Northern British Columbia Moose Hunt

About This Hunt

Are you looking for an adventure and make memories that will last a lifetime?

We offer some of the best hunting in British Columbia with tailor-made hunts to suit your needs! Located in the Northwest corner of British Columbia, roughly 80 miles from Alaska and 40 miles from the Yukon, lies some of the most remote & pristine wilderness in the world.

This area is home to Stone Sheep, Moose, Mountain Caribou, Grizzly, Mountain Goat, Wolf, Wolverine and a variety of other species. The diverse terrain consists of rugged peaks and timbered valleys, huge grassland plateaus and willow draws that provide the perfect habitat for these species to thrive.

In short, we are fortunate to hunt country nearly unchanged for hundreds of years and only accessible via Horse, Foot or Boat.

You will shortly see why many of our hunters return year after year.

We offer 3 types of hunting experiences; Backpack, Horseback and lake hunts. Each of these hunts provides a very unique and fulfilling experience and caters to a wide range of experience and fitness levels. Here is a brief overview of what each hunt entails if you would like more info on a specific style of hunt please ask.

Backpack Hunt

We provide backpack style hunts for Stone sheep, Mountain Goat, Moose and Caribou with options of combinations of species.

Some of our Stone Sheep and goat country is accessed by trucks and four-wheelers and based out of our main lodge. Upon arrival at camp, your guide will assist you in preparing your pack and food and prepare to head into the field. Time will also be taken to check rifles and archery equipment prior to leaving for your hunt.

You will be expected to carry your own pack with sleeping gear (tent, bag, air mattress etc), clothing, optics, personal items, weapon and ammunition, and food for the hunt. We have a detailed list of the equipment needed for these hunts available on our website and will be emailed upon request. Your pack should weigh around 55lbs and we expect you to be physically fit and capable to carry your pack while hiking in the terrain specific to your hunt.

The food on these hunts is as lightweight and calorie dense as possible, generally, we provide oatmeal & freeze-dried breakfasts, variety of bars and candy, as well as freeze-dried dinners.

If you have specific dietary requirements or more info on what we provide please ask. If you would like to bring your own food that is no problem either.

Stone sheep and Goats live in steep rocky mountain terrain with large timbered valleys between mountain ranges that periodically require crossing.

Moose live in heavily timbered valleys with swamps, rivers, creeks, and lakes interspersed with thick alder and willow bushes which can be challenging to move through.

Caribou move around consistently and can be found in sheep and goat country, moose country and out on large rolling tundra and plateaus.

On a backpack hunt you will take your camp with you through-out the hunt spending time at different vantage points glassing/hunting for the target animal, this often requires hiking to the top of mountains and moving through rough terrain.

Our Moose and Caribou hunts are horse assisted, once you down an animal we have wranglers in the field who can come to your location and pick up the animal and transport it to the nearest accessible lake, we believe this gives the best of both worlds as you can hunt further from water sources while not having to worry about riding/using horses during your hunt.

Backpack hunts are very challenging but rewarding and provide the optimal amount of hunting as you are hunting in the heart of where the animals live from the moment you step out of your tent to going to sleep. We are passionate about backpack hunting and feel we are leaders in the industry for this style of hunt. If you would like more info please ask!

Horseback Hunt

Our horseback hunts are based in the center of our hunting concession, hunters fly into one of our lakes and are met by their guide and wrangler and taken to one of our camps with either a cabin or wall tent. Due to the thick vegetation, creeks and rivers and timbered valleys that we hunt Moose and Caribou, horses are an effective way to access the far reaches of their habitat.

We have great horses that we use for riding and packing gear and animals and experienced guides and wranglers that know how to use them effectively. Horseback hunting can be challenging and tiring, we aim to get out early into the field to hunt each day and often come back after dark. The horses are capable of covering a lot of ground and moving through thick and very difficult terrain which can be required to pursue or recover an animal, horse riding experience is an advantage and recommended when booking this hunt to allow for the use of our horses to their full potential. Our guides and wranglers will show you proper riding techniques to ensure you have the best experience and the horses are taken care of.

