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OK everyone it's only a few weeks away and I'm sure we all can't wait for these adventures to start. As Randy said last season."Hey Guys, just wanted to get all the updates and harvests onto one thread like we have the last 2 years. Can we do that here?"
-------------------- "YOU NEED NOT HARVEST GAME, FOR A HUNT TO BE SUCCESSFUL" But it helps, Calvin Posts: 82 | From: Leduc Alberta | Registered: Jan 2004
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I've been waiting for this thread to start and I'm looking forward to hearing some good stories.
Posts: 813 | From: canada | Registered: May 2007
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I also can't wait for everyones stories! Let's hear them all even if you weren't successful.
Posts: 403 | From: Stony Plain, Alberta | Registered: May 2008
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Yep I agree, If your heart started pounding,your body was shaking, you can't believe this was going to happen and Murphy's law steps in and it goes sideways. We would love to hear about it and remember "YOU NEED NOT HARVEST GAME FOR A HUNT TO BE SUCCESSFUL"...Ya Ya I know "But It Helps" Be safe out in the woods,use all safety precautions and let someone know where you are going. Hard to write a story if you're staring up at the roots. Calvin
-------------------- "YOU NEED NOT HARVEST GAME, FOR A HUNT TO BE SUCCESSFUL" But it helps, Calvin Posts: 82 | From: Leduc Alberta | Registered: Jan 2004
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Well my wonderful wife said "go, I'll take care of the three under three!"
when walking into the stand Sat am, there were three coyotes, and a wt buck along the way. I opened a Montana deer decoy and walked behind it towards the yotes. They didn't let me get close enough.
While pulling out some Tree steps from the backpack, two wt does came down the trail an busted me. Oops!
After being in the stand for a while, it was time to give that doe in distress call. Within a minute spears a young coyote who came out on the cutline. It was all over in a second. I just remember seeing the arrow fly at him and hit him. He jumped and yelped. A complete pass through. The Grizzly broadhead thread through him like butter. It was still really sharp! 45 lbs recurve (apex) with 160 grain griz.
I will figure this picture thing out.
Saturday PM... Just howling.
Sunday am. No deer past the stand, but it looked like a big yote was going to come through the shooting lane, but he turned at the last min.
My wife was totally surprised to see that I needed to clean an arrow.
Posts: 27 | From: Calgary Canada | Registered: May 2010
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Well I guess it’s time I come out from under my rock and let you guys all know I didn't connect on a mountain caribou will up in the Logan Mountains near the Nahanni in mid-august.
We hunted them for 7 days, after a 3 day fishing trip to Alaska. My brother in law shot his caribou on our first evening of the hunt. We arrived in the afternoon and he was successful after a 2 hour climb. I won’t say why it was so easy for him because I don't want the post removed.
After carrying 3 quarters and the head down on my back, while my brother in law carried the other quarter, the neck and the body, we exhausted. near the bottom of the mountain we placed a quarter on the ground with the head and the rib cage and ran out to camp with what we could carry.
the rain started during the night and rained for what felt like forever. two 6'2" guys in a 2 man tent...... 20+ hours later we decided that enough was enough and we were going back to grab the other portions that we had stored on our way to camp.
Anyways we lost a day of hunting due to weather and tending to his meat, but now it was my turn.
In total we climbed 5.5 mountains in 6 days. This is approximately 17000 ft of climbing with 20-25 km hiking once on top of the ridges. Needless to say the boots I saved up for prior to the trip were worth their absent weight in gold.
Day one of my hunt provided so many chances at caribou that it wore me down physically. We were always within 50-40 yards of caribou but never that magical 20 yard mark. On the first day I had a great shot opportunity as a young bull walked in front of me at 25 yards. Something just felt good about the shot so I took it as the loped by. I watched the arrow fall below his chest perfectly in line with his armpit, and then I heard that sound. My string had hit my rain coat near my bicep and slowed the string down.
Day one concluded with a reminder that this was their house. Caribou are by far the most physically fit animal I have ever hunted. On our way out we stalked a small ground of 12. They were on a plateau. We circled around the far side and came into range. At 100 yards they were all bedded down. When I stuck my head up at 40 yards a cow was grazing. When we peaked up at 20 yards from where they should have been they had totally disappeared off the mountain.
For the next four days we fought the wind. We never could seem to hit it just right. We had great chances but the wind swirling scared them away as they fed towards us.
On the last day I was willing to hunt we charged up the mountain early. As my brother in law filled his water bottle I peeked over a small ridge. As I turned around I hear my brother in law whistle at me to get down. He then gives me the sign for caribou and points up on the side hill. I would estimate that they were 200 meters above use on the other side of the small valley.
I was wearing my black long johns and my blue undershirt. I found that this was the best gear I had to keep cool and still be able to motor up the mountain. I slipped my backpack off and snuck around the ridge. Before I could get my binos ready and get an arrow on my bow they were on me. All I could do was sit and watch as a bull and two cows walked in front of me at 5 yards. I'll never forget that moment, they had no idea I was there. I still can't believe they cleared that side hill and covered that ground so quickly. If I had stayed where I was when I first saw them they would have stepped right on me. Finally they walked behind a boulder and I could put an arrow on my bow. As I crept up to where I could see them they were walking away side by side and I couldn't shoot them at 10, 15, 20 yards. Finally they split and I had a shot at 25. He was walking slowly and I thought it was a done deal. As my arrow approached him the stood back on his back legs and sucked his body backwards. It was almost like a cartoon. My arrow sailed past him just in front of his chest and off into the valley never to be seen again.
