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Excellent hunting again for the fall 2002 hunts

Our 2002 fall hunting season was the busiest we had experienced to that date, as well as being one of our most successful.  The initial operation of our new Caribou Lodge served to increase our business substantially and open up a new hunting area for our business.    We continued the trend toward more archery hunts in 2002 and have become recognized as an outfitting business that not only welcomes bowhunters, but that is becoming specialized in this field.

Our big game kills totaled 10 moose from 13 permits, with only 2 of the unsuccessful moose hunters not having opportunity for a bull kill.  Although they did see a good number of moose, but only a couple of bulls.   At both our moose hunting locations, total moose sightings were equal to or better than the previous year.  Of the animals taken, there were no very large racks, although some such animals were spotted.

All but 2 of 40 caribou permits were filled, including about a dozen that scored between 230 and 275 inches.   Only 1 of 12 archery hunters did not make a kill, and there were plenty of opportunities and a couple of missed shots.   Our new Caribou Lodge proved to exceed all expectations, with both a good number of caribou sighted and a healthy supply of mature stags, including some record book quality specimens.    Much of the best action occurred fairly close to the lodge itself, which seems to be very near the caribou's travel/daily feeding routes.    There is much more cover in the caribou terrain than at our other lodges, making it sometimes necessary to spend long periods of time spotting.       

Check in at 2003 Hunt Trophies for photos of our latest hunt, or 2002 caribou racks to see some of the trophies from that fall.

While no one actually killed a bear, there was some fairly regular activity, particularly at Rocky Ridge Lodge and Caribou Lodge.   In most cases, the focus was on the caribou hunting, and bears were passed up for that reason, as well as passing on small bears and a couple of missed shots.  Expectations are high for some good opportunities in the 2003 hunting season.

While actual hunting action was low, ptarmigan sightings were up at our primary wingshooting area of Rocky Ridge and and hopes are high for the numbers to continue to climb next year.  The last afternoon of our hunt at Rocky Ridge showed about 20 birds with  10 being taken.   As well, Caribou Lodge showed signs of having huntable numbers of ptarmigan, as well as some grouse, although no actual hunting with a dog actually took place.   A planned field trip into the area with a pointing dog in November should establish approximate bird population levels. 

Overall, air temperatures were fairly normal, unlike the fall of unusually warm temperatures experienced in 2001.  Weekly weather patterns seemed to flip-flop back and forth, with wet weeks followed by an entire week of no precipitation and mostly sunshine.  There was no snowfall experienced, but a normal number of nights with frost, especially during the first 2 weeks of October.  While there were several guest transfer days where we encountered fog, wind and rain, there were no weather related overnight delays in transporting guests to and from our lodges by helicopter.

It was not only a very successful fall hunt, but also another smooth and extremely enjoyable one for guests and staff alike. With a zero turnover in staff from previous years, we have developed quite cohesive and knowledgeable lodge staffing units. A continuation of hosting excellent parties of fine people also played a huge part in the tremendous atmosphere and trouble free operation of our lodges.

Our new Caribou Lodge proved to exceed all expectations during it's first year of operation, with both a good number of caribou sighted and a healthy supply of mature stags, including some record book quality specimens all resulting in a 100% success rate for archery and rifle hunters alike.    Much of the best action occurred fairly close to the lodge itself, which seems to be very near the caribou's travel/daily feeding routes.    There is much more cover in the caribou terrain than at our other lodges, making it necessary to spend long periods of time spotting.       

General maintenance and improvement of existing facilities continued this year as usual.  Of course, our major accomplishment was completion of our new Caribou Lodge, including the placement of 2 boats and outboard motors and one canoe at the adjacent lake.    This facility's design has already proven to be ideally suited for our 4 person hunting parties, with staff and guests all under the same roof, with a door separation  in the 40X24 foot structure.   The same modern services are provided as with our other lodges, making the facility a comfort in which to stay.

Our 2003 hunting schedule is  beginning to shape up, with all moose hunts having been filled for quite some time.  There are, however, a number of caribou hunts still open at our lodges, with black bear add-on also still possible.   We have also been taking reservations for the 2004 hunting season, and again all moose hunts are sold.   Should you have an interest in hunting with us, an early reservation is essential for either of the next 2 hunting seasons.

For more information or reservations, please contact:

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Our new all fly fishing web site is now up and running at www.flyfishinggreyriver.com  

Flyfishing, Wingshooting, Hiking, Big Game, Lodges, Map, Home,  Bowhunting,

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Last updated Nov 2, 2007