During the hunt, you may use a variety of camps or need to spike out with tents (if pursuing an animal) this can require time to pack gear and food and trail between these camps, while this takes up part of your hunting time our guides will choose to move to give you the best opportunity at the game you’re hunting.

We have a detailed gear list available and ask that hunters bring a maximum of 70 pounds of gear consisting of a day pack and duffle bag, excess gear will be left at the main camp so please stick closely to our gear list. You will be sharing a charter flight with other hunters and the food/equipment getting sent in for your hunt and we will not provide second flights to take in excess gear.

We aim to provide great food on our horseback hunts, breakfasts will be a variety of bacon and eggs, oatmeal and pancakes, lunches generally consist of snacks and sandwiches, and a good variety of hearty, tasty and filling dinners.

Horseback hunting is exciting and challenging and we believe that you will have an unforgettable experience while getting to see what our hunting concession has to offer.

Lake Hunt

Our hunting concession contains 71 accessible lakes, some of which we have cabins and/or wall tents with cots. Hunters will charter in from our main lodge and be met by the guide at the lake. Hunting involves calling and glassing from the boat on the lakes as bulls cruise the shoreline or hiking to vantage points overlooking meadows and clearings near boat access (further for those looking for a challenge). The vegetation is thick with a mix of timber, willows, and alders which adds a challenge to hiking and glassing for moose; we utilize calling a lot during the rut to bring in the bulls.

This is an excellent hunt as it is in prime moose habitat and boats provide unique access to a broad surrounding area.

We aim to provide great food on our lake hunts, breakfasts will be a variety of bacon and eggs, oatmeal, and pancakes, lunches generally consist of snacks and sandwiches, and a good range of hearty, tasty and filling dinners.

We have a detailed gear list available and ask that hunters bring a maximum of 70 pounds of gear consisting of a day pack and duffle bag, excess gear will be left at the main camp, so please stick closely to our gear list. You will be sharing a charter flight with other hunters and the food/equipment getting sent in for your hunt, and we will not provide second flights to take in excess gear.

The fishing is also exceptional with 20 pound Northern Pike and 16 pound Lake Trout being caught, and a great way to break up the day so please let us know if you would like to fish as a license must be purchased and bring your fishing rods and tackle.

This is a great hunt and the easiest style hunt we have to offer, great for buddies who want to hunt together or out of the same camp while still having the chance of finding a giant Canadian Moose!

Our area is approximately 3,300 square miles and covers vast wilderness areas with mountains, lakes, plateaus, timbered valleys, and marshes; perfect habitat for Canadian Moose, Mountain Caribou, Mountain Grizzly, Stone Sheep, Mountain Goat, Wolves, and Wolverines. Due to limited access, our area promotes one of the best hunting areas in British Columbia with little resident pressure and a large area to spread out our hunting operation.

Access to the country is via float plane to our multiple lakes outfitted with cabins or wall tents with the use of either horses or boats to hunt for Moose, Caribou, Stone Sheep and Goat. We use trucks and four wheelers for some of our stone sheep and goat hunts.

We also offer exceptional fishing on our lakes and rivers with trophy quality lake Trout, Northern Pike, Bull Trout, Dolly Varden, Grayling and Rainbow Trout on offer.

The elevation ranges from 2,000-5,000 feet for our rivers and lakes and our larger mountains 7,000 feet to 9,000 feet.

Personnel

We have a very experienced, hardworking and professional guiding staff. This area will most likely be different then other outfits you may have been to in a couple of ways; There is a somewhat chain in command if you will, but, there will be a lot of responsibility put on the guides to make things run smoothly in your camp. We are all a team and all work together striving to build this outfit into the most sought after in Canada. On teamwork, your guides will work long hours and hunt hard. If you can lend a hand, it’s always appreciated. Many of the guides will stay up late helping other guides with caping or cooking a meal after they arrive at midnight.

