A River Hunt
- Thread starter leelad
- Start date
Wow thanks all! It was a great time! The rifle is one I built and has a lengthy thread of its own. It’s a replica of a high wall and is chambers in “308british” (30-303). This year, hunting deer only, I backed my load off to 150gr rn @2200fps. I shot this buck and a little doe later on. I was very please with Bullet performance at the slower velocity and more pleased at the reduction of meat damage this load produced. That thread about “blood shot at different velocities “ has merit in my mind!
I hope you're all enjoying your Christmas!
I've been meaning to write this sooner but this is the first down time I've had!
Deep woods hunting is something that I love. Being very fortunate to live in Alberta with 100s of kilometres of crown land out my back door, Fall is a wonderful time of year!
It's always amazing to me how few people venture more than a hundred yards off the roads. There will be truck after truck on the same lease road but duck into the bush and you're by yourself!
(not that I'm complaining mind you)
The down side of course, is the further you go from the truck, the further you have to haul meat. My favorite solution to that problem, when possible, is canoe based river hunting...
It was the day after Thanksgiving; belly still full of pie and with a doggy bag full of turkey buns for the road. My buddy and I headed up Hwy 43 to our put in point on the Athabasca, about an hour to the west. The weather had been very pleasant up till the past week, when temperatures began to fall consistently below zero each night. On our way there, we noted the odd skim of ice beginning to form on some smaller beaver ponds beside the hi way.
It was noted that we may run into more ice in the inlets than last year.
We loaded our canoes, tied gear in place and lashed tarps down on top. Nosing into the main current we watched the bridge slip away behind us, and the exhilaration of beginning a new adventure began to grow.
My buddy had a Bull elk tag, although the Elk rut was long over. And we each had our deer tags. Nothing crazy, just meat hunting and getting away for a few days. We saw a whitetail doe and two fawns along shore shortly after putting in. A couple bends down we pulled out, to check on a heavy use game trail from years past. No fresh sign there, carry on.
The river was a foot or two higher than it was last year, the banks showing evidence that it was dropping. This afforded us the opportunity to float through some side channels we couldn't access last year and by mid afternoon we had found area we liked and were off the river and in the bush.
This was looking promising! We were on a long island that had a short back channel to the North shore and plenty of sign.
We set up camp on the far end of the island and hunted till early afternoon the next day with no success.
Back on the river, we decided to check out a ridge we’d eyed up last year but had never explored. Meeting back at the boats a few hours later three things had become apparent...
-This was a gorgeous area of bush! Lots of sign, heavy game trails and beautiful terrain.
-There was some weather rolling in.
-Buddy had hit cell service at the top of the ridge and received multiple weather alerts and a very different forecast from the previous morning... A pacific low heading our way, temps dropping to -12c, wind and a snowfall warning.
With a rain squall about to hit us, we decided to call this home for the night, tuck in tight, and reassess in the morning.
The rain passed. About 2am the wind came up and it started snowing. A flock of snow geese buzzed our tents, sounding like they were going to land in the back channel a hundred yards away... “Hmm” I thought to myself. Birds can do what they want, but I’ve never seen/heard snow geese flying low/landing around here. They’re always cruising at 10,000ft.
Then another flock...
Then another...
“I wonder whats blowing up top that’s got them down this low...?)
Morning broke cold, windy and snowing. But quickly tapered off and cleared up.
It was decision time. Stay and hunt knowing the forecast was to deteriorate by evening and get nasty for days? Or scuttle the hunt and get off the river by evening.
Now I like a good adventure! Most of my friends have a “Paul story” or two. but I don’t like being reckless and the concept of spending a full day in a loaded canoe during the next day(s) forecast sounded unpleasant. Not to mention the risk factor of any kind of screw up/swamping on the Athabasca at such temperatures.
It was especially hard because the weather had improved!... Still, we decided to pull the pin, grab winter gear from home and head up the(much lower consequence) Mcleod river for the last couple days of our hunt.
Calling ahead, My wife agreed to come with us and got her/my winter gear ready to go and we managed to get camp set up on the Mcleod well after dark that night.
The next morning was a hunters paradise! A couple inches of snow and still falling... Stuff should be moving! Buddy saw several cow elk crossing the river down stream, watched a cow and calf moose in the bush and my wife and I kept bumping into a muley doe and her fawn.
Great day, just no meat. The next morning was colder yet but stopped blowing. We put on lots of miles but saw only tracks and a couple moose. Breaking camp that afternoon I was frustrated by a week gone by already...
