HAS ANYONE HUNTED ALBERTA ?
06-09-2005, 06:26 AM
#1
HAS ANYONE HUNTED ALBERTA ?
I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BOW HUNT ALBERTA THE FIRST COUPLE OF WEEKS OF THE SEASON ... I HAVE HUNTED ALBERTA IN NOVEMBER BUT I KNOW THAT EARLY SEPTEMBER IS HOT AND I HAVE NO IDEA AS TO HOW THE BIG BOYS MOVE THAT TIME OF YEAR ...CAN ANY OF YOU GUYS TELL ME IF IT IS WORTH THE MONEY AND EFFORT TO HUNT THIS EARLY IN THE YEAR ..AND HOW WOULD YOU HUNT IT .... I WILL BE UP AROUND AREA 523 ...
DOC
DOC
06-09-2005, 08:06 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location:
Posts: 119
RE: HAS ANYONE HUNTED ALBERTA ?
I have hunted Alberta the last 2 years in Sept. I went the week of the 9/12, and then the week of 9/20 last year. I was primarily there for bear, but both years I bought a whitetail tag, and hunted whitetails in the morning, and bear in the afternoon. After I tagged out on bear I hunted both settings for deer. I personally wont hunt Sept for deer again. It was something to do and kept me in the woods, but the bucks were not moving at all either year. My friend did not see any either. I was hunting in a town called Lac La Bishe an hour south of Fort McMurray. The area we were hunting takes some awesome deer in Nov. 4 deer over 200 inches in the last 3 seasons, but Sept is not a very good time to be pursuing deer unless the weather is below normal. Next time I will save the money on the tag, and just focus on bear.
06-10-2005, 09:37 AM
#4
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern Idaho's Panhandle
Posts: 4,436
RE: HAS ANYONE HUNTED ALBERTA ?
I have whitetail hunted in Alberta, but it was during the November rut. I also spent some time up there in August prior to my hunting up there scouting with my friend and establishing stand sites. He"hosted" me as a non-resident alien and can do so every third year.
I hunt here at home in the early season (august 30th through Sept 30th) and feel there are some real advantages to hunting early, there are also obstacles that time of the year you don't encounter as much during the rut. I am assuming you're hunting with an outfitter or are you being hosted? Anyway who ever you hunt with, if they do their summer homework, you should have no problem in the evening hunts seeing bucks walk by you on thier way to feeding areas or to water holes. Your daylight will extend late into the evenings in early September and the younger to middle aged bucks you will be hunting will most likely still be traveling in bachelor groups. From what I witness here in early archery season, some of the older bucks will be solo and reclusive even in early season, not all of them of course. Anyway have a great time, remember the closer you can be set up near a good bedding area the better chance you have to intercept them in daylight hours on their way to feed/water. Some bucks if not disturbed may be feeding well before dark, this will depend on your area and pressure of course.
With the high temperatures ( I've harvest bucks on 90+ degree days) you have to consider scent being a big obstacle. Really play your winds as I am sure you will, be as clean as you can and don't cut any corners in that department. I dont think anyone can be completely scent free, but I think you cam minimize your scent enough to make deer feel your fruther away and not a threat to their comfort zone. Obviously your wind will be your most important detail to not getting detected. I hunted the "bowzone" area near Edmonton in 02. I harvested a 120 class buck and honestly could have held out longer. When I was field dressing my buck a dandy came by my stand right before dark. This year I will hold out for a true Alberta brute, I dont really care what he scores, I just want to arrow a big heavy bodied mature critter. It was a great experience and am going back this year on the same hunters host program for whitetail and moose. Best of luck,
Shed
I hunt here at home in the early season (august 30th through Sept 30th) and feel there are some real advantages to hunting early, there are also obstacles that time of the year you don't encounter as much during the rut. I am assuming you're hunting with an outfitter or are you being hosted? Anyway who ever you hunt with, if they do their summer homework, you should have no problem in the evening hunts seeing bucks walk by you on thier way to feeding areas or to water holes. Your daylight will extend late into the evenings in early September and the younger to middle aged bucks you will be hunting will most likely still be traveling in bachelor groups. From what I witness here in early archery season, some of the older bucks will be solo and reclusive even in early season, not all of them of course. Anyway have a great time, remember the closer you can be set up near a good bedding area the better chance you have to intercept them in daylight hours on their way to feed/water. Some bucks if not disturbed may be feeding well before dark, this will depend on your area and pressure of course.
