a wild day in alberta,( PIC HEAVY)

[bowhunterbruce]

With an upcoming wedding in june I get to plan our honeymoon, destination: The willmore wilderness area for 2 weeks chasing elk and sheep on horseback.
Having never been there means plenty of planning and scouting along with researching and field trips. Deciding our point of entry is going to be from the south end near rock lake, Alberta.
Well yesterday (Easter) I decided to do a road trip with my soon to be better half down south. after finding the well marked sign we drove into the staging areas some 32 km off the hwy, only to cross a few chickens on the way in,
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday289.jpg
Once we get to the end of the road there are all kinds of places for parking trucks and trailers but way to much snow still to get into them.
We turn around to head back out and are rewarded with this view of whats to come.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday294.jpg
If that doesn't look like elk and sheep country, its sure pretty close.
then it was time for more motivation and after reading up on the recent discovery of a possible new world record sheep discovered down south further, off we go!!!

[bowhunterbruce]

a quick pit stop for grub n gas in Hinton we start heading down Hwy 40 south , not 15 km later we come across some of these mulies
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday301.jpg
Then a few km's more and glassing the south slopes we come around another corner and a couple of these critters were just hanging out licking salt flavored grass's
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday309.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday314.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday316.jpg
Over 50 ewes and lambs all inside of 150 yards of the hwy.
Now I know there has to be some rams around somewhere as the valley starts to open up abit and all the south facing slopes are open with the odd new greenery starting to poke through the golden brown from last year

[bowhunterbruce]

Sure enough, around the next bend and these 3 young boys are munching away without a care in the world
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday337.jpg
right above them there are a bunch of cows.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday336.jpg
then over to the right I spot this bunch.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday342.jpg
after glassing them, I have to get in closer, I mean who wouldn't, Right ?????

[bowhunterbruce]

So we start our decent towards them when I look back to be sure all was well with the truck and to our surprize we walked right by a couple very respectable boys.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday346.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday352.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday362.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday370.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday371.jpg

[sheep.elk.moose fanatic]

Awesome cool pics

[bowhunterbruce]

on our way down to the band this guy decides to do a fly by.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday380.jpg
with these boy directly under him
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday384.jpg

[bowhunterbruce]

getting in closer to the big band of rams.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday390.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday405.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday409.jpg
down to the left was to my surprize another band of boys.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday413.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday424.jpg

[bowhunterbruce]

All this and we still are not where I wanted to get to yet, a ton of pics later we head back down the hwy to the thriving metropolis of cadomin.
As we are about to cross the tracks into the hamlet these 2 mini studs were just hanging out still packing some bone,
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday438.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday442.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday444.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday450.jpg

[325]

Great photos!! I've always wanted to explore that part of Alberta

[Philcott]

Looks like you stumbled into Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.

Heck of a nice looking weekend.

[bowhunterbruce]

To my dismay, once through town the snow continued to get deeper and deeper until we could travel no further towards the "record zone", however as we were going through the sloppy mess we did manage to find the small rams and a whole wack of ewes and lambs.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday457.jpg
this one being only 8 ft from the truck passenger window.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday466.jpg

http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday461.jpg

[bowhunterbruce]

" Eat here and get gas" ,sounds like a good meal to me
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday472.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday475.jpg
and just a couple more on the way home for good measure.
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday485.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday491.jpg
http://i601.photobucket.com/albums/tt91/bowhunterbruce1/newest%20to%20oldest%20album/awildday500.jpg

All totaled we saw well over 400 different animals including a herd of 75ish bull elk, some still packing bone but most not, they were way to far for our lens to pick up and way to far onto the mine property to try to get closer.
It was over 1000 km's round trip from our place and all done in a long day but ,talk about getting fired up for the honeymoon come sept.

[BULLNUTTS]

Waaaay Coool Bruce!!!I always do miss certain areas of Alberta and getting to those spots where the earth meets the sky finding the sheep,elk an mulies all in same saddles and basins-Wild fer sure!! Good Huntin BULLNUTTS [Michael]

[pescado]

Nice way to spend some time Bruce, well done.

[markt308]

that was awesome! thanks so much for sharing these pics!!

