Canol trail NWT

[northernmadman]

Good day people. I just signed up a while ago and need some posts to be able to access the classifieds. Figured a moose and caribou hunt with some pictures could take care of some of that.


I was raised in the NWT since I was 9 years old. Grew up eating lots of barren ground caribou, and some moose when it was given to us. My first moose wasn't till the fall of 2009. Been eating moose 4 or 5 days a week since.


For 12 years I flew into my cabin for 2-3 weeks and filled our tags. Always meat hunting, rarely shot trophies. 9 out of 10 were young bulls between the ages of 3-5. I know the ages because ENR has a program to age the moose with the teeth. We did get an 11 year old, but we usually let the old ones go and breed.



A couple years ago during Covid travel out if the territory was a no go, and a good friend of mine came to my cabin for 3 weeks. We had a great time, tagged out with 3 bulls including another friend's first ever. He invited me on the Canol road to hunt with him the next year. I had already passed 3 times on that hunt because of certain issues. Medical, personal, family, just life issues. No way was I passing for a 4th time.


So instead of a fly in trip to my cabin, now it's a drive of 2200km one way just to get to the spot we park the trucks, offload the Argo's, and drive in another 55km to where we make camp.




Never having hunted in the mountians before I was just a little intimidated. 2 Argo's, a quad, and 4 guys, with enough food and gear to equip a small army.


After camp was setup another day had passed and we went to bed excited about what the following day would bring.


Ride into the "spot" was about an hour and the view is amazing. Different hunting than I am used to, this was my first spot and stalk. At the cabin it's all calling.


Made a run on a bigger bull, guessing he was close to 60", but he was better than us that day. On the way back to camp we ran into some nice caribou and took 2 of them.


The next morning we woke up snow that never left. This made hunting much more difficult as the Argo's are on wheels, not tracks, and traction isn't great.


After another 4 days with no success we were headed back to the camp expecting to head home with only caribou and we ran across a small group of moose. We took 2 of them as meat moose, packed up and headed home for this year.




Soon as we crossed the cable ferry at Ross River I knew I was f#@$×d. Got home and bought my own Argo, let my wife know it was ours after it was in the driveway. Anyone need to know how to get your wife's rage from a 0 to 10 in an instant, this works.


Fast forward to 2022. I have my own Argo, but 0 hours operating it. I don't recommend learning in the mountians , made my co-pilot shit his pants one day when the hand brake failed on the way down.


This trip there were 5 of us, 3 Argo's and 2 quads. The bikes were used for moving gas and gear from the front parking to camp, and made a run one day to take empty cans back and bring more gas.


No snow this year, and we were able to get to the most beautiful place in the world. We went after what looked to be a high 60's/low 70's bull, but he was smarter than we were.


He was a good 2km away from us across the river and was spotted with no glass.


A couple days before another group had taken 2 other 60" plus bulls from the same area. The wolves were howling at the kill site when we arrived, so cool. The other group was on bikes, and were not able to travel across the river to go after the big guy. Didn't matter anyway, we got to within 700 yards and he got up, and walked down the mountian, back across the river and up the other mountian before we could get into a good shooting spot. They don't get that big because they're dumb.



We ended up getting 4 meat moose and 4 caribou on this last trip, biggest moose was 56", my first mountian caribou was quite nice though. If I figure out how I will post some photos even though they never do it justice.




Thanks to people on the forums. I have been a long time reader and have found lots of solid information. As this is different hunting I had to equip myself with new gear and the reviews, opinions and advice have opened my eyes to new ideas and methods of camping and hunting.





12 weeks till we leave for another trip to the mountians. Hopefully this year will be sheep as well as my grizzly. Happy hunting people.

 

[Blockcaver]

Quite the drive back in there on the Canol Rd, and good stories of your hunts!

Did it in 2017 from home here along the TransCanada highway in south central BC....was a 3-day drive but memorable as heck. I bow hunted Dall sheep with Canol Outifitters. Great part of the world! Would love to have been a NWT resident in my my younger days!

 

[bcnorth]

Love the country, thanks for the write up and laughs. Ive learned when i buy an expensive piece of equipment, i make sure she is taken care of in some way to and avoid the 0 - 10.

I notice the serious looking bear fence! I always wondered if they are more aggressive further north than where i hunt? Most of my hunting is northern BC but the only place ive seen those fences are on hunting videos in alaska, yukon and NWT.

 

[northernmadman]

Love the country, thanks for the write up and laughs. Ive learned when i buy an expensive piece of equipment, i make sure she is taken care of in some way to and avoid the 0 - 10.

I notice the serious looking bear fence! I always wondered if they are more aggressive further north than where i hunt? Most of my hunting is northern BC but the only place ive seen those fences are on hunting videos in alaska, yukon and NWT.

Our grizzly bears are smaller than in Alaska, but much more aggressive. The fence gives me piece of mind stepping out in the morning. The guys I hunt with have had meat taken before, I have not experienced that but expect to see it each time I come back to camp after the days hunting. Make sure you turn them off before stepping over to inspect the meat, they pack a decent hit.

 

[Takman]

Wow! That’s beautiful country!