Hunt Price

$15,000

10-Day Hunt

September 7-18, 2019 > $15,000

September 21 - October 2, 2019 (Moose - Caribou Combo) > $12,000 + $6,000 Harvest Fee on each animal.

September 23 - October 3, 2019 - Moose - Lake Hunt > $15,000

Harvest Fees

Make sure you bring sufficient funds for harvest fees if you haven’t prepaid them. Harvest fees need to be cash, bank drafts/cashiers checks. Please note

that GST/HST is also applied to your harvest fees. Cash is preferred.

Licenses and Tags

You included money for your licenses and tags with your hunt contract. We will purchase those for you before you arrive in camp. If you want to purchase additional tags, you will need to let us know well in advance as you will not be able to purchase a tag once in camp, and we do not allow hunters to shoot game and then purchase the tag for it. After you receive your licenses/tags make sure to sign them. Also, make sure you have the proper licenses before leaving for camp as we just can’t run back to town to get a replacement.

Hunt Completion

You will fly out on the last day of your hunt date. You and your guide will need to arrive back in camp the evening before. We will need to fill out a hunt report/declaration for you.

Before you leave, sometimes we will take measurements and age your animal(s) for our records. And put our custom information tags on hides, horns, skulls so we keep them organized. If your hunt is delayed due to weather, you can use our base camp Satellite phone to help reschedule your flight and contact your family.

When you arrive in Town, you’ll be met at the floatplane dock by our expeditor or other arrangements will be made. Arrangements will be prior made to get your heads inspected and or shipping/taxidermy done. Animals CANNOT leave BC to the Yukon unless done so best to plan and leave it with us. They will be taken care of.

Mission Statement

Our goal is to be one of the most respected, knowledgeable and professional operations in Canada; to have guides and clients who want to return; to make a difference in people’s lives; help people experience nature; to promote trophy hunting in a positive and ethical way so that future generations may enjoy the same; to have our customers experience a special, safe hunt, and to feel that we have worked hard to provide that experience.

What You Should Bring With You

Clothing

Socks
Underwear
Boots - Kenetrek Mountain Extreme 400 (Muck boots for Boat hunts are good to have)
Gaiters - I recommend Kenetrek for bow hunters, they are quiet or Sitka. OR and Mountain
Hardwear make good ones also
The base layer – Sitka merino wool, Under Armour or Firstlite
Pants- Sitka Timberline Pants are best for most hunts
Shirts – Sitka traverse hoody or Traverse Zip T
Packable Down Vest or Down Jacket – Sitka Kelvin Lite Hoody
Jacket- Sitka timberline or Jetstream
Sitka Hiking Gloves - Sitka/OR
Toque/Stocking Cap
Brimmed Hat

Pack

We recommend – Stone Glacier “Sky Talus 6900 or Sky Guide 7900 ” for Sheep/Goat hunts, and a smaller 2000-2700CI day pack for Moose or Caribou.

We have limited room on the plane and horses so prepare to only take what you need. You should get everything you need into a backpack and 120L dry duffel (Sitka Drifter or Yeti Panga are best.) You will not need a gun case once you get on the plane and hard cases will be left at the ranch with your other stuff.

