ChondroPython
AH member
- Joined
- Sep 10, 2010
- Messages
- 18
- Reaction score
- 3
- Media
- 8
- Member of
- SCI, NAHC, NRA, ATA, Ducks Unlimited
- Hunted
- Africa, Costa Rica, Peru, Canada, USA
Dear Fellow Hunters....
I am providing a hunting report/assessment of the outfitter in Quebec, Canada know as
........LAC SUZIE OUTFITTERS.
I was NOT impressed by any part of this camp during a rifle moose hunt October 2012. This was one week after the archery season and needless to say there were not any bull moose to be seen. Only one cow was sighted, however it was not cow season.
To begin,
There was very little evidence of ANY scouting PRIOR to the arrival of hunters in order to determine where moose were traveling, bedding or foraging in the area. For the week I was there we hunted no less than 3-5 miles per day and only 1 group (of two hunters) saw a single bull, which was an immature bull at less than two years old. When the professional guide (PH) (who
had a hearing problem) was asked when he last saw moose in the area we were currently
stalking, he stated that a "monster moose that a woman did not shoot the year before"...or a "French archer heard one last week but he went home empty handed." This is NOT my idea of recent scouting of an area prior to your hunter's arrival.
Out of over eight (8) hunters at my camp, who were situated into roughly four groups based on the various Plans that a hunter can purchase, only one hunter saw a moose and subsequently shot
it during the time I was on site from Fri to Fri. Note that everyone appeared to be experienced hunters and had been to Quebec on subsequent occasions for other quarry. This was my third trip to Quebec and first time for a moose hunt. I have been hunting for thirty years and had never seen it this bad.
The housing accommodations for the American Plan (one hunter per PH) were below average when
considering that the the generator controlling the water pump's electricity in the whole camp was turned off 11 PM every night...so much for having to go to the toilet in the middle of the night.
Note, that if several hunters shared a cabin, this could have been a smelly problem! Needless to say I was to bring my wife initially but her doctor advised against it...thank God!!! If she had come along this would have been a MAJOR problem! Note that there was a larger generator available that
could have been operated continuously (as is normally done in hunting lodges that I have visited
in Quebec or Ontario). I was told by another hunter that costs were the issue. In addition,
there was no heat other than that from a wood burning stove in each cabin. Talk about chilly
mornings....my wife would have been doubly upset by now. After hunters leave, the generators
are shut down again until later in the afternoon. Talk about cheap! What if I stayed in one morning
or shot my moose on the first day...which sometimes happens.
When asked for total expenses it was never mentioned (until a week prior to the hunt when I
asked for a recap of total expenses) that the hunting license (about $360) was not included. I finally saw this on the website but it was not in the contract.
In a tough economy which almost everyone is feeling these days, this was an unexpected expense when considering that US Airways is now charging $125 for a third bag and $200 for the fourth. I guess we are to eat the meat before coming back to the States!!!?? Well.. I didn't see anything shootable (outside of the cow moose) so those potential shipping charges did not apply, but $360 is tip money! I did tip the PH whether he earned it or not....I realized this was his livelihood and that he does not own the property. The owner should have made alternate accommodations if no moose were seen recently on the property.
Dealing with a French speaking office is cumbersome AT BEST unless you can understand French. LAC SUZIE OUTFITTERS markets in the US but has no ENGLISH answering service unless you call a staff member in NY who cannot make management-level decisions. They have never returned a phone from the answering machines (I verified the phone numbers with the NY staff member) so I
resorted to using the NY staff member as the go-between to get info relayed and answered. I
should have realized something was wrong by this point as the owner, Serge Derpa, dragged his feet on several occasions (for more than a few weeks on two occasions) to answer important issues.
On a final note, I WOULD NOT recommend LAC SUZIE OUTFITTERS unless some serious management and operations issues were handled first and verified in writing. I would also ask for some rebate agreement in writing if the PH was not able to show ANY shootable animals. Of course, some responsibility lies with the hunter such as the ability to hunt quietly for several miles, have scent in check, be able to shoot, etc...the normal stuff. The fact that we were able to get to withing twenty (20) yards of a cow shows that the HUNTER was doing things correctly....there just weren't any bulls on this land. Expenses of four thousand dollars plus air fare and baggage expenses for a nature hike is just NOT my cup of tea! This is not the most expensive hunt I have been on, having hunted on several international hunts prior, but I can think of better charities to give my money to right here in the United States rather than giving it to LAC SUZIE OUTFITTERS.
