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BruceB
10-20-2005, 04:06 AM
Friends;

In about eight hours from now, or around 0900 Pacific time, Deputy Al and NVcurmudgeon will be picking me up at my home in Al's truck, and we will be off to northern Alberta for a combined elk/whitetail hunt. We plan to arrive in the hunting area west of Grande Prairie on Saturday afternoon, and should be able to hunt for eight days or so. Distance is about 1500 miles, one way, from my place in Winnemucca.

Al and Bill are both retired gents, but I still have to meet a schedule which calls for me to be back at work for night shift on Thursday, two weeks from now.

We will hunt with my brother Eric (ericb on his rare posts here) on and around his own remote property, under what's called the Hunter Host Program in Alberta. This program allows a resident to host up to two non-residents for hunting, no more frequently than every three hunting seasons. If a Host does have two guests, one of them MUST be a relative, so Eric is legal with hosting myself and one of the other guys. He has prevailed upon a good buddy to take TWO WEEKS of his vacation time in order to host one of us. Granted, the gent loves to hunt, but this is a major sacrifice, for which we're very grateful. I dearly wish we could take more folks along, but the logistics of the Host program make it very difficult. How many people can be persuaded to devote their vacations to hosting a total stranger????

Both the elk and white-tail are on a no-draw basis in our Management Unit, requiring only the jumping-through of all the hoops for the Hunter Host business, which was considerable, and paying for tags, which will total about $US400. Elk in the area are of average size, so far as trophies go, but my bro firmly believes that a new world-record white-tail is highly likely to be taken in this Management Unit. 400-pounds is not uncommon for deer body weight, and racks can be massive. We have tags for both species, and either one must have three points on at least one side to be legal for us non-residents to shoot. Moose, griz and blackbear are also common in the area we'll hunt, along with mulies.

Al is now at Curmudgeon's place south of Reno for the night, having driven up from SoCal on Wednesday, and tomorrow night we should be in a motel somewhere in northern Idaho. We are three of the oldest 'excited teenagers' you can imagine!

That's an outline of what we're doing. Al and/or Bill may want to add something before departure, so watch for it. We should be able to post updates from Eric's place with any luck, but if not, we'll be home and full of stories along about November 3. Bringing home any critters will just be a bonus, because I expect a thoroughly-enjoyable time with these guys, and that is really what's important, after all.

David R
10-20-2005, 06:14 AM
Have a safe and enjoyable trip. :)

waksupi
10-20-2005, 10:34 AM
Bruce, I'm nearly as excited for you, as you are. It will be a great adventure, with some good guys. Good luck to all!

grumble
10-20-2005, 12:14 PM
Ditto here. I'm going to enjoy the trip vicariously!

Can't wait for the stories.

Gunload Master
10-20-2005, 02:10 PM
Have fun and good luck.

Luckily I was able to harvest a 3 x 3 last week and got some good jerky meat, off to the smoker!

Scrounger
10-20-2005, 02:28 PM
Have fun and good luck.

Luckily I was able to harvest a 3 x 3 last week and got some good jerky meat, off to the smoker!

Big deal! CarpetMan gets jerky meat every night and he doesn't have to leave his back yard. A can of ripe tuna for bait, a one cent air rifle pellet, Voila, meat for jerky...

wills
10-20-2005, 04:26 PM
Have fun and good luck.

Luckily I was able to harvest a 3 x 3 last week and got some good jerky meat, off to the smoker!
Sometimes I think I can get annoyed enough to chew up a 2 x 4.

grumble
10-20-2005, 04:40 PM
I just now noticed the title of this thread. Gordon Lightfoot would be proud.

The Nyack Kid
10-20-2005, 05:50 PM
BruceB
Good Hunting !

what make and model of pickup are you guys taking up there?
I need to know so i can laugh at the right threes guys with a broken-down-overloaded-with-dead-animals poor abused pickup , iffen i make a trip over to Idaho some time in the near future.

Nrut
10-20-2005, 06:01 PM
Good luck with your .416...will be interesting to see how your big cast bullit performs on elk....thanks for the info on the host program..going to see if they have one here in B.C. for non relatives......have a great trip!!!!.....mic

wills
10-20-2005, 07:00 PM
BruceB
Good Hunting !

what make and model of pickup are you guys taking up there?
I need to know so i can laugh at the right threes guys with a broken-down-overloaded-with-dead-animals poor abused pickup , iffen i make a trip over to Idaho some time in the near future.
Good thing they aren’t riding with Waksupi or Carpetman!

