2011 Canadian Hunting Adventures
 

Welcome to all, be it new or the old crew to the canadian hunting post. As usual our southern pals who hunt or want to hunt here are always welcome to share about hunting north of the 49th:wave:!

My season started the 20th of august chasing elk. The first trip out opening weekend the elk for the most part were un-cooperative they chose to travel out of bow range and paid little attention to my calling attempts. Last weekend 4 of us headed east and north thursday afternoon for a extended weekend try with the sticks. Weather was terribly hot but the etxra week definetly helped in terms of receptive to calling. Thursday evening I called in a single calf at 6:30(not sure if momma got swung out by a bull leaving calf or a hunter may have taken her). At the end of the evening I called a nice bull over but he hung up outside of bow range. Next day was slow but I called in yet another bull to have him stay just safe this time it was more the cover or area then range but still couldn't get him to close those few steps. That evening we jarred over a late supper and deciede the elk were responding but quietly and cautiously to calling efforts. It was time to team up and tandemn call. The plan worked to a T I called in a raghorn bull that my buddy rod was able to stick at 17 yards. The other 2 guys were able to call in a nice 2 year old dry cow and succesfully arrow her. Gotta love when a plan works. I will be heading back with the thunder stick in a couple weeks (rifle opens sept 15) Rut will be in full swing and while i would love to had got it done with the bow nothing beats the roar of elk in sept. Lol Stay tuned:wink:

My fall plans include:
Northern moose hunt first of October
Helping my partner fill his draw tag on a big mulie (found a dandy)
Helping my worker fill his first ever draw moose tag
Whitetails of course

Good luck to all

Skeeter, congrats on the 2 elk. Hope you get more. Wish you the best of luck this year, and must say I'm envious of you guys out there. Hunted Sask. for 3 years and you folks are in paradise compared to to us in Ontario. Best of luck.

way to go Skeeter!! I'm sitting here munching on some deer jerky from last year reading about your success, well done! For some reason I'm just not feeling the excitement I have in previous years. It may be the amazing weather we are having that just is keeping me out of the hunting mindset. my partners don't seem to be much in the mood either so that might be part of it as well, I'm sure I'll come around...my plans are pretty simple this season: Mule Buck (since last years was CWD positive) I get a re-do. Whitetail buck, no real plans just hope to kick something up this year. Waterfowl & Birds as usual. I pulled the SD card from the game cam but couldn't pull the pics for some reason. I'm looking forward to all of the stories & pics from the 2011 season.

p.s.s Sask...don't gloat this year, I'm sick of seeing all those monster Whitetails in your hands ;)

Hey fellas I thought I'd show you my Snow/blue Goose mount I just got back...I'm lovin it!!

JD
Nice mount
Rocky:kt:

Great mount JD!

Sorry been busy and out of town working to update. Anyways went back solo (others all tagged out) to try and get me an elk with the thunder stick(rifle) last weekend. Saturday was a right off gale force wind morning, noon and night. Sunday morning was still breezy buy I at least had some success called in a curious first year spike, spikes were not more then 8". Even though legal I gave the little fellar a pass. Sunday late afternoon the wind dropped right off and boy did I get into a herd of elk. 3 different bulls answering me, just got a glimpse of one of the sat. bulls who had left the herd to come try me and bark, bark over my left shoulder. BUSTED a tall spiker came in silent at my back door. No shots but plenty of hairs standing on end. Monday morning dead calm and fog. My plan was get in early and listen to hear if they were still at it then sneak in and hopefully get lucky. I sat quietly and heard only 1 faint bugle, figuring they moved off I deceided to wait till legal and try locate bugling. Well the dense fog just socked in and I waited till an hour after legal tio even attempt a locator. Upon my first bugle, I hear "auggggga" right in front of me maybe 500 yards, likely not in the meadow I was sitting but close by in the trees of the valley. Fog was so think I couldn't see more then 50 yards. I figured I can't see him but he also can't see me! I would advance hoping not to bump any elk or his girls get into his space and challenge him. I crept and would bugle each time he'd answer not really moving. Finally I got in tight enough I could hear chirps and elk grazing. I bugled and he roared back and started beating the trees with his rack. I roared and he roared back and raked the trees violently in displeasure but never really advanced towards the intruders position (me). BTW this is 8:30am and the fog is so thick I can't see 20 yards now. Now what to do?? I could try advancing straight at him but I know elk are in front and chances were I was going to bump one or get busted, they weren't moving because like I they couldn't see due to the fog. I had no choice but to keep bugling and wait it out. Next 30 min everytime I'd bugle he'd bugle. Finally I said screwed I am going right at him and hope for the best, ya mistake! little did i know there elk only feet outside my visibility and bark, bark bark........................BUSTED:hit:! Crash bam boom as they retreated blindily into the bush. My only hope now was the heard bull hit a tree face on and busted his neck. GONE Discouraged??? Big time but its not the last time I am going to screw up so I switched gears and started acting like a new bull was the benefitor of a retreat of the herd and picked off a couple cows. Within maybe 30 to 45 min I heard a chuck from the NE and it was on. Fog was lifting slightly I could now see 100-150 yards. I kept calling and the chucker kept on coming, experience told me this was likely a raghorn but never know and well an elk is an elk. Snap, crack , pop and out steps a raghorn, I cow called and he came in on a string. At under 100 yards a perfect broadside was given and I took it. Elk in the freezer:party0005: Not the big boy but I had a blast playing with him and being monday was my last to hunt this year I am more then happy to notch my tag on the raghorn. Like I said an elk is an elk.

