Greg Sutley Smoky River Outfitting located in the Northwestern Region of Alberta, Canada. Big game hunts are conducted by Greg & Tara Sutley and experienced local hunting guides, who by owning land and living in the area, do year round scouting for big game. We are one of the most successful hunting outfitters in Alberta as far as potential and percentages of trophy Moose, Black Bear, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Elk, Wolf and Coyote taken. We have been in the outfitting business since 1997 and have a 175% opportunity rate on spring bear based on a two bear limit, 25% are color phase. We also maintain a 90% opportunity on moose, elk, whitetail & mule deer hunts. We owe our success to great guides, great hunters and an abundance of big game in the hunting area.

SMOKY RIVER OUTFITTING WEBSITE

We are very excited about this coming spring bear hunt. We will be in our new area for a second year, last spring 18 hunters took 29 bears - 9 over 400lbs. This is a two bear area due to the high density of black bears. A new road gives us access deep into a zone that has a high population of bears. This area is North of Fort McMurray Alberta, next to Wood Buffalo National Park where there is no hunting allowed. The terrain is poplar forest full of beaver dams with muskeg and blueberry patches through out.

This is bear paradise if there ever was one and it is about 120 miles by 100 miles. For a bear to make a 21 inch B+C skull it needs to be at least 15 to 30 years old and have good feed. This is one of the few areas left in Alberta that has alot of trophy bears in this age class.

Baiting black bears is permitted in our hunting area and we use beavers and honey which is a bears natural food source as well as 15000 lb. of cookies for filler. We will take many bears in the 500-lb. range for quite a few years. Color phase bears will run about 25% in this area. I expect that everyone that hunts here will have opportunity on both bears and a lot of fun watching many bears on bait. Camp has portable plywood cabins with real beds and heat. There will be a cookhouse and showers as well.

Smoky River Outfitting offers moose rut hunts, trophy moose rut hunts and archery moose hunts in Northwestern Alberta Canada. Since 2000 we have taken 69 moose hunters for 66 bull moose.

Archery Moose Rut Hunts - Late September to Mid October
This hunt is done during the rut so bulls can be called in close, we also take advantage of springs and wallows. This is a great opportunity for a P & Y moose.

Lodge Moose Rut Hunts - Late September to early October
This is a high success moose hunt that is run out of our main lodge. This hunt takes place during the peak of rut, so bull moose cooperate well with our calling. This hunt also takes place in a high density of moose where bulls will average 40 inches wide.

Trophy Moose Rut Hunt - Late September to early October
For this moose hunt we travel 2 hours from the lodge to an area that is very hard to access where we will have outfitters tents set up. Because of the hard access moose have proved to be older and bigger here. Our goal is for moose 45 inches and up. This is a harder hunt for experienced hunters with a 100% success so far.

If you want an exciting hunting experience and an opportunity to get a big trophy, our Elk rut hunt is for you. We offer a limited amount of elk hunts each year. You will have a chance to see a number of bulls over the 3 point minimum. The elk we have taken range from 200 to 350 Boone and Crockett points.

Rifle & Archery Elk Rut Hunt – These rut hunts are along the Simmonette River accessible by Argo and ATV. This is a rifle or bowhunt during the peak of rut. Bulls are called in, most within 50 yards due to the heavy cover and intense rut.

Archery Only Elk Rut Hunt – This hunt takes place in tight cover with bulls bugling hard this will give the most experienced hunter a rush like never before. We only take up to 4 archery elk hunters a year so space is limited this keeps success rates high.

Our Mule Deer archery hunts are a bow hunters dream. In our hunting zone, Peace River Alberta, Canada, mule deer have been on a limited draw since 1997 which has increased deer numbers and added age to the bucks.

During bowhunting season (late August early September) we see mule deer in bachelor groups, as many as 15 in a bunch, feeding on bloomed canola fields or oats. These bucks bed in the fields in midday, giving the hunter an excellent spot and stalk opportunity or to position a climber stand for a push.

During the archery hunt we should be able to do a couple of stalks a day and sit in the evenings for at least a 170 class mule deer. The biggest deer we stalked in 2001 would have been the new archery record at 195. I predict that we will be putting some new mule deer in the top ten in the next few years.

Alberta Canada is known for huge Whitetail deer. Our Whitetail hunting zone is directly next to the world famous Edmonton bow zone. The area is farmland surrounded by 100's of miles of big bush; it is perfect habitat for whitetails to reach maturity. This area has produced a lot of the top ten animals taken in Alberta.

The archery Whitetail deer hunt is the last week of October. At this time we can take advantage of the Whitetail pre-rut. Rattling and bow hunting pressure help our hunt success. Archery hunt for whitetails in the early season is excellent because the weather cooperates better, some whitetails may be in velvet, and there is no hunting pressure in the archery season.

Stands are located over funnel areas and feed plots. We only offer 4 archery Whitetail deer hunts and 4 rifle hunts in November during the rut. With low hunter numbers we guarantee well-scouted areas and the full attention your hunt deserves.