Canadian Wolf Hunt

[MichHunter]

Same^

 

[KyleDean]

Interested in how you do and clothing you recommend. I’m going with Kyler Nelsen at the end of March. Will by far be the coldest weather this Texas boy has seen.

 

[Obsessed1]

Interested in how you do and clothing you recommend. I’m going with Kyler Nelsen at the end of March. Will by far be the coldest weather this Texas boy has seen.

Oh man not sure what to tell you....northern alberta boy here..it's been -35 -45 every morning last week. -50 with wind chill. Even for us locals that freezing. IME no amount of clothing is going to keep you warm if your not already climatized. hopefully it's much warmer when you get up here. Good warm boots that fit loose are a must. Layer with heavy weight marino, and fleece mid with a good soft wind break outer. gloves and balaclava. And a Herman Nelson;-)

 

[VernAK]

Ya! Don't forget to take Herman along!

Temperatures should be moderating by late March but it can still be colder than a Cellophane Outhouse.

Some wolf guides are using shelters set back from bait.

 

[Obsessed1]

Ya! Don't forget to take Herman along!

Temperatures should be moderating by late March but it can still be colder than a Cellophane Outhouse.

Some wolf guides are using shelters set back from bait.

March is when the ranchers are calving..Murphy law says it's gotta be the coldest windy bitter time of the year. We don't look for good weather up here till after may. Last year we had major snow storms into April and often may long it snows.
You will have a great time regardless and yes many guides use blinds over bait and can heat somewhat.

 

[weekender7]

Waiting for hunt report, maybe a big possum grin with some dead fury things.

 

[Agross]

Been following this thread. Really looking forward to an update .

 

[dakotaduner]

If your back let us know some details.

 

[TxxAgg]

Following..

 

[jarheadhunter]

Well I guess I better share my nightmare so other people don’t have to go through the same thing.
So a couple weeks before we left my buddy who was suppose to go on the hunt, his son got burned real bad at work. They had a burn pile going and another kid that worked with him decided to add some fuel to the fire. He caught the gas can on fire and then basically threw it at my buddies kid. He was life flighted to Las Vegas burn center.

So needless to say my buddy didn’t end up going. He had his other boy go with me since he already payed for the hunt. I tried to call Swoop airlines and get the name changed to his son, but they wouldn’t do it not even for medical reasons. so my buddies kid had to buy an additional plane ticket and two bags. Saturday I drove to Vegas and met them at the hospital to see my buddies kid and see how he was doing then our flights were at 9 pm.

We show up about three hours early to the airport to take care of everything. An employee for swoop didn’t show up until about 2 hours before the flight lives at the ticket counter to check in. We were first in line and go up to the counter. We say we need to declare our rifles.The lady said she would have to call and find out how to receive them because she has never taken one before. I am thinking this is not good. So she gets on the phone and I hear her saying “ oh no that’s not good. What can they do?” So she tells us that Swoop airlines doesn’t accept firearms on their planes. I didn’t check because it was my first time flying with a firearm and i just figured if they were allowed it was across the board. My bad. Well that’s not going to work out and we try to get a voucher or a refund and they say no.

We walk down to West Jet and ask if they accept firearms and they say they do. We say when is the earliest flight and they say tomorrow at 11:30. So we get a hotel in Vegas and leave the following day. We arrive in Canada and it’s -28 deg. We get all our stuff and get the rental truck and start the 6.5 hr drive north. We arrived at camp at midnight. This is probably the second worst part of the trip. We get put into a tiny room with three twin beds. The sheets and pillow cases haven’t been washed in what looks like 3 years. I had to use a jacket to cover my pillow so i could sleep. I am not one to usually complain about my accommodations, but it was pretty bad. The bathroom was disgusting with urine all over the toilet and mouse piss all over the counter. The shower was also nasty. That’s about the only complaint I have with the accommodations. The food was good and they were nice.