 

[Old and gray]

Did you go with Kevin?

 

[northernmadman]

Did you go with Kevin?

Yes, tough to find pictures without faces lol.

 

[Fishn4eyes]

Very cool!!

That Canol area is one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

Very cool you went in on the Canol Road, would love to do that someday.

 

[AKDoc]

Good day people. I just signed up a while ago and need some posts to be able to access the classifieds. Figured a moose and caribou hunt with some pictures could take care of some of that.


I was raised in the NWT since I was 9 years old. Grew up eating lots of barren ground caribou, and some moose when it was given to us. My first moose wasn't till the fall of 2009. Been eating moose 4 or 5 days a week since.


For 12 years I flew into my cabin for 2-3 weeks and filled our tags. Always meat hunting, rarely shot trophies. 9 out of 10 were young bulls between the ages of 3-5. I know the ages because ENR has a program to age the moose with the teeth. We did get an 11 year old, but we usually let the old ones go and breed.



A couple years ago during Covid travel out if the territory was a no go, and a good friend of mine came to my cabin for 3 weeks. We had a great time, tagged out with 3 bulls including another friend's first ever. He invited me on the Canol road to hunt with him the next year. I had already passed 3 times on that hunt because of certain issues. Medical, personal, family, just life issues. No way was I passing for a 4th time.


So instead of a fly in trip to my cabin, now it's a drive of 2200km one way just to get to the spot we park the trucks, offload the Argo's, and drive in another 55km to where we make camp.




Never having hunted in the mountians before I was just a little intimidated. 2 Argo's, a quad, and 4 guys, with enough food and gear to equip a small army.


After camp was setup another day had passed and we went to bed excited about what the following day would bring.


Ride into the "spot" was about an hour and the view is amazing. Different hunting than I am used to, this was my first spot and stalk. At the cabin it's all calling.


Made a run on a bigger bull, guessing he was close to 60", but he was better than us that day. On the way back to camp we ran into some nice caribou and took 2 of them.


The next morning we woke up snow that never left. This made hunting much more difficult as the Argo's are on wheels, not tracks, and traction isn't great.


After another 4 days with no success we were headed back to the camp expecting to head home with only caribou and we ran across a small group of moose. We took 2 of them as meat moose, packed up and headed home for this year.




Soon as we crossed the cable ferry at Ross River I knew I was f#@$×d. Got home and bought my own Argo, let my wife know it was ours after it was in the driveway. Anyone need to know how to get your wife's rage from a 0 to 10 in an instant, this works.


Fast forward to 2022. I have my own Argo, but 0 hours operating it. I don't recommend learning in the mountians , made my co-pilot shit his pants one day when the hand brake failed on the way down.


This trip there were 5 of us, 3 Argo's and 2 quads. The bikes were used for moving gas and gear from the front parking to camp, and made a run one day to take empty cans back and bring more gas.


No snow this year, and we were able to get to the most beautiful place in the world. We went after what looked to be a high 60's/low 70's bull, but he was smarter than we were.


He was a good 2km away from us across the river and was spotted with no glass.


A couple days before another group had taken 2 other 60" plus bulls from the same area. The wolves were howling at the kill site when we arrived, so cool. The other group was on bikes, and were not able to travel across the river to go after the big guy. Didn't matter anyway, we got to within 700 yards and he got up, and walked down the mountian, back across the river and up the other mountian before we could get into a good shooting spot. They don't get that big because they're dumb.



We ended up getting 4 meat moose and 4 caribou on this last trip, biggest moose was 56", my first mountian caribou was quite nice though. If I figure out how I will post some photos even though they never do it justice.




Thanks to people on the forums. I have been a long time reader and have found lots of solid information. As this is different hunting I had to equip myself with new gear and the reviews, opinions and advice have opened my eyes to new ideas and methods of camping and hunting.





12 weeks till we leave for another trip to the mountians. Hopefully this year will be sheep as well as my grizzly. Happy hunting people.

Way cool...thanks for the write-up and pictures.

I love the landscape seen along the North Canol Road. When my son was growing up we did several father/son annual trips up that road...stopping to fish for pike and lake trout at a lake that I'll leave unnamed here, and then parking the truck at the NWT border and mountain-biking further up the road, wading across creeks, and camping along the way. Beautiful, beautiful country and many good people in the YT.

 

[VernAK]

M Dad worked the Caol Project in 44. The North Canol is great country while the South Canol seems to be devoid of big game,

I had hoped to canoe the Pelly River but age is catching up with me. I've canoed several others in that area.

 

[medvedyt]

M Dad worked the Caol Project in 44. The North Canol is great country while the South Canol seems to be devoid of big game,

I had hoped to canoe the Pelly River but age is catching up with me. I've canoed several others in that area.

Vern my wife got a black bear on that south canol this spring and we re heading on the draw area for moose.

the north canol was great for caribou alas most is closed for residents on the eastern side.

 

[VernAK]

Vern my wife got a black bear on that south canol this spring and we re heading on the draw area for moose.

the north canol was great for caribou alas most is closed for residents on the eastern side.

Glad to hear she got a bear as Southern Yukon has plenty of em.