I can’t believe I booked a multi species NWT hunt!

[ericthered]

After some research and watching The Mackenzie Mountain youtube videos for 10 years I finally booked with Stan Stevens for 2020. I’m taking my 17 year daughter as she’s tougher than anyone I know. Super athlete. I’ll be 49 and I didn’t want this dream to pass me by. I don’t know how I’ll pay for it, but I’ll sort that out too. Sheep, caribou and moose and 12 days of pure wilderness. I’m not in great shape but no reason I can’t get in shape. Maybe this is a midlife crisis - who knows. I’m intimidated and excited at the same time. I’m worried about missing work and what the boss will say. Probably should have cleared it first - oh well. I know nothing about sheep, moose or caribou hunting or the gear we’ll need other than what I see on the forum and videos. The guy who went on this same hunt in 2016 posted his story on here somewhere. That put me over the top.

My question is what piece of gear do I need that no one tells you about? We are booked Aug 26 - Sept 7. Thanks for the help.

 

[MtGomer]

You’ll probably have your hands full filling three tags in 12 days, but just in case you’re super lucky, a small fishing pole especially if your main camp is on/near water. The rivers lakes etc are FULL of grayling, lake trout and Arctic char.

I was tagged out in 5 days on caribou and
Sheep with Gana. I fished at Palmer Lake where they had a pole, but I would have loved to have one at our horse camp on the Fritz River

 

[idig4au]

Congrats on booking that hunt. You'll love it up in the NWT, one of my most favorite places to hunt. I've done the 12 day, multiple species hunt up there, but with Gana as well. As mentioned, hard to get quality animals if you go for quantity. I would focus on sheep and mt. caribou myself and be sure you have a wolf tag too.

More important or at least as important as gear, is to make sure you are in good shape so you can fully enjoy the experience and make sure your feet are broken in as well. You don't want to be "that guy" who has to stay in the tent and lose a hunting day or days because you're out of gas.

 

[Trial153]

excellent congrats! enjoy every minute of the planning.

 

[Blockcaver]

Great hunt ahead! I'm headed back to the NWT this fall for caribou after bowhunting sheep up there last year. Can't stay away! Good luck to you and your daughter!

 

[Coueshunter105]

I agree with MtGomer! My brother was blessed to go sheep hunting with Stan in July 2016 and we are serious fisherman, and he said he has NEVER seen such a fishy place in his life. So yes, bring your own fishing gear. I don't think he caught any Char but tons of Grayling, Lake Trout and in my opinion based on Photo ID, Bull Trout!!! If there are Char there though, come September, they will be in their spawning colors which is absolutely unbelievable. And bring something BIG for the Lakers. They get gigantic View attachment 70402

Like others said, 12 days will go by quick when trying to kill 3 species, especially since the sheep and caribou camp is in a very different place than their Moose camp. Expect to get weathered in for a few days, so start mentally preparing for what you will do in your tent during that time.

You'll have the trip of a lifetime up there. I can't wait to hear how you do!

 

[ericthered]

Thanks everyone - keep the advice coming. What lb test line should I spool with 8 lbs? What size spinners Mepps 1 and 2? I have those little Diawa spin real and pole kits. They pack easy.

Passing time in the tent - I'll bring a couple books. I don't want electronics if I can help it.

 

[keller]

first of all congratulations on taking a leap of faith and doing something you once thought may be impossible.most people dream the dream say someday I will do that but never make the commitment. till they realize one day their body just cant do it. myself and daughter are about the same ages as you.i did something similar but not quite as big as a multispecies hunt for two.i booked a dall sheep hunt in ak for myself and rented a house for a month in ak and plan on taking the family wife 2 kids and driving the ak/can highway up planned for 6 weeks fishing sightseeing camping.booked the hunt 16 months ago thought that's a long time.i lived this dream for better than a year .that's mostly what I think about.buying/testing/returning hunting gear /clothes/camping gear.some worked some didn't.enjoy the whole experience and ask a lot of question.their is a wealth of knowledge on rokslide wish I would have found it earlier would have made things much easier.anyway I leave 3 months from tomorrow thought it would never come.hit the gym or exercise religiously cant start too early. I was doing well then ended up with tendonitis in my left knee limited me for 8 weeks now I feel like I'm starting over but makes me focus harder.feel free to pm me if you have any questions I would gladly help if I can

 

[Adubs]

Congrats on taking the leap and booking your dream hunt! I just sent my deposit a couple weeks ago to hunt with Stan in 2020 as well. I’m doing a sheep/caribou hunt with my two brothers 8/4-8/15. We’ve been on a lot of elk hunts but never hunted sheep and it’s our first trip to the NWT as well. Rockslide has been a great resource for information, good luck with your prep!

 

[mulecreek]

Congrats! You are in for a great adventure. I did that same hunt with Stan in 2016. It was all I could have hoped for and then some. I was fortunate to take all three animals I was after. Everything just kind of clicked on my hunt and all the pieces fell into place nicely. I like to think that was because I was fully prepared and I kick ass as a hunter but I would say luck and a wicked knowledgeable guide had a lot to do with it. MTGomer is correct that 12 days is not a lot of time to take 3 animals. I suggest you get a clear picture in your mind of what you are looking for in regards to horn/antler size. When you find a ram/bull that matches what you are looking for then take him. I honestly had no idea how many inches of horn/antler length I was looking for or a goal B&C score. I knew that I wanted a full curl ram with tips that flared out. When we found him I was able to make the shot count. For a Mnt Caribou I wanted mass, mass and more mass. Didn't really care about main beam length or spread. I totally lucked out and was able to take a super heavy caribou in full velvet. Not sure how to describe what I was looking for with a moose but I was confident I would know it when I saw it. The evening before opening day of moose we were able to find 5 or 6 bulls but one really stood out to me. The next morning we walked right passed a 58" bull to go after the one I had in my mind. 30 minutes later he was on the ground. Go in knowing what you are looking for. If it takes you 12 days to find that ram then so be it. In my experience it will not.

