Swan Hills AB - Stop Shooting Does

[Demonical]

10 years ago there was a decent, healthy population of whitetails, in the Swan Hills. Deer numbers were pretty good. But then the Gov't brought in a supplementary doe tag, for whitetails. I think the bastards just wanted money from license sales...

I was upset by this immediately, because I knew if this continued, the whitetails here would be wiped out. This country is high, Alberta foothills, deep, deep snow, severe cold. There is already high winter mortality here, but prior to the doe tag, the deer could at least recover.

Lots of guys I know, immediately began shooting does. I told them they are dumb-asses. Sausage hunters cannot be persuaded it seems. They just laughed at me.

As I feared, as the years have gone by, since the idiot doe tag came in, the herd has plummeted. Decimated is how I would describe it.

Over the course of the last week, touring the roads in the field here, where you used to see deer, in a week, I have seen one deer. One ####ing deer!

There are more wolf tracks on the road than deer tracks.

I've brought this up before and I usually get yelled at, by the 'sausage hunters'; hey, in other areas of Alberta, I am sure the deer numbers are great, and a doe harvest in the farming country may be sustainable. But it is not here.

I am not just talking out of my ass here. I have lived in either Swan Hills or Whitecourt, since 1980, and I've worked in the Swan Hills the entire time.

So number one, if you want to shoot a doe for sausage, I'd look elsewhere, unless you plan on burning a helluva lot of gas. Better yet, leave the damn does alone... please...

 

[squamishhunter]

I feel ya. Even if there was a season here, I still wouldn't try for one.

 

[buckbrushoutdoors]

Feel your pain I'm in 346 and it's almost void of deer in some areas. Lots of wolves lots of doe hunters and a few very sevear winters has taken its toll.

 

[Stevebot-7]

In a nitpicking mood I'm afraid, but a decimation actually isn't all that bad as it is a 10% reduction. Devastated might be a better term to use when you mean that there have been significant, possibly irrevocable losses.

I myself probably wouldn't go for a doe tag, less sustainable in the long run.

 

[Byron Wolf]

It's not just swan hills it's almost provincial wide. Yes people need to stop shooting the does. And shoot every wolf they see.

 

[bellero]

Numbers are low everywhere in Alberta, between harsh winters, predator numbers, cwd culls and supplementary doe tag, the population won't recover if we don't show some restraint.

 

[crazy_davey]

Numbers are low everywhere in Alberta, between harsh winters, predator numbers, cwd culls and supplementary doe tag, the population won't recover if we don't show some restraint.

Ok, you haven't been in Alberta that long. Now your an expert on Alberta whitetail numbers and how they are doing across the whole province? Sorry, the places I frequent they are doing just fine and after talking to folks I know around Alberta it is not as bad as what you make it out to be. I am not commenting on the Swan Hills, Demonical knows that area well.

I know there has been some tough winters but whitetail deer breed and multiply like rats. They will be just fine.

 

[6MT]

Lac St. Anne county has a miriad of whitetail. No numbers issues here.

 

[fiddler]

Ok, you haven't been in Alberta that long. Now your an expert on Alberta whitetail numbers and how they are doing across the whole province? Sorry, the places I frequent they are doing just fine and after talking to folks I know around Alberta it is not as bad as what you make it out to be. I am not commenting on the Swan Hills, Demonical knows that area well.

I know there has been some tough winters but whitetail deer breed and multiply like rats. They will be just fine.

I tend to agree.

We have a farm not too far south of Swan Hills area and we're seeing whitetails herds in the fields around 30 animals, all last year it was just above 20 animals. We generally wait for a nice buck, and since we have scores of elk and moose, the does are not hunted hard. That said, we can still take a few does without hurting much. The wolves are the biggest problem in our area, and part of the agreement to hunting access on cattle farmers land, is to shoot every wolf we see.

 

[Grizzly Adams]

Numbers are low everywhere in Alberta, between harsh winters, predator numbers, cwd culls and supplementary doe tag, the population won't recover if we don't show some restraint.

x2, but it seems to be spotty as well. Can think of a couple of places still overrun with White tailed Rats.

Grizz

 

[crazy_davey]

I tend to agree.

We have a farm not too far south of Swan Hills area and we're seeing whitetails herds in the fields around 30 animals, all last year it was just above 20 animals. We generally wait for a nice buck, and since we have scores of elk and moose, the does are not hunted hard. That said, we can still take a few does without hurting much. The wolves are the biggest problem in our area, and part of the agreement to hunting access on cattle farmers land, is to shoot every wolf we see.

