True North Safaris

note: The following reviews predate the numeric rating system and are not included in this outfitter's overall rating.

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outfitter review submitted by: Bruce Milau on Oct 18 2008

Species Hunted: caribou

Game Quality: fair

Accommodation Quality: fair

Camp Condition: poor

Food Quality: poor & very little

Guide Experience: good

Other Personal Experience: poor

Overall Impression: below standard

Recommend: absolutely not

Reviewer Comments: We hunted first week and migration was slow to start. That's hunting. But camp was dirty as well as kitchen where food was left out all night from dinner and then cut up with eggs for breakfast. Cook was the last one awake in morning and most hunters left for hunt before he got up. He washed silverware by soaking in water, grabbed a handful and shook it in water and then rinsed it. Butchered meat was left outside on cutting table and the guides only seemed to care about meat they were keeping for themselves. Outhouses were by far worst I have ever used. They have 2 camps, Warburton, where we stayed and McKay Lake Lodge, which is nothing like the brochure. Game commission in Yellowknife told us that 90% of outfitter complaints they receive are this outfitter.

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outfitter review submitted by: T.Chandler on Apr 2 2007

Species Hunted: Caribou

Game Quality: 8

Accommodation Quality: 7

Camp Condition: 4

Food Quality: 3

Guide Experience: 7

Other Personal Experience: 6

Overall Impression: 2

Recommend: No

Reviewer Comments: The hunt itself was pretty good. Malcolm did a good job and worked hard for us. However, the camp left much to be desired. Most of the guides boozed half the night - in no shape to hunt the next day. The one day we stayed in due to "high winds and rough water" - the truth is "high blood alcohol content and rough shape". We ate Caribou EVERY day ... btw, my bull fit into a box about the size of a 12pack by the time they were done feeding the camp off of it. We were told that our antlers and meat were our own responsibility - kind of tough when they were packed to go out on the plane previous to ours. When we got to Yellowknife and my antlers were nowhere to be found, we radioed back in to Gary to ask if maybe there was one more set of antlers there that didn't get loaded. His answer "you are responsible for your own antlers" - he wouldn't even look on the runway to see if there were more antlers to come out on the last plane. Turned out one of the other hunters had taken my set in error - I got them back, but Gary's attitude was really poor. The hunt with Malcolm was good, but his dad runs a shoddy outfit.

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outfitter review submitted by: Don Day on Oct 3 2006

Species Hunted: Caribou

Game Quality: Poor

Accommodation Quality: Good

Camp Condition: Very Poor

Food Quality: Good

Guide Experience: Poor

Other Personal Experience: Fair

Overall Impression: Very Poor

Recommend: Never

Reviewer Comments: This was a terrible experience. I experienced very little customer service. When weather caused a delay we were not informed of the delay until we went looking for our guides. The boats lacked emergency equipment, were in poor condition and 5 out of 5 days we experienced boat trouble. Life vests were ripped and often there were not enough. Our motors stalled every day and all of the boats leaked. One hunter was left to wait for a volunteer taxidermist when his boat engine froze while the owner of the lodge went hunting. When our boat motor stalled several times, the owner offered no assistance but to suggest that the guide pump the accelerator. Several other hunters in the same camp also experienced boat trouble. My guide was late every day and usually the first one back to camp (early). My guide fell asleep at the wheel of the boat after a long night of drinking. He almost crashed into shore had I not taken action. We missed the shoreline by only about fifty feet at full throttle. The camp is a licensed liquor establishment. They served staff and guides until they were cross eyed and falling down drunk. The guides reeked of alcohol every day. The finale was that the meat from our caribou was stolen by the guides and the theft was covered up by the outfitter who blamed us.

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