So day one we had to make sure our rifles were sighted in. We set up at 245 yds and shot. It was a balmy -35 deg. I set my rifle to 260 yds on my turret and hit about an inch high. My buddy was low probably from the drastic temp change. Sighted in in southern utah over 100 deg and now shooting in -35. So we get that taken care of and take my buddy to his stand. I had to ride a sled about 9 miles into mine after a 30 min ride in the truck. First day I see a coyote and ravens. Buddy sees just ravens. Day two and three are the same. Just an average temp of -35 lows into the -40’s. I have never had my feet so cold.

I ended up taking my boots off when I got to the stand and putting feet warmers on my socks and then tucking them into my IWOM suit. About the only way I could set for 9 hrs in that cold. Other then that I was good. Hands stayed warm just in my pockets with hand warmers in them. Day three was about the same as one and two until I was going to leave my stand. I walked the 400-500 yds out to the sled and then tried to start it. The electric start had been giving me trouble and had to use the pull start. About the third pull the pull cord breaks about 6” from the handle. So here I am about 9 miles from the truck with no service after dark and it’s about -38 deg. So I start walking up the trail. About 4 min into it my batteries on my headlamp freeze. I walk about a mile and can finally get service. I call the guide and no answer. So I call my buddy and tell him what’s going on and that I will keep walking to the truck to stay warm. I had a beanie with a little built in LED light on it and luckily it worked. So I could see about 15’ in front of me. As I walked out I crossed about 5 different sets of wolf tracks over my snowmobile track from the morning. One set was pretty fresh and was chasing a Whitetail down the trail. I know it’s probably all in your head at that point, but it’s pretty freaky. Anyways about 4 1/2 miles and 2 1/2 hours later the guide showed up. I am pretty sure I got a mild frostbite on my Fingers. All my fingertips fell off within a week of getting back and I had no feeling in them until they fell off.

Some good news for day three one of the other guys in camp shot a wolf. Day 4 was more of the same cold and no wolves. One of the other guys in camp had a pack of 5-6 come into his bait and missed one at 250yds. Day 5 we had to move our stand because the wind shifted from north to south. So myself and my buddy got stuck in different stands. My buddy had two wolves come in that evening and missed one at 245yds. So at least people are getting shots. I myself sat the last two days in that stand and never got to see a wolf. That’s how it goes with hunting. We were 75% on opportunity so IMO that is pretty damn good and hard to beat. Just sucks when your the 25%.

So Sunday morning we get up and make the 6.5 hr drive back into Edmonton to catch a flight the next morning. Luckily we were already booked with west jet. The guide sent us a text that night and said “I told you so”. It was trail cam pics from the baits we sat the first 4 days. Both of them had wolves on them on the 5th day. We sat them the 13-16 and on the 17th both had wolves. Mine was a beautiful almost all white one with with two blacks and a grey. Talk about salt in the wound. The wolf pics are all off my bait right before we got there and then the day we had to move baits.

I learned a lot of important stuff on this trip and I will be trying again. Might go to BC this time. I will post what pics I have.
Thanks for all the interest in the hunt.

 

[jarheadhunter]

Here’s some more pics I couldn’t attach them all.

 

[jarheadhunter]

Also I borrowed my buddies first lite sanctuary bibs and jacket. I melted the bottom right leg a little bit and need to buy my buddy new ones now. So if anyone is interested in some XL fusion sanctuary bibs with a small burn on them let me know I will give you a good deal. I put tenacious tape over the burned part so it shouldn’t separate.

 

[fwafwow]

Wow. Just wow man. So sorry but I'm amazed you want to go back! So many things could have been so much worse though, especially when you got stuck. That walk must have really sucked!

Sent from my SM-N950U using Tapatalk

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

Yikes, nightmare is right. You get my vote for coming to BC next year, no shortage of those things here. Sounds like you've got a great attitude about it, definitely some type 2 kind of fun. Please tell me there's a good story to the melted pants at least!

 

[jarheadhunter]

Just melted the pants on the little buddy heater one day while taking my boots off. I feel More sorry for my buddy who’s kid is in the hospital and didn’t even get to go on the hunt he paid for.