The Nyack Kid
10-20-2005, 08:22 PM
If they are driving a dodge diesel they wont break down at all. :-P

Scrounger
10-20-2005, 09:23 PM
Good thing they aren’t riding with Waksupi or Carpetman!

And a load of sheep...

stocker
10-20-2005, 10:50 PM
Bruce B: I'll be heading to the North Peace next week on the B.C. side of the border to chase a few ducks and geese while I await the opening of deer season in that area. Go up pretty much every year to get some hunting time with my son. Highlight of my year. Will be a couple hundred miles N.W. (Fort St. John and points north of there) of the area you'll be in.

If you enjoy architecture get your brother to show you the college/university in Grande Prairie. A very neat concept that suits the landscape although it looked much better before G.P. grew so darn much.

I used to hunt birds in the G.P area and other points as it got me away from the phone and call outs while I was on holidays. Nice area you are going to. Have a good hunt.

waksupi
10-21-2005, 12:17 AM
I can't wait until Bruce drives Al past the feedlots up there, to see them full of horses. I warned him to take his favorite steak sauce!

waksupi
10-21-2005, 12:32 AM
Good thing they aren’t riding with Waksupi or Carpetman!

Wills, come to think of it, if they are travelling the route through Crow's Nest pass, they will see what is billed as the world's largest truck, at Stanwood, B.C. I think they may be travelling north by another trail, though.

There is a picture of Carpetman next to it, with one of those, "On loan from owner" signs.

MT Gianni
10-21-2005, 07:18 PM
Don't take your own bbq sauce, buy a couple of bottles of "HP" sauce, House of Parliment. I try to get a couple every time I head for Canada. It has a great vinegary taste. Gianni.

ericb
10-24-2005, 02:09 PM
Okay....BruceB reporting on ericb's computer from Northern Alberta.

We arrived safely on Saturday, pretty much on schedule and after a spectacular trip through the Canadian Rockies from Radium Hot Springs to Jasper. We spent Saturday evening being given a guided tour by the local good 'ol boys, an INTENSIVE tour, through the wilds of the Canadian beer repertoire. I don't really recall much about the latter stages of this expedition, except I DO remember that Curmudgeon was incapable of CRAWLING on an even keel....how he ever got into the tent, let alone the sleeping bag, mystifies me.... but he did have the "help" of four or five friendly Canuck fellow-inebriates.

Sunday morning was spent in recovery and also getting some organizing done, with an eye to an evening hunt. We set up individually on several different cut-lines that proved uneventful as far as traffic was concerned, and this morning we were out before daylight and set up on several different places. Curmudgeon watched a trail only a few hundred yards from Eric's house, and had three moose (cow/calf/bull) pass within fifty yards...but moose aren't on our tag list. On the short walk back to Eric's, (I was further out, and came back to his post) we had a legal white-tail buck cross the road 75 yards in front of us. We also saw about 20 white-tails yesterday, including a couple of bucks...one quite decent. A 5x5 elk was killed last night a bit over a mile from where I sit.

So, we're having a hell of a fine time. Watch this space as the week progresses.

Regards from BruceB, Deputy Al, and NVcurmudgeon, and our gracious (if rough-edged) host, my brudda, EricB

onceabull
10-24-2005, 04:45 PM
BruceB: apparently you managed to get those two flyfishing buddies of yours by the Elk River without incident..Be alert on the way back, they may jump truck and hitchhike back to Winnie post freezeUp. eh, Onceabull

BruceB
11-02-2005, 10:21 PM
Safely home, about an hour ago. It was a wonderful trip in all respects, all 3,385 miles of it (Winnemucca-to-Alberta-to-Winnemucca). Al and Curmudgeon are headed for Reno as I write. Details later!

waksupi
11-02-2005, 11:34 PM
Welcome home, guys! Can't wait to hear the details! That Alberta hospitality is almost overwhelming, isn't it?

Buckshot
11-03-2005, 03:15 AM
..............You're gonna make us wait for the hunting stories?

................Buckshot

swheeler
11-03-2005, 01:46 PM
Glad you made it back safely with truck riding on the overloads from all the weight of meat and horns!

NVcurmudgeon
11-03-2005, 04:10 PM
It's noon on Thursday, and I am safely home in Pleasant Valley. Deputy Al stayed here last night and left about an hour ago for Sunny SoCal. We also were able to visit with Nevada Duke this AM. Now for the job of putting all the stuff, including meat, away. In the interest of fairness, I am waiting until tomorrow to post my version of the Odyssey of our trip.

ammohead
11-03-2005, 11:09 PM
Sadists the lot of you!

