Mule Deer in BC

dragoon7214

dragoon7214

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I'm interested in going Mule Deer hunting in BC, and I'm looking at either the Cariboo near Williams Lake, or some where in the Kootenays. Can anyone reccomend an outfitter in these areas, or share any experiences?

Thanks

MB
 
I live in Likely (an hour and a half north east of Williams Lake out into the middle of nowhere) and the number of Mule Deer I see on average driving to and from town is probably 20. There are tons of mule deer out around here!
 
My experience, though limited, tells me that there are lots of mulies in both areas, but the ones in the Cariboo-Chilcotin are bigger.
 
Do you want ot do a horseback hunting trip in September? Or a truck and hike hunt in the rut?

Try huntingbc.ca there should be some suggestions there...
 
I'm leaning towards a horseback hunt. I'm coming in from out of province, so I won't have a lot of time to scout and get lay of the land. Also much easier packing a deer out on a outfitted hunt. Trying to get an idea of costs. I have checked huntingbc.ca and found tons of good info, but most of the guys posting there are residents, so most are on DIY hunts, not guided. I'd really like to score a nice big BC mountain monster.
 
WTF? Are you serious? You are going to leave Alberta to look for a Mule Deer in BC. Are you out of your mind?

Before all the poor BC'ers come out of the woodwork extolling the virtues of BC, I lived there for 33 years, and have been in AB for 5. I see numerous B&C class mulies in southern Alberta every year. In BC I personally saw 3 big bucks worth remembering in 22 years of hunting.

I still have many friends and family who live / hunt BC, and thier recent experience is the same as mine was for the last decade I lived there: lots of mule deer, but very few big bucks. It was / is not uncommon to see >100 deer per day and zero to a few bucks. When I go out here, I often see more bucks than does! During bow season last year I saw P&Y class deer in the dozens, and at least one 180 class buck almost every time I went out.

I know there are some big deer in BC, but seriously, Alberta is so much better.

Why BC???
 
BC offers an experience that probably isn't as easy to achieve in Alberta. An early season Cariboo-Chilcotin horseback trip in the high country is something that a person will never forget.

I'd agree that if your goal is a record book mule deer to head somewhere other than BC. The big mule deer exist, but they aren't behind every tree, and a week isn't much time to find one.

However, if you want a high country hunt to remember, with the opportunity to take a decent mule deer and also see grizzlies, black bear, moose goats etc, then a Chilcotin horse trip is a wonderful experience.
 
i have lived and hunted in both BC and AB (and still hunt in AB with a host). your chances of a BIG deer are much better in AB... but the high country has much to recommend it from an experience point of view, which i would rather have than a bigger set of horns.

what i would do if i was in your shoes.... book a goat hunt in BC.
 
BigUglyMan said:
No, just willing to get out of his truck is my guess.



Two words - Empire Valley

Or two more words - The Chilcotin
Click to expand...

???? BUM, WTH are you talking about??

Firstly, have you hunted both BC and AB?? If so where, when and how often? I have hunted most of BC, from the Coast and islands, to the Okanagan, Kooteney, Chilcotin, Skeena, Peace, etc., for deer, moose, sheep, goats, bears and elk. I am sure there are a lot of great spots that I did not hunt, but I hunted many great areas in >20 years and rarely saw trophy sized mule deer, and that is what this discussion was about, not elk, moose or goats.

In AB I have been fortunate enough to hunt the foothills, parkland, boreal, and southern prairies. Of course I have seen and hunted a lot less here as I have only been in AB for 5 years; but in that time I have come to realize a few things:

1. It is about 15% cheaper to live here
2. The hunting is fan-frickin-tastic
3. BC's deer, moose and elk management is pathetic at best, completely political at it's worst
4. Alberta has the BEST mule deer hunting in Canada (I will listen to arguments from those in SK, because I have not hunted there yet)
5. The fishing is better then Albertans are willing to admit
6. I can come back from a hunting trip and stop somewhere for dinner while still wearing camo and NOT get glared at and lipped off by some self righteous hippy/yuppy/fricken' idiot who thinks meat comes from the superstore, but I'm not bitter.....

Secondly, as for getting out of the truck, BC is the land of the truck hunter! In BC I would rarely, if ever, see anyone walking in the bush. In AB, I have been disappointed to find that almost every day when I hike into an area, there are somebody's footprints, or often another hunter, already in the area. IMO, there are fewer truck and quad devotees in AB then BC, just a personal observation.

