Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Deer Hunting Anticosti #12 is now but a memory.

It is hard to believe another year is gone. As is every year, this one was VERY different. Last year we were belly button deep in snow. This year, most of where we hunted was totally flooded. It rained and rained HARD for 3 of the 4 days. I killed the ONLY deer I saw in 4 days. Normally we see 30+ deer in any given day.

At any rate this year was a year that my wife and I never had the opportunity to hunt together. The guide pretty much stayed with her to make sure she would be OK considering the conditions. She also killed the only deer she had the chance at.

Day #1 I was dropped off on a trail that went on the high side of a thick stand of spruce. I walked 6.2 miles according to my GPS and never saw anything that resembled a deer. I did, however, see a spruce grouse and just couldn't go by without a picture.





On the way back to the lodge in the afternoon we had the most beautiful sunset you could ever want to see and we all thought, "red sky at night, sailor's delight". Well I call BS on that.






Because for the next 3 days it rained buckets. Everything flooded. The rivers rose to a very dangerous level. We had a pair of hunters that were Quebec residents. They could go anywhere they wanted without being assigned an area bu the guide. They both crossed the Platte River while it was still low and passable. They hunted during the day and one of them came out and saw the river rising. He jumped on the 4 wheeler and headed back. The other one was still in the woods and came out later in the afternoon and the river was impassable. He had no radio or survival gear with him. Darkness came and there was no contact. The guides all gathered and headed out. The built a HUGE fire on the bank and fired a rifle. These guides are the best. They had a cannon to fire a rope across the river. A couple guides got across the river and got to the hunter at about 7PM. They got him back and into the lodge by about 9. His rain gear was shredded and he had a few scratches. He was soaked to the bone.



He commenced to strip the wet clothes and get warmed up.



My wife sat on the stairs and watched the show.




It was an interesting first day to say the least.

Day 2 came with yet more rain. It rained so hard, I had to take my glasses off just to be able to unobstructed vision. I had rain gear on and eventually the rain wicked down anywhere possible. I kept my scope as clear as possible. Becaust to the Stith set up scope caps are not possible. I used a zip lock bag over the eye piece. It was another day of a 6 mile+ walk. I eventually met up with my wife at the blind where she was sitting. I told here that I was returning to get my 4 wheeler and headed back up the hill. I had gotten less than a hundred yards from her and couldn't believe my eyes. There in front of me less than 40 yards was a deer looking at me. I ripped off the zip lock, put the rifle to me shoulder and could just barely see through the old Lyman scope with just the post with no cross hair. I fired and could tell the bullet hit home HARD. The deer jumped and disappeared. It went maybe 3 jumps and got about 30 yards and piled up. The rifle is a pre-war (1939) 99RS in .300 Sav shooting a Hornady 150 grain flat base spire point.




As I said, that was the only deer I saw in 4 days.

My wife got lucky on the morning of the 4th day. The rain had turned to snow and sleet overnight. She was hunting the coast with the guide.

He placed her at this tree stand.




She was there for an hour or so and saw movement and a little over a hundred yards. A deer had stepped into the opening in the center of the picture.

[img]http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p313/longbeardking/IMG_3353_zpsrtrfpbsi.jpg[/img]

One shot was all it took to make a happy hunter out of my wife.

[img]http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p313/longbeardking/IMG_3367_zpssazjpth5.jpg[/img]

The guide took care of the field dressing with the help of the red fox. Foxes really are plentiful and brazen at the same time.


[img]http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p313/longbeardking/IMG_3376_zpsoct8v2dm.jpg[/img]


[img]http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p313/longbeardking/IMG_3375_zpssqktdjul.jpg[/img]

I apologize for so many pictures but just click the links and they'll be there.

Been waiting for your thread. Always one of the best Deer threads of the year. Congrats to both of you on the Deer and staying in the downpour. Nice work!!!!

My wife got lucky on the morning of the 4th day. The rain had turned to snow and sleet overnight. She was hunting the coast with the guide.

He placed her at this tree stand.








She was there for an hour or so and saw movement and a little over a hundred yards. A deer had stepped into the opening in the center of the picture.



One shot was all it took to make a happy hunter out of my wife.



The guide took care of the field dressing with the help of the red fox. Foxes really are plentiful and brazen at the same time.







I apologize for so many pictures but just click the links and they'll be there.

_________________________
NRA Endowment Life Member (and proud of it)


Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing.

Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. - Plato

An awesome and iconic hunt.

With the rain and wind, 4 wheeling dot a little dicey.





With a little pushing and pulling I got it under the trail block.




I never saw such a tame partridge. It just sat there and watched.

Nice Bucks! good tale told! sounds like you two earned the vension this year!

Great show.. Well done..

Great pics. 👍

LBK I always look forward to your Anticosti hunt reports. Looks like you folks did well in tough conditions.

I really apologize for the report this year. Over the years we've been spoiled, and this year was a reminder that deer rule. They hunkered down and it is impossible to get into the thick spruces and root them out. When you normally see 30-40 deer a DAY, this year I saw ONE deer in FOUR days. Sepaq is really pinching pennies and that doesn't help with attitudes in general. We are all booked up for next year in spite of everything.

No apologies needed! A great hunt, whether you saw tons of deer or not. You'll always be able to tell tales of the high water year!

Cool again.


How are they 'pinching pennies?'

First off, the food was cut WAY back. Cold cut sandwiches for lunches, not fruit or veggies, packages nut bars. In the past lunches were FAR better. For the folks that did house keeping cabins (European plan), they used to be able to call ahead to the store on the island and pre order their food and just pick it up when they arrive. This year they had to do their own shopping and that held everyone up getting to their camps. No gun storage on the ATV's. The guides had to to the driving to and from the airports. In the past they had driver's and the guides had a day off to do the maintenance on the machines and blinds, clear trails etc. The prices on everything went up again. HOWEVER, we are all returning so there's no need to whine about it. It is what it is. I still see things there that I would never see any where else.

Sorry that your experience this year wasn't on par with years past. I am glad, however to see your thread and look at the photos. I really do look forward to reading this report each fall.

LBK: As you know I'm one of those waiting and looking forward to your thread every year!

This one was as good as the rest, even though it sounds like you've had more fun. If trips were all the same you wouldn't appreciate the good ones!

Anyway, Im glad you both scored well against adversity, you got some great pics and as always I enjoyed seeing this thread!

Sounds like a great place to hunt. Congrats on you both getting deer under tough conditions. They look to be big bodied deer, love the pictures of the fox you can tell he knows the drill when hunters are around.

The very best kind of post...

I am also one of those who looks forward to seeing your Anticosti reports.
Would really like to hunt there myself...

You're all right. Each and every one of you. If every walk in the field was perfect in every way, it would get boring very quickly. Those that do NOT do this, think hunting is a walk in a park killing stuff. There's just so much more to see out there is only one opens his eyes. Honestly, getting these two deer under those conditions, mean more to me than if we had just gone there and killed four deer with ease. Thanks to all of you.

Cheap ass Canucks. For almost almost $4K per you'd think they could put out a [bleep] apple.

LBK,I always wanted to hunt Anticosti,but at 64,doubt it will happen.I really enjoyed your post and pics.To me ,the bucks that you and your wife shot under the conditions you were delt,would mean so much more than a 150" deer shot over a corn pile!