I have been to Anticosti many time.. I like to go in September as a way of increasing the amount of time I spend hunting. It is also a little cheaper.
Like any other place Anticosti has good and bad years. It is not the place to find supersized bucks. The nutrition is poor and the occasional bad winter prevents the deer from growing old. This year was an exceptionally bad year with a dramatic drop in deer numbers due to winter kill. It will take a few years for the herd to recover. For example, this year I took a couple of small does. My buddy whose has been to the island for more years than me took none, so I gave him one of mine. In total we saw maybe twenty deer for the whole trip. The only buck I saw was a big spike. Usually, each of us would see that many in a single day. Our experience was similar to other's It will take a few years for the herd to recover assuming there are no bad winters.
If you are looking for bucks the best time to go is in the rut from late October through the end of the season, usually the first week of December. Earlier hunts are cheaper but bucks are scarcer. However, with a few exceptions such as this year, I usually take at least one decent buck per trip.
The island has three outfitters, Sepaq, Safari, and Lac Genevieve. All a reputable. I am no familiar with Lac Genevieve, but I have gone with the other two and know they offer a variety of camps and levels of accommodation. For the last 8 or 9 years I have been going on the European plan where you bring and prepare your own food, etc. American plans are available where food is prepared for you etc. There are a few places with a very high comfort level like Jupiter 12 (Sepaq) or The Safari Lodge (Safari Anticosti).
I love hunting the island. Usually you are the only person for miles and you see, this year excepted, many deer. What I really like is the opportunity to still hunt, to spot and stalk. I have walked into peat bogs that can be miles across seen a deer and worked into a position to get a shot. It is hunting so sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.
My suggestion to you is to figure out what you want and do it. The only thing I would suggest is to wait a couple of years.
