Nov. 3, 2025 controlled deer season opens.

[valczer]

Controlled hunt ended Friday.
Had family health emergency so only got to hunt Friday.
0 sightings and no deer harvested on our buck and doe tags.
Cameras show huge buck and big doe, at the mineral blocks, night and daytime on Thursday.
4-5 gun shots heard on properties around us on Friday morning and afternoon.
Cameras show lone wolf Saturday morning early. I think that's why the deer were laying low.

Best thing was we heard an elk bugling two times. I've owned the property for 9 years and that was a first and hopefully not the last. A real thrill to hear and proof of healthy and improving environment.

Good to hear from ya, Pete.

Hope all is well with the family health emergency.

Elk you say. Nice. Hopefully you get deer and an elk next year

 

[Pete04]

Yes, my sister is expected to be released from hospital tomorrow. She got out of the hospital Wednesday but had to go back in to hospital Friday after the men of the family were already in the field hunting!! She is much better now thank you.

Elk were re-introduced (from Alberta) to Bancroft in 2000. I'm in Washago with Queen Elizabeth Wildlands Park a few miles to the east of me. So I'm guessing we are 40-50 miles South West of Bancroft as the crow flies so they seem to be expanding the herd.
I have moose on the property so elk will make a great edition to my trail cam picture collection. Sadly we have no moose hunt in 76A and I don't expect an elk hunt in the near future.

 

[canadian hunter312]

I saw quite a few deer this week and could have easily killed some, but I was focused on breaking a buddies losing streak. Why he enjoys watching deer run away instead of shooting them, i do not understand. I think I need to get him to hold the gun and I’ll pull the trigger for him


Tons of deer and coyotes around as usual. Despite what some claim, coyotes are not the reason for lack of deer sightings and activity. If we were to believe that coyotes kill all of the deer or displace them, we’d simply have no deer around at all.

The main reason people see less deer some years is they’ve altered their habits due to habitat loss, pressure, food, etc. I see this regularly where I live and those are the times I turn off the GPS and hunt properties like it’s my first time there. Probably half the deer I’ve shot were in areas I wouldn’t normally hunt or “in spots where deer would never be”.