November. Season is open on both sides of the river and the weather has warmed up again!
Another friend of mine agreed to go back up the Mcleod and spend a few days in the bush.
Coming down stream to our planned base camp the weather was cool and overcast and very still. Very peaceful and pleasant. There were, however, several ice jams left from the previous weather which we had to break through/portage over/around which ate up some time.
Even still, we arrived at our spot just at dusk and were able to get our tarp tent set up as a steady rain began to fall. Firing up the wood stove soon drove the dampness from our clothes and with a hearty supper in our bellies, we turned in for the night.
Up early next morning, it was go time! The rain had stopped without turning to snow and as daylight dawned; a gorgeous clear, crisp morning unfolded. Slowly walking the shore line down stream, it was quickly apparent that there was a ton of activity here! Tracks upon tracks, a super hi way for every kind of game animal we have.
I managed to shoot a chicken and ran into several mule does throughout the day, and My buddy spooked up a whitetail buck but didn’t get a shot. We had roast chicken for supper along with pasta and stoked up the wood stove for the night.
Next day was similar, cold and over cast. Lots of ground covered but not even a chicken to show for it...
On the last morning we woke up to a cold tent and the sound of falling snow. This could be a good morning...
I stuffed a handful of granola bars into my day pack and headed out just as the sky began to grey. The snow was falling heavily and helped deaden the sound of my movement. I worked my way slowly about 50yards off the base of a steep ridge through grassy forest. Stopping every few paces to look around, I spotted the face of a WT buck watching me through the brush about 40yards away. As soon as I raised my rifle however, he turned and disappeared without a sound. Slowly, I continued on. About an hour later I saw movement along the ridge bottom and heading my way. I caught glimpses of a doe and yearling but couldn’t tell if they were mules or WT.
Time was running out. We would need to get camp packed up and boats loaded soon... I decided to climb the ridge and loop back along the top. The snow started to taper off and up here, the wind was brisk but in my favor. Finally, I turned to head back down the ridge toward camp. Time was up. I was pushing it as it was, My buddy was probably already back at camp starting to tear down...
I glanced to my left, what was that under that spruce? Sure enough, there was a deer watching me! With the branches I couldn’t make out the shape of its antlers, but it definitely HAD antlers... We stood and stared at each other for a couple minutes.
With all the mule deer we’d seen in the area I just couldn’t take a chance.... It was painful! Here I am, last day of the hunt 50yards from a buck but I just couldn’t confirm he was WT. Most likely, I wouldn’t be able to tell till he wheeled and flipped me his tail and then it would be too late!... Darn that spruce tree! I took a step back, trying to change the angle enough to get a better view of his antlers... no better... I took another step. The buck lowered his head and began to turn away! I was soo ready for him though and as he turned I saw that beautiful WT antler profile just as his motion brought his rib cage into my crosshairs. BOOM! Thwack!... That white flag bounded over a log and dissapeared...
Elation, confidence, and doubt simultaneously flooded my mind! I was sure it was a good shot, but it had happened so fast... I waited a few minutes before moving to where he’d been standing... blood. GOOD! And more on the log... The fresh snow was a blessing. I waited a couple more minutes before following. I didn’t have far to go before finding him however; perhaps 40yards? Both lungs were wrecked and the top of his heart was gone. The shot had been good.
Then the work began... At least it was all down hill and the snow made dragging him easier. My buddy had heard the shot and found me as I slid the buck down the ridge. We hauled him to the river and took some pictures before heading up stream to break down camp.
It was a drag race home... Getting off the river just at dark with our boats thickly iced up and our paddles looking like popsicles. But I grinned the whole way with the immeasurable satisfaction of having a nice river buck laying in the front of my canoe and the knowledge that there would be venison in the freezer for another year!
AAA+++! Great job!
Congrats on a well earned buck.
We do alot of river hunting in Northern Ontario for moose and bears... no deer in these areas, although it can certainly be done further south or west. We have hauled dozens of moose out by canoe... it is a great way to hunt... beat the crowds and get close to game.
We do alot of river hunting in Northern Ontario for moose and bears... no deer in these areas, although it can certainly be done further south or west. We have hauled dozens of moose out by canoe... it is a great way to hunt... beat the crowds and get close to game.
Pretty cool hunt and story! I had a couple canoe trips planned across the border to Montana but COVID happened.
I personally much rather walk far away from trails and hunt by myself. It's pressure really goes down when you're a couple Kms from any road or trail.
I personally much rather walk far away from trails and hunt by myself. It's pressure really goes down when you're a couple Kms from any road or trail.