 

[SoDaky]

Wow.Tough deal all around.Congrats on toughing it out and your attitude.Get M next trip!
Thanks for the report.
Semper fi!

 

[BackcountryBloodline]

Just melted the pants on the little buddy heater one day while taking my boots off. I feel More sorry for my buddy who’s kid is in the hospital and didn’t even get to go on the hunt he paid for.

Ya that really sucks. Hopefully if you end up coming back up this way again he's able to come get some redemption as well!

 

[weekender7]

Sorry to hear about all the issues. Did you have a buddy heater in the blind? I have never felt -40 temps and don't think I want to. Riding a sled in those temps must have been brutal. Maybe walking in the dark was worse. All I can say is, better luck next time all around.

 

[Wolfhuntin]

Well I guess I better share my nightmare so other people don’t have to go through the same thing.
So a couple weeks before we left my buddy who was suppose to go on the hunt, his son got burned real bad at work. They had a burn pile going and another kid that worked with him decided to add some fuel to the fire. He caught the gas can on fire and then basically threw it at my buddies kid. He was life flighted to Las Vegas burn center.

So needless to say my buddy didn’t end up going. He had his other boy go with me since he already payed for the hunt. I tried to call Swoop airlines and get the name changed to his son, but they wouldn’t do it not even for medical reasons. so my buddies kid had to buy an additional plane ticket and two bags. Saturday I drove to Vegas and met them at the hospital to see my buddies kid and see how he was doing then our flights were at 9 pm.

We show up about three hours early to the airport to take care of everything. An employee for swoop didn’t show up until about 2 hours before the flight lives at the ticket counter to check in. We were first in line and go up to the counter. We say we need to declare our rifles.The lady said she would have to call and find out how to receive them because she has never taken one before. I am thinking this is not good. So she gets on the phone and I hear her saying “ oh no that’s not good. What can they do?” So she tells us that Swoop airlines doesn’t accept firearms on their planes. I didn’t check because it was my first time flying with a firearm and i just figured if they were allowed it was across the board. My bad. Well that’s not going to work out and we try to get a voucher or a refund and they say no.

We walk down to West Jet and ask if they accept firearms and they say they do. We say when is the earliest flight and they say tomorrow at 11:30. So we get a hotel in Vegas and leave the following day. We arrive in Canada and it’s -28 deg. We get all our stuff and get the rental truck and start the 6.5 hr drive north. We arrived at camp at midnight. This is probably the second worst part of the trip. We get put into a tiny room with three twin beds. The sheets and pillow cases haven’t been washed in what looks like 3 years. I had to use a jacket to cover my pillow so i could sleep. I am not one to usually complain about my accommodations, but it was pretty bad. The bathroom was disgusting with urine all over the toilet and mouse piss all over the counter. The shower was also nasty. That’s about the only complaint I have with the accommodations. The food was good and they were nice.

So day one we had to make sure our rifles were sighted in. We set up at 245 yds and shot. It was a balmy -35 deg. I set my rifle to 260 yds on my turret and hit about an inch high. My buddy was low probably from the drastic temp change. Sighted in in southern utah over 100 deg and now shooting in -35. So we get that taken care of and take my buddy to his stand. I had to ride a sled about 9 miles into mine after a 30 min ride in the truck. First day I see a coyote and ravens. Buddy sees just ravens. Day two and three are the same. Just an average temp of -35 lows into the -40’s. I have never had my feet so cold.