Sleeping bag and Stuff Sack
Thermarest Sleeping Pad (Neo Air)
Extra Clothing - not too much!
Knife – Havalon for skinning and a small pocket knife.
Water Bottle (Large Nalgene or 2)
Food for hunt (I will supply) but if you have special snacks please bring what you like.
Ammo- minimum 1 full box or 6 extra arrows/broadheads
Rifle or Bow
Binoculars/rangfinder – Leica Giovids
Lighters/fire starter
Headlamp- Petzel or Black Diamond
Large Rain Fly for Pack
Digital Camera / extra batteries or iPhone 10X

Optional Items

Spotting Scope/ Tripod – we all have these but is good to have if you’re a sheep hunter
GPS
Leki or Black Diamond walking stick - Recommended
Rangefinder- Angle, Recommended for bow hunters
Gore-Tex Socks - recommended to have some in the pack
Sunglasses
Special food items you may want – candy, flavored drink mix you like
Cooler for meat
Garmin inReach or Sat Phone - highly recommended

Northern British Columbia Moose Hunt Scenery

Details

Location

Fence type: Open
Territory size: 3300 sq. mi.
Languages spoken by staff: English
Operating since: 2009

Animals

Lodging

Basic

Our main camp consists of a fully furnished Lodge with kitchen, living room, hot shower, laundry, and dining area as well as a hunter cabin, tool shop and several other outbuildings.

This our main staging area for the backpack sheep & goat hunts in August and where each hunter will arrive before chartering into our hunting concession. Accommodation is provided at our main camp before and after your hunt when needed.

Each camp in our concession is set up differently with rustic but comfortable cabins and/or wall tents with wood stoves, cots & propane lights. These all camps serve their purpose for a hot meal and place to lay your head after a rewarding day in the field; however, some of the camps are standard to remote hunting camps of northern BC. Each camp is set up with propane cooking, cooking utensils and cutlery and a readily accessible water source.

Wall tent camps are generally simpler than our cabin camps and used to put you in the best country to hunt your target animal. On occasion, you may need to “spike out” in small tents if you’re after a specific animal; however, if this is necessary the guide will discuss with you and decide on a game plan.

Your camp location will be decided based on ours and your guides educated opinion to give you the best opportunity during your hunt; we will discuss this with you on arrival to camp.

If you have special requests, i.e., only staying in a cabin, please discuss this with us before booking the hunt.

Facilities: Wi-Fi

Directions

Traveling to Canada and into our Hunting concession

Commercial Airlines – Most hunters, will enter Canada via a commercial airline. Even with connections, you should be able to accomplish the trip in one day. Whitehorse Yukon has excellent service with multiple daily flights into the airport. Once they arrive in Canada, most of the flights are direct from Vancouver BC, via Air Canada. We have information on the processing of bringing in a firearm to Canada, and this is generally not an issue. Air Canada is good at losing luggage so we highly recommend booking a flight that lands in Whitehorse earlier in the day and on the day before the drive down to our main camp if hunters don’t allow for this then it can severely impact our scheduling and may affect their charter flight in.

On arrival in Whitehorse, hunters will rent a car which can be shared with our hunters on the same hunt date and travel 5 hours south to our main lodge near Boya lake provincial park.

We have decided that this is the best way to run our logistics and gives the hunter the flexibility to arrive and leave when they like, it also allows us to build a personal connection with all clients and put the backcountry BC touch on the experience. Upon booking, we will send the information of hunters on the same hunt dates so they can coordinate a shared rental car if they wish.

We use a charter company to fly in our clients and have to work with them throughout the season, the weather is the main issue and can lead to delays in getting hunters in and out of the field. This is out of our control, and we expect patience if this becomes an issue on the hunt.

Towards the end of the season the weather is more likely to get worse with chance of snow, rain and low lying fog, this combined with the charter companies being the busiest (most of our moose hunting, other outfitters & resident hunters) can lead to delays in hunters getting in and out of the field. This is out of our control and refunds will not be offered for missed hunting days or missed flights due to delays. We will do our very best to make the trips run as smoothly as possible and provide accommodation if there are delays out of our main camp.

There are also options to drive in the hunters’ vehicle to our main lodge if this is something they are considering we can provide more info, it is approx. 26 hours from the Canadian border to our main camp, but if a hunter enjoys the drive it is a great option, and they will pass through some incredible country on the way up.

Once you book a hunt with us, we will provide more detailed information on traveling to our area and requirements for firearms, etc.

