Rates and Dates
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10-Day Bull Moose Rut Hunts Below dates are arrival and departure dates |
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|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| Sept 17–28 | Sept 18–29 | Sept 19–30 |
| Sept 28–Oct 9 | Sept 29–Oct 10 | Oct 1–12 |
2 hunters with 1 guide
$7200 each
1 hunter with 1 guide
$8700
ALL INCLUSIVE PACKAGE PRICE
All prices include licenses, tags, royalties, taxes, guides, cabins, meals, hunting transportation, and Prince George airport pickup and return.
Discounts Available
- -5% prompt payment
- -5% repeat client
- -5% groups of 4 or more hunters
- -10% prior unsuccessful hunt
Extras and Add-ons:
- Non-hunters: $50 per day (spouses are free)
- Fishing License, Wolf Tag, Grouse Tag: $60 each
- Fall Bear Combo: $200 Tag + $500 Trophy Fee (18″ skull)
- Wounded Game Policy: $500 to continue hunting
- Meat Cutting @ Chilako Meats ($0.65 per pound locally, $0.75 for rush orders under 5 days)
- $25 Firearm Permit @ Border: We provide the permit, you fill it out and sign at the border
- 5–10% Guide and Cook Gratuity
Booking Policy
- Phone (604) 629-9836 to book a hunt.
- 50% deposit required when booking for the same year.
- $500 deposit required when booking more than a year in advance.
- 50% due by November of the year before the hunt.
- 2-week grace period allowed for deposit to arrive by mail, after which the booking will be cancelled unless other arrangements are made.
- Personal cheques are preferred. Wire transfers are available for an additional fee.
- Credit cards are not accepted.
- 100% of the hunt price must be received by September 1st of the year of your hunt.
Cancellation Policy
- We strongly urge you to purchase sportsman's travel insurance! This protects both you and the outfitter from loss due to an unexpected cancellation. If you choose not to purchase travel insurance, you do so at your own risk.
- No refunds. No exceptions.
- Hunt may be transferred to another hunter before September 1st.
- After September 1st (when licenses and tags for all moose hunters are purchased), hunts may be transferred provided the alternate hunter pays for new licenses and tags.
- $500 advance booking deposit may be forwarded to another year if notification is given by November 1st of the year prior to the original hunt.
- Hunts forwarded to another year are subject to any price changes effective in that year.
Overview
Hunt Style
At Crystal Lake Resort we believe that "how" you hunt your moose is as important as actually harvesting a moose. We believe in traditional fair chase hunting. Our hunts are done on foot. We like to hunt the lakes and meadows and are especially expert in calling in moose! Calling in a moose is an experience of a lifetime, and one you will never forget and want to repeat often. The area we are hunting is roadless. This limited access provides you with the highest quality wilderness experience. We have very limited use of trucks, with some ATV access but these are vehicles to a destination, not the means of hunting. We have ATV trails to accommodate remote access for less mobile hunters so we can cater to any limitations you may have. We are NOT road hunters! We use boats on a few of the larger lakes. We keep horses for packing meat, but do not hunt off them.
About Moose
We are hunting a remote wilderness covered in forest. Moose are seen when they come to the lakes and meadows or in the timber when they are called in. Moose are solitary, even anti-social animals. They require large habitat areas to support consuming 40lbs of browse each day. Our region of BC is home to the highest density of moose in North America where there are wolves. That density is 2 per square mile, and since they are not herd animals, hunters usually see 1 or 2 moose each day. There may be times when no moose are seen for 2 or 3 days depending on a variety of conditions such as weather, wolves, and hunting pressure. During the rut, each guide will usually call in a bull every couple days.
10-Day Rut Hunts
This is the premium hunt. The rut gives us the advantage to call bulls out of the security of the timber. These hunts are designed to provide the maximum opportunity at bulls. Success rate is 90% on any bull. Trophy hunters should book 1 on1 so they have the most opportunities possible. Our trophy hunter success rate is 60%. We recommend that 2 on 1 hunters take the first bull they can so they know they are taking a moose home, and then the second hunter may enjoy a trophy hunt the remainder of the 10 days.
We strongly recommend fishing licenses (except Nulki Hills) grouse tags, and wolf tags for every hunter. Fish and grouse are plentiful, and this provides a great way to spend the afternoons. Opportunity on wolves is only about 10%, but the beauty of a wolf pelt is worth the $60 tag. Bears may be taken in combination as well, but generally bear hunting is done in a totally different area and we must change camps after you take your moose.
Lodge Hunts
Crystal Lake Lodge is in a remote wilderness area 10 miles up a rugged 4x4 road from Greer Creek Ranch. You can drive right to our lodge in your own pickup, or we can take you in with one of our vehicles. At Crystal Lake we have a lodge, bunkhouse for the guides, heated shower house and 3 cabins each with two rooms for our guests. The cabins are rustic with wood heat, propane lights and outdoor privy. When you book a moose hunt from our lodge, each hunter (if hunting 1 on 1) or pair of hunters (if hunting 2 on 1) will have a cabin all to themselves. We take between 3 and 6 hunters at a time depending on the ratio of hunters to guides. The food experience from the lodge is exceptional, where Ellen Brooks cooks fantastic meals and desserts every day. We operate a clean, family friendly camp, no smoking, swearing, or drinking is permitted in the lodge, but you may indulge these appetites in your own cabin at your leisure after hunting. Non-hunters are usually happiest at the lodge as there are more activities available and the facilities are more comfortable. Hunts from the lodge can be catered to your abilities. There are many lakes and meadows for you to hunt that are accessible by ATV or a short hike and are not physically demanding. More remote areas can be accessed on foot for our extreme hunters. We use boats on the larger lakes. We strongly recommend fishing licenses and grouse tags as they are plentiful here and a great combination for your hunt. Hunters are welcome to bring their own ATV’s. Two other remote cabins at Paddle Lake and Holler Lake are available to use as spike camps.
