predation, access, etc.), and unfortunately the other hard truth is there are VERY FEW outfitters in BC that cater to bowhunters well, and even fewer for non-compound users. I am willing to bet you were the first trad hunters he has guided, and he has guided less than five other bowhunters over his time owning that operation (unless he expanded his clientele-i have seen him in action before guiding in that region).
I encourage anyone booking a hunt in BC to really drill down on the proposed outfitters they are looking at (where they hunt, methods they use, and references from past clients that are bowhunters) as well as the overall populations of the area being hunted.
Sounds like a one star review for this outfitter :banghead: :banghead: sorry for your trouble on this hunt.
When time, money, planning fail to produce the expectations advertised.
Quote from: Daz on October 14, 2019, 11:37:44 AM
Sorry to hear that the trip didn't go as well as you had hoped.
I was accompanying my Dad and his party 20 minutes SE of you from September 24th until October 3rd. The moose rut the same time every year, and yes, they were in rut when you were there, but the current bull/cow ratio made calling difficult.
The BC moose population has been in decline in the regions from the Cariboo south for about ten years now (increased predation, access, etc.), and unfortunately the other hard truth is there are VERY FEW outfitters in BC that cater to bowhunters well, and even fewer for non-compound users. I am willing to bet you were the first trad hunters he has guided, and he has guided less than five other bowhunters over his time owning that operation (unless he expanded his clientele-i have seen him in action before guiding in that region).
I encourage anyone booking a hunt in BC to really drill down on the proposed outfitters they are looking at (where they hunt, methods they use, and references from past clients that are bowhunters) as well as the overall populations of the area being hunted.
This is good info, Darren. Thanks! I asked the BCO owner, Mike Hawkridge, for bow hunting references and he gave me a couple. I believe I talked to both of them but don't remember now. I talked to so many BC outfitters that they kind of all ran together after a while. I admit that I should have done more investigating. I researched this hunt for months and finally got tired of doing all the research and just picked somebody. I told Mike what I wanted and he assured me that he could deliver. I knew things were going south when he became increasingly hard to get in touch with after the contracts were signed.
Darren
Well Darren, at least you got to moose hunt in some beautiful land! Sorry it didn't go as planned.
Cool country but sorry you didn't have better luck. I've been on 4 guided hunts and before each one I asked the guide if they had experience with trad hunters. Each time they assured me it wouldn't be a problem - and each time it was. They never really understood the distance limitations even though I went over it in advance. If I ever do another, I won't book until I have a trad reference that I have spoken to and KNOW that they understand trad hunting. Best of luck on your future hunts,
My "hunt of a lifetime" a number of years ago was also for BC moose. Unfortunately I had pretty much the same experience you did. (with a different outfitter) Guides that just didn't have a clue.
The experience pretty much soured me on guided hunts. Not saying I'll never do another, but I'd be very cautious. I much prefer DIY.
I still feel too this day that if the guides had just taken us to an area and left us to hunt on our own my buddy and I could have both taken moose. They were there.
Almost my identical story from my first moose hunt in BC. Guide that saw the area the day I got there, no experience with bow hunters, etc.
One thing I learned was to communicate your expectations to the outfitter before you book. If he can't or won't agree then don't book with them.
Another thing is watching tv shows and expecting the same experiences. Most of the tv shows for moose are on $20000 hunts in very remote areas. The outfitter and guides are doing everything possible to look good on the show.
It was my 5th moose hunt before I brought one home. It's not easy.
Sounds like you had an adventure.
Mike
Sounds like you made the best of a bad situation! Lesson learned I guess.
Reminds me of my first bear hunt.
The outfitter was clueless about setting up for traditional archery.
That sounds about like my NZ hunt. As I unloaded my bow case from the car, the outfitter stuck his head out the window and says: "Oh, mate, I wish you would have told me you were bowhunting. I would have had something set up for you!".
I bought the hunt at an auction that he donated to the Lone Star Bowhunters Assn!
Ughh!!!!!!
Bisch
All in all, I enjoyed this hunt. I was in some beautiful country, I got to hunt with a dear friend that I hadn't hunted with in a few years, and my time in BC sure beat the hell out of being at work. Even the guides we had were nice folks who worked hard to get us a bull. They just were out of their element guiding bowhunters. Would it have made a difference if the guides were bowhunters themselves? Who knows? There are lots of variables at play during any hunt and any one of them can change the outcome. Not seeing much moose sign and not having the bulls respond to calling was probably the biggest factor in us coming home empty handed. The outfitter had another moose camp to the south of us and they killed 3 bulls in 4 days - all rifle kills. I got the impression that our guides felt they were stuck with the bastard stepchildren having to guide bowhunters.
The disappointment I had about this hunt is with the outfitter, Mike Hawkridge. I think it was very unprofessional for him to not even meet us face-to-face. I feel that he never took into account the limitations of our hunting equipment, or that he did and just didn't care to do anything about it. I know that one of our guides, Tom, was hired at the last minute and he was the one who had never been in the area before. I learned after the hunt that the other guide, Shawn, was under the impression that we actually paid for a 2x1 guided hunt and received an extra guide for free. I am assuming that he was told that by Mike but it certainly was not the case. We paid for a 1x1 guided hunt and Mike and I discussed that on more than one occasion. I also know that Mike became involved with some reality TV show several months back and I think he spent most of his time playing TV cowboy and let his outfitter business slide.
It's all water under the bridge now and I've learned some lessons the hard (and expensive) way. Time to focus on putting some whitetails in the freezer and to get ready for my next big hunt. I am headed to the Yucatan Peninsula at the end of next February to hunt Ocellated turkeys with my bow. I'm going with another friend that I went to high school with but haven't spent any time with in decades. It will be the first time that either of us have been to Mexico so it should be an adventure!
Darren
Sorry to hear that the hunt wasn't what it should have been Darren.
It's great that you have such a positive attitude about it all. :thumbsup:
Best of luck down in Mexico.
I will repeat Paul's statement above. You have an excellent attitude about it. Thank you for sharing as some would have not have. Myself and many others have the dream to go chase the monster moose and you have benefited many with your story.
Tim B
I have often dreamed of killing an oscillated turkey with my bow!!!! That sounds like an awesome adventure!!!!
Bisch
Sorry for the sour experience you had, Darren. It's unfair to provide a sub-par experience to paying clients. Success is never guaranteed, but sounds like you were handicapped right out of the gate on this hunt. How would Mike feel if you decided to only pay him for 'half a hunt', since that's about what you got?
I somehow think he wouldn't have taken it well.
That's why they call it hunting not shopping :bigsmyl:
Good info here on what to do and look out for on a once in a lifetime, hunt!
Quote from: dhaverstick on October 16, 2019, 08:12:14 AM
I am headed to the Yucatan Peninsula at the end of next February to hunt Ocellated turkeys with my bow.
Darren
I have a good friend that moved to the Yucatan from Wisconsin and bought a hotel that he runs. Although he's not a hunter, he's gotten to know a lot of the locals and I will get in touch with him and get him to do some background work for me with the locals. Then, I'll head down with my bow and try to get an Oscellated Turkey.
Sorry for the bad experience. You've kept a great attitude about the whole thing and that will pay off in the long run.
homebru