Flights

Booking your flights sooner than later! There area few options and all will work.

West Jet, Air Canada and Air North all fly via Vancouver BC.

I’d suggest traveling with your Hiking boots and optics with you. If the luggage doesn’t arrive we can set you up with most items but boots are very personal, and we won’t have spares! Also, it’s a good idea to get in on earlier flights to allow time if a baggage delay does happen. Once Flights are booked, please email us your itinerary, so we have them on file. After also arriving, please send us an email. You are welcome to come earlier than your scheduled dates to base camp!

Charter flights are scheduled already, so you need to be at the ranch the day before that flight. You are welcome to arrive at the base camp before your scheduled dates as we don’t mind at all. This is a good idea if your schedule will allow for it.

If you miss your charter you will have to pay for your trip into camp as other hunters you share the cost with won’t wait.

Hotels

Hotels in Whitehorse get booked up fairly quickly during the summer months in Whitehorse. Here is a list of hotels to contact for reservations. Most have Shuttle Services.

(Note: There are many other hotels/motels in town that are not listed online. If you need help with hotels bookings, please let us know anytime.)

Best Western (Gold Rush Inn) 1-877-297-2239
Coast High Country Inn 1-867-667-4471
Days Inn 1-867-668-4747
Westmark Inn 1-867-393-9700
Skky Hotel 1-867-456-2400

Car Rental

Be sure to reserve your rental cars as soon as possible.

The road is good the entire way and you do not need a 4×4. Any car will work to get to the base camp.

Here is a list of the rental (no specific order)

Budget Car and Truck 1-867-667-6200
Driving Force 1-867-332-0255
Rent “A” Wreck 1-867-456-7368
K&K truck Rentals (Trucks) 1-867-456-2121
Go North (SUV) 1-866-236-7272
Fox rent a car – www.foxrentacar.com

Nearest airport: Whitehorse Yukon -- 505 KM (rent a car to base camp, then charter flight into mountains)
Transfer from airport: No
Transfer from railway: No

Other Information

Gun rental: Yes
Vaccination Required: No

Communications

If you feel you’ll need to use a Satellite phone for business during the trip, I recommend that you purchase or rent a handheld satellite phone (Iridium or Globalstar) – contact Explorer Satellite. He can get you one and takes excellent care of you for us.

I recommend getting a Garmin InReach and having it figured out BEFORE you arrive. They are convenient if all you need is texting or sending a short email. Pairing it with your smartphone makes life easy!

We are mostly using InReach devices now as they are the most reliable and cost-effective. You may use the guides for periodically checking in at home. But they need to save them for our use.

Early Departures

If you wish to leave early due to quick success, emergency reasons or business/personal reasons, we may be able to quickly schedule a plane to come in and pick you up. You will need to pay the cost of the unscheduled flight (over and above the price of your regular scheduled air-charter). It is helpful for us to know in advance if you plan to leave early.

We may be able to schedule you on another flight, saving you money and us time. We will do our best to work with you regarding this. It is easier for everyone if you’d stay for the duration of the hunt, but things happen, and some people have tight schedules.

Hunt Completion

You will fly out on the last day of your hunt date. You and your guide will need to arrive back in camp the evening before. We will need to fill out a hunt report/declaration for you.

Before you leave, sometimes we will take measurements and age your animal(s) for our records. And put our custom information tags on hides, horns, skulls, o we keep them organized. If your hunt is delayed due to weather, you can use our base camp Satellite phone to help reschedule your flight and contact your family.

Meat

When you harvest an animal, you will be able to take whatever meat will fit on the commercial plane (approx. 50-70 lbs./person) or all meat if you drive yourself to our main camp. We have game bags, pillowcases, compactor bags & or plastic containers that you can use for taking the meat home with you. Your guide will help label and pack the meat and meat processing is available.

More information will be provided upon booking or request.

