Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

When does the rut peak in the Edmonton Bow only area? In other words, what's the best time period to be there? Thanks.

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Read some posts in Canadain whitetails forum above...we covered that in there somewhere recently.

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

I did a search but nothing came up on this topic. ????

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

The forum right under or above this posting is the one I'm talking about. Get in a nd read...a couple of fellas go hunting in the Edmonton bow zone every year. Join the fun...

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Thanks, JD. Down here (I'm on the Montana border.....where Montana, Alberta, and Saskatchewan come together). Our peak rut period is November 15 to the 25. We really don't see much rut activity before November 10. I keep a log of all the bucks I kill and the vast majority have been during that 10 day period and the biggest ones have come during the later part of the peak. I've killed some nice bucks before the 15th, but they were not rut related.....not with does or looking for does.

It was suggested to me that the rut is in full swing in the Edmonton Bow Zone starting around November 4th. That would be very different from here, so was wondering about it.

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

tatonka

Are you going up to hunt deer with a bow in the Edmonton area?

Sounds to me like you are asking two questions "when is the peak of the rut in Edmonton bow zone" and "when is the best time to be hunting there".

If you are bow hunting, you are probably sitting in a tree stand waiting for a buck to come into range. In the "peak of the rut" the best tree could be anytime and anywhere. If you are looking at buck sign and trying to find the best tree to sit, the "peak" is the worst time for that to find that tree.

Bucks make rubs and scrapes before the "peak" and may revisit them after the "peak". During the "peak" they will be with a doe somewhere or with some does checking for a hot one.

I like to hunt (and rattle and call) before the peak and after the peak. Not to say that sitting in a funnel all day is not a good way to kill a big buck during the niddle of Nov.

To answer your first question the "peak" of the rut around Edmonton will not be too much different than where you live. Most people say "around the middle of Nov."

Robin down under

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Duffy,
I'm just looking into going up there to hunt right now.......it's a lot of money (a lot to me anyway) for non-Canadians to hunt up in your neck of the woods, but I'm ready for a new adventure (if I can scrape up the dough). :)
I guess the best time to hunt is a little different for everyone. Down here, it's the peak of the rut hands down. I've tried hunting scrape and rub lines during the "pre-rut" and during the peak, but have had very little success. It seems that most all of the scrape and rub activity takes place at night. I've seen some smaller and mid-size bucks during legal shooting hours working scrapes, but have not seen a reall wallhanger. My favorite time to hunt is toward the end of the peak when things are starting to wind down. I've killed my biggest bucks during that time period. If a person gets into an area with a good number of does and finds a funnel as the rut is winding down, the action can be unreal.

At any rate, thanks for the input. I appreciate it. Good Hunting!!!

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Why come up here when you have some nice deer down there? I've seen some gaggers taken out of Montana along the Milk River. Notdiscouraging you from coming up but just wondering why you would spend $5000+ to kill a deer when you have some great ones in your back yard. I'd love to go down there & hunt! Looks like some beautiful land.

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Hey JD,
Yes, we have some nice bucks here but we can only kill one buck per year......fill your tag early and you're done, so I'm looking to get in more hunting. I recently retired and now have a lot more time to hunt.

There are some nice bucks here along the Milk River (the river is about
a 1/2 mile behind my house), but our top end bucks do not approach what you guys kill up there in your neck of the woods. Those hunting shows you might have seen on TV about hunting the Milk River make it look like it's "Whitetail Heaven"......... Ya, right. Those shows are filmed east of here in the Saco/Hinsdale area and are on a private ranch leased by an outfitter and a portion of the ranch is reserved specifically for Bill Jordan and his crew and a few other select TV personalities. I corresponded with a guy from North Carolina who booked a hunt with this guy and all they saw were a few mediocre bucks where he took them. They were driving back to the ranch house one afternoon and this guy spotted a field full of deer and several nice bucks. When he asked the outfitter why they weren't hunting there his reply was, "That area is reserved for Bill Jordan and his crew". Needless to say, the guy was not a happy camper!!!!

