Has anyone here hunted on Anticosti Island? If so, what outfitter did you use? Comments, good or bad.
What season did you hunt? How were conditions?

A buddy and I are thinking of going there in 2021 assuming the virus has cleared up by then.

Any help you can give will be appreciated.

Jim

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt...e-wont-be-an-anticosti-2020#Post15213863

no hunts this year

I too have dreamed of going there and at 66 I better do it soon.

longbeardking's yearly post

https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbt.../Search/true/anticosti-2019#Post14506312

Thank you old willys, I appreciate it.

My wife and I have hunted the island every year since 2003, EXCEPT this one. The border is closed because of the election infection, (covid 19). We hunt with Sepaq Anticosti. The average size doe is around 80 pounds and bucks are about 125/135. So the deer are not huge, but we have never killed one that we would not have shot right here at home. My wife's biggest one was a FOUR pointer with an 18" inside spread and weighed in at 157 lbs. Personally, I have never killed one over 140. I don't know where you live in but here in NH you just don't get these opportunities. To us, it is the thrill of a life time

LBK: Did you give that deer " the last bite"? Or is that how you found him.?


I am in the habit of giving the game 'the last bite'....Weidmannsdank.

I have a friend in Germany and he posted a picture of a deer he killed and there was a bough of evergreen in the mouth. I questioned him and he told me it was a European custom to pay reverence to the deer for giving it's life. I have been doing it ever since

https://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/...sdom/deer-hunters-smear-blood-faces-kill

What is considered a "good" or "big" buck on the island? All I ever see are what would be the equivalent of 1.5 year old deer in Mi. Don't get me wrong, seems like a cool place to hunt but do to they ever product a big buck?

For the last 5 or 6 years there has been at least a few deer 180 lbs + even reaching 200lbs but they was few and far between. You can say what you want, it won't upset me. They are right up front with you. If you are looking for a trophy you should book somewhere else. If you want a hunt that you will never forget and see deer behavior you only dream about than Anticosti is a great choice. My biggest reason for going is my wife. We have hunted since Nov 11th everyday and have not laid eyes on a deer. Size does NOT matter the thrill of the hunt DOES.

I always considered that a hunt to do for the experience, not the 'trophy', if trophies are measured in inches for you. I have lots of trophy forkhorns and spikes though, so my gauge is likely a bit different.

Wonderful photos.

Good for you...my latest, a Sika...last week in Texas..and "the last bite"..It is a European tradition, as you said to pay reverence and to supply the animal with a bit of food for his journey to the next life.....

I still love hunting, but I have finally got to the point where is is MORE than just the kill. I pass on risky shots and when I kill one I always sit a spell with the animal and think about what it really means to me. Often I'll take a picture instead of shooting and say BANG . That is a REALLY cool picture. I am glad you shared it. Thank you.

Thank you for the compliment. I love the deer hunting threads. They seem to be troll free and bring out the best people EVERY deer is a trophy......................

LBK's Anticosti pictures are always a wonderful highlight to hunting season

LBK i am with you .any deer are a trophy to me .i got a wall full of spikes . i will kill any legal deer if i want to. i hunt for my enjoyment not some one else.

😀😃🙂😉😇 I have been hunting on Anticosti with Sepaq Anticosti every year but four since 1991. Many years in camp with LBK and his wife. Overall you meet very good people in deer camp. I don't go there for a big buck or a big rack. I know what to expect realistically on the island. The deer don't have the nutrition to grow big racks though I have seen some that would be good back home. I go for the experience. If I see a doe I like it will go home with me. If I were to go home with both tags in my pocket thats alright as long as I had a good time. Last year on the winter hunt Dec 10th deep snow. Couldn't get to my favorite areas. Snowed every day, 10 to 15 degree high Temps, whiteout conditions at times. Took a 104lb doe the last hour of the last day. I had a great trip.

GREAT to hear from you. You were always a reason to go back. I miss our talks about reloading. Stay safe and I hope to see you again some day.

At a point in life it’s about the journey. I watched a doe and two yearlings the other day while bow hunting. She walked within 10 yards and I was standing motionless. I get a kick watching their behavior.
My son let them pass 3 times.

I rather go there than Sas-quatch-u-on or some such place. Big deer/big racks have no draw on me.

yep well said

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!

