Raft drifts for hunting?

[boonerbuck]

I'm thinking some of the jet boat adventurers may be able to help me with this one...

I have a 14 fott durable raft with rowing frame all tricked out. I bought this for duel purpose. It has a 1600 lb capacity and I would of bought one smaller for just fishing but I had some of the Northern rivers in mind for hunting also.

I'm heading out on a trial run on a spot I may hunt but it's not exactly remote. I'm more into figuring out what I need to make this work for next season. Anyways, the reason for the post is to get some suggestions from some of the river rats out there.

I want to book a one way trip into somewhere for a two week drift. Out of Fort Nelson makes obvious sense. With a heavy load, I want to keep the bumpy parts to a class III tops! A one way jet boat or plane ride should get me deep enough I think.

What rivers in that area would not be too complicated or dangerous? Which rivers have plane access so I can fly in my gear? Has anyone done this in a raft before?

I'll be gone for a couple of days so I'll answer any questions when I get back.

TIA

[David Heitsman]

See my post on the Kechika Turnagain thread

[The Hermit]

Many years ago I did a canoe trip on the Nelson. We put in just south of town and paddles/floated down stream (north) past the Snake River and around to where the highway heads north to the Yukon. It took three days of real easy going. TONS of sign on all the many sand bars and oxbows... called a cow moose right to the river, she jumped in off a twelve foot bank and climbed out ten feet from where I was hiding! AWESOME trip.

Also had a drift in a raft down the Profit from about forty miles south of Fort Nelson up to the take out just south of town. I was to meet the guys in the raft as they drifted past at a predetermined spot/day/time and we used quads to ride into the spot from the highway... unfortunately for me they shot an elk earlier that morning and didn't make the rendezvous so I didn't get to do the raft part of the trip. I would love to do that one... lots of elk and moose along the Profit! Go for it!

[BCHunterFSJ]

A friend of mine and I rafted down the Besa and Prophet rivers for elk.
We lost all of our gear and almost died under a log jam... I guess we were un-prepared for this kind of trip. Others have done the Prophet without any major problems. I don't know if anyone else has been stupid enough to float the Besa... A rowing frame will certainly be an asset. Good luck!

[eastkoot]

Years ago 4 of us with 2 boats floated the Prophet from Prophet River air strip to Ft. Nelson Bridge.. Scary at times but pretty neat counrty and lots of game on sand bars and back waters. A long trip, if you shoot something near the first part of the float and the weather is warm, your hooped. Some of the waters from the town of Prophet River to about 2 days float north are shallow and have lots of sweepers and log jams as well as shallow bars.. Be prepared to get wet (see pic below), full of grit and silt and carry lots of patch kits for your boat.

[lunatic]

Not sure how far North you are wanting to go, but the Murray River out of Tumbler Ridge would be an awesome trip. You can put in right outside town and go through some excellent moose and elk territory downriver. A couple of spots would be a little tricky ( there is one small shelf ) but nothing to worry about. I have been through it many times on my river boat. You can go all the way to the highway about 30kms past Chetwynd where the Murray meets the Pine River and if you want, you could continue down the Pine to the Peace River at Taylor. All excellent hunting throughout.

[BIGHUNTERFISH]

Years ago 4 of us with 2 boats floated the Prophet from Prophet River air strip to Ft. Nelson Bridge.. Scary at times but pretty neat counrty and lots of game on sand bars and back waters. A long trip, if you shoot something near the first part of the float and the weather is warm, your hooped. Some of the waters from the town of Prophet River to about 2 days float north are shallow and have lots of sweepers and log jams as well as shallow bars.. Be prepared to get wet (see pic below), full of grit and silt and carry lots of patch kits for your boat.

Pink sweat pants??? Are you guys sure this was a hunting trip.lol

[jml11]

A friend of mine and I rafted down the Besa and Prophet rivers for elk.
We lost all of our gear and almost died under a log jam... I guess we were un-prepared for this kind of trip. Others have done the Prophet without any major problems. I don't know if anyone else has been stupid enough to float the Besa... A rowing frame will certainly be an asset. Good luck!

How do you get by the prophet falls...portage? As I understand it, jet boats can't get up past it?

[jml11]

A one way jet boat or plane ride should get me deep enough I think.


TIA

I would consider the jet boat trip in versus a plane ride. Flying from Ft.Nelson, most of the airstrips are nowhere near the rivers and unless you already know where the strip is, you may not be able to find a pilot to take you in. The added bonus of the jet boat trip in is that you gain vital knowledge of the river you plan to float before hand. This way you can see the river, identify the hazards before hand, plan your route, even track it with GPS on the way in. Many of the rivers in that neck of the woods are braided and have many blind channels which strand boats every year...tuchodi comes to mind. Also, your jetboat captain while be familiar with the river and can provide you with other very valuable information.

[4 point]

You can float some of the MacGregor for moose & g bear.