My guiding territory is situated in the northern Cariboo Mountains of central British Columbia. It borders the north-eastern, western, and south-western boundaries of Bowron Lake Park and lies with in management units 7-05, 7-06, and 5-15. These mountains are very beautiful ranging from 6000 to 9000 feet (1800 – 2700m) in elevation, while the valley bottoms are 3000 to 5500 ft. (900-1950m).

In this area we hunt mountain goat, grizzly, moose, black bear, mule deer and timber wolves. There are also Mountain Caribou but at this time there is no open hunting season for them.

I have been hunting and roaming around these mountains since 1967. I started working for my father, Frank Cushman, as a wrangler, became an assistant guide and eventually took over the area and guide outfitters licence when he later retired. My son Bradey works as an assistant and is the third generation Cushman guiding in this area.

We are a family based operation taking only a limited number of hunters each year. We’re very careful not to over hunt the trophy animals.

Horseback is the main mode of transportation on most of the hunts. The horses have all been raised in this country and are strong, very gentle and dependable. Although riding experience is helpful it is not a necessity. Depending on the type of hunt, tree stands, 4x4, ATV, canoe and hiking are also used. Some of the hunts are conducted from our base camp at Kruger Lake, while others are conducted from well equipped cabins or tent camps further out in the mountains. We supply everything except sleeping bag, rifle, license, tags, and personal effects.

Moose

Moose are found through out my area. The population is healthy. A good average trophy bull will have a spread of 45 inches but can go up over 58 inches. We have had a couple of bulls go into the BC record book in recent years. We hunt them in a variety of methods and can cater to hunters who are not in good physical shape.

Black Bear

Like moose, black bear are found throughout my area, but not so much high in the mountains. There’s always a good chance to encounter bear while on moose hunts with best opportunities in September. For a ‘Black Bear Only’ hunt spring time is the best. Hunters need not to be in best physical shape for this hunt.

Grizzly

My area is very good for grizzly. The population is strong and a good bear will go over 8 feet. Although the Interior grizzlies aren’t as large as the costal bears, their coats are generally more colorful, most being beautifully silver tipped.

Our preferred method of hunting them is by horseback, possibly mixed with hiking. We hunt the valley bottoms and high alpine slopes, doing lots of glassing. It’s a beautiful hunt!

The September 22 or October 1 hunts are the best time for this. Hunters should be in good physical condition for this hunt. Spring Hunts are also available.

Mountain Goat

Goat are found in the rugged peaks in the north-eastern part of my area. We use horses to reach the goat country, but there is always some hiking, climbing and backpacking can become involved. You can’t hunt goat without being in beautiful country. Good physical condition is a must for this hunt.

Wolf

Wolves are found throughout the area. They inhabit a wide area which makes them unpredictable and hard to hunt. Being a stealthy animal, wolves show up when you least expect them.

Colors can range from mere white to black. Unless we know they are hanging around a certain area for a while its pretty hard to go out hunting for them, buts it’s a good idea to have a wolf take in case the opportunity arises. Special baited winter wolf hunts can be arranged. For this hunt we place bait in places that wolves pass through. Snowmobiles are used for transportation.

Mule Deer

There are some mule deer and the very occasional white tail. Because there is no good winter range for them in my area, very few are year round residents. It is not at all unusual to see mule deer on the hunts. You may get a chance at a big buck, but this is not the place to come if you’ve really got your heart set on getting one. If you never get a chance to hunt for mule deer anywhere else and would like one, you may want to take the gamble of buying a tag. We’ve had to turn them down before, because the hunter did not have a tag.

Trophy Care

We take care of trophies so that they are ready for the taxidermist. This includes fleshing of hides or capes, splitting lips, turning ears, skinning moose heads, etc. and salting. Most European hunters prefer to leave the moose antlers with us to take to the taxidermist to have it cleaned and bleached professionally, then shipped to them. We use a very reputable taxidermist with many years experience in taxidermy and in shipping trophies overseas.

If the hunter wishes to boil and clean the moose skull so that he can take it with him when he leaves, we do keep a barrel in camp for boiling of European style mounts, and can assist him in the process, but the hunter is expected to do most of the work themselves.

Most hunters enjoy this and prefer to do it themselves. We can then assist in the packing so that it can be taken with luggage. This includes covering the points with foam rubber and wrapping the skull with a protective backing board. If you wish, we can send you a price list that covers all of the costs to you from the taxidermist.

Meat Care

For hunters who take their meat back home with them, we will take great care to make sure its handled properly. We can arrange to have it cut, wrapped and frozen by a reputable meat cutter in Quesnel. The shop we deal with does a very professional job, aims to please his customers, and has very reasonable prices. The cost for this is of coarse not included in the hunt price and is up to the hunter to pay.

Hunting Conditions

As a courtesy to our hunters we offer them the chance to hunt more than one species at a time, allowing the hunter to hunt some or all of the animals listed in a particular hunt. If a hunter wishes to hunt only moose, or only grizzly that is fine, but the basic hunt price is the same and there is no refund or discount given for any extra animals not hunted. Also, if a hunter chooses to terminate his hunt after he is successful and thereby shorten the length of his stay, then this is the choice of the hunter and does not affect the overall hunt price.

Transportation

Wolverine Mountain Outfitters is aprox. 130km away from the nearest airport or a two hour drive by vehicle, 80km of paved road, the rest good gravel road. It is suggested that the hunter try to arrive the day before the actual start date of the hunt. We try to have any hunters that fly to arrive at the Quesnel airport, as this is the easiest to arrange transfer from. If a hunter must fly into Prince George then the charge for the transfer will be higher as it is almost twice the distance. If you inform us of your arrival and departure times we can arrange your transfer. Many clients like to rent a vehicle in either Calgary, Alberta or Vancouver B.C. and travel around to see some of the country before they arrive. If you are driving please follow these directions.