[Foxtail]

Thanks... Way to torture us lol

[Husky7mm]

Very nice to see all that game. Why are you scouting around cadomin if your going to hunt the wilmore ?

[Brett]

^^^^ I was wondering the same thing, not that its a beautiful spot and we ALL know about the "record zone";) that mine sways all the stats for rocky mountain sheep in the up direction :) Very jealous your able to hunt there and wish i was hunting when I lived in AB! Great pics!!

[Chopper]

Best thread ive seen in awhile ... Thanks for sharing

[BiG Boar]

That's pretty sweet Bruce! What an outing! Should be a wild honeymoon. Hopefully she lets you out of the tent to do some hunting. Either way make sure to get a cougar tag, I'm sure you'll bag one.
BB

[bowhunterbruce]

Why are you scouting around cadomin if your going to hunt the wilmore ?

we did drive down the road that's going to take us into the Wilmore but at the staging areas the snow got deep. once I figured out where we are going we the did the viewing of the mine areas just to see if there was anything to see, we figured we were only another hr and a half away so why not.

[bowhunterbruce]

That's pretty sweet Bruce! What an outing! Should be a wild honeymoon. Hopefully she lets you out of the tent to do some hunting. Either way make sure to get a cougar tag, I'm sure you'll bag one.
BB
dave I don't have to worry about her letting me out of the tent to go hunting, she has all her priorities in the right places, if she didn't, I wouldn't even be with her !!!!!

[Steyrman]

The Willmore is the last of the true wilderness areas left in Alberta, I lived in Grande Cache for a few years and enjoyed the area, had several trips in with a retired guide. Saw some huge Grizz over the years and not just in the Willmore, had one on Berge street in front of my house in GC, but that is another story, it all ended well, the bear took off down the hill towards the prison and nobody got too upset. The Sheep at the mine on 40 south will tolerate you getting within a few yards of them, even closer if you are in a vehicle, the Elk in that area are quite tame too, have also seen some very nice young bull Moose there. "Cadomin" translates as "valley of the winds", the older homes have very heavy shutters that come in handy when the winds get up to 100 mph or better and the rocks start to fly, always enjoyed stopping there to chat with the locals. North of GC at the GC gun club we quite often saw some nice record size Goats hanging out on the slopes above the Smokey, and have seen some huge Cougars (4 legged) between GC Coal and where Sheep Creek crosses the 40. Met several people in Grande Prairie and Hinton that would never think of travelling the 40 at night, it was known locally as the "road of a 1000 eyes", between 10 & 12 pm in late June and early July I have seen just about every type of animal that calls the Willmore and Kakwa area home, including a couple of Wolverines and some Wild Horses, along with the highly protected Woodland Caribou. During the rut I have seen Mullie bucks hanging out together just off the side of the 40, groups of 12 -20 + with some nice trophy size ones bringing up the rear, never a dull moment on the 40. Every couple of years one group or another lobby to have the Willmore opened up to motorized vehicles, that would be the end of such a pristine area, in fact way back in the Wilmore there are still small lakes and streams that have never been named. So enjoy yourself in the Willmore, your not apt to be bothered by two legged snoops, but the four legged ones will be checking you out.

[coach]

Wow! Outstanding pics, Bruce! Looks like you're having a blast in Alberta. Great stuff.

[bowhunterbruce]