I look forward to Longbeardking's postings every year on his Anticosti trip with Nan. He has a knack for taking great pictures, and taking you along on their hunts. I really missed reading this years version, but should make next years pics and stories even better.
I'll be 70 in a few months, and my hunting buddy now is my 13 year old grandson back in Vermont. We hunted hard this year, and only saw a few deer, but did have a shot at a nice buck on the very last day. It was about 8am and we had been climbing a hardwood ridge for about the last hour. We had just got to the top of a steep hill, which gave us a view of a nice little Oak flat shelf, and caught movement to our left. Sure enough a nice buck walking down the ridge, not 50 yards from us. I started to raise my rifle for what I thought at the time was going to be an easy shot. No sooner had I thought that, he winded us and bolted giving me a running broadside shot, which I missed. I'll be the first to admit, I am a terrible shot at a running deer. He stopped maybe 100 yards out from us, giving me a second shot, but thru a lot of whips. We looked for close to an hour for a trace of blood, but nothing. I turned to my grandson and asked "Are you as disappointed as I am?" He looked at me with a smile and said "Grampa, at least I got to see a nice buck!"
I think about that buck every day, but also think about what my grandson said to me that morning. It's not always about the kill, it took my grandsons perspective of things to realize how lucky I was to have that happen, with him with me.
My nephew, who is "Foss" on here, took a dandy 8 pointer, 160lb buck the first Wednesday of the season. It was a great time, and can't wait till next year.
Would love to take a trip to Anticosti with the Grandson, Son and Nephew some year. At my age, I better start making plans!

You also tell a great story. Memories last a lifetime. Stay well.............

Were Canadians allowed to hunt Anticosti this year, and if so, I wonder how much hunting pressure the island had with no non residents allowed? If the winter isn't a severe one this year, it may bode well for you guys who have booked for next year. It will be interesting to read the reports next Nov-Dec. Good luck to all.

Yes Quebec hunters got to hunt Anticosti this year. Foreign hunters make up only about 20 per cent in a normal year. That is mostly USA.

Thanks Joe, sounds like next year would be a good year to book a hunt. I just heard from my daughter back in Vermont, that they got dumped on with 38" of snow Wednesday night into Thursday afternoon! I'm sure Anticosti got even more, as they were right in the path of the storm. I hope they don't get too severe a winter, and have a lot of winter kill.

I am booked for next year, just like the last 20 or so. I doubt hunting has much impact on the deer beyond making them more wary of hunters. Anticosti deer numbers are much more dependent on the winter, especially if it breaks late when the deer are at their weakest. That is what the winter kill of 2003 was about, a late ice storm in March or April and all the hunters found, myself included, were piles of fur and bones in the forests.

It was not just US hunters who were absent this year. I have been told (by someone from Quebec who did hunt) that many hunters from Quebec also opted out this year. I can't blame them. The plane ride, the truck rides, and the close quarters of the camp are an invitation to Covid or that matter the flu or any disease with an airborne spread. . The island is also no place to get sick, especially if you are out in a camp.

Looking forward to next year.

Call them NOW. My favorite lodge Chicotte is already booked full for 2021. In a normal year they are usually booked by early March for the less popular cabins and lodges. I've been trying to get back into Chicotte mid month for the past two years. All booked by Jan. This year there are hunters who booked for 2020 and couldn't cross the border due to Covid. We were offered a full refund or rebook for 2021. I rebooted both my Sept and Dec hunts.

PLEASE try to come back. I am home for the foreseeable future caring for Nan. She has had a stroke and I am caring for her. They have found a hole in her heart but for some reason aren't planning surgery right now. I am a basket case.

I wish your Nan all the best and a speedy recovery.

Thank you my friend.

I wish you the best and pray that everything turns out well.

Thank you, but let's not hi-jack this thread with my problems. The fact is that BOTH my wife and ILOVE Anticosti and Canada. If all goes well, we WILL be back,

So sorry to hear of your bride's health issue. May God bless her and heal her, and may she join you on many more successful Anticosti hunts in the future.

Sir;
My intent isn't to disrespect your wishes by saying this, but please know that you and your wife will be in my thoughts and prayers.

May the surgeon's hands be guided, may you both find rest and peace and healing for your wife.

Hopefully that's acceptable sir.

Dwayne

ALL of you fellows are the ABSOLUTE best. We love you all for your concern

LBK...I've got my fingers crossed for you and Nan.

And I hear what you said about getting older. One by one things I used to do are falling away.....but in retrospect I'm SO glad I did them SO many times! Makes letting them go a lot easier.....

Theres no more mountain climbing for me either!

Believe it or not every time I posted about out hunting together I honestly realized how lucky we were. Posting about Anticosti has given me friends even tough I never met them in person. No matter what anyone says people that care ARE easy to find. We are NOT doom and gloom. THANK YOU INGWE.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery for both you and Nan.

Thank you Joe. We both miss your conversations.
'

Best wishes for you both Steve, you'll be in our prayers.

Thanks, Steve

LBK i wish the best for Nan and You . i enjoy going on your hunt with both of you

Steve, just saw this! Prayers to Nan for a full and complete recovery, then the two of you will have your best year ever in Anticosti.

My wife just said a BIG thank you to all. One way or another she will get through this.

Longboard,

I understand your situation. Two of my friends had strokes in the last two years and pulled through with family support, physical therapy and lifestyle changes.
You have Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center in you neck of the woods and they have great resources.
Be patient, it takes time to move the dial after a stroke.

THANK YOU for your concern

LBK,

I love the Anticosti pictures and stories too. My dad and I always wanted to hunt there but we never did it.