There are some nicebucks all along the Milk River, but not like you see on TV. Access can be a real problem also. A lot of it is being leased out to outfitters. I do have a few pretty good places I can bowhunt, but again, the top end bucks where I huntare probably somewhere in the 150's. Every few years someone will kill a buck that is over 160, but not very often. The average mature buck here probably scores 130 to 145. We also don't get the body size here that you get in Alberta. Very few bucks here will dress out over 225 pounds and I've never seen one that would approach 300 pounds.

So, why do I want to hunt Alberta? I guess because I want to hunt somewhere where a buck could walk out that would make me drop my drawers! I have no grand illusions of killing a190-200" buck.....I would be happy to just hunt an area where I know bucks like that exists....just to see one would make my whole season.

After all of that, I watched a very nice 6X6 bed down right across the road from my house right after daylight this morning. I have photos of him I took about 2 weeks ago also. I could have easily killed him with a rifle this morning, but I prefer hunting him with my bow. This buck is bedded down as I write in a 2 acre patch of weeds next to an old building less than 100 yards from the county road and the railroad tracks. Is today the day? I don't know, but I'll be seeing if I can intercept him latter this afternoon when he gets up to feed......

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

I smell a swap hunt brewing......;)!

I happen to agree with duffy the peak of the ruthas been feast or famine for me, more times the later soI prefer late preand secondary would be post myself. I'd have to think peak would be right aroundNov 15th but being a resident of the province to the east I have no real experience with the edmonton bow zone. Best resource is talking to outfitters and then getting in contact with some of his clients. If he won't give you a cross reference of clients then look to another outfitter. You don't want the 5 guys who slammed pigs but a number that were unsuccessful as well. Early in(member of this site)was in the zone last year and heading back this year so he'd be a good fella to pm!

PS Forgot, I believe youngfart is versed with the area as well, he is an alberta resident and would be another to get in contact with.

Good luck

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

tatonka...point taken, I understand completely how you feel. That's why I make an annual trek up to the bush to see if I too can catch a glimpse of a gagger whitetail. If I tag one, then even better! Good luck to ya and as Skeeter said PM some of the guy's on the other thread. I know Early is on his way in a couple of weeks as am I, but I'm using the rifle a little more north. Good luck to ya with that one out your window.

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

If you are coming to hunt the Edmonton BowZone then be in for some excitement. Pick a tree with good sign in and around your area and rattle, call, bleat and get ready. Last year on more than one accasion Ive called in a ton of bucks. All from that 120-180+ class, just cant hit what im aiming for lol

The most activity was the last two weeks of November and the last week being the hottest for me. Good-Luck!

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

The one "out the window" now has my tag on him. :) I finally got lucky and was able to get in range with my old Hawkens Blackpowder rifle and laid him to rest... Here are some photos..

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/stonebroke/11-6-066X6intruck3X.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/stonebroke/11-6-066X614.jpg

And here are a couple photos I took of him before I tagged him...


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/stonebroke/Bigbucksideview.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/stonebroke/BigBuckOct06Byoldshed.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v285/stonebroke/11-1-066X6atdusk1.jpg

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

P.S. Anyone who might be interested in a "Swap Hunt" (I'll take you where I hunt here along the Milk River in Montana and you take me with you up there around Edmonton), I'd be interested in discussing it. :)

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Thats a gorgeous buck tatonka. Im hoping i run into one that size in Alberta this year!

You lookin for something bigger when you come up to Canada I presume?

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Something bigger? Absolutely, but I'm very, very happy with this buck. We're all always wanting something a little bigger than our biggest aren't we? :)

Like I posted earlier, I just want to hunt a place where the possibility of a monster buck walking out exists. Putting a tag on such a critter would certainly be icing on the cake, but I'd be more than happy to just see a true world class buck and maybe get a photo or two. I've killed a lot of big bucks over the years........I'm at a stage in my hunting where I no longer have to kill a buck to have fun. Last fall I never pulled the trigger on a buck (killed a couple of does for the freezer) and had one of the best seasons I've ever had.....saw a couple of dandy Muley Bucks and one huge whitetail who outsmarted me....wished I could have got some pictures of them, but I couldn't even do that!!! :)

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

tatonka...that's definately a nice buck. You might be hard pressed finding one bigger than that even up here. Not saying you can't, but without major scouting or dumb luck, it would be difficult to top him. What does he score? I'm off on my northern AB hunt Tuesday so hopefully I'll have some pics and a good story or 2 next week. Congrats on a fine animal!!