The Wilmore is the last of the true wilderness areas left in Alberta, I lived in Grande Cache for a few years and enjoyed the area, had several trips in with a retired guide. Saw some huge Grizz over the years and not just in the Wilmore, had one on Berge street in front of my house in GC, but that is another story, it all ended well, the bear took off down the hill towards the prison and nobody got too upset. The Sheep at the mine on 40 south will tolerate you getting within a few yards of them, even closer if you are in a vehicle, the Elk in that area are quite tame too, have also seen some very nice young bull Moose there. "Cadomin" translates as "valley of the winds", the older homes have very heavy shutters that come in handy when the winds get up to 100 mph or better and the rocks start to fly, always enjoyed stopping there to chat with the locals. North of GC at the GC gun club we quite often saw some nice record size Goats hanging out on the slopes above the Smokey, and have seen some huge Cougars (4 legged) between GC Coal and where Sheep Creek crosses the 40. Met several people in Grande Prairie and Hinton that would never think of travelling the 40 at night, it was known locally as the "road of a 1000 eyes", between 10 & 12 pm in late June and early July I have seen just about every type of animal that calls the Wilmore and Kakwa area home, including a couple of Wolverines and some Wild Horses, along with the highly protected Woodland Caribou. During the rut I have seen Mullie bucks hanging out together just off the side of the 40, groups of 12 -20 + with some nice trophy size ones bringing up the rear, never a dull moment on the 40. Every couple of years one group or another lobby to have the Wilmore opened up to motorized vehicles, that would be the end of such a pristine area, in fact way back in the Wilmore there are still small lakes and streams that have never been named. So enjoy yourself in the Wilmore, your not apt to be bothered by two legged snoops, but the four legged ones will be checking you out.

Now that is exactly the experience that we are hoping to have happen, with 5 horses under us and our equipment and a german shepherd along our side. Going in completely blind and never have been before to the area, our dreams are filled with anticipation of big hills, lots of hard work, plenty of game that has not been overly hunted.
My only wish is to be able to find some maps that indicate trails that are horse friendly as our horses don't have a lot of mountain experience. over the last 1 1/2 years I have been conditioning and training them to the best of my limited ability to every conceivable situation but there isn't a lot of creeks and streams were we live so this may prove to be a challenge.
They have all had their turns with the paniers and continue to be worked.
Any tips or or hints that would point us in certain areas from your experiences in the Wilmore would be greatly appreciated, it would certainly save us some time.
thanks for your input
bhb

[bowhunterbruce]

Wow! Outstanding pics, Bruce! Looks like you're having a blast in Alberta. Great stuff.

Thanks sean, you showed me of the value of a good camera and now its gonna take some more practice with it to come up with setting and exposures, I have no doubt I'll get er done.
Although Alberta is not my first choice to live, I will say that the opportunities to take big critters on a regular basis seams pretty consistent so far. We do plan on being back in BC one day so until then, "When in Rome do as the Romans do" and we are trying to enjoy every experience here that we can.
bhb

[AltaElkhunter]

If you get the chance to make it into Mountain Park it is worth the drive, even with that new haul road and the mining going on. Hard to believe 3500 people lived up there year round, and now nothing but the cemetery remains. Was in there 25 yrs ago, before anyone went there much, and before they decided to re-mine it, it is rich in the history of the coal mining days.

[mike_b]

Awesome pictures!!!

[300H&H]

Man O Man do I ever wish I could have a hunting season where I see that many animals. Great pics & thanks for posting.

[ryry4]

Very nice pics!

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

That truly is some of Alberta's most beautiful country! That Province still retains a pocket or two of fine wilderness areas strewn about... The Willmore and some muskeg patches in the Northern Boreal come to mind in particular.

By the looks of things, you sure do have an excellent Bride-To-Be! Surely a unique and fantastic honeymoon you all have lined up there Sir. Thank You for taking the time to share your pictures and story of this scouting trip here with us on HuntingBC!

[kennyj]

Thanks for sharing! What a bunch of awesome photos.
kenny

[Husky7mm]

The Willmore is the last of the true wilderness areas left in Alberta, I lived in Grande Cache for a few years and enjoyed the area, had several trips in with a retired guide. Saw some huge Grizz over the years and not just in the Willmore, had one on Berge street in front of my house in GC, but that is another story, it all ended well, the bear took off down the hill towards the prison and nobody got too upset. The Sheep at the mine on 40 south will tolerate you getting within a few yards of them, even closer if you are in a vehicle, the Elk in that area are quite tame too, have also seen some very nice young bull Moose there. "Cadomin" translates as "valley of the winds", the older homes have very heavy shutters that come in handy when the winds get up to 100 mph or better and the rocks start to fly, always enjoyed stopping there to chat with the locals. North of GC at the GC gun club we quite often saw some nice record size Goats hanging out on the slopes above the Smokey, and have seen some huge Cougars (4 legged) between GC Coal and where Sheep Creek crosses the 40. Met several people in Grande Prairie and Hinton that would never think of travelling the 40 at night, it was known locally as the "road of a 1000 eyes", between 10 & 12 pm in late June and early July I have seen just about every type of animal that calls the Willmore and Kakwa area home, including a couple of Wolverines and some Wild Horses, along with the highly protected Woodland Caribou. During the rut I have seen Mullie bucks hanging out together just off the side of the 40, groups of 12 -20 + with some nice trophy size ones bringing up the rear, never a dull moment on the 40. Every couple of years one group or another lobby to have the Willmore opened up to motorized vehicles, that would be the end of such a pristine area, in fact way back in the Wilmore there are still small lakes and streams that have never been named. So enjoy yourself in the Willmore, your not apt to be bothered by two legged snoops, but the four legged ones will be checking you out.


