A Giant Falls

[Ourea]

Just re-read the entire story. Thanks for sharing, wish there were more stories like these these days.

Did you or your friends ever see the big typical again?

Yes. Long distance and on the move never to be seen again. I posted one of his drops in this thread.
Average hunters have no idea what survival instincts monarchs have, especially WT.

[Husky7mm]

Yes. Long distance and on the move never to be seen again. I posted one of his drops in this thread.
Average hunters have no idea what survival instincts monarchs have, especially WT.

GPS collar studies from the states on wt show the bucks are there, they just use the terrain differently. There are small areas they spend the majority of their time and some areas they simply do not go. I found that quite interesting, granted that is the states so probably non migrating deer.
A few years back I had a record book deer on cam at a lick that was also in a pinch point and intersection. As the season went on and especially after the season I didn’t get any pictures of him. I moved my camera to a trail not 50m away and somewhat routinely had pictures of him again… for a while I thought he must have left for the season or was cat scat.

I am a big believer that big animals are as lucky as they are smart, they are often among us and near us, they just don’t often run into a hunter willing to put in that extra, extra effort. A quick read of big buck magazine or a hunting forum confirms many monarchs have been harvested by blind ass luck.

You mentioned a while back while on an elusive big bull or buck that he was better at hiding than you were at finding him. Perhaps you just didn’t have that kind of time that year? I know I sure haven’t, and don’t.
I remember back in the day watching Jim Shockey videos, and he literally would sit for near a month sometimes for his target buck…… often a booner….
Well, who has the free time for that, retired people and professional hunters I guess? The rest of us have a job to go to or a business to run. I put in a heavy effort every year and sometimes it comes easy and sometimes it doesn’t come at all. The big buck simply got lucky my schedule didnt put him on a collision course with me. 1 day early or later would have made all the difference. My cams, patterning tracks, and activities have shown me this repeatedly.
At the end of the day WE have the bigger brain, we just need to know how to use it. Of course you know this. But the thread is for everyone. Meeting, and conversating with a big variety of personalities over the years has really been valuable for life, and of course hunting.

[HarryToolips]

Amazing the mass on those giants Ourea... I'm assuming the mulie and possibly the elk would make the BC B&C records?

[Ourea]

Amazing the mass on those giants Ourea... I'm assuming the mulie and possibly the elk would make the BC B&C records?

They are B&C animals. Will never officially enter them. The MD is one of the best this province has produced. My satisfaction will always be walking up to an animal that I dedicated countless hours in the back country pursuing. They won more than I did...and I am pretty darn good at my craft. Average hunter has no idea the commitment it takes to find and kill a giant. It can take yrs chasing just one.

[HarryToolips]

They are B&C animals. Will never officially enter them. The MD is one of the best this province has produced. My satisfaction will always be walking up to an animal that I dedicated countless hours in the back country pursuing. They won more than I did...and I am pretty darn good at my craft. Average hunter has no idea the commitment it takes to find and kill a giant. It can take yrs chasing just one.

Indeed, that MD has gotta be one of the biggest ever from here for sure... totally understand what you're saying about the commitment- it would take a lot of self control to eat your tag year after year, passing on other nice bucks..

[Darksith]

GPS collar studies from the states on wt show the bucks are there, they just use the terrain differently. There are small areas they spend the majority of their time and some areas they simply do not go. I found that quite interesting, granted that is the states so probably non migrating deer.
A few years back I had a record book deer on cam at a lick that was also in a pinch point and intersection. As the season went on and especially after the season I didn’t get any pictures of him. I moved my camera to a trail not 50m away and somewhat routinely had pictures of him again… for a while I thought he must have left for the season or was cat scat.

I am a big believer that big animals are as lucky as they are smart, they are often among us and near us, they just don’t often run into a hunter willing to put in that extra, extra effort. A quick read of big buck magazine or a hunting forum confirms many monarchs have been harvested by blind ass luck.

You mentioned a while back while on an elusive big bull or buck that he was better at hiding than you were at finding him. Perhaps you just didn’t have that kind of time that year? I know I sure haven’t, and don’t.
I remember back in the day watching Jim Shockey videos, and he literally would sit for near a month sometimes for his target buck…… often a booner….
Well, who has the free time for that, retired people and professional hunters I guess? The rest of us have a job to go to or a business to run. I put in a heavy effort every year and sometimes it comes easy and sometimes it doesn’t come at all. The big buck simply got lucky my schedule didnt put him on a collision course with me. 1 day early or later would have made all the difference. My cams, patterning tracks, and activities have shown me this repeatedly.
At the end of the day WE have the bigger brain, we just need to know how to use it. Of course you know this. But the thread is for everyone. Meeting, and conversating with a big variety of personalities over the years has really been valuable for life, and of course hunting.

I honestly think deer aren't that smart, they just have tendencies and learned behaviour. The ones that have those that keep them away from roads, operating in remote or thick pockets, or nocturnal are the ones that grow old. The ones that have the opposite get blasted or eaten by a predator. They are hunted their whole lives by all predators, so when they find that safe spot and stick to it bc of tendencies they have opportunity to become what we desire. Anyway, not looking for a debate, the old ones are crafty for whatever reason, finding those hard to reach or overlooked pockets knowing that maybe they don't move as much as we thought might be a key to success, Im certainly no expert but as I move away from hunts abroad I am excited to give chasing mule deer more of my time and figure out where these spots might be. The more I learn the more Im seeing that they have a home base and we as hunters just need to find it and it needs to be where no one else is looking in an area that allows them to also escape the other predators on the landscape.