I worked all morning in Pleasant Valley myself, so it is my own fault for not stopping by and getting the story first hand.

ammohead

wills
11-03-2005, 11:16 PM
Glad you made it back safely with truck riding on the overloads from all the weight of meat and horns!

The passengers, or the game harvest?

NVcurmudgeon
11-04-2005, 12:54 AM
Ammohead, you should have stopped in. Up until noon, Deputy Al and Nevada Duke were here. As always, fresh coffee and several varieties of other beverages, were available.

9.3X62AL
11-04-2005, 12:04 PM
I got home last night around 10:15 P.M., all was well for the short jaunt from Reno to Yucaipa. Relatively short, anyway. There was a little "hitch in the get-along" on the way home--in the form of a re-paving project near the Manzanar site south of Independence. Traffic was one-way with flagger, and was held for about 40 minutes. This provided travelers in the Owens Valley with their own version of gridlock and congestion that persisted much of the distance from that point on. One of the more intriguing events that occurred on the trip--as I passed by the Cal-State University/San Bernardino on ramp along I-215, I saw Marie's Jeep Cherokee enter the freeway just ahead of me. Her Thursday class had just let out, and she got on the freeway as I was tooling along. Pretty amazing, that. I called her cell phone, and surprised her by saying "Hey, check yer six." We stopped for dinner, of course. A nice end to the trip.

But I'm getting ahead of myself. I know it seems strange to not leap right into the hunting part of the trip, but it might take a few posts to distill all that was seen, heard, and experienced in two weeks spent in fine company with great friends and wonderful hosts. Bear with me as my seemingly random and scattered observations come forth.

Someone asked about the truck we used. It's a 2003 Ford F-250 2WD with conventional cab and 8' bed, with camper shell--the same rig Buckshot and I took to NCBS 2004, minus the carpet kit. The three of us were a little snug, but not uncomfortably so for the 3K miles we spent aboard it. A pretty smooth ride with a little weight in the bed, and not bad when empty, either.

The two most telling impressions I have foremost in my mind right now are of the incredible beauty of the country we saw, and of the warmth and friendliness of all the people we met in Alberta. Our hosts really busted their a$$es to put us on game animals. It was not to be that a critter fell to my rifle's bark, but that is not the primary object of the trip--just going, and seeing, and doing, and being there was the point of the effort. Rather than feeling disappiontment at not filling a tag, I feel more like I let down our hosts by not doing so after all of their hard work.

Good grief, it's a huge continent--and we only traveled a small percentage of it. The Canadian Rockies we passed through on our trip northbound are the most sublimely beautiful natural wonders I have ever laid eyes on--excepting Marie, of course. I think we saw about a zillion trout waters suitable for at least a week each of diligent fly rodding--this applies to both countries, I should add.

More to follow.

NVcurmudgeon
11-04-2005, 01:11 PM
Not being lazy, just unable to add much to or improve on Deputy Al's take on the subjects so far addressed. I do remember that DA and I were both run clear out of words by the Canadian Rockies in Banff and Jasper National Parks and consequently rode for several hours in slack-jawed wonderment. I very much appreciate Bruce and Allen's skilled chauffering. They did almost all of the driving. I believe that this was caused by a scurrilous rumor that my legs are short and that my two tall compadres did not enjoy riding with their chins resting on their knees. Harumph! I wear 30/30 (on topic) size Wranglers, so you can see that I am quite tall myself!

wills
11-04-2005, 02:14 PM
Is the truck gas or diesel?

waksupi
11-04-2005, 02:36 PM
I agree on your opinions of the Canadian Rockies. Absolutely gorgeous! I especially like theJasper area, as it has fewer people around than Banff, and is more laid back. More people need to see out neighbor to the north, and get to know the great people up there. Anyone who spends much time there, develop some lifelong friends in short order.
You're right on about taking game on a trip like this. The experience is the trophy, and will last longer than anything you may have put in a freezer.
I'm looking forward to hearing more of you guy's observations, and fully realize it is impossible to make a full report in one post. Take your time, savor it, and allow us to savor along with you.

9.3X62AL
11-04-2005, 04:27 PM
Wills--

It is a gas engine, the 5.4 liter V-8 with OD automatic and 3.73 rear end. I did a little mileage test yesterday with the assistance of the gridlock caused by the lane closure/flagman. There was ~500# of freezer, meat, guns, crapola, and jerky wrappers on board. I topped off the tank in Carson City, ran pretty hard through the Sierras southbound up and down the grades (70 MPH+), then between 40 and 60 most of the way home after Independence, finally getting to run it 70+ again in the Cajon Pass. I arrived home in Yucaipa after 472 miles with 1/4 tank left on the gauge--roughly 27-28 gallons used from the 37 gallon tank, if past estimates hold true. The truck will do 17-18 MPG if you keep it at or under 75 MPH. To say I like this truck would be mild praise indeed.

