Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Anticosti Island hunting

Love the pics and great stories ,yeah that’s hunting 😊

I honestly mean this. My wife and I started out alone. Before her, my life was somewhat rocky because I made some bad decisions. We were married 7 years before we adopted a daughter. 6 months later my wife was pregnant. We raised our family. Kids are gone and went their own ways. At 55 Nan started hunting with me. She LOVES it. Now we are both in our mid 70's and alone again. But for one reason or another these deer hunting threads seem to bring out the absolute best people on the campfire. Your kind replies mean a great deal to us.

What I liked about Anticosti was hunting with two feet on the ground, and not bumping into posted signs or other hunters! A real treat!

Or hearing absolutely NOTHING but nature.

You would love hunting on foot in the Missouri Breaks of Montana! No traffic noises, no trains, not even any planes flying overhead!

What's the drive like from NH? I assume it's a ferry over? Certainly on the list and I sure enjoy your pictures every year. We're joining you in NH in about 28 months.

Longbeardking;
Good morning and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours this morning sir.

Before commenting on the silence you spoke of, I'll add my voice to those who always enjoy your annual Anticosti hunt reports immensely.

I do for a number of reasons, one of which is it's neat to see folks hunting in places which are so very different from anything I've ever hunted or am likely to either for that matter. For instance we saw a grand total of 7 whitetail deer during our 3 month hunting season this fall - for the second year now we've seen more moose than whitetail - so the thought of being able to poke around in the bush and see multiple deer is something we just have never had here.

As well as I age I take posts like yours as a source of encouragement that I too might be able to still be hunting in my 70's. Please understand I mean that in the most positive way possible too sir, but my lineage is such that the men typically don't make that age, much less hunt into that age bracket, you know?

Anyways on the silence thing, some mornings on the mountain behind the house, it's so quiet that it almost hurts the ears. Especially early in the day before the wind picks up it's so still that the first raven's wing beat can be almost loud and intrusive.

Thanks again and Happy Thanksgiving to you folks.

Dwayne

Unless you are within earshot of State Hwy 236 or US Hwy 191 where you can hear the sirens of the Montana Highway Patrol chasing the natives back to the reservations.

When we go, we make a vacation of it. The actual drive from NH to Mont Joli Quebec is a little over 600 miles. From 2003 until about 2010 we drove straight through. After that be break it into two legs. We drive a little less than half way and stay the night in Drummondville, Quebec. Then the next day we drive a little over 300 miles to Mont Joli where we stay for at least 3 nights and tour the Gaspe Peninsula. Then we always fly from Mont joli to Port Menier on Anticosti. There is a ferry, but you would never connect with your guide on the island for the 90+ mile ride to hunting camp. We are just praying for the border with Canada opens so we can get there next year. Sepaq wanted to refund our money for the 2020 hunt that just ended on 11/24 but I told them to keep the money and re -book for 2021. Here's hoping. Are you moving to NH?

Dwayne,
Thank you for the post. I remember when I was young, nothing mattered when I was hunting. I saw a mountain and I climbed it. Now I see it and wonder if it's worth it. I am with you. EVERY male before me died in their early 60's. Here I am soon to be 76 and still going strong within reason. Somedays I am hunting and I get away with something I would have done in my younger years, I look up and say out loud "Thank you God". I take nothing for granted. The only problem I encounter is getting myself to a point where I ask myself, "what would you do if you got a deer down"? Since November 1st I have hunted almost every day and have seen 0 deer. My wife and I NEED to get back to Anticosti. The guide gives us a ride ibn, or we take 4 wheelers and we hunt on our on and do what we want. We love it.

I had a great hunt the other morning. I saw no deer, but watched 2 river otters in one of my ponds for 20 minutes. I saw them come up on the bank with a fish and eat it and a few minutes later one had a bullfrog in its mouth.

The pond is only 35-40 feet across and about 3 foot deep, but it's a short hike down a hill to our 3 acre beaver pond, which is where they eventually retreated.