Physical Fitness / Hunt Preparation

The success of your hunt may very well depend on your physical and mental preparation and ability. Hunting here is the Real McCoy. You only live once, and you might as well take care of the one body you have. You’ve likely heard this before, but because it is so important, we’ll repeat it. You should be doing some physical exercise (aerobic and anaerobic) at least 3-4 times/week, and more is better. If you want to burn calories, exercise first thing in the morning and if time allows, once or twice a week, add a workout in the afternoon. Remember to eat healthy and balanced meals. With proper exercise and eating habits, you’ll be healthier, stronger, happier and a better hunter.

The following are things we would suggest depending on your physical ability and age. To get aerobic exercise, you need to do these for at least 20 minutes straight, each time. we recommend 30-60 minutes/time.

Hunting Complications

Weather

The weather can change quickly in the mountains and as the season progresses the likelihood of rain, snow, and fog impacting hunting will increase. We will do our best to work around the weather; however, at times, it can stop charter flights from picking up or dropping off clients from the field. We expect clients to understand that weather is out of our control and to have patience if this impacts on their hunts.

Horses

We have great horses, but sometimes they have minds of their own and can wander from camp, occasionally you may lose time hunting as wranglers catch horses further away from camp. Wrecks can also occur when horses get stuck in boggy terrain or spook for unforeseen reasons, our guides and wranglers know how to handle these situations if they arise but it can be tough, and we expect your patience and understanding if a wreck occurs.

Lakes freezing

We line up our hunts to finish before the general time lakes in our area start to freeze (earlier at higher elevation) however on occasion we may need to run a hunt short if temperatures drop and lakes begin to freeze as the only way out is via plane.

The hunting gets better the later the season goes and so it is a balance between hunting prime time with the best opportunity and not getting stuck. Upon booking a lake hunt, we expect you to understand that this is one of the risks involved.

Equipment failure

We aim to use great gear, equipment, and vehicles so that you have the best opportunity and experience on your hunt. Our hunting area is located in the true wilderness of the north which is very tough on anything we use out there, and at times things may break. In the case that a vehicle or equipment breaks we will do our best to fix the problem immediately and ask for your patience while dealing with it.

Departure

After the hunt, you will arrive back at the camp. You will be able to take as much Meat with you from your animal as you wish. Airlines charge quite a bit but your welcome to all your meat when you go. If you choose not to take it with you we will take care of it from there.

If time permits we can freeze meat at the base camp. Sometimes due to your schedule, you will need to leave to catch your commercial flights. In this case, you can ask the hotel to freeze meat if they have room.

Cape and Horns

All trophies need to be inspected and airlines do not allow large trophies. We have a taxidermist that comes to camp and transports to inspections and then will Mount or Crate and ship to you or your taxidermist. People driving up or hunting Sheep or Goat may take them with them provided we can get it inspected before you leave.

Don’t Forget

Before you leave Whitehorse it’s a good idea to buy a cooler for the meat you want to bring home with you. We can fill it up before you head for home! Canadian Tire in Whitehorse is the best bet to get these if you want one.

If you have Harvest fees that were not paid in advance make sure to bring those with you in Cash, or certified Bank Draft.

If you like to drink alcohol please bring this with you. Whitehorse has liquor Stores and there are some others. We have no problem with this but remember you’re here to hunt!

Good attitude. Make sure to bring this with you. We try to do the best we can with logistics and planning but sometimes things happen. Weather delays happen, injuries happen, the equipment can break and horses have a mind of their own sometimes. We will do our best to resolve any issues as they arise but we need you to do your best to understand that things do happen from time to time.

NOTICE: Please be advised some places you wish to hunt may have regulatory restrictions if you have been convicted of certain crimes. This may prevent you from hunting or entering a country.

Additional Services

Quick Look

Success Rate

75%

Opportunity Rate

95%

Hunt ID: QH-2352

Ask Us About This Hunt