Nope, this isn't about the time Shane danced on the tables at the Tanzilla Pub with a caribou skin tutu, it's about the animals we hunt!

Moose are the most abundant of the big game animals to be found in our area, although at certain times during the year they are exceeded by caribou. The bulls in our region are the Canada moose, large bodied and dark coloured, they often have antler spreads well over 50” in spread and on occasion even over 60”. They tend to be found all over during the summer, from the lake bottoms feeding on their favourite acquatic vegetation; right to the mountain tops to take advantage of the breezes keeping the bugs away or maybe just for the view. By late August the bulls antlers are beginning to harden and they prefer the high thick cover provided by balsam thickets. There they can easily get into the open to feed and escape predators. By early September they are rubbing the velvet off their antlers and starting to move again. They are probably at their most visible during this time with what seems like 2 big white plywood billboards over their heads, before the antlers darken. When the rut starts by mid September they are really on the move, gathering up harems of 1 to 6 cows and defending them from any challenger. This is when the excitement really starts for the hunters and some claim it's even more of a thrill than bugling in elk just because of the massive size. The rut is somewhat weather dependent but usually lasts into the 3 rd week of October. The moose season opens August 15 and goes to November 15 in most of our area. We are not limited by quota on moose except for that portion of our area that lies within Spatsizi Provincial Park . We average 16-18 moose hunters per year and more than 90% of our hunters get a bull.

Mountain caribou are found in almost every range within our area. Obviously some mountains are more used than others due to the food, mineral or protection they offer. The former # 1, and currently # 2 Boone & Crockett caribou scoring 452 came from this area. Also the former #1 Pope & Young animal also was killed here. There are great genetics in the herd and we take record book bulls every year. In summer the caribou are usually found above timberline escaping the variety of bugs that torment them. In years when the insects are minimal they do seem to prefer the timber in August. Like the moose however, the bulls do move high by the end of the month to protect their sensitive antlers. Their rut starts later and lasts longer than the moose and calling them in is rather rare so spotting and stalking is the normal method. Once they bunch up in rutting herds of 20 to 50 it is a challenge to evade that many eyes. Contrary to the belief that caribou are dumb, they just haven't adapted to man's hunting style. If you watch a caribou herd being approached by wolves, they seem to accept their presence even within 75 yards. They know that with that much headstart they can outrun the wolves. Caribou are a majestic looking animal and we usually can look over a lot of bulls during a 10 day hunt. Our Season runs from August15 to October 10. We typically take 12-15 caribou hunters per season and run close to 100% success.

Mountain Goats are probably the toughest animal in the mountains and there are more grizzlies killed with 1 shot than goats. They like the real rugged country with lots of vertical cliffs for escape terrain. They don't move very fast across open country, I once had a black Lab dog chase one down, but they are untouchable in their comfort zone on the cliffs. In August and early September the billies like to stay high and as always, usually alone although they might share their mountain with another billy or 2. If they keep their distance. With the change in the vegetation and a few snowstorms in the peaks, they do tend to be a bit lower in late September. To some hunters the hide is as much of a trophy as the horns and in that case it's better to hunt them later. In our area Mountain Goat can be hunted alone but they make a great combo hunt with sheep in August, caribou in early September and moose, caribou and grizzly later on. The season is from August 1 to October 15.

Stone Sheep have camouflage in the summer that is equal to the Dall Sheep's in winter. They live in a lot of different habitat– as long as there is good escape terrain close by. Our average age is close to 10 years. There have been a few including a couple of 43's but our strong point is the good population of rams and their dark colour. When the season opens August 1, the rams are generally up high taking advantage of the cool breezes. However if the bugs aren't too bad they have no hesitation to go down into the scattered timber in some of our valleys and on some occasions stay there. We are fortunate in that our population is scattered throughout our area and with the exception of one mountain range difficult to access. We prefer to hunt them in August as the days are longer and the mountain weather generally better then. We have successfully hunted them in October but you have to be a gambler to try your luck then. The season closes October 15.

Grizzly Bear are plentiful in our area and best hunted in the springtime, which at our latitude, 58 degrees North, is usually late May. The bears are out before then but by that time they can be found on the south facing slopes that are quickly turning green. The Stikine River is ideal for this as our area lies to the north of the river giving us lots of south facing area. The other attractions for the bears along the river are the new born moose calves which they predate heavily on, certain plant roots they like and also animals killed in the snow slides on those steep slopes. In the fall our season opens September 1 and the bears can be found anywhere, especially if the berry crop is not good. In the years that the berries are plentiful it almost seems like there are fewer bears, probably because they don't have to move as much to find feed. Our bears tend to be dark coloured and true silvertips. Ther have been some old boar grizzlies killed here that squared an honest 9 feet but 7&1/2 is more common.

Wolves are not quite as abundant as in past seasons but we still have some healthy populations in some of our packs. They are an essential part of our ecosystem and we have no desire to eliminate them. They are however, a competitor for some of the same animals we hunt and we do like to have some control. A wolf needs an average of 6 pound a meat daily to stay healthy. If 1 wolf is only healthy for 300 days a year that's 1800 pounds of meat or probably equivalent to 3-4 cow moose. If our hunters take only 5-8 wolves in a season it does make a difference. We do most of our wolf hunting in the winter, generally late February and March. At that time the wolves are starting to breed, on the move a lot and more likely to come to a call, be it a wolf call or a predator call. When we are hunting in the fall we often see wolves and they can make an excellent trophy.

Wolverines are quite common in our area and are just about the toughest creature in the north. They are not as big a problem as legend has made them out to be but their first instinct is always attack. When you see one of them feeding off the same kill that a grizzly and a wolf pack are sharing you have to admire their tenacity. Unfortunately the season is closed during our winter wolf hunts, so we can only take them in the fall after Sept.15.

Black Bears are not common in our area except in the springtime along the Stikine River . They are included in our spring hunts but we don't advise even buying the tag on our fall hunts.