southern interior mule deer strategy?

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Could that be because there is nothing to kill?

Maybe that should be a warning bell?

When the average hunter can go and place trail cameras all through his hunting area and have his phone ding when something is passing bye.
Head in on a trail way into a area with his ATV and set up on his selected animal and wait.
That is about as probably the most effective way to scout a area, wouldn't you say?
Yes the game may change their patterns and spoil their success, but that a hell of allot more efficient than my way of hunting.

I have heard the statement that a hunter needs to hunt harder because the game is smarter and all sorts other reasons.
End Result= more days less harvest.

Their was a group in the Okanagan that were set up in the sloughs taking months worth of photos of moose. Looking for immatures.
Opening week they shot three in the group and others were pissed claiming that they shot their moose. That group had cameras set
up also and apparently had claim to them.

Fast forward two years later all involved got skunked.

Starting to get the picture?

Shooting spike/forks is leading to less moose?

[horshur]

You guys see the cutblocks with deciduous retention? Is that good for ungulates?
I know most people prefer the "look"
but is it good for moose?

It is not but it is good for SP to get the block free to grow as soon as possible freeing up adjacent timber for harvest. Aspen and birch regen recruitment is primarily from suckers When it is retained it limits regen. Ungulates need the deciduous regen but SP limits it. IMO there should be some smart people review this. Some blocks SP should consider longer term ungulate browse without penalizing the mill.

[RiverOtter]

Interesting concept horshur. IME, leaving poplar, birch, cottonwood retention usually leads to deciduous blowdown. That said, it still might be worth visiting, even if only in a pilot program. I'm sure stumpage rates could be increased slightly, in lieu of reforestation commitments or maybe a reduced reforestation program.

A program like that, utilizing blocks near water, ridges, ravines etc, could be of great benefit to ungulates.

[RiverOtter]

On second thought, it would likely be all for naught once cattle turnout time comes around.

[boxhitch]

and make riparian zones 100 meters wide instead of 30

[Fisher-Dude]

Could that be because there is nothing to kill?

Maybe that should be a warning bell?

When the average hunter can go and place trail cameras all through his hunting area and have his phone ding when something is passing bye.
Head in on a trail way into a area with his ATV and set up on his selected animal and wait.
That is about as probably the most effective way to scout a area, wouldn't you say?
Yes the game may change their patterns and spoil their success, but that a hell of allot more efficient than my way of hunting.

I have heard the statement that a hunter needs to hunt harder because the game is smarter and all sorts other reasons.
End Result= more days less harvest.

Their was a group in the Okanagan that were set up in the sloughs taking months worth of photos of moose. Looking for immatures.
Opening week they shot three in the group and others were pissed claiming that they shot their moose. That group had cameras set
up also and apparently had claim to them.

Fast forward two years later all involved got skunked.

Starting to get the picture?

How's that?

Some guys luck out and get a couple of immies, then get skunked 2 years later?

So those immies that were shot had what to do with immies 2 years later, exactly?

You do realize that after year 1, there's next to no chance that those moose would still be legal bulls, don't you? How does bull harvest of a tiny slice of the population affect recruitment of the next tiny slice, exactly?

Why has the region 8 moose population doubled in 10 years in spite of these super-duper trail cameras?


You contradict yourself so wildly in a single post that it's very hard to determine just what the hell you're trying to say. One minute there's nothing to shoot, the next minute you can hammer immies because you have a game cam.

I guess if you throw enough shit at the wall, eventually, something sticks.

[bownut]

Bownut......I struggle trying to digest some of your comments let alone the logic.
Furthermore, your obsession on the crumbs rather than the cake is head scratching.

Understand this.....IF THE MAJORITY OF ALL HUNTING (REGULATED) WERE TO BE SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY IT WOULD HAVE VERY LITTLE EFFECT, IF ANY, ON WILDLFE HEALTH AND NUMBERS GOING FORWARD.

I am an obsessive trophy hunter (I love big shit and will chew down every ounce of meat with pride and respect for the animal I killed and why)

It never gets in the way of my greater understanding of what the challenges are facing the future of wildlife.

Why and how I hunt does not interfere with that reality.
Regulation could give me more opportunity on age, not numbers.

Sorry touching a soft spot.
All I was trying to show was how hunters have a better grasp on Game Inventory now than we ever have had, and management needs to recognize it.

Your focus on mature game will never be viewed as a threat to game populations, allowing Mule deer to reach it full potential is a good thing.
Passing up on game and being more selective makes for a great looking wall also.

Oh and by the way I too hunt the big stuff also, thats why I have many uncut tags.
I also enjoy game meat in the freezer and every now and then will take something home with my bow.

[bownut]

You guys see the cutblocks with deciduous retention? Is that good for ungulates?
I know most people prefer the "look"
but is it good for moose?

It is not but it is good for SP to get the block free to grow as soon as possible freeing up adjacent timber for harvest. Aspen and birch regen recruitment is primarily from suckers When it is retained it limits regen. Ungulates need the deciduous regen but SP limits it. IMO there should be some smart people review this. Some blocks SP should consider longer term ungulate browse without penalizing the mill.

Totally Agree In 1982 I ran a tree planting crew in the Okanagan. We were planting a historical moose summer range. They did a complete Hack And Squirt of the whole area to kill all the competition
.
I was digging 10- 15" into the ground and finding old moose droppings, I wonder how much moose habitat was destroyed when they herbicide treated the area.

New Brunswick is feeling the effect real hard.
Scary stuff for sure.

[bownut]

Bownut......I struggle trying to digest some of your comments let alone the logic.
Furthermore, your obsession on the crumbs rather than the cake is head scratching.

Understand this.....IF THE MAJORITY OF ALL HUNTING (REGULATED) WERE TO BE SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY IT WOULD HAVE VERY LITTLE EFFECT, IF ANY, ON WILDLFE HEALTH AND NUMBERS GOING FORWARD.

I am an obsessive trophy hunter (I love big shit and will chew down every ounce of meat with pride and respect for the animal I killed and why)

It never gets in the way of my greater understanding of what the challenges are facing the future of wildlife.

Why and how I hunt does not interfere with that reality.
Regulation could give me more opportunity on age, not numbers.

SHOUT DOWN COMPLETELY thats a little extreme.

[horshur]

It was told to me 20 years ago that the main factor for mule deer decline in the kootenay was not enough "insufficienty stocked" blocks. Basic silviculture was too efficient. I see that could be relitively easily remedied.