Osprey lake/bankier

[Jason Melo]

Ok I need some advice or opinions whatever you want to give lol

I have a cabin by Osprey lake (Bankier) about 40 km outside of Princeton..

When it comes to hunting this area we usually do quite well during the opening week of any buck season. (this year no luck).

My question is. How come it seems like this area dies down in deer activity. I've been there pretty much all of October for the past few years and it always seems like there are no deer after the first week of October. I don't road hunt but yet I don't see any deer and I am constantly pounding the bush in different areas around my cabin and its all the same NO DEER! I have been told by a couple people that live up there that the deer leave after the first week of October, but I found it hard to believe that it was true and now I'm starting to believe it.

Can anyone shed some light on this??

[Phreddy]

We spent 10 days in the bush up in that area and the only sign and tracks we saw in the snow in any great number was wolf. They've moved into the area and we all know what happens when the wolves arrive. I tried to help one wolf change from a bad wolf to a good one, but the range was too great and he was quartering away from me so I missed. Damn!

[roadhunter.338]

I have a place not too far from you. I hunt the crown land adjacent to the private properties on the valley bottom. The deer eat out of the valley bottom at night and travel up to higher ground. Only works for the any buck season because there isn't enough elevation for the big deer. Try down the road by trout creek ranch and get above the ranch on the south side. lots of access.
Just be sure of your backstop.

[Jason Melo]

Roadhunter.338 where about a is your place... and that is the one area I haven't tried to hunt.. never thought of going behind the ranch

[bc_buckshot]

There is deer up and around that area. Know this for a fact because i hunt around that area and spots near there. Sorry to say deer do move to greener pastures. The colder it gets, the more they move. I have trail camera picks of a 4x4 buck in mission where i hunt and used to come to my salt pile every second day till 3 days before bow season. Its just the way it is.

i know where your cabin is, try heading up china creek near tuleemeen. Know theres bucks there because a friend shot one and brought it over to skin.

[Jason Melo]

thanks for all the opinions and advice guys... I've never been up china creek.. in fact don't even know where it is. I will look it up in the mapbook!

[roadhunter.338]

Roadhunter.338 where about a is your place... and that is the one area I haven't tried to hunt.. never thought of going behind the ranch

Hi Jason, I got a place about 20 km from town. This year I got a 2x3 up jura road. Total fluke chance.

I have also seen bull moose up behind the ranch, south side.
North of the ranch it becomes hard to tell where the private property starts and finishes, so I don't bother. also, too much free range cattle up there. I thought that Glen road was a waste of time.

[Brizz]

I've heard they migrate East out of the higher areas around Bankier as it gets colder. Some of the higher mountains in that area are above 6000 feet and usually don't get snow till late October. I've often wondered the same thing, where do they go after early season.

[SHACK]

They head east for the most part, head towards Summerland, as the snow fall's, you will find more and more deer that way. My uncle used to have a place just to the left of the turn off to teepee lk road, last house before ya went in. Spent near 10 years beating the area up, plenty of deer there, but always seemed that once we got later in the season we would find ourselve heading to lower elevations.

[Westcoastgunner]

We got a nice 3x2 mid October this year. We saw a few bucks coming out on trailers the weekend we were up there.

[sapper]

We were up around Osprey this weekend and saw a good many does but no bucks. Does anyone else have any advice to offer on this area? Also, our family that live up that way say they've seen white-tails but I never do, does anyone have any pointers/opinion on them in this area?

[Looking_4_Jerky]

I'm not at all familiar with that area, but I have a fair bit of experience with other areas in the east Okanagan where, as your neighbours have said about your place, the deer do in fact migrate elsewhere toward the end of Sept or early Oct, and the migration is not at all prompted by snow in the high elevation where they seem to spend summer. Hunting the mid-points in the migration routes seems to be very effective as the season progresses. In early Oct, you won't have to stray far from summer range, but by late Oct you may need to get considerably closer to their ultimate winter range, and that can be a fair ways from where they spend summer.

As for the low elevations adjacent to agricultural areas, they'll always hold deer. Aside from the obvious, that everyone sees the deer and consequently targets them moving to and from the fields, it's always a good place to find some animals.

[Big Lew]

I used to hunt throughout that area during the first week of September
bow season with good success. Would see a lot of bucks of all sizes. Then
I moved to other areas because my favourite spots became too thick and
overgrown and they were being overrun by recreational ATV riders. During
the 90's there were high numbers of whitetail, but for some reason their
numbers decreased (a lot of midnight vehicles?).

[wsm]

I have hunted that area hard in the past , killed many deer up that way . as I understand many of the mule deer in that area migrate toward garnet valley to winter. and there are a fair number of white tails up tepee lakes

[Sofa King]

I have hunted that area hard in the past , killed many deer up that way . as I understand many of the mule deer in that area migrate toward garnet valley to winter. and there are a fair number of white tails up tepee lakes

ya, but not in early October they're not.
it's just from pressure.
where I'm hunting right now, it's the same thing, the deer just haven't been moving period, since the opening weekend, not even the does.
they are all still there, and they are until December closer even, but there's stretches where they just aren't moving at all, at least not during daylight.

[wsm]

ya, but not in early October they're not.
it's just from pressure.
where I'm hunting right now, it's the same thing, the deer just haven't been moving period, since the opening weekend, not even the does.
they are all still there, and they are until December closer even, but there's stretches where they just aren't moving at all, at least not during daylight. bio has told me that migration starts soon as there is a good frost . there is a change in diet after a good frost is the reason he said . just passing along the info I got

[sapper]

So where are all these deer headed? Cali?8)

[Brizz]

Into town - I can't count how many times I've seen ever cranker bucks walking down the streets in Summerland haha.