Nan is in my prayers, I’ll be praying for excellent care and a speedy recovery!

Mike

Do NOT let life slip by. I have hunted Oregon Twice with my nephew in Dexter Oregon. Once for turkeys' and had the pleasure of meeting Al Kesterson. Owner of the Big K ranch, and the other for Blacktails. If Anticosti is something you want to do OR if there is something else. Do it while you can.

Sage advice that hardly anyone takes...

the world is full of old men sitting on a pile of money saying " I always wanted to do that...but never could...."

Good advice. I remember my Dad at my current age (69) as cancer was taking him away saying "there were so many things I wanted to do but never took the time and now I never will". Something I recall at least once or twice a month.

Longbeardking -- I really enjoyed your write up on Anticosti and I hope a return is in your future.

It seems we all have a memory or three like that. Thanks to EVERYONE for the kind words and encouragement.

I do not know if anyone has seen this but the folks who are interested in Anticosti may find this interesting though not enjoyable. It is about the decline of the Anticosti deer herd. While I am not going to argue the numbers its finding of a sharp downward trend is consistent with what I have seen. I am attaching the link which is in French ( I do not know if it still good). I will follow it with and English translation. A friend sent me this last February.


http://www.msn.com/fr-ca/actualites/quebec-canada/d%c3%a9clin-marqu%c3%a9-des-cerfs-de-virginie-sur-l%c3%aele-danticosti/ar-BBZAird?li=AAgh0dy


 The white-tailed deer herd of Anticosti Island has suffered a decline of almost 80% in a decade, reveals the most recent inventory carried out by the Ministry of Forests, Wildlife and Parks (MFFP). A situation that ministry biologists essentially attribute to a series of harsh winters. But the mayor of the island, John Pineault, believes that managing logging is part of the problem. The white-tailed deer, which are closely associated with the image of Anticosti, were around 166,000 during the inventory carried out by the MFFP in 2006. However, in August 2018, the inventory of the ministry made it possible to estimate the about 37,000 animals. This represents a 78% decrease over a 12-year period. Although the ministry’s document notes a "noticeable" reduction in deer density on the island, it adds that the population "can vary significantly from year to year." Thus, during severe winters, we can observe "high mortality", while the following year, "mild" temperatures can encourage an increase in the number of animals. It must be said that this population of deer, introduced to the island at the end of the 19th century by the owner of the time, Henri Menier, has no natural predators on Anticosti. And hunters have slaughtered approximately between 6,000 and 8,000 deer per year since 2006. It would therefore be the harsh and particularly snowy winters, six in number between 2006 and 2018, which would have caused the decline observed by the MFFP. In light of the results of the 2018 inventory, the ministry stresses that "although the situation requires vigilance, it is not yet worrying". "The results of the inventory and the data coming from the monitoring indicators will be taken into consideration in the application of the integrated management strategy for the resources of the forest environment of Anticosti Island", also specifies the report of inventory.
 

In a written response sent on Sunday, the MFFP said that logging, which is around 100,000 cubic meters per year, has "no negative impact" on the island's deer. What is more, these cuts are necessary to "restore" the habitat of the species, in particular by subsequently establishing "exclos", these fenced areas to which the deer do not have access, long enough to let the vegetation grow back . The Société des establishments de plein air du Québec (SEPAQ), which hosts hunters on Anticosti in particular, replies that it relies "with confidence on the expertise of the MFFP" for cervid management. The organization added that "hunting has very little impact on the evolution of the livestock", but also that deer are "particularly resilient" on this island of 7,900 km2. forestry.

John Pineault, however, says that blaming the decline of white-tailed deer primarily on the harsh winter conditions on the island is "very simplistic." "We are not talking at all about the forest management of the last twenty years. But in the west of the island, the cuts have had a significant impact "on the deer, said Pineault. "We see it. We see a lot less deer now. "

The mayor therefore pleads for an adaptation of the cuts, according to the peculiarities of the island, but also of the lifestyle of these island deer, in particular by the regeneration of certain areas which could facilitate the feeding of deer. To target these priority areas for deer, John Pineault considers that the inventory should have been made during the winter period, in order to clearly delimit the areas frequented by the animals during this critical period for their survival. The most recent inventory was rather conducted in the middle of summer. According to the various echoes that he says he has obtained over time, the "capacity" of reception on the island would be around 80,000 to 100,000 deer. “Yes, the deer is a species introduced on Anticosti. But it is above all a species that has allowed human beings to live there for a hundred years. And these are animals that are very important today in the economy of the island, "said Mr. Pineault. Gaétan Laprise, who has been a wildlife technician on Anticosti for several years, believes that a lower density of deer allows the anticostian forest to regenerate. “Less deer allows the flora to regenerate better, more abundant. This provides better nutrition which benefits the deer and improves its survival and reproduction. We therefore risk continuing to have fluctuating population fluctuations. "

They lost me at "slaughtered"

Very good well written/thought out response.