Once arriving in Quesnel, head east on hwy 26 toward Wells & Barkerville. Past Wells but before Barkerville turn left onto the road to Bowron Lake Park, aprox. 28km. After crossing the bridge on the Bowron river at Bowron Lk., turn left onto the Indian Lake Rd. Follow this road for 6km, turn right onto the Kruger Lake road and follow this for 15km until you see our sign. Come on in and make yourself at home.

General Info, List of Supplies, and Waiver
       

SUPPLY LIST FOR HUNTING

SLEEPING BAG: Although down bags are warmer we recommend a good quality synthetic bag as these dry out quickly if wet and will also keep you warm while they are still wet. For spring bear hunters this isn't so important as you will be sleeping in a cabin the whole time.

RAIN GEAR:  Good quality rain gear, tops and bottoms, and if you are riding, be sure they will be comfortable.

LEATHER BOOTS: Good boots, preferably waterproof that are broken in and comfortable for hiking.

RUBBER BOOTS: If your leather boots are very water proof, you may not wish to bring these. There will be mud and muskeg in places and rubber boots will keep you dry. For fall hunting many hunters bring rubber bottomed winter boots with liners that can be removed and dried for the cold weather.

HAT OR WOOL CAP              LONG UNDERWEAR
WARM GLOVES                    EXTRA SOCKS
WARM JACKET                    COMPLETE CHANGE OF CLOTHES
WATER BOTTLE                   KNIFE
BINOCULARS                       CAMERA & FILM
FLASHLIGHT LIGHT              SHOES FOR CAMP CABINS

PERSONAL TOILETRIES:  Toothpaste, towel etc., and if you have contact lenses, please bring a supply of what you will need for the whole hunt as we will be a long way from any store. The same for any medications.

The main thing to remember is that mountain weather can be very unpredictable and change in a very short time. If it is raining here it is usually cold at the same time, so for your own comfort choose items that will keep you both warm and dry. Fall hunters please pack all gear in duffel bags so it will pack well on horses, and please try to stay light. Spring hunters may pack however you wish.

TOBACCO:  If you smoke, please bring enough to last. If you want to quit, then we recommend that you do it LONG before the hunts starts. Do not plan to quit during the hunt. THIS NEVER WORKS. You coming to enjoy yourself, not to be miserable. If anybody else in camp smokes you'll probably make them run out and be miserable too.

ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: Many persons who do not regularly drink at home will enjoy a hot toddy at the end of a long cold day of hunting, or around the campfire and in the tents in the evenings. This need not be brought from home but can be purchased in Quesnel or Wells.

DEPOSITS
All hunts are held on a first come first served basis so it is suggested that all deposits be cabled directly to our account. We will supply you with all the necessary information.

A non-refundable deposit of 50% of the hunt price is required. In the case of cancellation deposit can be reused or if canceled 60 days before arrival or somebody else can take your place.

LIABILITY WAIVER
You will be required to complete an "ASSUMPTION OF RISK & RELEASE FROM LIABILITY WAIVER" prior to departure. Please click on the link above to download a PDF copy of the form.

FINAL PAYMENT
Final payment to be made at the start of the hunt by either cash, travelers cheques, or Visa. Those wishing to use Visa must pay a 4% service charge.

There is a government G.S.T tax applied to all services provided. This tax is usually 6%, but in the case of all advance bookings, we are able to give a rebate of 3%, cutting the tax in half. The full 6% applies to license and tags.

If a client wishes to arrange any other method of payment these arrangements must be made well in advance of the start of the hunt.

LICENSE AND TAGS
On the information sheet provided with this package, there is a place for you to check which species you wish to hunt. We will then purchase these tags for you in advance so that they are here upon your arrival. Please do not send any money with your deposit for these, the price of your tags will be added on at the time of final payments

REGULATIONS
The rules and regulations governing the import and export of animals changes yearly and it is important that you are aware of your country's requirements on imports before you begin your hunt. We are able to keep up to date on our own export requirements, but some countries have special stipulations that we in Canada can not be aware of. For this reason its important for the hunter to be well informed in order to prevent problems, extra expenses and heartaches at a later date.

Some recent changes are that it is no longer legal to import wolf into Europe as it is considered an endangered species. It is still legal to hunt and export them from Canada. Animal skins can no longer be imported into Europe green but can be imported tanned. Many hunters leave their trophies in Canada to be tanned or made into rugs. This solves this problem and also allows sufficient time for all of the proper paperwork, export permits, C.I.T.E.S. etc., as the taxidermist takes care of all of this before shipment. We are able to put you in touch with several reputable taxidermists to care for your trophy, but please be prepared to wait aprox.3-6 months, as this is standard waiting time here.

NON-RESIDENT HUNTER PRESERVATION FUND
There is a very large anti-hunting movement in this country, which is directed at trying to stop any and all hunting activity here. Non-resident hunters are especially targeted as they do not live here and the anti-hunters feel that they should have no chance to hunt in this country. Because of this anti-hunting sentiment, the Guide-Outfitters Association of British Columbia has implemented a fund that is used expressly to counter the damage and influence these people may have with our elected officials.

The funds used for research of actual facts and figures, education of the general public and government decision makers, and of course legal fees involved in all of the above. Each hunter is required to pay Can $100 into this fund. They are then listed as associate members of G.O.A.B.C., they are sent a subscription to B.C. Hunter a quarterly hunting magazine, and their name is put into a draw for a free hunt. Guide-outfitters are to collect this fee from hunters and forward it on to G.O.A.B.C.