doublegunshop.com - home Forums General Discussion DoubleGun BBS @ doublegunshop.com Possible to do an upland hunt by train?

Many years ago I took an excursion train to Moosonee Ontario (south end of James Bay) and the train dropped off and picked up people all along the route.

Steve

My hunting buddy's granddad would routinely take the train to hunt ducks. Other than by boat, it was the only way into his abandoned rice fields just outside of Savannah. (Also the haunts of market hunter Ward Allen, another story) And the story is that Boykin Spaniels partially owe trains to their origin. Trains were the easiest way into the South Carolina swamps that transected them. Hunters there used small duck boats that would fold up and one man could easily handle on the trains. The small boats required small dogs for stability. Necessity was the mother of the Boykin's invention.

Holland and Holland used to, and may still, have their own endorsed train shoot that begins in northern Scotland on grouse and ends up in southern England with driven pheasants. I think this is about a 8 day event and as I recall there are around 10 cars or so with a dining car that prepared game and other suburb dinners in a very elegant setting as the train slowing traveled southwards from shoot to shoot. Everyone has very roomy and private accommodations and it is really a first class shoot although I have not done it.

Newfoundland anglers used their railway's Trouter's Special the same way for generations.

The wingshooting trip on the Royal Canadian Pacific was a 5 night, 4 day affair with pre determined stops where you would meet up with guides and pointing dogs. 2 hunters per guide. Again this was going on as late as Fall 2007 but for some reason it is no longer happening. Just guessing but I suspect cost/economy played a role.

That's a shame, looked like it would be a great time.

The Royal Canadian has or had a fly fishing deal. The pricing was something like $8,000.
http://www.royalcanadianpacific.com/flyfishing.html

The Rovos was or is a hefty $22,000
http://www.gssafaris.com/destinations/luxury-african-hunting-train-safari.php

It would be cheaper to rent an RV and pay a driver....

Pete

A friend had a "Pigeon Grade" fish and moose lodge at milepost 71 of the Algoma Central Railroad out of Sault Ste. Marie. It was only accessible by train until the mid seventies when someone improved some old logging bridges that had been down for decades. My 1972 two wheel drive Suburban was the first four wheel vehicle into that camp since the bridges were abandoned years earlier. Yes, I have some pictures of the many mile trip in. Does anyone remember Earl Graham's Paradise Lodge? I don't know if it's still there. I doubt that road travel ever continued to that camp after we tried and succeeded.