Scrounger
11-04-2005, 05:45 PM
Wills--

It is a gas engine, the 5.4 liter V-8 with OD automatic and 3.73 rear end. I did a little mileage test yesterday with the assistance of the gridlock caused by the lane closure/flagman. There was ~500# of freezer, meat, guns, crapola, and jerky wrappers on board. I topped off the tank in Carson City, ran pretty hard through the Sierras southbound up and down the grades (70 MPH+), then between 40 and 60 most of the way home after Independence, finally getting to run it 70+ again in the Cajon Pass. I arrived home in Yucaipa after 472 miles with 1/4 tank left on the gauge--roughly 27-28 gallons used from the 37 gallon tank, if past estimates hold true. The truck will do 17-18 MPG if you keep it at or under 75 MPH. To say I like this truck would be mild praise indeed.

Not CarpetMan's 'Tabby' brand, I hope...He also sells 'Persian' and the more expensive 'Calico' brand.

flhroy
11-04-2005, 09:50 PM
Spent a week up there about 5 years ago crusing around on a motorcycle. I don't think there are words that will do the Alberta Rockies justice. Everytime you think the view can't get any better you go around the next curve in the road and your jaw drops down even further. Spent some time in the Columbia Ice Fields, wanted to see the the source of the Columbia River. On the way up there I had the idea of scooping water out of a glacier stream and drinking some really fresh ice cold water. Boy I sure felt dumb watching that milky white sediment laden water flowing down stream. That is definitely a place that I'll go back to again.

Later

Roy

waksupi
11-04-2005, 11:50 PM
Roy, if no one is pooping upsteam from you, you can drink that milky water. It is just clay sediment, and will just add some minerals to your diet. Nothing wrong with it.

BruceB
11-05-2005, 04:53 AM
Having had a bit of time for reflection, I reckon it's time to say something about the Great Trek.

It was extremely interesting, besides being a great pleasure to spend so much time in such sterling company.

As the conversations proceeded, and there was a LOT of conversation in 3400 miles of travel, I found myself having to actually THINK about how and why I view Canada as I do. Trying to explain the customs, ethics, governing principles, history, geography, and national identities and attitudes to a pair of very intelligent and inquiring minds was a daunting task, and it forced me to examine my own thinking, prejudices, and my previous residence in Canada.

What Deputy Al and Curmudgeon obtained from me was a highly-personal and perhaps opinionated view from someone who lived there for fifty years, but at least I 'tried' to minimise the biases as much as possible. I hope it wasn't too-slanted a view that I gave them.

Travelling with folks who hadn't been over the ground before was very educational to ME, since I was allowed to see things through the eyes of these gents getting their first impressions of some magnificent experiences and places. Their reactions gave me a renewed appreciation of what a wonderful continent we all inhabit, and also the great similarity between Americans and Canadians who share interests in common.

We were warmly welcomed by Brother Eric's friends and neighbors, who surely demonstrated that "western hospitality" is not limited to our side of the 49th parallel. Seldom have so many had so much fun for so long! What a fine group of people we met. On the hunting side, everyone was not only interested, but actively helped by reporting game movements and locations. They worked HARD for our success, and we are sho-'nuff grateful to all concerned.

Leaving Eric's place west of Grande Prairie, we intended to return through Jasper and Banff on the same route we took on the trip north. However, on arriving at Hinton on the eastern edge of the mountains after a somewhat-dicey (and icy) first leg, we could actually see the storms among the peaks of the Rockies, and decided to take the longer-but-lower path through Edmonton and Calgary and thence to the US border at Sweetgrass, Montana, on I-15. This led us through Butte, Twin Falls ID, etc., and eventually to I-80 at Wells NV. Then it was an easy drive to Winnemucca. As Al said, we didn't need to get into a Donner Party situation up on some snowed-in mountain trail. I am VERY pleased that we had perfect weather to see the mountains on the way north....it is truly an outdoor cathedral, but a cathedral that's well over 100 miles long....MY kind of church, believe me.

A different sort of "outdoor church" presented itself one night, when we had a display of the Aurora Borealis which covered at least half of the sky for quite a while. Al had never seen the phenomenon before, and I think that perhaps Curmudgeon hadn't either. Awesome is not too strong a word.