Remote Hunts
We operate 3 different remote hunts from Kennedy Lake, Johnson Lake, and Nulki Hills. All three locations may only be accessed by ATV and hunting from these locations is more physically demanding, requiring hiking of 2–10 miles per day. When you book a moose hunt at a remote cabin, your group will have that cabin exclusively to yourselves. Hunters are welcome to bring their own ATVs. We only provide 2 ATVs for 2 hunters and 1 guide.
Kennedy Lake
This cabin has 2 small bedrooms with a loft and can accommodate 2 hunters. While you can ATV right to the cabin, the majority of the area we hunt from Kennedy Lake is ATV restricted. Holler Lake cabin and the Lang Lake wall tent may be used as spike camps when hunting from Kennedy. Hunting is done almost exclusively on foot. Boats are used on a few of the larger lakes where we have plentiful rainbow trout.
Johnson Lake
This cabin has one small and one large bedroom and can accommodate up to 4 hunters. ATVs are only used on a deconstructed logging road to access Johnson Lake. From the cabin all hunting is either done from a boat on Johnson Lake itself, or boating across the lake and hiking into other lakes and meadows. Johnson has good fishing with a couple lakes nearby having bigger trout.
Nulki Hills
This cabin has one large bedroom capable of accommodating up to 4 hunters. This area is mostly meadow hunting as there are very few lakes in the area. It is ideal for bow hunting as the majority of the hunting is calling in bulls on meadows. The cabin is located on a meadow with a small stream for water. Little Moose Lake cabin and the Rona Lake wall tent may be used as spike camps. This area requires intensive ATV use to access the cabin and some of the remote meadows, but hunting is done on foot.
Success Rates & Recommendations
Expectations! Expectations! Expectations! We believe it is the outfitter’s responsibility to set proper expectations from his hunts. We consider it the hunter’s responsibility to book the hunt that meets their expectations. We are committed to honesty and openness when describing what to expect from our different hunts, but only you know which of our hunts will meet your expectation. The success of a hunt can be measured by weighing your expectations against the outcome. Evaluate your expectations and compare them with the hunts we offer, and book the hunt that meets your expectations. If you follow this recommendation, you will not be disappointed.
The quick answer we give for our success rates is 90% for 10 day hunts, 60% for trophies. We consider our up front honesty with regards to success rates as one of the many reasons so many of our clients come back repeatedly. We do not make false promises about our success. We are well aware that success rates vary from year to year, and try our best to make you aware of that possibility also. We make every effort to compensate unsuccessful hunters by discounting their next hunt with us. We find this method to be the fairest to both the hunter and the outfitter. Consider this table when looking at success rates:
| Year | 10-Day Hunts |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 100 |
| 2001 | 100 |
| 2002 | 100 |
| 2003 | 100 |
| 2004 | 100 |
| 2005 | 71 |
| 2006 | 100 |
| 2007 | 90 |
| 2008 | 88 |
| 2009 | 88 |
| 2010 | 94 |
| AVERAGE | 94 |
NOTE: The table starts in 2000, when Daniel Brooks (who became the official outfitter in 1999) actually began tracking success rates. The numbers are based on opportunity for each hunter, which means they either harvested, wounded, missed, or passed up a harvestable animal and multiple opportunities for one hunter are only counted once.
Recommendations
1-on-1 or 2-on-1?
Trophy hunters and archery hunters should book 1-on-1 to maximize opportunity.
When hunting 2-on-1, only expect one trophy and one younger bull. Once you have taken one bull, the remaining hunter will be 1-on-1 for the remainder of the hunt.
Early-Rut or Late-Rut Hut?
The average cow moose is bred on the 29th of September. We plan our rut moose hunts with one on either side of this date. This way moose hunters in either time slot get to hunt the peak rut.
Lodge or Remote Cabin?
Success rates hunting from either our lodge or one of our remote cabins are the same. The largest moose can be taken from any location. We take trophies from our lodge and our remote cabins alike. But there are a few major difference between the lodge or remote cabins that you should consider when making your decision.
- Access
- You can drive to our lodge, but remote cabins are only accessible by ATV.
- Physical Requirements
- Anyone can hunt from the lodge, but you must be able to hike 2–10 miles per day to hunt from a remote cabin.
- Comfort
- The lodge is the most comfortable, with hot showers, spectacular meals, and nicer cabins.
- Size of available hunting areas
- From the lodge, with easier access, we can hunt a much larger area. Given the limitations of access at remote cabins, you will be hunting a smaller area.
- Number of hunters
- From the lodge we take 8–12 rut hunts a year, which is possible because we can cover a larger area. We only take 4 hunters from each remote cabin.