gonna be a tough hunt this year

they just said on the radio this morning that the deer population is away down in most of the Province, except in Winnipeg. Apparently they are there in great numbers. Better protection from predators. I don't suppose the new Mayor will announce hunting is now open with in the city limits:p

Saw a beautiful size buck walking down the train tracks just off Pembina on Chevrier. Probably the only time I'll see a buck this year. =(
 
I spent 3 days last week (end) hunting in Sandilands. Not even a glimpse of a deer, very few tracks compared to most years. Not many people out for muzzleloader either. I think a lot of guys aren't bothering this year because of the low population and buck only tags.

I say open Assinaboine(sp?) forest up for a muzzle or bow season!
 
Saw a beautiful size buck walking down the train tracks just off Pembina on Chevrier. Probably the only time I'll see a buck this year. =(

well son-of-a-gun, I used to live on Radisson at the corner of Hudson, my old stomping grounds! My young sons and I used to ride our ATC's down those train tracks all the way to St Norbert and on to the LaSalle River to the Park!
 
Not looking so great in NE Alberta. A month ago a big black bear was scaring/eating the small game out of existence in my favorite upland game spot. Now that he is in hibernation a coyote is haunting this territory. Last year it was a wolf.
Conditions on the ground are pretty good for walking and stalking with wet leaves underfoot and spots of snow here and there to tell you if game is around. Still, only seen three sets of footie prints today, one for a squirrel, one for a single hare and one for a coyote. And that's it!

Gonna be hard just filling one WT tag I'm thinking.
 
going out tomorrow morning, first day of rifle season, just cause of the love of being in the bush. Will hunt grouse, they are also quite scarce this year, and will only take a couple if luck has it, and will keep an open eye for a decent buck.
 
I'm going after yotes and wolves this year. Time to give the deer and grouse a chance to come back. Sounds like a lot of others are thinking the same way.
 
I don't know what you guys have for wolves but around here, as the wolves seem to like the cutlines, cutblocks, and roads, I'm finding a lot more deer way back in the bush. Last year was a tough one for me, I hunted over 20 days to tag a decent 4x4 but that guy is one of my favorite racks in the shed as a result. This year I've been hunting the topography instead of the open areas, finding ridges way back in the bush, and despite the game population being no better than last year I'm having a way better season.

Best advice, hunt lots and don't give up, things will probably look a little better by mid November. Use the time between now and then to burn boot leather and look at tracks.

Respect, when a guy cuts a line {on his own property} , puts a Deer feeder, & has his comfy "Blind" sitting up' there 100 meters away .. well, that ain't hunting! Cheerz .. ~
 
back from 2 full days in the bush. Zero sightings! Only a few tracks in the fresh snow. No rubs. No grouse, either. Talked to many other hunters, even some that have been out there for 2 full weeks of muzzle loader hunting, and no one has seen anything. Lots of paw prints! It's getting colder and we got another good layer of fresh snow last night, but we can't get out there again until Saturday. I have a feeling that we won't have any venison in the freezer this year. Anyone else got anything to report?
 
back from 2 full days in the bush. Zero sightings! Only a few tracks in the fresh snow. No rubs. No grouse, either. Talked to many other hunters, even some that have been out there for 2 full weeks of muzzle loader hunting, and no one has seen anything. Lots of paw prints! It's getting colder and we got another good layer of fresh snow last night, but we can't get out there again until Saturday. I have a feeling that we won't have any venison in the freezer this year. Anyone else got anything to report?

Recent discussion with the land owner that I have the kind permission to hunt upland game on, he reveals that while on tree stand for an early morning deer hunt that the wolves are numerous in his locale.

Not one deer seen, heard lots of wolves howling at dawn though.
 
Had an unusual deer hunting year to date as have seen more does and FAWNS than I had ever expected and not a single glimpse of a buck nor buck sign. I have heard from others in MB that they have seen several bucks and an associated number of does. The most unusual part was not a single Coyote spotted. In the last few years they were like flies and haven't seen nor heard one all fall. So far the tag is empty as no bucks sighted but had slightly higher hopes for future years if the does I saw manage to stay healthy and more importantly alive through the winter.
 