Didn't have an opportunity to get the lads into a curling rink, which is too bad, because if one wants to see Canadians at play (AND an interesting game) then a curling club is most definitely the place to be in the colder months. They do know how to have a good time!

Maybe more to come, after the other guys chime in.

NVcurmudgeon
11-05-2005, 01:01 PM
Just a couple of supplemental comments on Bruces's most recent post. Canadians seem to have raised the concept of the impromtu party to an art form. Every evening, one, two, or several of Eric's neighbors would drop in. Maybe on the first evening it was to get a look at the Yankees, but after that, they seemed to be visiting us all. Having been in Canada a couple of times before, I have cringed at some of the anti-Canadian statements seen on this board. Truth is, Canadian PEOPLE bear little resemblance to out-of-control Canadian POLITICIANS. That is still another thing we have in common with our Canadian cousins.

On Canadian sports: Our crowded schedule of travel, hunting, and being lionized by Eric's neighbors, did not allow us to attend a curling match. However, we did get to see several CFL games on the tube. I am at best a tepid football fan, maybe not qualified to speak, but the Canadian game with its wide-open spaces, three downs, less time between plays, and sheer speed seems much more exciting and interesting to me than does the NFL.

The saga will continue. Hunting results, if any, will come later. This was such a vast and multi-faceted experience that is would be disrespectful to rush it.

NVcurmudgeon
11-06-2005, 12:46 PM
This trip could not have happened at all without the comprehensive and thoughtful efforts of ericb, BruceB's brother. Eric is living in tight quarters himself, pending construction of his new factory log house, which started the day we left for home. We were snug as bugs in a large wall tent with not only an oil heater, but also a wood stove that would have been adequate to fire the boiler in a medium-sized steamship. Our sleeping bags rested on a downy cushion of about a foot of tarp-covered straw topped by individual foam pads, excellent insulation from the ground. Plumbing, cooking, and lounging facilities were only a step away. Each morning, Eric called us only AFTER he had the coffee made and the house warm. Our diet was richly supplemented by the steady stream of home-cooked meals provided by the ladies of the neighborhood. Each morning and evening Eric stationed us at a variety of his favorite stands, no doubt neglecting a plethora of tasks needed to maintain his grounds. As "hunter host" Eric could guide two non-resident hunters, one of whom had to be a relative. Eric's friend and neighbor, Tim, was my hunter host. Tim took off from work and juggled the needs of his family, maintaining his place, his own hunting and leading me almost by the hand hunting. Did they take us to good spots where we saw an astonishing variety of game? You bet. More later.

9.3X62AL
11-06-2005, 01:33 PM
I'm still basking in the afterglow of the whole experience, and organizing thoughts into text is a little challenging. Having never been further north than Bozeman or Seattle, I was a first-timer in Canada. I was struck not only by the scenic beauty of both British Columbia and Alberta, but with the open friendliness of all the people we met--both along the way north and south, and the circle of friends we made at Eric's house. Being accustomed to the rather abrupt aloofness and subtle hostility of Californians, this was likely the most telling difference between the Canadians and the people I share my home area with. I suspect that Albertans are a lot like what Californians were 80-100 years ago--hard-working and hard-playing people carving a living and a life from what is largely a new land, and enjoying the life it provides greatly.

The game.......I have never seen an area containing more game animals in more diverse species in my life. We saw critters on EVERY trip from the house, whether heading for town or to a hunt site. The weather was just too nice to prompt the legal critters out of the bushland cover in large enough numbers to enable more tag fillouts, but that's just hunting--no fault of the hosts, who really worked hard to put us on animals. There was ZERO doubt of animals very nearby, and we had more than a few near-misses.

Marie has already planned a summer trip with me to try the fishing possibilities in Canada. She has roughly 4 ideas working currently, to include a venture into Alaska. I came home to lists of equipment, time periods ranging to 4 weeks, and questions about tackle and gear for the trip. We're going back.

