Hi,

I've been hunting a few years now on Vancouver Island. Got a bear last season but haven't been able to get any deer yet. This year I'm planning on a 8-10 day trip into some better hunting country somewhere in BC with a couple friends.

Currently we are researching the best location and timeframe. I know 8 days isn't a ton of time to hit an area that is new to us but it's the longest we can make happen. We will all be rifle hunting and I'm trying to get an idea of our options for good deer opportunities but also have an option for Moose or Elk. We will have a couple trucks and quads but are comfortable putting some miles on the boots.

We would want to drive to the location so not going too far north, and cutting into our hunt time, would be preferred; however, if it got us into an amazing area I would consider it. There seems to be tons of options which is great... but also makes it hard to weigh any pros/cons when it's all unknown to me..

I looked into 8-12/8-14 just based on a spot someone told me about and an October 8-16 gives a great range for different species opportunities but may be a little on the early side and I'm hearing that going north would be the way to go if I was really looking for Moose.

Being from the Island, access to the backcountry is a bit of an issue but is it safe to assume that most inland/north MU's in BC will be much better for easy access? Because we won't have time to scout ahead of time I'm worried we might put in all this effort and run into gates everywhere.

Looking for any general tips you all might have. Specific info would be awesome but I'm happy with whatever you might feel like sharing.

Thanks!