Hunting Alberta
02-26-2010, 05:02 PM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 240
Hunting Alberta
I am wondering if any of you hunters have ever hunted the 334 zone in Alberta? The way it sounds like there isn't alot of non res. tags available so I'm assuming its got to be pretty good plus its not to far from the bow only zone. Any info would be very much appreciated.
09-30-2011, 06:33 AM
#2
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 136
I am wondering if any of you hunters have ever hunted the 334 zone in Alberta? The way it sounds like there isn't alot of non res. tags available so I'm assuming its got to be pretty good plus its not to far from the bow only zone. Any info would be very much appreciated.
10-03-2011, 06:02 AM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Posts: 136
Well I have had some good years and some slow ones. It all depends on how the herd is doing. I live in Edmonton so I have hunted there many times. There is a good mix of whitetail and mule deer with a 5 year draw for moose. You have to be careful when using a guide because most guides in the area of 334 where I hunt are trespassing since all the land is privately owned farm land. The area is bordered by a large river so it is fairly rolling terrain with lots of ridges. There is more forest than farmland however. The flipside to that is Edmonton's Bow Zone or Calgary's BowZone where it is bow-only and all farmland. You often see hunting shows in these bowzones where the animals are higher in numbers and more laid back.
You have to remember that the density of deer in Alberta is fairly low vs how much forest there is (this year saw a lot of deer kill due to the depth of the snow but luckily I have seen a healthy buck population which is good since the buck to doe ratio has always been low). However if you are going on a guided hunt your chances go way up because you really have to put in extra scouting time to figure out where the animals are. Their core ranges are very large so simply setting up between feeding and bedding doesn't really work unless you know what quarter they are bedded in that day.
Many think since the hunting pressure is quite low up here that deer are laid back and expose themselves like those tv shows but it is the opposite (unless in the bowzone). Deer are more sensitive to hunters since they don't see them much so they may go out of their way relocate their beds/travel routes at the first sign of a hunter. By the way I have never seen a buck older than 2 years old EVER step out of the woods into a field in daylight hours (unless it was a freak occurrence during the rut). So that is where it gets tricky, hunting field edges doesn't really produce so you have to go deeper into the woods, but hunting in the woods is tricky since they have so many travel corridors vs the number of deer that use them.
I have not hunted the Peace River area but when I visit there the deer are everywhere. It is a different terrain than where I hunt (lots of points on ridges, etc) so you should have good luck especially if hunting with a friend or outfitter.
The genetics up here are pretty good. Since the winters get down into the minus forties, the deer have to grow to be huge in the body to survive. Sometimes people will shoot a deer thinking it is a mature buck with a little rack, when it is actually just a 1 or 2 year old. Read up on hunting points if you are going to Peace River because it might give you an insight as to what the outfitter has planned for you.
And remember it is a small town so your entertainment will be the lounge at Boston Pizza lol .
You have to remember that the density of deer in Alberta is fairly low vs how much forest there is (this year saw a lot of deer kill due to the depth of the snow but luckily I have seen a healthy buck population which is good since the buck to doe ratio has always been low). However if you are going on a guided hunt your chances go way up because you really have to put in extra scouting time to figure out where the animals are. Their core ranges are very large so simply setting up between feeding and bedding doesn't really work unless you know what quarter they are bedded in that day.
Many think since the hunting pressure is quite low up here that deer are laid back and expose themselves like those tv shows but it is the opposite (unless in the bowzone). Deer are more sensitive to hunters since they don't see them much so they may go out of their way relocate their beds/travel routes at the first sign of a hunter. By the way I have never seen a buck older than 2 years old EVER step out of the woods into a field in daylight hours (unless it was a freak occurrence during the rut). So that is where it gets tricky, hunting field edges doesn't really produce so you have to go deeper into the woods, but hunting in the woods is tricky since they have so many travel corridors vs the number of deer that use them.
I have not hunted the Peace River area but when I visit there the deer are everywhere. It is a different terrain than where I hunt (lots of points on ridges, etc) so you should have good luck especially if hunting with a friend or outfitter.
The genetics up here are pretty good. Since the winters get down into the minus forties, the deer have to grow to be huge in the body to survive. Sometimes people will shoot a deer thinking it is a mature buck with a little rack, when it is actually just a 1 or 2 year old. Read up on hunting points if you are going to Peace River because it might give you an insight as to what the outfitter has planned for you.
And remember it is a small town so your entertainment will be the lounge at Boston Pizza lol .
Last edited by Vinny_HC; 10-03-2011 at 06:08 AM.