As far as fishing goes, if you stay at his main camp then he will have a boat and fishing gear. Not sure you will get a great deal of time to fish on this hunt but you may. If he flies you to his Mnt lake camp, he did with me and one other hunter, then you should be able to catch a grayling. He had a canoe at that camp but a beaver had chewed a hole in it. There was one fishing pole with about 10' of what I guess to be 100 lb test line. I caught one grayling and then called it an evening. Other than that I did not have much time for fishing. You may loose one day of hunting by going to the Mnt Lake camp, I did, but it was worth it. Sheep are not as plentiful in that area but the caribou and moose hunting is fantastic. Most of his caribou are taken from his main camp across the lake. It seems like it is a fairly straight-forward hunt after you get a ram and before you head out for moose. I tagged out on moose with several days left but we stayed in spike camp for most of that due to weather and Stan needing to help other hunters. When I finally got back to the Mnt lake camp I spent the last day trying to help one of the other hunters find a moose.

Good luck on your hunt, get in the best shape possible and keep your mind right. 12 days will test you mentally more than physically. Enjoy every minute of it.

 

[blackdog]

My question for ericthered is, assuming you're married, how'd you get your wife to sign off on this deal? I need help convincing my wife a similar adventure is a good idea! She's unclear now on how spending $20k+ on a hunting trip can be a reasonable use of our money. But i'll be 50 in 2020 and I'm sure those mountains aren't getting any flatter so I don't want to wait too long.

Good luck and have a great trip and have fun with the planning and anticipation, especially sharing it with your daughter.

 

[Doc Holliday]

My question for ericthered is, assuming you're married, how'd you get your wife to sign off on this deal? I need help convincing my wife a similar adventure is a good idea! She's unclear now on how spending $20k+ on a hunting trip can be a reasonable use of our money. But i'll be 50 in 2020 and I'm sure those mountains aren't getting any flatter so I don't want to wait too long.

Good luck and have a great trip and have fun with the planning and anticipation, especially sharing it with your daughter.

See if she will come with you

 

[Blockcaver]

$20K + $20k probably is closer to the 3 species price these days and that may not include travel, tips or taxideridemy. Life is short though, go do your bucket list hunts as the Budget allows. (Most wives are named Budget!).

 

[ericthered]

See if she will come with you

Good advice. Part of the reason the wife is okay with me going is I usually take one of the girls with me. In this case the 17 year is going. Maybe if you go for the sheep and she does the Caribou the trip will happen for you.

 

[ericthered]

You can do it cheaper in BC if you do a caribou, elk, black bear, goat, moose. NWT is going to cost $45K minimum before tags and extras.

 

[ericthered]

My wife is awesome. But we agreed to this hunt 25 years ago before we were married...before I heard of Mackenzie Mountains....

 

[ericthered]

Really appreciate the advice. 2020 seems far away, but getting in shape and planning for equipment is in full swing.

 

[william schmaltz]

go do your bucket list hunts as the Budget allows. (Most wives are named Budget!).

I would suggest people get on board with your household budget. Kicking out a couple trips to the coffee stand, not going out for lunch, and not running in for treats at every gas station stop will free up about $200 a month alone – almost $2500 a year. These personal sacrifices (hardly sacrifices and improved my health) helped my wife realize that hunting trips were important to me.

Throw in 400 pounds of boned out, organic moose/caribou valued at $6-$8 a pound (another $2500 a yr) and you have a great DIY moose/caribou trip every year. Heck, you can do a Kodiak trip and load up on black tail for easily less that $3000 with a few buddies. These are obviously big numbers and some people have significant others that will find it necessary to direct these saved funds in other directions. Sheep hunts are on another level and hard to justify. Throwing caribou in and bringing home meat helps.

To the unmarried reader, its amazing how many times I read “how does your wife let you get away with this?” People seem to forget that you get to choose who you marry. I had a two-part honeymoon with my wife. First part was fishing coho at a lodge for 5 days, second part was float hunting for caribou and moose. Again, you get to choose who you marry.

Sorry to steal the post, I just REALLY want people to experience some of these trips and realize they are in reach without much sacrifice. good luck to the OP and congrats!

 

[sniper61]

Being self employed I bank 10% of my weekly income . I used that money to pay my self [ wife] while hunting. I would work every other week end for 2 years without a vacation to afford some of my AK. hunts. One time 3 years. Never hurting the budget. The only re grates , not starting sooner.

 

[Jtelarkin08]

I have started saving up for my dream Dall sheep trip. I have been putting $100 a week into a hunting account and already have $3500 or so in it. My plan is to book my hunt on my 35th birthday 2020 to hunt 2021/2022. Gives me plenty of time to save all while hunting draw tags the next few years. Hoping to have a sheep and mtn caribou tag when I go.


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