Rivers area seems to have more coyotes then deer, met a guy who claims to have shot a deer the night before and by morning it was stripped clean to the bone
 
back from 2 full days in the bush. Zero sightings! Only a few tracks in the fresh snow. No rubs. No grouse, either. Talked to many other hunters, even some that have been out there for 2 full weeks of muzzle loader hunting, and no one has seen anything. Lots of paw prints! It's getting colder and we got another good layer of fresh snow last night, but we can't get out there again until Saturday. I have a feeling that we won't have any venison in the freezer this year. Anyone else got anything to report?

Still up here in BelAir Provincial forest in Manitoba near Traverse Bay for the last 6 days, 4 straight days in the bush now actively hunting ridge lines/clearings in blinds/stands and tracking in fresh snow (6 miles a day on foot)... not a single sighting, zero everything... Lots of tracks in that timespan, almost every single one had a coyote right behind it... Zero movement in daylight, hear the occasional spooked deer at first/last light walking back to the truck... Found 3 fresh coyote kills in as many days... Even had a coyote following me but disappeared before I could get a clean shot... Driving back and forth from corner of hwy 59/11 every night more coyotes line ditches, plenty of reports from the locals with deer in their yards (because everyone is feeding them) but no bucks sighted... I would go deeper in but don't know where the crown line ends and the reserve begins... Any suggestions (short of getting a bow and hunting peoples front lawns) is appreciated however with this much effort and no opportunity the tag may go unfilled, is coyote even edible? What are the furs worth?
 
The wife and I hunted a combined 40 hours 2 days on private land in the interlake stand and still hunting.We didn't see a thing.Tracks and a couple beds seems deer are staying in the thick stuff.
 
I saw more grouse on one day of rifle deer than I took all last season. I'm hearing that grouse numbers are up in Sandilands. We saw 6-8 on #308 (no shooting allowed - maintained road) plus six more in Sandilands when walking one trail.

As for deer - not much. One dead doe on the side of a fire guard, looked like it had its best parts cut out and the rest left to rot. I pushed bush and found scrapes but not fresh, some old rubs, browse lines and some fairly fresh pellets. But no tracks in the little snow on the ground. We did see wolf scat.

Deer trails didn't seem to have had much traffic but couldn't be sure as there was just enough snow to obscure things by covering up disturbed earth/leaves etc and not enough to show tracks.

It was really windy and colder than usual which makes me think any deer may have gone deep into the forest. Other than the pellets, the lack of fresh rubs and scrapes was disturbing.

Besides the harsh winters/wet spring, I believe the provincial government needs to either have bounties for wolves/coyotes or open up the restrictions to unlimited bag numbers and/or not tie wolves/coyotes to big game licenses. I'm hearing lots of reports of too many predators in Southeastern MB and the Interlake.
 
One thing that stood out for me on early Tuesday AM was no deer at all in the ditches along Highway #1 while driving out to Sandilands and none on #308. In the past when hunting was good I would stop counting at 25. Deer/vehicle collisions were a real possibility and we would see at least some roadkill.

Yesterday I saw three does beside Highway 59 South while coming back from Steinbach at night.
 
I saw more grouse on one day of rifle deer than I took all last season. I'm hearing that grouse numbers are up in Sandilands. We saw 6-8 on #308 (no shooting allowed - maintained road) plus six more in Sandilands when walking one trail.

As for deer - not much. One dead doe on the side of a fire guard, looked like it had its best parts cut out and the rest left to rot. I pushed bush and found scrapes but not fresh, some old rubs, browse lines and some fairly fresh pellets. But no tracks in the little snow on the ground. We did see wolf scat.

Deer trails didn't seem to have had much traffic but couldn't be sure as there was just enough snow to obscure things by covering up disturbed earth/leaves etc and not enough to show tracks.

It was really windy and colder than usual which makes me think any deer may have gone deep into the forest. Other than the pellets, the lack of fresh rubs and scrapes was disturbing.

