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 Archery Member Successes : |
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2005 Caribou Hunt.
Article written by Al Kula |
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I have wanted to try a caribou bow hunt for many years. At the 2004 Sportsman's Show, I picked up a brochure for Woodland Caribou in Newfoundland. The plan was to participate in a fall hunt. I looked to my nephew Mike for a partner. Before we could finalize September plans, it became obvious that 2004 was out.
OK, 2005 should be no problem and Mike and I proceeded to make the appropriate contacts. Lots of email correspondences setup a September trip from Manchester to Newfoundland, Canada.
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We decided to drive the 850 mile trip to allow easier management of all that venison we would return to the states. We left on a Friday night and drove as far into Maine as possible before all the motels shut their doors. Saturday morning came early and after a quick breakfast we began a long day of driving to the tip of Nova Scotia and our rendezvous with a 10:00 PM ferry leaving for the big island. We made it with time to spare only to find the ferry would be four hours late!
Newfoundland is very picturesque. The island is heavily forested but with patches of tundra looking terrain. We drove an hour up the road and met up with our guides Dave and Rex. A short trip inland brought us to hunting cabin on the edge of a quiet lake. Water to the lodge was gravity fed. Lights were available while the generator was on and Mike and I had all this to ourselves. The camp holds room for ten guests but no one else booked into this week.
Sunday was spent adjusting to the long drive, obtaining our licenses and just relaxing (NO HUNTING on Sundays). Mike and I checked our bows and demonstrated our shooting skills to the guides to show them our effective range when the time arrived. Monday couldn't come fast enough; we were excited!
The day started with a big breakfast (all you can eat) and a lunch packed for an Army. The ride inland took about an hour with an additional ride in by ATV. First thing I noticed was the over abundance of Moose. The day was spent walking and relocating but ended with NO caribou sightings. Day two was more of the same. We tried different areas but just could not find this elusive animal. By the end of day two I was mighty tired. I told Mike, that at my age, if my guide puts a �bou� in front of me, it's going down.
By day three, I already felt like I had gained 5 pounds from all the food they were serving us. I could feel the winter blubber building up and it was still Fall. We began the day with the typical drive to a new area and began a 5 mile walk on an old logging road. Although there were lots of tracks on the road, we saw nothing. After a short rest, we began our trek back to the ATV. About a third of the way back, I saw HIM. A small caribou was walking the road in our direction. After diving off the road it was Decision time. I looked at my guide and he shrugged, �its up to you'.
Anyone that knows me will tell you what I did next. I quickly knocked an arrow and waited. The caribou walked up to us and stood at ten yards. Every pin on my bow covered the vitals. A quick release and I had my first Caribou. It won't make the trophy books but it was very much a trophy to me. |
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