Saskabush

Thanks JD!

Yeah, i'm fully prepared for the idea that next year may be a little slow with the new baby. I'm may wait a few weeks before really going after a mulie again. i came very close to getting one on thursday morning but now i'm a little nervous about filling all my tags too early. Work gets busy here in another week so I probably won't get out much before the 17th (rifle opener) anyway.

I'm kinda glad now that I signed up as a mentor for a first time youth hunter. At least I'll get a chance to take him out looking for a buck. Otherewise, I'll have to live vicariously through you guys until november.

Hiawatha

Great job sask, thats a nice lookin deer for sure and to gettem with the sticks is a bonus. Larger than anything i have saw hangin around so far this year. Man does it suck up here this year. Not only the deer are way down but I am now realizing the elk have also sure taken a hit. Damage to our crops is maybe 15 % of what we usually get. Last few weeks of scouting on my fields have produced 1-3 elk at the most per evening over 1.5 miles bordering the park where as all the following years u were counting 20 some a night spread over the 3 fields. Talking to bowhunters right now and they say its like that all over.Weird. We get rockin on the 3rd, my boys are on their way up from esterhazy as I type. Good thing we got drawn in the park because i think we are sure going to have to go after them this year. Plenty of bears out and about. Chokecherries are the size of grapes and loaded. 2 on the wheat the other night 1 was a tank. They have done more damage on the wheat than elk. Will do my best but geesh it isn't lookin too promising at the moment.

skeeter 7MM

Way to go SB!!! Getting the first one is huge and you done good.

Hia, just got back from the elk woods and where we hunt we found the elk broken up still in small groups and not interested in anything but green feeds. Numbers are good just no gathering yet! Look out rifle season[]!!! Any ways I was able to get into elk on every outing by calling, however only a few cow chirps were heard back in response. Friday evening was close to let her rip on a nice 5x5 but a spike snuck up on me and barked ruining the party. Self imposed rule was leave any spikes, so I let him walk. Saturday morning I killed a limb while thinking I had a clear shots to the vitals on a cow. However redeemed myself by sticking a nice dry cow that evening, to keep my streakgoing - 8!


Best of luck Hia, not sure what stage their at in your woods yet but it sounds very similar...use them calls and be ready!

PS Every bow hunter I talked to said quiet and small groups.

skeeter 7MM

Not the best pics was well after dark by the time I got help to get her out of the valley bush.

JD IN ALBERTA

way to go Skeeter!! Man you guy's are already out in the bush and I have yet to pull out my bootsHopefully I can get out this weekend but with 2 little ones...free time will be tough to come by. Well done fellas, keep it up!

Saskabush

Thanksguys,

Hia, That sucks about the deer numbers out there. Hopefully, it'll pick up for you once they start coming out of the bush to fatten up. Definately puts a damper on things knowing that the population is hurting. Give it a year or so and you'll start seeing some top end bucks again. The thing that worries me (after the winter we had in 06-07)is what it will be like in about3 years when the gap in recruitment catches up and there are NO mature bucks left. that'll suck. Good luck with the elk. They usually do fairly well even in deep snow since they're not as shy about helping themselves to the bales and bins.

Skeet, way to go! you're an elk god! I'm not even 8 in a row for deer! Moose next??

early in

Great looking velvet buck Sask!Very nice.And congrats to you Skeeter, on someGREATtasting meat for the freezer.

121553

Alright guys, very impressive and a good way to start off the season.

Bobby

skeeter 7MM

Thanks guys. Cut & wrapped her tonight, nice meat indeed & will be put to immediate use. I am sort of feeling left out as the crew plans and prepares for rifle in a couple of weeks but very satisfied that I was able to connect with the string/stick and the elk gods were merciful enough to allow methe opportunity to fill the freezer.

SB, I am hoping to spendtime in the field watching/bow hunting deerprior tomoose, then it'll be muzzleloader deer for the remainder of october. Elk god...no!!As we know area goes along way. Coupled with area and animal knowledge success is bound to happen. Right place/right timedoesn't hurt either!

Good luck all and shoot straight!

Hiawatha

Congrats skeeter she will make some fine steaks. Things have been somewhat slow buti have been in elk at least once everyday so can't complain too much. Had a cow at 5 yards the other night on the ground so that was cool. Having some trouble finding some bulls though. I found a herd of 15-20 cows and calves yesterday but no bull around. I got in them and bugled, no bull showed and no call back even. Weird possibly someone else gottem or he was off someplace else. Haven't heard a bugle yet though the cows are chirping now. Elk numbers or activity seems to be down in my area also. We have just not been running into the elk that we should be. I went out this morning for a hike to see if that herd was in the same area and they were so I have e feeling tomorrow morning i will gitter done. No way those girls will be by themselves again.