Adrian J Hare
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- NewLowell On. Can.
Was it you that I was talking to in the Husky station the other day ? I have a different thought on Alberta after 10 days there...
Swan Hills AB - Stop Shooting Does
- Thread starter Demonical
- Start date
These two posts are spot on, though mostly being ignored. Seems vast majority of hunters want constant easy access to deer and don't want to get off their truck or quad to do it. Nature operates on a boom and bust cycle for one thing. Constant high numbers don't work - even if you do manage to suppress the predators a disease will just come through and wipe the large population species out; that's how nature works.
Also should note that most of the environmental researchers have been fired over the last 25 years, including a lot of those who monitor animal populations. Slow response and inadequate knowledge of what's occurring in our forests are the result, it just takes a little longer to see it than if they stop maintaining the roads...
Also should note that most of the environmental researchers have been fired over the last 25 years, including a lot of those who monitor animal populations. Slow response and inadequate knowledge of what's occurring in our forests are the result, it just takes a little longer to see it than if they stop maintaining the roads...
Adrian, I just read your post on AO, crazy stuff! No matter what they say, Alberta has a high number of night poachers. I've seen a few operate around here and reported them but I'm never close enough to get the license plate number so it's pretty useless.
Ardent
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Indeed, High Level is swimming in them, provinces are large places.
- Location
- AB foothills
Indeed they are...
Bellero says hardly any whitetails in Slave lake but yet I contact some friends there that I have hunted with many, many times, they tell me they are having no problems filling tags this year. I am told numbers are down for sure but nothing to be alarmed about. This information is from folks who have lived and hunted there their entire lives.
So what is it? If we are not careful whitetails wont be able to recover as Bellero says, or, is it just another cycle of less animals caused by mother nature?
Whitetail deer breed like rats, they will be just fine...
I have driven all over for 8 days. Didn't see squat. Got outa the truck for 3 hours and the forest came alive. All my chances for deer this year have been by foot. They are getting smarter at avoiding cars I guess. I have busted the same two areas the past two years (316/312) and from what I see there has been a flip in population between the two. Cycles are a blame, poaching, and damn predators. I got one bear down, and I have plenty of plans to work on the dogs this winter. As far as doe count, Endless, the bucks have been a little harder to spot. 1 for at least every 20 does I have seen.
- Location
- AB foothills
I know exactly what Demonical is talking about!! I live in Slave Lake and work south of town in prime deer/moose country. I was working two weeks ago and we had a few inches of fresh snow on Saturday November 8th. I drove 300km of lease roads and never cut a fresh track!! We used to have a friendly competition and count the number of bucks we would see working each fall. My crossshift counted around a hundred maybe 10 years ago. This is in approximately three months September to November. I have seen a grand total of 4 this fall and three were in town along the creek!! The trail cameras don't lie and the number of deer and especially mature bucks is WAY down. You can go out and kill a doe or find a small buck if you put in some time but game populations are hurting big time!! Bad winters and too many predators have done some of the damage. Add to that the heavy year round hunting pressure that hammers the animals at vulnerable times of the year and this is what you are left with.
- Location
- WMU248 near Edmonton
the suplemental tags for does is good herd management, the tags are not valid in all zones and some zones your suplemental 1 tag is good but not the suplemental 2 tag, if the SRD biologist want they can change that for next year based on numbers and by zone. plenty of deer still, its just that the buggers went nocturnal early and you don't see them.
Moose tags particular the antlerless draw is another one, I would get rid of the antlerless tag and make it a calf only, protect teh breeding stock of cows. Andl let me tell you once the calf is down things get real sporty, as a solo hunter I'm concerned about 2 things grizley bear and pissed off cow moose and not in that order
According to one wildlife biologist I have worked with the calf moose has about a 40% chance of survival through the winter, they just don't have the fat reserves, and wolves get a lot of them. (oh and shoot every wolf you see if you want to have deer and moose)
Moose tags particular the antlerless draw is another one, I would get rid of the antlerless tag and make it a calf only, protect teh breeding stock of cows. Andl let me tell you once the calf is down things get real sporty, as a solo hunter I'm concerned about 2 things grizley bear and pissed off cow moose and not in that order
According to one wildlife biologist I have worked with the calf moose has about a 40% chance of survival through the winter, they just don't have the fat reserves, and wolves get a lot of them. (oh and shoot every wolf you see if you want to have deer and moose)Adrian J Hare
CGN frequent flyer
- Location
- NewLowell On. Can.
I had to ask bud , because a guy told me exactly the same thing at the Husky
We hunt in 320 and 314 and have been skunked for 3 trips now. I did see some whitetail, but that was before their season opened. Nothing since then. Where we usually operate there has been a lot more drilling activity and everyone we spoke to out there had been skunked. Our group got two on the sept opening weekend (6 hunters over 3 days) and nothing since then.
I wish I knew the farmers all of you do but if you didn't grow up here and you're from a city, they basically tell you to #### off. A million people in Calgary and all those 'city' hunters have to drive past plenty of fields with deer standing behind the "no hunting" sign, to overhunt the accessible crown land. We're driving 3 hours out of Calgary and still no luck... lots of wolf tracks though.
I wish I knew the farmers all of you do but if you didn't grow up here and you're from a city, they basically tell you to #### off. A million people in Calgary and all those 'city' hunters have to drive past plenty of fields with deer standing behind the "no hunting" sign, to overhunt the accessible crown land. We're driving 3 hours out of Calgary and still no luck... lots of wolf tracks though.
the spank
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Planet Earth Wearing My Tinfoil Hat
I saw deer every day for the week I worked in the area this past summer while travelling from Swan Hills to House Mountain. Not in droves but usually 3-10 per day. Saw lots of Black Bears too. It was my first time in the area, quite impressive country.
I can't believe this post is still going on. One person is pi$$ed cuz they can't find any deer in their favorite hunting spot, so they think they should tell everyone in the province stop hunting.
I generally hunt in 3 or 4 spot throughout the province. If some spot gets down to slim pickings, I move on to another instead of whining about it. As Crazy Davey said, they breed like rats, If you can't figure this out, its because you don't have very many hunting seasons under your belt.
Animal populations rise and fall for many different reasons and can vary tremendously in just a few miles. There is no mass shortage of deer anymore than there is global warming.
Please don't put words I din't say in my mouth. I'm not the one petionning to stop hunting does or allowing only mature bucks to be harvested and all that nonsense. If you read my posts, all I said is numbers are down and the hunting community should show some restraint, ie: not filling every single tag you have just because you have them. I never, ever said WT won't be able to recover! Don't know where you got that from? If you guys don't believe numbers are down or don't see it in your area, good for you. This season harvest stats will be out soon and we'll be able to compare with past years and see who was right or wrong.
I guess I'm a fool for believing in QDM.
- Location
- AB foothills
You said exactly this:
You did say exactly that, pay attention to what you post if you cant remember. Arguing with you is like arguing with my wife, might as well argue with the wall...
- Location
- AB foothills
OK, thank you.
Not wanting to be a #### but you did say it...
Deer populations go in cycles. I remember crazy high numbers a few years back as well, but in reality those numbers aren't healthy.