BON JOUR
ChondroPython
I am providing a hunting report/assessment of the outfitter in Quebec, Canada know as
........LAC SUZIE OUTFITTERS.
I was NOT impressed by any part of this camp during a rifle moose hunt October 2012. This was one week after the archery season and needless to say there were not any bull moose to be seen. Only one cow was sighted, however it was not cow season.
To begin,
There was very little evidence of ANY scouting PRIOR to the arrival of hunters in order to determine where moose were traveling, bedding or foraging in the area. For the week I was there we hunted no less than 3-5 miles per day and only 1 group (of two hunters) saw a single bull, which was an immature bull at less than two years old. When the professional guide (PH) (who
had a hearing problem) was asked when he last saw moose in the area we were currently
stalking, he stated that a "monster moose that a woman did not shoot the year before"...or a "French archer heard one last week but he went home empty handed." This is NOT my idea of recent scouting of an area prior to your hunter's arrival.
Out of over eight (8) hunters at my camp, who were situated into roughly four groups based on the various Plans that a hunter can purchase, only one hunter saw a moose and subsequently shot
it during the time I was on site from Fri to Fri. Note that everyone appeared to be experienced hunters and had been to Quebec on subsequent occasions for other quarry. This was my third trip to Quebec and first time for a moose hunt. I have been hunting for thirty years and had never seen it this bad.
The housing accommodations for the American Plan (one hunter per PH) were below average when
considering that the the generator controlling the water pump's electricity in the whole camp was turned off 11 PM every night...so much for having to go to the toilet in the middle of the night.
Note, that if several hunters shared a cabin, this could have been a smelly problem! Needless to say I was to bring my wife initially but her doctor advised against it...thank God!!! If she had come along this would have been a MAJOR problem! Note that there was a larger generator available that
could have been operated continuously (as is normally done in hunting lodges that I have visited
in Quebec or Ontario). I was told by another hunter that costs were the issue. In addition,
there was no heat other than that from a wood burning stove in each cabin. Talk about chilly
mornings....my wife would have been doubly upset by now. After hunters leave, the generators
are shut down again until later in the afternoon. Talk about cheap! What if I stayed in one morning
or shot my moose on the first day...which sometimes happens.
When asked for total expenses it was never mentioned (until a week prior to the hunt when I
asked for a recap of total expenses) that the hunting license (about $360) was not included. I finally saw this on the website but it was not in the contract.
In a tough economy which almost everyone is feeling these days, this was an unexpected expense when considering that US Airways is now charging $125 for a third bag and $200 for the fourth. I guess we are to eat the meat before coming back to the States!!!?? Well.. I didn't see anything shootable (outside of the cow moose) so those potential shipping charges did not apply, but $360 is tip money! I did tip the PH whether he earned it or not....I realized this was his livelihood and that he does not own the property. The owner should have made alternate accommodations if no moose were seen recently on the property.
Dealing with a French speaking office is cumbersome AT BEST unless you can understand French. LAC SUZIE OUTFITTERS markets in the US but has no ENGLISH answering service unless you call a staff member in NY who cannot make management-level decisions. They have never returned a phone from the answering machines (I verified the phone numbers with the NY staff member) so I
resorted to using the NY staff member as the go-between to get info relayed and answered. I
should have realized something was wrong by this point as the owner, Serge Derpa, dragged his feet on several occasions (for more than a few weeks on two occasions) to answer important issues.
On a final note, I WOULD NOT recommend LAC SUZIE OUTFITTERS unless some serious management and operations issues were handled first and verified in writing. I would also ask for some rebate agreement in writing if the PH was not able to show ANY shootable animals. Of course, some responsibility lies with the hunter such as the ability to hunt quietly for several miles, have scent in check, be able to shoot, etc...the normal stuff. The fact that we were able to get to withing twenty (20) yards of a cow shows that the HUNTER was doing things correctly....there just weren't any bulls on this land. Expenses of four thousand dollars plus air fare and baggage expenses for a nature hike is just NOT my cup of tea! This is not the most expensive hunt I have been on, having hunted on several international hunts prior, but I can think of better charities to give my money to right here in the United States rather than giving it to LAC SUZIE OUTFITTERS.
BON JOUR
ChondroPython