I have been going up to Anticosti since the late 90.s, This was the first year I missed since 1999 I have hunted with Sepaq and Safari Anticosti / Cerf Sau. Both have a variety of packages. I like both.Next year I am at Sepaq (already paid) but my hunting buddy wants to back to Safari. So who knows maybe I will do two trips there next year. As others have said it is not the place for big bucks, lousy nutrition and a killer winter every few years keep the deer from getting big. But if you like hunting it is the place to go. By hunting I mean really hunting and not just killing. You will literally be the only person within miles. There are trails which help get you into the more isolated areas and also which let you get out of the more isolated areas (been lost there once). Depending on your deal you go on foot with out without a guide, by ATV, or whatever. I missed it this year. I can't wait to go back next year.

Amen. I have gone to Anticosti for so many years I feel lost not going this year. At 72 I don't know how many trips I have left but if I have to crawl there I will. A few years ago I scattered the ashes of a fellow hunter from our group there. That's how much he liked Anticosti.

You must hunt in the Southern lower or farm county in MI....lots of grain crops to make them big and fat....

Hunt the UP in a wilderness area where there's no farms deer may be a little bigger than Anticosti because of genics and farther north animals have larger bodies...horn size is not much different....

Anticosti is a very unique place to hunt whitetail deer and there are very few areas left like it....no box blinds, no deer drives, no baiting....stand and still hunting is the way to hunt like it was 70-80-100 years ago....

You guys encourage me, I’m 68 and hopefully heading to NF for our rescheduled moose hunt next October. I remember as a kid and my father’s friends went their, always had the urge to go. Maybe I’ll work on that next year. When’s a good time to go?

3rd week of Nov is peak of the rut +/-

The first week of Dec the bucks start dropping antlers. Last year one of the hunters thought he shot a big doe until he went to field dress it on the second week of Dec.

Got to make the time next year, hopefully Canada will open up to the U.S.

Anticosti is a great hunt. I hunted Jupiter 12 (that is - he camp is twelve miles up the Jupiter River) a number of years back and rank it up there with some of my best Arican safaris. Why? It was unique. Great, classic North Woods still hunting and stalking. Although they do have some blinds and stands for hunters not so mobile, you go there to classic still hunt and to move through the evergreens spotting and tracking. The guides are all good woodsmen but will let you do your thing if you ask.

The island sits in the middle of the St. Lawrence Seaway. It is about 125 miles long and 25 miles wide. It has only about 250 people as year around residents. White tailed deer were introduced on the island in 1895. They thrived and there is now something like 30 deer per square mile. There are no natural preditors. No bear, no wolves.

There are BIG deer there. Like all big bucks, they got big by being smart and nocturnal. In my camp several 12+ 180-200lb deer were taking in a four day hunt. Four days is not long if you are trophy hunting.

My advise is to go there for the experince and to bring back the meat. Note: bringing it back is mediatory. I boxed up 2 roughly butchered bucks in ice and put them on the airplane with my stuff. They didn't bat an eye at in Canada nor did US Customs in Toronto. If you can drive to Mt. Jolie and fly over and back. you can load your trunk up and take off. My bucks were 6 pointes and about 140 lbs. I saw bigger, but nt when I could get a shot. As a No Ch itt end to the hunt, the last day we were all in vehicles about a mile from camp headed to the airport with a 16 point #220 lb class monster ran across the road in front of us. the moaning and cussing was what you'd expect.

I promise you will see beaucoup deer in 4 days. Everybody takes 2 home. The guides will put you on them or track or still hunt with you. Tracking in new snow was as exciting as for me as tracking cape buffalo. You could tell the tracks were fresh, and that you were not far behind. Beats the hell out of sitting in a windy tree stand overlooking a food plot on some farm here.

Oh, we can do this! Guys drive to Mt. Jolie and fly over.
Your Mannlicher Swede was made for Anticosti!