I am a pretty enthusiastic football fan, and had some familiarity with the Canadian game. The CFL game is a LOT faster in all respects, and is more interesting as well. The hulking monsters that make up the line personnel on NFL teams wouldn't last a quarter in the Canadian game--they would be run to death, and wouldn't make many blocks or tackles while they lasted, either. There are very good reasons why CFL games aren't broadcast in the States very frequently--the NFL knows a good thing when it sees it, and could get a little real competition for viewers if CFL was sent south.

onceabull
11-06-2005, 02:01 PM
Dep.AL: Beware,once you start,it may quickly turn to a 4 wk'er EVERY summer..as beguiling as boolit casting!! Iffen you don't peruse this site: "Fly Anglers Online" get into the archived feature stories in the "our man in Canada"section..and don't miss the Oldman and Crowsnest river systems on the East side,or the Elk and St.Mary River systems on the West S. As is routine nowadays, right post our Labor day is the grandest time to start..IMO,fwiw,eh, Onceabull

BruceB
11-06-2005, 03:03 PM
Allow me to set the stage for the hunting.

The area is NOT the sort of country we normally visualize when thinking of "elk country". Eric's place sits squarely on the dividing line between agriculture and bushland, even though there are still many miles of bush on the agriculture side. To the west of his property is "Crown land", meaning government-owned or -controlled. The bush is crisscrossed with cutlines, old logging trails, and oil-company leases with well sites etc. The terrain is FLAT, for all practical purposes, with little in the way of hills or ravines. Not at all your typical mountainous, fir-clad, up-and-down elk haunts.

It was perfectly common for us to set up where one could look for hundreds of yards in three or four different directions on cutlines or trails, and since the critters use these lines a great deal for easy travel, well....it's sniper time. Watching three or four lines at once made me wish for a "fighter-pilot" silk scarf, because my neck sure got tender a few times.

Also, due to the community spirit and friendly neighborhood relations, a large number of places to the east of Eric's land were available for us to hunt, often on large fields up to 1/4 x 1/2 mile or more. Setting up in the treelines of such fields gave fine vantage points to watch game movements and possibly take a shot or two.

I shot my whitetail from such a "sit". Visualize a large 1/4 x 1/2 mile field, and place me midway along the west (long) side in the treeline. Deputy Al was well-screened in an isolated patch of brush out in the field to my left, several hundred yards away, with a perfect view along my treeline and over the open field between us.

With last legal shooting time only about 20 minutes away, a forkhorn buck walked out of my treeline BETWEEN Al and I, and mooched slowly out into the field. He passed between us, meaning neither of us dared fire for fear of endangering each other. I clearly saw his itty-bitty antlers early-on, but it turned out that Al was unable to identify him as male so he didn't even consider firing. Well out in the field, the buck turned parallel to the far edge of the field and began grazing.

I ranged him repeatedly, but at first didn't believe the rangefinder because the buck appeared to be a lot further away than the 290-plus yards it indicated. After ranging on a group of eight or ten does in the south end of the field to my right, I came to believe the rangefinder was correct. It was then a question of time-and-distance, as light was failing and the range longer than I like. I aimed several times, and found that my cross-sticks were giving me almost a bench-solid position, and finally decided to shoot. The .338 reared up off the sticks, and while it was still in recoil I heard the WHACK of the impact come back. There was no sign of the buck once the rifle came back into position, as he was down and dead in knee-high alfalfa with a spine/high-lung hit. Just the way I like to do it. He was relatively small as those deer run in the area, being about 160 pounds or so, live weight. I was plenty happy, though....

Without the rangefinder I would never have taken the shot, because I thought the range was too long for confident shooting. 300 yards with the .338 is very do-able, although I'd still prefer to be much closer. It all worked out well, however (except for the deer). I yam now a firm believer in the gizmo.

NVcurmudgeon
11-06-2005, 08:53 PM
Now that Bruce has let the first cat, er deer out of the bag it's my turn. But first, remember that we were generally hunting within a half mile of each other. Sometimes we could even see each other, or at least each other's stands, which helped build the excitement. When Bruce got his buck I heard the shot (Al or Bruce?) and began walking in their direction down a mud road that led to the field staked out by Bruce and Deputy Al. When I got within 300 yd. of the entrance to the field, a legal bull elk slowly walked across my front. It would have been an iffy shot for me, what with the 300 yd. range, imminent loss of legal light, and the fact that elk are big, tough animals. Not wishing to start a rodeo, and considering that the elk was headed straight for Bruce's stand, I passed up the shot. Unfortunately, Bruce had left his stand to collect his buck. Then Eric came along on his quad, (legal for Eric) and I stopped him and VERY CALMLY told him what I had seen. Eric may say that I was jumping up and down, but the light was getting bad and I don't think he saw me clearly. I joined Eric on the quad and we went to see what was up. As we came around the corner into the field, there was the elk about 150 yd. ahead and Bruce and Allen were some distance away, standing over Bruce's buck. The elk was unseen by our two partners, in the almost dark, and vice versa. The quad spooked the elk and Eric and I joined Allen in congratulating Bruce on his fat, prime condition whitetail, and good shot. In tomorrow's installment, a whitetail buck visits my stand.