That at sounds pretty dreamy, how current are these experiences? Unfortunately hwy 40 is open to shooting along it as of 2013.

[Husky7mm]

Now that is exactly the experience that we are hoping to have happen, with 5 horses under us and our equipment and a german shepherd along our side. Going in completely blind and never have been before to the area, our dreams are filled with anticipation of big hills, lots of hard work, plenty of game that has not been overly hunted.
My only wish is to be able to find some maps that indicate trails that are horse friendly as our horses don't have a lot of mountain experience. over the last 1 1/2 years I have been conditioning and training them to the best of my limited ability to every conceivable situation but there isn't a lot of creeks and streams were we live so this may prove to be a challenge.
They have all had their turns with the paniers and continue to be worked.
Any tips or or hints that would point us in certain areas from your experiences in the Wilmore would be greatly appreciated, it would certainly save us some time.
thanks for your input
bhb

Sounds like its gonna be a blast. Check the regs about hunting with a dog , there are different rules in alberta.

[bowhunterbruce]

Sounds like its gonna be a blast. Check the regs about hunting with a dog , there are different rules in alberta.

the dog is along as a companion, not to hunt. shes never hunted, tracked or ever been envolved with dead critters in any way shape or form. she will also serve as an early warning system should any grizzlys think about camp raiding. in all reality, she has never been in the bush before.
We are currently training her to walk along side of the horses of which she's doing very well and obiediant.
Many trips are done every season in the willmore by hikers, horseback trips etc and pretty well everyone has dogs along, as long as a dog isn't being used to "hunt", "track" etc, there is never a problem and in fact there is a few warden cabins through out the area, one would have to be completely stupid to break any laws or even push the envelope while hunting sheep in such a pristine region where a lot of eyes could be watching from the next ridge.
we do plan on stopping into one of the warden cabins for letting them know where we want to camp, hunt etc. , in the event of anything god forbid, going wrong then not only will we have made contact but they will have an idea as to where we will be and at the same time we will have a gps location on where to find them.
I'm fairly confident that if they have a problem with us having the dog along on the trip, they will have seggestions on how we can ease their mind as to the dog not being a part of the hunt, at which time we will without a doubt comply.
thanks for your vast knowledge and reminder
bhb

[bowhunterbruce]

heres a great link as to what the area looks like through the eyes of some hikers, going pic by pic on the slide show gives one an idea of not only the area but the treck they took, its pretty cool.

http://raysweb.net/willmore_hiking/

[Husky7mm]

Someone rub you the wrong way about the dog before?? I don't have a vast knowledge of the rules here as I am an alberta newbie. Just heard you couldnt have a dog with you on a big game hunt. Specifically I don't know what a rule states. Peace and good luck.

[Walking Buffalo]

the dog is along as a companion, not to hunt. shes never hunted, tracked or ever been envolved with dead critters in any way shape or form. she will also serve as an early warning system should any grizzlys think about camp raiding. in all reality, she has never been in the bush before.
We are currently training her to walk along side of the horses of which she's doing very well and obiediant.
Many trips are done every season in the willmore by hikers, horseback trips etc and pretty well everyone has dogs along, as long as a dog isn't being used to "hunt", "track" etc, there is never a problem and in fact there is a few warden cabins through out the area, one would have to be completely stupid to break any laws or even push the envelope while hunting sheep in such a pristine region where a lot of eyes could be watching from the next ridge.
we do plan on stopping into one of the warden cabins for letting them know where we want to camp, hunt etc. , in the event of anything god forbid, going wrong then not only will we have made contact but they will have an idea as to where we will be and at the same time we will have a gps location on where to find them.
I'm fairly confident that if they have a problem with us having the dog along on the trip, they will have seggestions on how we can ease their mind as to the dog not being a part of the hunt, at which time we will without a doubt comply.
thanks for your vast knowledge and reminder
bhb