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Tatonka

Great to see another ole guy still pulling the strings, LMAO I was just reading a few of your threads and yes that is a dandy buck for anywhere. Like JD said you'd be hard pressed to beat that anywhere,but very likely here in the bow zone where the deer die of old age.
I had a great morning this am with 6 fine bucks before noon and the last one being a gagger, 170ish 6x6 at 15 yards and I shot over him. I'll be at the lanes shooting tomorrow as I can't figure it out.Must have banged my sights outa wack to miss by that much.
The rut is not on yet as the doe's were not receptive to the bucks advances and they took of looking else where. Another thing was the does wouldn't come to the scrapes as I had estrus scent hanging over them, and when a doe is not in estrus she stays away from the scrapes. So I figure another week or any day for that matter. To bad Tatonka as I swap hunts and have had Shed who is a regular in here from Idaho and tomorrow I have a guy from Michagan coming for 2 weeks. He just phoned me and said he was leavingAlma Wisconsinas I write this.He'll be here tomorrow sometime.I can only bring in a hunter once every 3 years. Next year I'll be guiding for Jime Hole out of the bow zone , so if you want we can maybe set up for next year if your intertested. Here's my email if your interested or you want to talk further on the subject. [email protected]. Hey good luck in you chances at hunting the Bow Zone Tatonka,once hooked your a lifer , ask Early in [8D]
Rocky

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Thanks, Rocky.... Ya, maybe next year for the bow zone. I just got a new fangled bow I'm trying to get set up and figured out....maybe by next year I'll have it down pat. :)

The rut really isn't going hard down here yet either. I was out with my son this morning and over the weekend and didn't see any heavy rutting action at all. A few small bucks wandering around like they were lost, as always but no bucks with does. It's close though.....it will kick in hard any time now. The buck I killed with my muzzleloader was by himself feeding in the alfalfa......I'd tried rattling him in a couple of times but he paid no interest to the horns at all.

I'll be looking for your pictures!!!! Missing is part of hunting. We've all missed. That's why they call it hunting and not butchering. :)

Tim

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

Great deer! If I can get enough scouting in Ive got a few areas that hold some big bucks. Dont even have to go to the Bowzone either.
I may be interested in hunting the Milk River in Montana... Ive always wanted to.

Shoot me an email
[email protected] and we can talk... maybe try to swing something.. again, great deer man!

RE: Edmonton Bow Only Area---Peak Rut
 

You have an e-mail. :)

Edmonton Bow Zone 2008
 

hey guys, just signed up for this forum.
who went to the Edmonton Bow Zone from the states in the last few years? 2007 or 2008. I went for first time last year (2008) . Loved it . going back this Nov. Clueman - Tennessee.

Is the Bow Zone that good? Sounds silly to ask, but isn't that area one of the most populated areas of Alberta? Wouldn't that mean it would get more hunting pressure.

I'm sure being "BOW ONLY" deer have a better chance of living longer, but fill me in. Seems big deer are taken all over the place up there- is the quantity of 160" plus deer better in the bow zone?

YUP!! The thing with that bow zone is it has a lot of acerages that don't get hunted and the deer are big & old. Not alot of bowhunters can kill as many deer as rifle hunter so your chances are really good if you put in your time. The area is Whitetail heaven!!

LITERALLY!! Almost the entire Edmonton Bow Zone (1600sq miles!) is sprawling privately owned/leased farm land. Very little hunting pressure. I believe they only issue somewhere around 70 non-resident tags per year for the EBZ, and these are only available through a guide, which you MUST have. The only other option is to be "hosted" by a resident as Youngfart mentioned. If it wasn't soooo costly, I'd be up there EVERY year without fail!!!!