I am not sure if you were suggesting that I personally was not willing to get out of my truck, the OP, or all Albertan hunters? So before you go yapping away: I hunt on foot, and I do not own a quad, I own a pack frame and use it often.

I notice that when the discussion about hunting in AB and BC comes up, there is rarely anyone who has hunted both provinces who votes BC, regardless of the species (exceptions noted).

I will end this rant with a question for all the BC hunters who believe the Mule Deer hunting is so good: how many 180" bucks, (hmmm, that's probably not fair), okay, how many 150" mule deer bucks did you personally see last year? Hell, I will make it easier, how many mule deer bucks of ANY size did you see last year?

For those who are not in denial, last fall I saw two 190 class, five 180 class, more 150 class deer then I can remember, and more bucks than does every day I hunted; it was a good year. Every year since I moved here I have seen at least two true trophy deer during hunting season.

Try hunting here, and you will understand. BTW, last year I had 8 deer tags.
 
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Pudelpointer said:
???? BUM, WTH are you talking about??

Firstly, have you hunted both BC and AB?? If so where, when and how often? I have hunted most of BC, from the Coast and islands, to the Okanagan, Kooteney, Chilcotin, Skeena, Peace, etc., for deer, moose, sheep, goats, bears and elk. I am sure there are a lot of great spots that I did not hunt, but I hunted many great areas in >20 years and rarely saw trophy sized mule deer, and that is what this discussion was about, not elk, moose or goats.

In AB I have been fortunate enough to hunt the foothills, parkland, boreal, and southern prairies. Of course I have seen and hunted a lot less here as I have only been in AB for 5 years; but in that time I have come to realize a few things:

1. It is about 15% cheaper to live here
2. The hunting is fan-frickin-tastic
3. BC's deer, moose and elk management is pathetic at best, completely political at it's worst
4. Alberta has the BEST mule deer hunting in Canada (I will listen to arguments from those in SK, because I have not hunted there yet)
5. The fishing is better then Albertans are willing to admit
6. I can come back from a hunting trip and stop somewhere for dinner while still wearing camo and NOT get glared at and lipped off by some self righteous hippy/yuppy/fricken' idiot who thinks meat comes from the superstore, but I'm not bitter.....

Secondly, as for getting out of the truck, BC is the land of the truck hunter! In BC I would rarely, if ever, see anyone walking in the bush. In AB, I have been disappointed to find that almost every day when I hike into an area, there are somebody's footprints, or often another hunter, already in the area. IMO, there are fewer truck and quad devotees in AB then BC, just a personal observation.

I am not sure if you were suggesting that I personally was not willing to get out of my truck, the OP, or all Albertan hunters? So before you go yapping away: I hunt on foot, and I do not own a quad, I own a pack frame and use it often.

I notice that when the discussion about hunting in AB and BC comes up, there is rarely anyone who has hunted both provinces who votes BC, regardless of the species (exceptions noted).

I will end this rant with a question for all the BC hunters who believe the Mule Deer hunting is so good: how many 180" bucks, (hmmm, that's probably not fair), okay, how many 150" mule deer bucks did you personally see last year? Hell, I will make it easier, how many mule deer bucks of ANY size did you see last year?

For those who are not in denial, last fall I saw two 190 class, five 180 class, more 150 class deer then I can remember, and more bucks than does every day I hunted; it was a good year. Every year since I moved here I have seen at least two true trophy deer during hunting season.

Try hunting here, and you will understand. BTW, last year I had 8 deer tags.
Click to expand...

well, as someone who has lived and hunted in both, i think that BC has *better* mule deer hunting in the sense that i can go every year and get a solid 4 point given the caveat that i have the time off work. it is definately easier to get a truly big buck in AB (and this may be a function of visibility), but you need to wait 3+ years to draw the tag. personally i would rather hunt every year. and all the CWD culling is taking a toll on the number of big bucks in AB. number of tags is somewhat meaningless, a person can take something like 26 animals in BC without entering a draw.

and BC generally has longer seasons than AB.

i agree that a lot of the management in BC is facked.

the original question was about a guided hunt in BC for mule deer. which if i was an AB resident i would not do.
 
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