With the high temperatures ( I've harvest bucks on 90+ degree days) you have to consider scent being a big obstacle. Really play your winds as I am sure you will, be as clean as you can and don't cut any corners in that department. I dont think anyone can be completely scent free, but I think you cam minimize your scent enough to make deer feel your fruther away and not a threat to their comfort zone. Obviously your wind will be your most important detail to not getting detected. I hunted the "bowzone" area near Edmonton in 02. I harvested a 120 class buck and honestly could have held out longer. When I was field dressing my buck a dandy came by my stand right before dark. This year I will hold out for a true Alberta brute, I dont really care what he scores, I just want to arrow a big heavy bodied mature critter. It was a great experience and am going back this year on the same hunters host program for whitetail and moose. Best of luck,
Shed
06-10-2005, 10:07 AM
#5
RE: HAS ANYONE HUNTED ALBERTA ?
Shed thank you for all the information and CONGRATS on your buck ..you may have already seen this buck posted on htis web site but just in case here is the one I was lucky enough to take last November in Alberta ...
Doc
Doc
06-10-2005, 11:27 AM
#6
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Northern Idaho's Panhandle
Posts: 4,436
RE: HAS ANYONE HUNTED ALBERTA ?
Doc,
Your welcome and I hope some if any of it can help a bit. That is a beautiful buck. I love amazing character and dark antlers up there, the mass and heft on those Alberta deer. Yours is a hawg. That country is very special to me, it is truely a whitetail mecca imho. Coming form big forest country here to hunting the farm land up there, it was a welcomed change. I wish you the best of luck in Sept and thanks again. The buck below is the 120 class deer I harvested. It was a cold day!
Your welcome and I hope some if any of it can help a bit. That is a beautiful buck. I love amazing character and dark antlers up there, the mass and heft on those Alberta deer. Yours is a hawg. That country is very special to me, it is truely a whitetail mecca imho. Coming form big forest country here to hunting the farm land up there, it was a welcomed change. I wish you the best of luck in Sept and thanks again. The buck below is the 120 class deer I harvested. It was a cold day!
06-10-2005, 11:38 AM
#7
RE: HAS ANYONE HUNTED ALBERTA ?
SHED GREAT BOW KILL ..I KNOW IT MUST HAVE BEEN VERY SATISFYING ... AND BELIEVE ME I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN ABOUT COLD ..IT WAS 18 BELOW THE MORING I SHOT MY DEER .. A TAD CHILLY FOR AN OLE ALABAMA BOY ...
DOC
DOC
06-12-2005, 12:06 PM
#8
Fork Horn
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Athabasca Alberta Canada
Posts: 353
RE: HAS ANYONE HUNTED ALBERTA ?
ORIGINAL: archer125
I have hunted Alberta the last 2 years in Sept. I went the week of the 9/12, and then the week of 9/20 last year. I was primarily there for bear, but both years I bought a whitetail tag, and hunted whitetails in the morning, and bear in the afternoon. After I tagged out on bear I hunted both settings for deer. I personally wont hunt Sept for deer again. It was something to do and kept me in the woods, but the bucks were not moving at all either year. My friend did not see any either. I was hunting in a town called Lac La Bishe an hour south of Fort McMurray. The area we were hunting takes some awesome deer in Nov. 4 deer over 200 inches in the last 3 seasons, but Sept is not a very good time to be pursuing deer unless the weather is below normal. Next time I will save the money on the tag, and just focus on bear.
I have hunted Alberta the last 2 years in Sept. I went the week of the 9/12, and then the week of 9/20 last year. I was primarily there for bear, but both years I bought a whitetail tag, and hunted whitetails in the morning, and bear in the afternoon. After I tagged out on bear I hunted both settings for deer. I personally wont hunt Sept for deer again. It was something to do and kept me in the woods, but the bucks were not moving at all either year. My friend did not see any either. I was hunting in a town called Lac La Bishe an hour south of Fort McMurray. The area we were hunting takes some awesome deer in Nov. 4 deer over 200 inches in the last 3 seasons, but Sept is not a very good time to be pursuing deer unless the weather is below normal. Next time I will save the money on the tag, and just focus on bear.
If your up there hunting bear, dont be cheap! pay the 200-300 bucks for the tag. You paid all that money to come up here to hunt bear and have the bouns of whitetail.
Some of the biggest deer I have seen have been in the first few week of Oct..........way before rifle season........and a little note bow season runs from the 1st week in Sept.......to OCt 31......then look out its rifle season
So Doc death I would also do the same........besides where your going crops will be coming off the feilds then and the deer will move.
AL
