Live Wild with Remi Warren

Episode 199 | Of Bou and Bulls - An Adventure in NWT
Date: September 5, 2025
Host: Remi Warren

Episode Overview

Remi Warren recounts his dream hunt for mountain caribou in the Mackenzie Mountains, Northwest Territories (NWT), including the epic logistics, highs and lows, and learning moments of a truly wild adventure. Alongside vivid storytelling, Remi provides practical reflections and hard-earned tips for challenging backcountry hunts—especially in remote settings where every detail matters, and mistakes quickly become lessons.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Dream of Mountain Caribou (00:01 – 10:30)

• Remi’s Lifelong Aspiration:
  • Hunting all species of caribou, with a bow, termed his “caribou slam.”
  • Mountain caribou, found in Yukon and NWT, are considered by Remi the most iconic: huge bodies and impressive antlers, inhabiting some of North America’s remotest wilderness.

“If you want to hunt caribou, do it now.” (Remi, quoting a mentor, 06:21)

• Shrinking Opportunities:
  • Remi reflects on the increasing difficulty and cost of caribou hunts as populations fluctuate and regulations change (“It’s not too late…but it’s not what it was 10 years ago.”).

2. The Epic Logistics of an NWT Hunt (10:30 – 30:00)

• Travel Gauntlet:

  • Four days of travel in, four days out, requiring navigation of commercial flights to Yellowknife and Norman Wells, then a series of ever-smaller planes to reach remote base camp.
  • Strict Canadian hunting laws require non-residents (and even non-NWT Canadians) to hunt with an outfitter.

• Gear Anxiety:

  • Lost luggage drama: Remi’s bow goes missing in transit, compounding anxiety he’d had for weeks (“I just had this bad feeling that something was going to happen to my bow.” 20:40).
  • A stranger’s generosity comes to the rescue, retrieving the bow last-minute—Remi emphasizes how critical such equipment is on remote hunts.

“Without her doing that…so thankful. Generosity of a stranger that didn’t know me.” (27:15)

3. First Impressions of the Mackenzie Mountains (30:00 – 37:00)

• Unmatched Geography:
  • Remi describes the landscape as “infinity range”—unending mountains with endless, confusing drainages and breathtaking, untouched beauty.
  • The remoteness is sobering and exciting: “Area the size of Yellowstone with six people in it.”

4. The Hunt Begins: Early Challenges & Adjustments (37:00 – 55:00)

• Scouting and Strategy:

  • First day: observing caribou and adjusting expectations (“Are these the most skittish animals on the planet?”; blown stalk at 42:30).
  • “Learning how undulating, folded, and vast this country is—caribou blend in better than expected.”

• Spike Camp Plans:

  • After an initial day nearby, the team spikes out for a six-day loop, planning to hunt largely untouched drainages.

5. Surprises: Wolves and Bears (55:00 – 1:09:00)

• Incredible Encounter – Wolf with a Bow:
  • Remi opportunistically arrows a black wolf at 67 yards across a caribou trail (memorable moment at 01:02:51).

“How often does someone get an opportunity to shoot a wolf with a bow…unbaited? Pure happenstance.” (1:04:44)

• Bear Country Realities:
  • Multiple close grizzly encounters; importance of situational awareness and bear defense (“right in the middle of grizzly territory”—Remi repeatedly emphasizes the need for vigilance, even as bear spray was expired).

6. Caribou Decision-Making and Lessons in Patience (1:09:00 – 1:34:00)

• Passing Great Bulls:

  • Early in the hunt, Remi passes on a high-scoring (“Boone and Crockett award type”) bull, wanting to learn the country and see what else is around.
  • Remi details his mindset: “It’s a tough decision, but I gotta see what else is around.” (1:15:20)
  • Observes caribou behavior, patterns, and repeated sightings—emphasizes the importance of patience and learning the area.

• Brutal Stalks & Country:

  • Country is “steep and deep,” with looping 7–10 mile hikes through canyons; describes unique features like perfectly spherical rocks (1:22:20).

7. The Critical Mistake: Bow Damage Mid-Stalk (1:34:00 – 1:52:00)

• The Accident:
  • While shifting position, Remi’s arrow nicks his yoke cable, visibly splitting half the strands—a nightmare scenario (“My heart just sinks” 1:47:40).
  • Immediate field fix with “Burt’s Bees for the win”—packing chapstick into the cable to slow fraying.