And I'm not saying WT numbers aren't down in some areas but to say they won't recover is rubbish.

 

[celtic1123]

I tend to agree.

We have a farm not too far south of Swan Hills area and we're seeing whitetails herds in the fields around 30 animals, all last year it was just above 20 animals. We generally wait for a nice buck, and since we have scores of elk and moose, the does are not hunted hard. That said, we can still take a few does without hurting much. The wolves are the biggest problem in our area, and part of the agreement to hunting access on cattle farmers land, is to shoot every wolf we see.

x2, but it seems to be spotty as well. Can think of a couple of places still overrun with White tailed Rats.

Grizz

Either of you care to share where these spots may be? Lol

As for the Swan Hills area, I just hunted 349 for the first time ever yesterday. . . . saw 5 sets of tracks from after the last snow, 1 set of what I believe were older Moose tracks, and then we saw 2 lynx. On the way back home stopped for gas in Whitecourt and it seems pretty much everyone who hunted up that way got skunked.

 

[fiddler]

We have two quarters for the farm and privileged access to another 8 along the nastiest part of the river. Last week I was seeing 7 or 8 does for every buck and lots of babies and yearlings. The moose are still in the low areas, but the bucks have scrapes every fifty feet for as long as you care to walk. Several of these quarters we don't hunt on at all unless we see dogs. This gives them a safe haven, even if small. As far as I'm concerned the numbers are definitely up in the last two years. I qualify my opinion because I'm there most weekends throughout the year, not just hunting season.

I have my moose tag this year and my hunting partner shot a six point elk two weeks ago. I'm not greedy for meat, but if I see a super nice whitetail I can always find freezer room.

I'm not sure what to say to the other posters, maybe your spot is over-hunted and you should look for a new one. We see deer out the farmhouse window everyday, often right in the driveway. The numbers are up where I am.

 

[prarie_boy]

The 200's are in rough shape as well worst numbers I have seen in years! They need to close down the antler less mule deer season and supplemental doe season for a year at least let the population recover

 

[bellero]

Ok, you haven't been in Alberta that long. Now your an expert on Alberta whitetail numbers and how they are doing across the whole province? Sorry, the places I frequent they are doing just fine and after talking to folks I know around Alberta it is not as bad as what you make it out to be. I am not commenting on the Swan Hills, Demonical knows that area well.

I know there has been some tough winters but whitetail deer breed and multiply like rats. They will be just fine.

Well that's your opinion but that's not what thousands of Alberta hunters are saying. For the record, I lived in Alberta before for several years in the 90's and hunted here back then. It's easy to compare what was hunting then and now.

 

[albertaal]

The winter kill in my area of Saskatchewan has been severe. My buddies and I were talking that our deer hunt might be more of a grouse hunt.

 

[JungleCat7]

Do any of you know why exactly why there is a doe season? The bucks will stay in rut as long as there are does in heat. During this time they rarely eat and are more interested in breeding. If there are lots of does the breeding could possibly go on into late January even February which often results in the bucks dying off from starvation and exhaustion. It is all part of a management plan to keep the population viable. It is considered good game management.
Bob

 

[Diablo7101]

I feel the same way about cow and calf moose...shouldn't be allowed. The numbers aren't that great that shooting these is sustainable. I won't ever do it anyway.

 

[Hotwheels81]

I feel the same way about cow and calf moose...shouldn't be allowed. The numbers aren't that great that shooting these is sustainable. I won't ever do it anyway.

Guess it depends where you live... I grew up in the north Shuswap, logged from 10-15 then from 26-29, put thousands of km's of gravel road under the old bush trucks and thought it was a treat to see a moose 2-3x PER YEAR... I see that allmost daily in northern AB...

The only thing I would raise a stink about up here is we should put Bull Elk on draw and open the cow's to a general tag for a few season's... The herds are getting ridiculous... Spotted 50+ cow's this morning in a single herd and not one legal bull, another herd had 6 cow's and no bull, another group had 3 and no bull... Very soon the farmers are going to be shooting these elk and dragging them off the hay to rot in a ditch out back but do you think a local hunter can get a cow tag?

 

[Albertarookie]

South of Whitecourt is pretty rough as well, unless you hunt my neighbours front yard. in the last 2 days of hard hunting I have seen a grand total of 5 does not a single buck in the bunch. Elk are moving in hard right now though and wolf and coyote numbers seem to be up a fair bit as well.