Now moose leave friday. Keep you posted

Take care and good hunting all

Sorry about the pic I tried to get pictures in the valley but they suck being solo, you'll have to settle for the off the tailgate change of location ones. FYI he broke of both tops fighting or rubbing??? Looks more like a mulie rack then an elk..lol

Skeeter
How to get it done, that's the way to lay the smack down bud Congrats . Besides you can't eat the antler,plus a young one is way better table fare. Good luck n your Bull Moose. I chased a Bull yesterday for 3 hours and almost fainted due to the lack of water. I only had one bottle and the chase used that up fast and at 90 degrees,what more could I say. Glad I didn't tag him cause i would have been in trouble, meaning the body. Always the next 3 weeks for my Bull moose.
Rocky

YF your right on can't eat antlers had our first sampling this weekend and wow...no knife required. He eats well fo sho!!! Always netx year to get the horns as well but if it happens the same way I'll gladly keep on smackin them. Wife absolutelty loves elk meat she was way more excited then I when i told her I was coming home with meat in the truck. All good.

Thanks, if its a spiker or a gager don't matter I just want to get into some rutting bull moose action. I like hunting swamp donkey's almost as much as elk....I said almost. Lol

Same to you best of luck chasing down your bull.

well done skeet!! I'm not making my first trek out in the bush until next weekend. Strange year this year...still trying to get the hunting buzz on. Anyhow hopefully pics & stories to come!

Happy belated thanksgiving!!! I spent only a morning in the field on a goose shoot turned into a great mallard shoot. We limited out on mallards (40) and got some gesse; 9 snows, 13 canadas and I doubled on the only 2 specs to come in.

As too moose hunting it was a bit of a tough hunt, darn wind and moose were pretty much done rutting. I played with a big boy the first morning only seeing his pans a couple of times in the thick willows, no shot obviously. he was very leary, I threw everything I had and he never came the extra few feet needed. Night 3 a 3yr old bull came in silent, except for the tell tale "SNAP" and single 338 slug put him on the ground. Getting him out was a nightmare, 3 quads hooked in tandemn up to our chests in loon crap and several hours of swearing/winching. By the time we got him back to camp and skinned it was after 1am. Wrecked my flashlight, camera and lost a knife on that retrieval....good times!!! Next day one of the other guys took a 2 year old who was feeding in along the shoreline of a large swamp. Couple more hours of work and tree trimming we had another one hanging. Stayed that evening to let the meat settle, next morning 3 others went hunting while myself and the other succesful hunter stayed back to bone out the moose. By 2 we had camp broke down and heading home. First time we hunted this far north and likely the last but we had a some laughs and lots of memories to hash over. Like hey Skeet "remember when your quad and moose flipped on its side and ended up face down in loon sheet!!!" oh ya to bad about your camera, flashlight and knife...pass me the moose steak would you....lol

Good hunting, shoot straight all!!