Best hunt for under $2500?

[trapstercarl]

alright
My uncle and I are looking into going on a hunt in 2009. We are thinking either Caribou or Moose or Elk. Semi guided or non guided is fine for everything except maybe the moose. Does anybody have any suggestions? or a good outfitter they have experienced? or ones to stay away from? Any help would be apreciated thanks

[bounty hunter]

We did a caribou hunt this past fall and it turned out excellent. Thing is it will cost about double of what you want to spend. We booked 2 years in advance to save up for this and it went well. You may want to pm. Talon who is a member here because he does hunt caribou on his own and may give you some good info on it.

[MallardMaster]

No sure where he went there, but a guy at work here did a combo Caribou/Moose hunt in Newfoundland. He came back with a couple of animals, said it was a good time. They did however drive there, which could make a diffrence in your decision making.

[Rustyaxecamp]

Did a bear hunt with Abbott Brook Guide Service in Maine in 2005.

AVOID THEM LIKE THE PLAGUE.

I would think for $2500 you could do a real nice caribou hunt. Start looking and emailing/calling as the good ones book up fast....

I have never hunted them, but I have several friends who have and it sound awesome, basically gaurenteed trigger time and you can do a buddy hunt style. It just screams for a do-ityourself hunt video......:)

[bounty hunter]

[QUOTE=Rustyaxecamp;1933022]
I would think for $2500 you could do a real nice caribou hunt. Start looking and emailing/calling as the good ones book up fast....


I honestly don't think 2500.00 will get you any type of a good caribou trip.We heard horror stories about other camps where the entire camp went home empty and there secondary camp produced 2 cows. The drive in hunts I really can't say but if you plan on a hunt of a life time save for a couple years and go first class because you will not forget it. Attend a safari club dinner and you may get lucky on a auction for a great hunt at a low cost.

[Rustyaxecamp]

Like I said, I have never been boo hunting, so I only know what I have been told. I realize that Mirage or the other high end outfitters are expensive ($4500+), but I have several friends who have gone inthe past 5 years for less than $2000 and each came home with 2 decent bulls. I will try to find hte names of the places.

[FIJI]

for all one price in Idaho

Try ...

http://www.billmitchelloutfitters.com/

I'll be going BACK to hunt with Bill again ! :D



do NOT go with JML Outfitters in CO !!!!!!

[bounty hunter]

You could be right, but I would think they drove in to the camp instead of flying. And I am sure there are rotten outfitters at fly in as well as drive in camps so make sure to get refrences. Do a search on Quebec outfitter reviews and that should help a lot.

[Rustyaxecamp]

Correct, they drove.

+1 on the checking of references. It would have saved me and my buddies quite bit of cash on our bear hunt in 2005

[MallardMaster]

The guy here at work also drove to Quebec caribou hunting. He was up near Mirage when he went. He said that there are 2-3 camps up that way. Said it was a fun time, and they would do it again. They when around the 1st of November, and said that there was snow on the ground. Fun time with lots of caribou running around.

[anon3292009]

It has been a few years since we went moose hunting to Newfoundland so I can't comment on an updated cost. However, Newfoundland is like another world. Very rugged and wild. Newfoundland has the higest density of moose in the world, and we saw moose every day. We also saw some huge caribou too but only had moose tags. You'd have to consider the cost of getting there and back as a significant part of your costs, but driving through New England is a real treat anyway. Seafood out the wazoo is a real plus. We went with Spruce Pond Outfitters, and they are a first class outfitter. I've been big game hunting up north and out west, but moose hunting in Newfoundland remains my all-time #1 trip. If I had the legs and endurance to do it again (You walk, spot, and stalk all day and covering 4-8 miles a day is the norm.) I'd go back in a hearbeat. Good luck.

[griffondog]

You could do a nice cat or bear hunt for that kind of money. My experience is your going to have to spend some more coin to get a first class Elk, Moose or Caribou hunt. If it's going to be a once in a lifetime hunt I would spend the extra coin and get rid of the headaches.

Griff

[yooperkenny]

...I honestly don't think 2500.00 will get you any type of a good caribou trip....

We had a great caribou hunt at Mirage in late Nov/early Dec for just under that amount. We drove, which if not planned out well can be brutal, but the accomodations were great, the experience of seeing upwards of a thousand migrating caribou was amazing, and we each brought home 2 animals.

Check out their winter hunt on the American Plan - add about $300 for your 2 tags and then gasoline :dizzy: and you're right in your price range:

http://www.mirageoutfitter.com/english/index_chasse_an.cfm

Erik - I WILL post pics and details of our trip if I can ever get caught up at work and at home grinding caribou for burger, jerky, and sausage :lol:

[Rustyaxecamp]

Erik - I WILL post pics and details of our trip if I can ever get caught up at work and at home grinding caribou for burger, jerky, and sausage :lol:

patiently waiting........

[srconnell22]

Check out their winter hunt on the American Plan - add about $300 for your 2 tags and then gasoline :dizzy: and you're right in your price range:

http://www.mirageoutfitter.com/english/index_chasse_an.cfm



reading on their website it says that the bulls have lost their antlers by then? Make sure your not looking for a set of horns if your going to do this hunt...

[yooperkenny]

reading on their website it says that the bulls have lost their antlers by then? Make sure your not looking for a set of horns if your going to do this hunt...

Actually, we arrived at Mirage early on Friday, November 30th and hit the migration nearly perfect. The next day my brother and I killed 3 decent bulls and none of their antlers were even close to falling off. We found a sweet spot on an island where groups of 40-50 animals would pass by on the lake within bow range - in a group like that there'd be 1-3 bulls big enough to consider taking, and occasionally what we suspected was a mature bull (large with a full beard) with no headgear. But by and large most everyone we talked to tagged out no problem with nice antlered bulls. The locals told us the big boys were still a few days north heading towards the area.

It was by bro's third straight year there. The first year he says it was even better. However, last year most of the herd had already passed through and hunters were competing for stragglers, some of which had lost their antlers. So there is a crapshoot element at work due to weather, which affects ice thickness, which affects movement of the herd.

In a way last year was great if you were "looking for a set of horns" because they were literally laying all over the place just waiting to be picked up. Not what most have in mind of course, but my bro collected a few and made some cool picture frames, coat hooks, etc from them

Sorry to hijack but I wanted to share some first hand info for folks considering laying down their hard earned $. It was a great hunt and I'll be going back ;)

[bounty hunter]

can you throw up a few piks?