RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

OK here goes nothing...mine are as follows:

1. Really concentrate on getting a decent mulie buck with the bow, that means more scouting, time in the field and practicing.
2. Once again trying to shoot a 140+ whitetail (be it up north or wherever I find him)
3. Be more like Skeeter:DSee 1 & 2
4. try my hand at Taxidermy (on birds for now) already starting to read up on it.

That's about it. Basically get to be a better deer hunter and less a photographer (actually I like the picture part) but more with me holding up a nice buck.

RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

How are myCanadian friends doing? I hope you all had a niceChristmas and a good New Year! I have a question reguarding rattling and the use of a decoy during the rut.I started hunting in the Edmonton Bow Zonetwo years ago (assome already know)and '07 will be my 3rd year. :)
Oneof the things that I have learned, and this seems important, is that once rattled in, a buck is on full alert and won't stay around very longonce he realizes thereare no other deer in the area. Quick in, quick out! [:@]Wouldn't a buck decoy, if properly placed, keep the buck focusedon the decoy and not on where the sound came from, keeping him around longer? They get realnervousreal fast! This would alsolessen the chances ofgetting busted? I asked something similar a while back but maybe I'll get new, and oldfeed back. All thoughts and experiances will be appreciated. ;)

RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

Jeff "AKA Early In"

This is a question that can have a few different responses, yesto your 1st qestion,yes to the second part of the question too.Also yes to a less chance of getting busted while you make the shot.A decoy in it's presence make's a huge difference and the way it is set up also makes a huge difference too.Always have the tail of the doe orthe antlers of the buck closes to you making the buck come in on the side where your chances of getting ashotmore of anatvantage.Or how do I say it!!! at a position that will allow you a shot in the open on the buck.Thein comming buck will always come into a doe in estrus downwind and from her rearend so he can scent her. On a buck decoy he will also come in downwind but will come in facing him to fight head on. So Set up with the butt of the doe in an area so you can get a clean shot and same with the buck. Hope this helps Jeff. Oh yeah were still waiting on the bucks picture.Happy New Year back to you too.;)
Rocky

RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

Rocky, have you personally ever used one with any results? Does Jim Hole ever use them as part of his "program"? ;)

RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

Holidays are now over:(. Managed to pick up 9 whotetail sheds and a small bull moose paddle while i was at home. I got alot of video footage of sheded bucks in fact i only saw one buck packing while i was home. Wierd weird weird. After our boxing day festivities i ice fished everyday except new years day was huddled up on the couch watchin college ball for 13 hours. Did not bad on the pike and perch around home, managed to put 2 nice wallyes on the ice but that was it. My boss and i went up to Cowan lake, booked a cabin, and fished for a day. I pounded the heck out of the pike but never had time to explore more for wally's or perch. The sweidsh pimple and an eyeball was really hot for me and i had some belly meat set up on a tip up that the bigger ones were pounding. Biggest fish i caught was only around 6 pounds but still plenty of fun. I am thinkinbout that again next year but maybe a more walleye infested lake would be in the picture. Ice seemed to be good up on that lake but very poor at home on Greenwater lake. I buried my bike 6 times and was digging for quite some time in floodwater and slush, really a mess. As a result i never did get to the north end of the lake to fish at all. Never did see my big buck while i was at home, that area was pretty heavily snowed in so i went in on foot one day and wandered around looking for his sheds, never found his but see they are hitting some red clover pretty hard so hopefully that will sustain him over winter.

Oh saskabush, i ran into kevin Y at the boxing day dance, then i heard he smoked a moose later that night with his ford on the way home.[:-]

RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

Hia,

Nice work on the ice fishing and sheds. I have been out walking a few times but haven't found any yet. I think most of the bucks are still packing up here.

I haven't even dangled a hook yet even though i've been out to the trout lakes several times. Not much for perch in the area, I'm really missing Blackstrap in that regard.

Glad to hear you bumped into Kev. He's still forwarding X-rated emails so I'm assuming the moose didn't do too much damage to him (if not his truck)?

Any of the sheds you found big? pictures? Hopefully your big boy makes it. good luck finding his sheds next time you're back.

RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

JD please you don't want to aspire to dinkitise do you? LOL

Good stuff hia. Nothing like fish through a hole!!

Shed huntinghas beenslow (though only made it out once). I found a few little ones, plus a smallbuck skull(this year). I thought I found ITbut when I looked at it closer I realized something was up, the fellas staged it with a split brow I found prior. With friends like that who needs enemies[&:]? The fellas were pretty cagey since the deer i have been pining over wears split brows.Got to tip my hat to the effort that went into the scam:D!

Good news is the deer are holding on my alfalfa. The bad news is a winter wheat field just over a mile s isprime pickings for anybody who doesn't want to walk to far. As of last week mine were the only track on it so hopefully that won't change, that is where I found 2 sheds.

Early in, I can't help you in your quest about decoys and rattling. I tried it years ago and it never really did anything for me. Though during the time when rattling is best I don't have a bow in my hands either;). Worth a shot.

RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

Skeeter...forgive my stupidity but I'm not a farmer and want to know a little more about crops and such. When you say winter wheat what do you mean by that? Also how do I know what Alfalfa looks like? The fields above our hunting spot are all planted with different crops, I'd like to figure out what is what. Any good tips?

RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

JD, winter wheat is planted late(heremid august to mid sept)so it sprouts prior to freezing (looks like a grass field), then it becomes dormant in the winter andthe springtime continues growth till harvested, usually in august timeframe. Super find for deerin the november timeframe, much like peas(which are usually early as they are the first to be taken off usually -late julythrough oct)they simply can't resist these food sources.

Alfalfa is a green weed looking plant(spined stalk) that flowers with a purple colour in spring and then turns to seeds where it is cut for hay for cattle feed (round or square bales). By late fall it will usually have a brown tint to as it becomes dormant with freezing. Cattle farmers also bale pasture lands which is essentially grass, so don't just look for bales. Cattle farmers usually don't let their cows on an alfalfa field until after freeze up, do to bloating. High nutrient and favour of all 4 legged grazing animals;)!

Other crops such as rye, wheat, barley, oatsand canola are also viable food sources for deer here. Deer and elk seem to like the canola when it is in the flower stage (yellow flowers), then after it is combined and frost helps I have found. The others will draw in the sprouting stagesthen after they mature, as natural grasses are at their peak during the summer months so found isn't as much an issue.

Hope it helps, maybeacow pokelike Hiacan add more to this for you.

RE: 2006 Canadian Whitetails - Get' em!
 

Thanks skeeter...I'm feeling like a farmer already:DSo can the deer decimate a winter wheat field, lets say 1/4 sect. big? I've seen some big herda and winter is looong. Also are there differences in the crop based on the bale? Round & big or small and rectangular, same crop? Why? One last one, I see some fields out here with what looks like blinds (wood boxes) all over it, I have been told it's for the bugs, but that doesn't seem right. Any idea what they are there for? Thx!