Island Deer, what gun & caliber?

Agreed...most of my island hunting was done years ago,before wolves decimated the deer population,and I still hunted he edges of slashes,which are likely grown over now.There were good opportunities for timber hunting ,and that was all close range shots.
 
Seems like the thread is split into many different splinters.

My experience on Van Isle is locked gates and overgrown Alder thickets. Where I live, a mixture of Alder and Cedar, mixed with Fir ridges. No alpha predators. I have never been to the Charlottes so cannot speak to the terrain, tactics, or calibers.
 
nowarningshot said:
Seems like the thread is split into many different splinters.

My experience on Van Isle is locked gates and overgrown Alder thickets. Where I live, a mixture of Alder and Cedar, mixed with Fir ridges. No alpha predators. I have never been to the Charlottes so cannot speak to the terrain, tactics, or calibers.
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Much of what was alluded to by muckle in his recent post, does exist here on the main section of Vancouver Island. There are, as you've made mention of, ;) some 'thicker' areas as well. You have brought forward another :mad: major bone of contention that has surfaced in fairly recent years, that being the flood of now existing locked gates. On week days in particular, driving 1km up the local logging road, to access our club range located on leased municipal property is an experience in frustration :rolleyes: !! I was kind of hopeful that might change with the results of the last provincial election. :( Not yet.
 
Many years ago Alec Merriman ( if you remember that name,it dates you) took on the timber companies over the issue of locked gates and forced them to open up the lands to the public,on the grounds that the timber companies had recieved subsidies for building roads and as such the public had a right to access, the onus was on the timber companies to show cause as to why they had to block access ie: active logging.....where and why we lost access to much of southern VI that had previously had been able to use I do not know...
 
I have a Free Miners license with this license I am covered under the BC Mining Act and the BC Mining Right Away Act.

This gives me more rights to use the logging roads than the companies that built them they legally have to hand me a key to access these gates.

The only act in Canada that is equal in strength to the BC Mining Act is the National Energy Board Act so don't waste your time arguing that this is not so because your wrong.
 
ratherbefishin said:
Many years ago Alec Merriman ( if you remember that name,it dates you) took on the timber companies over the issue of locked gates and forced them to open up the lands to the public,on the grounds that the timber companies had recieved subsidies for building roads and as such the public had a right to access, the onus was on the timber companies to show cause as to why they had to block access ie: active logging.....where and why we lost access to much of southern VI that had previously had been able to use I do not know...
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I'm guessing but I think this is where the expression of 'Laws are made for lawyers' comes into play. I don't think there was any definition of how much access. Taking it to the Nth degree, one day/year might be the Co. interpretation. Locally, there is a sign in board at the gate to be used on weekend days. So weekdays, for those say retired with time available, getting access up 1km to the range, jump through the hoops!! One logical idea, move the gate 1km up the road. :rolleyes: Get your note pad to write down the 'excuses'.
 
ratherbefishin said:
Many years ago Alec Merriman ( if you remember that name,it dates you) took on the timber companies over the issue of locked gates and forced them to open up the lands to the public,on the grounds that the timber companies had recieved subsidies for building roads and as such the public had a right to access, the onus was on the timber companies to show cause as to why they had to block access ie: active logging.....where and why we lost access to much of southern VI that had previously had been able to use I do not know...
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I remember Alec's writings in the Victoria Times Columnist back in the good days. His brother Fred ,who worked with me Dad, was over at our place on numerous occasions and he was a good guy. Me Dad was one of the top guys to beat in the TC King Fisherman contest back in the 60's.

The biggest loss of access to our old favorite hunting spots is due to ENCROACHMENT and all the BS and bottom feeders that go with it.:(
 
Alex wrote a column in the 'Daily Colonist' and he published detailed road maps on all the logging roads on the island...all behind locked gates now.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
Hunting Haida Gwaii is something I haven't done in B.C., ;) yet :). Two quick questions, what would a 'good sized' Deer weigh? And, fairly thick close conditions or lots in the way of open logging slashes??
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I went once and I was a little beefier then, but most I could lift with one hand and the large ones took two hands. They are tiny.

They were mostly shot along the tree lines and they were all very close shots.
 
City Boy said:
I went once and I was a little beefier then, but most I could lift with one hand and the large ones took two hands. They are tiny.

They were mostly shot along the tree lines and they were all very close shots.
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You are correct if you shot a baby but I have shot bucks there that took two of us to drag out.
 
Camp Cook said:
You are correct if you shot a baby but I have shot bucks there that took two of us to drag out.
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We did shoot some does ... they were open too, but no ... full grown and tiny and you see them all over and they were all tiny. They were even smaller than the Vancouver Island deer that I’ve seen and nothing like the moose quarters from up north.

It’s a beautiful in the Haida Gwaii and I hope to go back again some day. Incredible beaches, campsites were open and free when we were there.
 
yeah, guy I talked to in Rupert had just come back from the Gwaii. said his hunting party took 5 deer back. when I asked him how much meat he got off of them, he said about '20lbs'.

so yeah, these deer are 'small'...which is why I actually considered a .223 as a viable option. however, with that comment about the sound of guns becoming a meal call for bear, I'd rather face one down with a .308 than a .223. :yingyang:
 
ratherbefishin said:
Alex wrote a column in the 'Daily Colonist' and he published detailed road maps on all the logging roads on the island...all behind locked gates now.
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For the few who have keys for the gates, its like having their own private hunting grounds. The rest of the hunting public are out of luck, it's disgusting really. I guess thats what happens, when governments sell off crown land cheap to these corporations, and a lot of the land they got for nothing.
 
Don't get me started on that...

I lived at the bottom of an FSR for years. The abuses I witnessed by the forestry companies were incredible. There were others who 'resented' the locked gates and a zip cutter sure cured that nonsense. They finally cut the tongue off the gate. I'd sure like to see those forest companies forced to maintain a railroad like their contract stipulates.
 
Not ALL Vancouver Island deer are small....many years ago I saw a rack that I was sure was a good mule deer, but it was a buck shot back up above Rithet Creek...
 
pete dobinson said:
For the few who have keys for the gates, its like having their own private hunting grounds. The rest of the hunting public are out of luck, it's disgusting really. I guess thats what happens, when governments sell off crown land cheap to these corporations, and a lot of the land they got for nothing.
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Exactly.
 
Johnn Peterson said:
Much of what was alluded to by muckle in his recent post, does exist here on the main section of Vancouver Island. There are, as you've made mention of, ;) some 'thicker' areas as well. You have brought forward another :mad: major bone of contention that has surfaced in fairly recent years, that being the flood of now existing locked gates. On week days in particular, driving 1km up the local logging road, to access our club range located on leased municipal property is an experience in frustration :rolleyes: !! I was kind of hopeful that might change with the results of the last provincial election. :( Not yet.
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Been there many times. Decent little range. Unless it's hunting season, usually have the place to yourself. Unfortunately because it's deserted.....aholes shoot it up and leave garbage.
 
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