DOUBLEJK
11-06-2005, 10:19 PM
This is gonna be one a them read it first topics fer me fer a bit...
Thanks fer sharin' the experience with those of us stuck at home...did ya take any pics a the scenery?...:!:

NVcurmudgeon
11-07-2005, 12:57 AM
This is gonna be one a them read it first topics fer me fer a bit...
Thanks fer sharin' the experience with those of us stuck at home...did ya take any pics a the scenery?...:!:


DOUBLEJK, BruceB, Deputy Al, and I all took pictures. I made sure to take some of the country, dunno about the others. I think Bruce is the one who had a digital camera, maybe he can post some pictures of the country.

NVcurmudgeon
11-07-2005, 02:57 PM
On this particular evening I was occupying a comfortable log in front of a slash pile in the middle of a large field. There was 180 degree visibility across 400 yd. of open field to a wooded area. BruceB was on a similar stand about 600-700 yd. to my left front. With about two hours of shooting light left, does began coming out of the woods to feed. Eventually there were seven of the ladies feeding 100 yd. in front of me. BruceB had a similar group of does in front of him. Sitting still, good camo, and backgrounds to hide our outlines worked very well. I watched the does for about an hour until I heard something, maybe another deer, run away behind me. I never saw this animal, and the does I had been watching ran back into the woods. After a while the does again came out to feed, this time a little farther away from my stand. With maybe twenty minutes of light remaining a whitetail buck appeared at the edge of the woods. Without hesitating he slowly walked out toward the does, moving to within 250 or so yards of me. The buck began feeding and moving very slowly toward me. As long as he was moving toward me and there was shooting light I let him come. Long study through the binoculars showed that he was a respectable buck. Finally, he moved to 200 yd. and seemed about to change direction. Using the last of the light, I went to the kneeling position I had paracticed all summer. There was an orange fireball in the scope, and the usual unawareness of report and recoil when shooting at hair. The buck went down in place, kicked once or twice and was still. The .260 Rem./140 Hornady Spire Point had hit the left shoulder, ruined it and went on to break the right shoulder. The 93 gr. of remaining bullet was found under the hide on the off side. The antlers turned out to be a less than massive, but nicely proportioned 5 X 5 (Alberta count) with a 20" spread. That would be four points Western, or ten points Eastern. When the buck was dressed out, we were amazed at how fat he was. Delivered to the butcher he weighed 142 lb. with one shoulder and leg missing. Live weight was estimated at 300 lb. It is no wonder that Alberta whitetails get so big-they have plenty of alfalfa and grain to feed on in this mixed farm and forest country.

StarMetal
11-07-2005, 04:14 PM
Bill,

No doubt those whitetails are huge up there in Alberta, but I'll bet you haven't seen a Southern Ohio whitetail...big damn deer...all farm fed, corn, soy bean, apples, and natural food like acorns, mayapples, and pompom's.

Joe

waksupi
11-07-2005, 05:45 PM
Sorry, Joe , you lose on this one. I grew up in Iowa, and there are some darn big racks out of that area . I've also seen them in Illinois, Kentucky , the Carolinas , Georgia , and Florida . And I know the Texas is well known for a larger racks on their deer. But they're small body deer. A couple years ago I went to visit my family, and went to my brothers friends farm . This is a local hot spot for the local farmers to hide out, on the skunk river bottom . In the machine shop, we're hanging about twenty whitetail box. Everyone had racks that any hunter would lust for. But not having hunted there for many years, I'd forgotten just how small they were in body size . They were about the size of yearling does here. I'm a pretty stout old boy myself , but I have shot white cell blocks here, that I had extreme difficulty loading into the truck . The further north you go on any animal's range, the larger they are in body size . Of course, there are a few freak extra large bodied ones there, but there are few and far in between. In general, though, you'll find that the heaviest deer are the further north you go . The same thing holds true on elk and moose.

StarMetal
11-07-2005, 05:54 PM
Ric

I was talking body size not rack size although Ohio has some trophy racks too. It's not uncommon to find a whitetail deer in southern Ohio that goes 300 pounds or over. To me that's getting into mule deer size.

Joe

waksupi
11-07-2005, 08:49 PM
Joe, I was talking about body size. The further north, the bigger. I've seen the stats somewhere, I'll see if I can come up with them.