That was a rough moment for me. Looking back I can see a lot of self-doubt. I doubted everything from gear to practice to ability. The rain started again and after the ups and downs of the hunt I was certainly not in the mood. It cleared and we climber some more. No more real chances until we decided to call it a day. We rolled boulders and through rocks pretended to slide and ski down the hill. This is when I had by far my best chance at a lone bull. He wasn't phased by our noise at all. He grazed and peacefully walked only 70-80 meters from where we had thrown rocks over a nearby cliff. I motioned to my brother in law to hit the dirt. We ditched our bags and stalked in to about 50 yards and confirmed it was a bull. The area I was hunting didn't have large bulls. This was actually the deciding factor and why we chose this area. We didn't want to deal with the yahoos and their quads.
The bull was feeding towards a small trail that would have been only a 10 yard shot over a small hill. The wind was perfect and my gut said, "Wait he'll walk through that hole and you'll get a close shot". As he walked towards the location I started to get ready. We had been watching him for 10-15 minutes and I had zeroed in on the spot.
He started for a brief second to walk away and my brother in law noticed. This is when I made the biggest mistake of any hunting trip. I thought I was going to lose him over a small ridge and as he walked away I decided to close the distance to 30 and go for him. I got 10 yards closer and he started to feed back towards the previously mention trail. Now I'm standing out like a sore thumb.
Needless to say you all know what happens now. I didn't move and he had no idea what we were. This is when his curiosity took over. He walked closer but not close enough. He then proceeded to run laps up and down the meadow trying to figure out what had just disturbed him.
I'll remember these animals for the rest of my life.
This story doesn't end all bad though. I'm heading back in October for barren ground caribou.
Oh I forgot to mention this. First day I stalked a caribou to 13 yards in the brush on a lick we had discovered. She turned out to me a large female so we took pictures and snuck out. The bugs were the major driver when decided to pull the plug and get out of that swamp.
Sorry it was so long winded I'll be quite for a little while.
Posts: 223 | From: canada | Registered: Jun 2010
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I'm glad you posted the descriptive adventure. Your including me on a trip for Caribou, which I may never get to hunt. I think we all have a lot of respect for the work you put into making opportunities try and happen. Great Storey!
I'm hoping you will post the type of boots you found to be such winded?
Congratulations on an awesome trip!
Gordon
Posts: 27 | From: Calgary Canada | Registered: May 2010
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Wow! Great stories guys. Now I'm getting excited about hunting. A friend is taking me hunting for elk at his sweet secret spot. He will introduce me to elk hunting as I never had a real chance to really do that. I can go only for 3.5 days but he is planed for two weeks. I sure hope to be able to tell you about good stories about this trip when I returned. Maybe even post some pics...you never know bigenner's luck might be on my side. After the HCJ guess speaker on elks and seeing a few therein the hill. I think I will be in trouble with elkahollisum.... Yves
Posts: 108 | From: St Albert, Alberta Canada | Registered: Jun 2008
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Adam, I enjoyed your account of your adventure. Keep your head up it's all good! Especially the fact your going for Barren Ground Bou this fall.
Posts: 211 | From: Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada | Registered: Feb 2009
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Thanks for posting the story of your hunt Adam. Sometimes some of the most cherished/remembered hunts are ones where an animal wasn't necessary taken. I'd be willing to bet that a few years down the road, that's what will occur when you think about this hunt.
Best wishes for another successful hunt this fall! Posts: 1119 | From: Hudsonville, MI | Registered: Mar 2003
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Hey all believe me my head is high. I climbed 17000 feet and hiked 120km. I'm proud as a peacock right now.
I had 6 bulls inside 60 yards and at anytime I could have killed them with a rifle or a compound.
I feel proud to say I didn't pick up the gun and I kept at it with my bow. Maybe I'm just that stubborn.
Hahaha anyways I'm excited to hear about all your hunts and I'm really looking forward to sharing with you guys my new hunting spot and 2 new traditional bow hunting partners.
Oh and My girlfriend asked me the other day if she could get her own bow. She has been shooting my lighter longbow and has been stumping with me a bit, so who knows maybe I hit the jackpot;)))))
Posts: 223 | From: canada | Registered: Jun 2010
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Great stories and that's why they call it hunting not gathering.
-------------------- "YOU NEED NOT HARVEST GAME, FOR A HUNT TO BE SUCCESSFUL" But it helps, Calvin Posts: 82 | From: Leduc Alberta | Registered: Jan 2004
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This is son-in-law Steve Rogers with his first ever whitetail with a bow. Happened last night at 8pm. Steve is using my old ChekMate - 51#s at 28" but Steve draws it to just over 30" and is getting lots out of it. He is shooting Easton Axis 400s, 100 gr inserts and 150 gr 4 blade Magnus Stinger broadheads. We have had a bunch of stands up in so called hot spots and thus far had not seen anything bigger than a squirrel out of them. We decided to change things up and sit a couple of stands normally used later in the year, pre-rut and rut. Are back in the bush farther. Steve won the toss for the "Sand Pit" stand and off we went. At 8pm my cell rang and it was Steve "I just smoked one". I had no idea what the "one" could have been as we were tagged up for everything Alberta has to offer. I came out of my stand and met him near his. He was pretty excited!! Two good bucks were just in front of him all of a sudden and the rear one stopped for what seemed like forever and then made its way to the shooting lane at 25 yds. He has been shooting a ton and was very focused on the spot. The arrow was gone and hit the buck perfectly - it blew out of there like only whitetails can. Some bush crashing, some coughing and another crash before things went silent. A short track job and there he was. An awesome Alberta velvet whitetail!!
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and it goes sideways. We would love to hear about it and remember "YOU NEED NOT HARVEST GAME FOR A HUNT TO BE SUCCESSFUL"...Ya Ya I know "But It Helps"
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and that's why they call it hunting ![[archer2]](graemlins/archer2.gif)
not gathering.
