The MacKenzies - The Land that Time Forgot

Incredible photos and very well written!! Thank you very much for sharing it with us and congratulations on 2 beautiful bulls! I hope you have many more seasons ahead of you in the Mackenzies…
 
Mission accomplished: you’ve communicated well your love of wild animals and wild things for decades, and this story is special.

Well done to you, @MHMT, Mike and Riley.

I know I have “McKenzie” places in my life. None of them are as quiet as they used to be. My memories help dampen the noise while I’m in that zone. Same, and changed simultaneously. And needed for the soul.
 
Sounds like a great trip. It's tough to put into words and photos just how special that country in Northern Canada really is. A person need to be there to appreciate it fully. Like you mentioned, its nice to know large areas of planet earth haven't been exploited to hell and gone.

When I came back last year from the Yukon, you realize just how fragmented and over exploited everything in the U.S. actually is. I'm left shaking my head when people that supposedly care about what little we have left here that hasnt been exploited, act as if rescinding things like the roadless rule are necessary. What a load of crap and a total joke.

The very worst part of my trip last year was stepping on the plane to leave, like being punched in the guts.

I'm so envious of the people that live in Canada and I hope they keep most of it just like it is. If I had it to do it all over again, I would do whatever it took to become a citizen of Canada.
 
I hunted the MacKenzies in 2025 (southern end on the Nahanni range). Family plans were to go there again this summer and road-trip to the Arctic but we had to postpone until 2027 due to my wife running out of leave (which we're burning on other crazy adventures anyway).

The Canadian North is a magical place! I was not only fortunate to spend days there without seeing another soul, but also get my first caribou and witness a wolf on the hunt with her cubs (a memory that will stay with me until the day I die), on top of all the crazy memories I made there. Canada has vast untouched expanses and I will fight tooth and nail to make sure it stays this way. True, North, Strong and Free!!! 🇨🇦
 
Fantastic story and write-up Randy! Congrats to you and Mike on beautiful bulls! Marcus takes fantastic photos and they're all great but that last picture with you on the pack out blew my mind and is just so beautiful.
 
Another Canadian here. Randy's (@Big Fin) trip report is exceptional and highlights the vastness of the North that has to be seen to be appreciated.

I've had the good fortune to have three extended adventures in the Yukon and NWT in the last decade or so. My wife is not a hunter, but loves outdoor adventures.

We spent 15 days on the iconic South Nahanni River on a self guided whitewater canoe trip in the McKenzie Mountains in 2022. If you're interested, my wife wrote a detailed trip report here - http://www.kpwoutdoors.com/trip-reports/south-nahanni-river-canoe-trip-rabbitkettle-to-nahanni-butte

I doubt very much I'll ever have the cash to hunt the Yukon / NWT (only residents of those territories can hunt without a guide - with very few limited exceptions) as my budget won't likely ever cover it.

I took this photo where a smaller tributary joined the Nahanni. This bull had died somewhere up that pristine river valley and been washed down to his final resting place. Probably my favourite photo of the trip.

IMG_1421.jpeg
 
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