I certainly don't agree with the current dog laws in Alberta and despite the efforts of many people the government is still stalling on amending the Alberta Parks rules regarding dogs and provincial rules for hunting big game while accompanied by a dog.

Alberta Parks Act (which includes the Willmore) require that dogs must be on a leash less than 2m long or in a cage. This rule tends to be selectively enforced, as in when an incident occurs.

More importantly to your trip is understanding that in All of Alberta, you cannot hunt big game (other than cougar) while accompanied by a dog.
It doesn't matter if the dog doesn't "hunt" or "track", the animal simply cannot be with you when you are hunting big game. I would be happily surprised if you were not charged if you have the dog with you while actively hunting. I suggest that if the dog comes with you into the Willmore it will unfortunately have to stay in camp when you are out hunting.


You say that your dog has little "bush" experience. I would be cautious about this as the Grizzlies in the Willmore are plentiful and often aggressive with canines as they have to deal with a lot of wolves. These bears are also pretty confident around people as they have not been hunted for quite a while. Self defence killings of Grizzlies is becoming quite common here. A backcountry trip might not be the best way to find out how your dog behaves around grizzlies and black bears.

Just some food for thought. Enjoy the Willmore, truly the last of our Wild mountainous areas.

[bard]

the main trail into the willmore from the rock lake staging area is a good choice if your horses don't have a ton of experience. it is very wide and pretty flat for a long way in. gets muddy in the rain but that's not much of an issue for you horse guys. if you can avoid it I would try not to go opening weekend if you don't have a spot picked out way in the back country. spent my first opening day in there last year and we glassed a lot more hunters and horse riders than sheep. we were only 30km from the staging area because we were backpack hunting. after the first week or so it gets a lot more quiet in there and is more peaceful. I'm going back for a long hike in hunt again this year but going to try a different spot just to see some new country. it is beautiful in there. not near as rugged as the mountains you were looking at down at cadomin. you can climb to the top of ridges and glass across green mountain tops for miles and walk in many directions so try and keep your options open as plans change pretty quick in there. there are a lot of sheep in the willmore. they won't score like those hogs out of cadomin but it is a true sheep hunting paradise. as far as the dog goes they can get pretty sticky in alberta. I would love to have a big hound keep me company and pack a little gear in for me but it doesn't fly too well with some people. if you have a horse camp set up your expected to leave your dog in camp all day. if he is out hiking with you without a leash you could run into some issues. pm me if your looking for any more info

[bowhunterbruce]

the main trail into the willmore from the rock lake staging area is a good choice if your horses don't have a ton of experience. it is very wide and pretty flat for a long way in. gets muddy in the rain but that's not much of an issue for you horse guys. if you can avoid it I would try not to go opening weekend if you don't have a spot picked out way in the back country. spent my first opening day in there last year and we glassed a lot more hunters and horse riders than sheep. we were only 30km from the staging area because we were backpack hunting. after the first week or so it gets a lot more quiet in there and is more peaceful. I'm going back for a long hike in hunt again this year but going to try a different spot just to see some new country. it is beautiful in there. not near as rugged as the mountains you were looking at down at cadomin. you can climb to the top of ridges and glass across green mountain tops for miles and walk in many directions so try and keep your options open as plans change pretty quick in there. there are a lot of sheep in the willmore. they won't score like those hogs out of cadomin but it is a true sheep hunting paradise. as far as the dog goes they can get pretty sticky in alberta. I would love to have a big hound keep me company and pack a little gear in for me but it doesn't fly too well with some people. if you have a horse camp set up your expected to leave your dog in camp all day. if he is out hiking with you without a leash you could run into some issues. pm me if your looking for any more info

great intel, thanks pm sent