Besides the harsh winters/wet spring, I believe the provincial government needs to either have bounties for wolves/coyotes or open up the restrictions to unlimited bag numbers and/or not tie wolves/coyotes to big game licenses. I'm hearing lots of reports of too many predators in Southeastern MB and the Interlake.

MB Licences:

Gray wolves and coyotes can be hunted under the authority of any big game licence, and as such, there are no tagging requirements. The hunter must be in possession of a valid current year big game hunting licence when hunting for gray wolves or coyotes. The hunter’s big game licence number is all that is required to possess a wolf or coyote taken under the authority of that licence. Hunters are reminded that the tag affixed to a big game licence (bear, deer, moose, elk, or caribou) must be used for that big game species (bear, deer, moose, elk or caribou).

A resident may hunt gray wolves and coyotes in any valid GHA during the wolf and coyote season if they possess any big game hunting licence for the current licence year. However, if hunting in a GHA while the area is open to deer, elk, moose, black bear or caribou hunting, the wolf or coyote hunter must have an unused deer, elk, moose, black bear or caribou game tag (personal or party), which is valid for that area, species and time period. Where the deer, elk, moose, black bear or caribou hunting seasons are closed, a resident may hunt wolves or coyotes provided he/she is in possession of a used or unused deer, elk, moose, black bear or caribou licence.

Resident Gray Wolf Hunting zone A B C Aug. 25 – Mar. 31 One Wolf (2 wolves in GHAs 18-18C and 26)*

Resident All GHAs except 38 (aug. 25 – Feb. 28) one Coyote

However, why not just get a trappers licence for $10 and shoot away!

http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/trapping/licperm/index.html
 
MB Licences:

Gray wolves and coyotes can be hunted under the authority of any big game licence, and as such, there are no tagging requirements. The hunter must be in possession of a valid current year big game hunting licence when hunting for gray wolves or coyotes. The hunter’s big game licence number is all that is required to possess a wolf or coyote taken under the authority of that licence. Hunters are reminded that the tag affixed to a big game licence (bear, deer, moose, elk, or caribou) must be used for that big game species (bear, deer, moose, elk or caribou).

A resident may hunt gray wolves and coyotes in any valid GHA during the wolf and coyote season if they possess any big game hunting licence for the current licence year. However, if hunting in a GHA while the area is open to deer, elk, moose, black bear or caribou hunting, the wolf or coyote hunter must have an unused deer, elk, moose, black bear or caribou game tag (personal or party), which is valid for that area, species and time period. Where the deer, elk, moose, black bear or caribou hunting seasons are closed, a resident may hunt wolves or coyotes provided he/she is in possession of a used or unused deer, elk, moose, black bear or caribou licence.

Resident Gray Wolf Hunting zone A B C Aug. 25 – Mar. 31 One Wolf (2 wolves in GHAs 18-18C and 26)*

Resident All GHAs except 38 (aug. 25 – Feb. 28) one Coyote

You must work for the government, thanks for telling me what I already know.

The point is too many predators. Every hunter I talk with is saying the same thing: if you see a yote or wolf - shoot it!

The province needs to get off their a** and act. You can only tag one wolf or one coyote per big game license. You don't buy a BGL you can't legally harvest a wolf/coyote. So the max a typical deer hunter is going to tag is one or two.

That's not going to cut it. Deer population here might end up going the same way as moose.

However, why not just get a trappers licence for $10 and shoot away!

http://www.gov.mb.ca/conservation/wildlife/trapping/licperm/index.html

Why should I give the province more money to waste? The provincial government has been closing down NRO offices and MB Conservation doesn't have enough resources to do proper herd counts.

I'm sure the province would love more revenue from deer hunters becoming pseudo trappers.
 
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from what i've been reading so far, most outdoorsmen in MB have got the right idea; either don't go this year or don't shoot unless its massive. the latter i don't have much faith in though. i think us, as true outdoorsmen and women need to take more initative and just not go for the whitetail in MB. i agree with the notion that Mb conservation should've just closed the season. can you imagine the size of bucks there would be next year or in two years!! just my two bits
 
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