StarMetal
11-07-2005, 08:52 PM
Ric,

I'm not disagreeing with you. All I"m saying is your would be surprised about the size of southern Ohio deer if you see them. Notice I didn't say one, I said them. That means they aren't a freak of nature or nothing, they are getting great food in the Ohio farmland area and they are unusually larger for back east whitetail deer.

Joe

carpetman
11-07-2005, 10:00 PM
Waksupi"You have shot white cell blocks you had a hard time loading in your truck". What is a white cell block? Anything would be hard to load in that huge truck of yours---need a fire ladder to reach it.

StarMetal
11-07-2005, 10:11 PM
Ric

I shot a big 10 buck with my 45-70 and cast bullet that was so heavy I barely got my Suzukie 250cc in fourwheel drive and low range to pull out of the woods. I had to seat on the front to keep the front end down. I threw a rope up over my spare garage rafters and started hoisting him up with the Suzuki and the rafters started squeeking. The rafter were about 8 foot off the floor and I got the buck nose and face above the rafters and his rear feet where well on the floor yet. After I shot him and was retrieving him he had rolls down a slight hill and up against a tree. I couldn't move him. I had to use the Suzuki and a rope to roll him on his back to gut him to get rid of some the body weight. Ohio Univerity has a chart they made up where you measure the deers chest girth right behind the front legs and it gives you a very close esimate of live weight. My was said to go over 250 pounds. That's big for a back east whitetail. But that's nothing, I saw this one my freinds dad called the "Cow". It was a 12 buck that was so fat that when he was walking away from you, you would see that big body, you know the portion between the front and rear lay, bulging out and swaying back and forth as he walked like a big dairy cow. I saw him in off season, the reason I didn't shoot him. Never heard of anyone getting him. Oh by the way when I skinned out that big buck I got he had over one inch thick fat on top of and around the sides of his rump. I never seen that much fat on a whitetail deer.

Joe

Edited this in , forgot it. I looked up some statistics and the largest whitetail recorded in the lower 48 was 511 pounds.

Buckshot
11-07-2005, 10:51 PM
............I am certainly enjoying the stories boys. I'd imagine that re-routing to avoid snow storms in the Canadian Rockies, so as to preclude a Donner-esque situation was well recieved by my pal Bill. Even though he is a tall and broad man, I envisioned him sitting in the middle between you 2 hulks, pondering his future :D

.............Buckshot

waksupi
11-08-2005, 12:20 AM
Ray, that was a result of a voice recognition system that isn't yet fuly educated, and poor proof reading.
Joe, I am sure there are big deer there. I'm still looking for the info on larger specimens, the further north one goes.

ammohead
11-08-2005, 12:34 AM
I stopped at curmudgeon's casa on the way home from work today and saw his rack. Very nice, heavy and way dark. I was impressed by the width between the eyesockets, what would makeup the forehead. A very big deer!

ammohead

StarMetal
11-08-2005, 12:38 AM
Ric,

Here you go: Alberta white-tailed deer are a far cry in terms of size from some of those common to the southern and eastern U.S. The dacotensis subspecies nativehttp://www.apos.ab.ca/hunt_alberta/hunting_opportunities/whitetail_deer_hunting/whitetail_photos/classic_small.jpg to Alberta is the largest bodies and largest antlered of the many recognized subspecies of whitetails across North America. A mature buck in excess of 300 pounds is not at all uncommon, and some grow to be substantially bigger. As a result, rifles in the .270 - .300 Win. Mag. class are the norm. It’s difficult to have too much gun when hunting northern whitetails, and http://www.apos.ab.ca/hunt_alberta/hunting_opportunities/whitetail_deer_hunting/whitetail_photos/wt8_small.jpg (http://www.apos.ab.ca/hunt_alberta/hunting_opportunities/whitetail_deer_hunting/whitetail_photos/wt8.jpg) most outfitters recommend that clients bring with them the largest calibre that they can confidently handle and shoot well with. Variable scopes can be of great value too, as shooting opportunities may present themselves at anywhere from a handful of yards if hunting from a blind or stand to 350 yards or more in open habitats.

Urny
11-14-2005, 12:35 AM
LINDA and I had the privilege of spending the night with Bill and Fran Thursday night, and I must agree with Ammohead, that's a mighty nice rack. We reviewed Bill's battery of quality, properly maintained firearms, and enjoyed a wonderful evening and Veteran's Day morning with the Lose family, most gracious hosts. I'm afraid our wives had to endure what normally passes between veteran's on such a day, but bore up well. Some day such a nice rack may grace our home, too.

It must have been a wonderful hunt and trip.