I ended up taking my boots off when I got to the stand and putting feet warmers on my socks and then tucking them into my IWOM suit. About the only way I could set for 9 hrs in that cold. Other then that I was good. Hands stayed warm just in my pockets with hand warmers in them. Day three was about the same as one and two until I was going to leave my stand. I walked the 400-500 yds out to the sled and then tried to start it. The electric start had been giving me trouble and had to use the pull start. About the third pull the pull cord breaks about 6” from the handle. So here I am about 9 miles from the truck with no service after dark and it’s about -38 deg. So I start walking up the trail. About 4 min into it my batteries on my headlamp freeze. I walk about a mile and can finally get service. I call the guide and no answer. So I call my buddy and tell him what’s going on and that I will keep walking to the truck to stay warm. I had a beanie with a little built in LED light on it and luckily it worked. So I could see about 15’ in front of me. As I walked out I crossed about 5 different sets of wolf tracks over my snowmobile track from the morning. One set was pretty fresh and was chasing a Whitetail down the trail. I know it’s probably all in your head at that point, but it’s pretty freaky. Anyways about 4 1/2 miles and 2 1/2 hours later the guide showed up. I am pretty sure I got a mild frostbite on my Fingers. All my fingertips fell off within a week of getting back and I had no feeling in them until they fell off.

Some good news for day three one of the other guys in camp shot a wolf. Day 4 was more of the same cold and no wolves. One of the other guys in camp had a pack of 5-6 come into his bait and missed one at 250yds. Day 5 we had to move our stand because the wind shifted from north to south. So myself and my buddy got stuck in different stands. My buddy had two wolves come in that evening and missed one at 245yds. So at least people are getting shots. I myself sat the last two days in that stand and never got to see a wolf. That’s how it goes with hunting. We were 75% on opportunity so IMO that is pretty damn good and hard to beat. Just sucks when your the 25%.

So Sunday morning we get up and make the 6.5 hr drive back into Edmonton to catch a flight the next morning. Luckily we were already booked with west jet. The guide sent us a text that night and said “I told you so”. It was trail cam pics from the baits we sat the first 4 days. Both of them had wolves on them on the 5th day. We sat them the 13-16 and on the 17th both had wolves. Mine was a beautiful almost all white one with with two blacks and a grey. Talk about salt in the wound. The wolf pics are all off my bait right before we got there and then the day we had to move baits.

I learned a lot of important stuff on this trip and I will be trying again. Might go to BC this time. I will post what pics I have.
Thanks for all the interest in the hunt.

Holy Crap Josh what a load of Sh!t. Its really to bad it took me a year to find this.I have contacted the other hunters in camp at the same time as you they don’t Recall any piss all over the toilet or “mouse piss” on the counters. Now it is possible you pillow case might have had an off smell if it sat in the washer over night as you’re well aware our 11&13 year old daughters work hard every Sunday to change beds and clean the lodge. In the contract you signed it clearly states if any issues please bring to our attention immediately so we can fix them. Now I could go on and on about all the things you complained about like your cold feet. I offered you a pair of -100 boots to wear because I told you your Muc Arctic boots wouldn’t cut it in them temps but you knew better. Sorry we didn’t put a wolf in front of you we tried our hardest

after reading this all I can say is good luck in BC. The other 3 guys in camp can’t wait to come back but you’re not welcome back. Best of luck.

 

[jarheadhunter]

Holy Crap Josh what a load of Sh!t. Its really to bad it took me a year to find this.I have contacted the other hunters in camp at the same time as you they don’t Recall any piss all over the toilet or “mouse piss” on the counters. Now it is possible you pillow case might have had an off smell if it sat in the washer over night as you’re well aware our 11&13 year old daughters work hard every Sunday to change beds and clean the lodge. In the contract you signed it clearly states if any issues please bring to our attention immediately so we can fix them. Now I could go on and on about all the things you complained about like your cold feet. I offered you a pair of -100 boots to wear because I told you your Muc Arctic boots wouldn’t cut it in them temps but you knew better. Sorry we didn’t put a wolf in front of you we tried our hardest

after reading this all I can say is good luck in BC. The other 3 guys in camp can’t wait to come back but you’re not welcome back. Best of luck. View attachment 264831View attachment 264831

I wish I would of taken pictures, but it is what it is. I didn’t call you out or say anything else bad about the hunt. I just felt the cleanliness was something to be desired. I could care less about the outcome of the hunt because I know it is a hunt and not a guaranteed thing. The one thing that can and should be is accommodations. I said the food was good and you guys were great.