“The fear that I had pre-hunt…is now realized…My dream of hunting a mountain caribou, and maybe this being my chance to do it. We have no backup bow.” (1:48:32)

• Reflection:
  • In such remote, fly-in places, a lack of backup or extra strings/cables can be a hunt-ender (“I think from now on, on those kind of trips, I absolutely will have that kind of stuff with me” 1:51:20).

8. The Final Stalk and Harvest (1:52:00 – 2:10:00)

• Patient Tactics:

  • Remi and team wait for hours on caribou to move. When they finally do, Remi sneaks in for the shot, unsure how the damaged bow will perform.

• First Shot and Tracking:

  • The arrow flies true left-right, but is low—likely due to impaired bow timing from the cable damage.
  • Caribou runs, swims a lake (evasion tactic for predators), and eventually beds.

• Second Arrow & Recovery:

  • Remi carefully restalks to 78 yards and delivers a perfect shot, dropping the bull.

“That rush of emotion…that’s why I love bowhunting. You don’t think it’s going to work and it ends up working out…that roller coaster of bowhunting emotions.” (2:09:42)

• Reflection:
  • The importance of transparency in telling both successes and mistakes; humility when things go wrong in the backcountry.

9. Aftermath: Joy, Sickness, and Takeaways (2:10:00 – end)

• Celebration:

  • Processing meat, enjoying real caribou steaks after days of dehydrated food—and being treated to “epic rainbows” unlike anywhere else.

• Illness Strikes:

  • Both Remi and Colin come down violently ill, likely from bad water or (less likely) the caribou meat.

• Lessons Learned:

  • Packing backup parts, the unpredictability of remote wilderness, and the value of thorough planning.

• Gratitude:

  • Remi’s deep thankfulness for the experience and acknowledgment that imperfection—and adversity—make the best stories.

“If you are someone that tells me you hunt, and nothing goes wrong—I’m like, do you even hunt?” (2:17:46)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you want to hunt caribou, do it now.” (Remi, 06:21)
• “Without her doing that…so thankful. Generosity of a stranger that didn’t know me.” (27:15)
• “Are these the most skittish animals on the planet?” (42:30)
• “How often does someone get an opportunity to shoot a wolf with a bow…unbaited? Pure happenstance.” (1:04:44)
• “My heart just sinks…My dream of hunting a mountain caribou, and maybe this being my chance to do it. We have no backup bow.” (1:48:32)
• “The fear that I had pre-hunt…is now realized.” (1:48:32)
• “That rush of emotion…that’s why I love bowhunting.” (2:09:42)
• “If you are someone that tells me you hunt, and nothing goes wrong—I’m like, do you even hunt?” (2:17:46)

Suggested Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Time | |--------------------------------------------|-------------| | The caribou dream/importance of opportunity| 00:01–10:30 | | Logistics & lost bow drama | 20:00–30:00 | | Mackenzie Mountains description | 30:00–37:00 | | First day insights, skittish caribou | 37:00–42:30 | | Wolf with a bow encounter | 1:02:00–1:06:00 | | First big caribou seen, passing great bulls| 1:09:00–1:18:00 | | Bow accident & emergency fix | 1:47:00–1:52:00 | | Final stalk, shooting, and recovery | 1:52:00–2:10:00 | | Lessons learned & closing reflections | 2:17:00–End |

Tone and Style

• Remi’s storytelling is honest, humble, and detailed. He is quick to own his mistakes, explain his thought process under stress, and practically unpack events for listeners eager to learn.
• Language is approachable, technical when needed, and peppered with awe for wild places and wild animals.
• The episode is both a tale of adventure and a how-to guide for serious backcountry hunting.

Summary for Non-Listeners

This episode transports listeners into the heart of the Mackenzie Mountains, immersing them in Remi Warren’s passion, preparation, missteps, and ultimate achievement of his lifelong caribou hunting goal. The story is packed with behind-the-scenes detail—from travel snafus to field repairs to high-stakes decision-making in one of the continent’s last wild strongholds. Both instructional and inspiring, the episode underscores why great hunts are about the adventure as much as the result, and why in wild places, what can go wrong often does—but that’s what makes the journey memorable.