MacKenzie / Parsnip area

[adriaticum]

My friend returned from region 7 this year skunked for the first time in 35 years.
Large hunting party and nobody saw anything. No moose, no bears. Only grouse.
Says large LNG company from Alberta doing surveying in the area for the new lng pipeline.
Anyone fare any better?

[.330 Dakota]

Hey Adriaticum, I am part of a survey crew working that area. We arent disturbing any game by walking in the bush and there are only 8 of us in the area. We havent seen hardly any game and I have been here since July..seen a total of 5 moose all summer, 3 black bears and 1 griz. Not much sign either,,I know lots of people used to hunt this area, probably shot out.Lots of black bears near the town of Mackenzie.

[adriaticum]

Hey Adriaticum, I am part of a survey crew working that area. We arent disturbing any game by walking in the bush and there are only 8 of us in the area. We havent seen hardly any game and I have been here since July..seen a total of 5 moose all summer, 3 black bears and 1 griz. Not much sign either,,I know lots of people used to hunt this area, probably shot out.Lots of black bears near the town of Mackenzie.

He was talking about helicopters landing on FSRs and lots of camps through out. So you might be a small continent of what's going on.
I agree walking wouldn't disturb animals more than quads do. But he was pretty surprised by the lack of any sign of moose.

[lip_ripper00]

Can't play cards all night get up at 9 and hope to see moose! :mrgreen::-DMan if that crew can't find moose in that area I don't know what to think....... they know every pool, swamp, cut etc!!!

[adriaticum]

Can't play cards all night get up at 9 and hope to see moose! :mrgreen::-DMan if that crew can't find moose in that area I don't know what to think....... they know every pool, swamp, cut etc!!!

Yah, it will be oatmeal and bananas all winter :)

[swampthing]

I have worked through the powerline and gas line through there on and off all year. Seen pretty much nothing as well.

[Liveforthehunt]

Adriaticum I had some friends and family go up to where I usually go every year north of there a few hours and same result .... They did have some action calling and nothing came out in 2 weeks .... Where usually we would take 2 within the first few days with them everywhere .... I read recently something about a winter tick kill up there in January when it warmed up spmething like that ... Maybe it was because I didn't go with my " here moosy" voice lol very strange though to say the least they also talked to a guide camp up north who had 6 hunters take 1 bull moose and no elk in all of their hunts... Now if that's not bad for business I don't know what is

[.330 Dakota]

He was talking about helicopters landing on FSRs and lots of camps through out. So you might be a small continent of what's going on.
I agree walking wouldn't disturb animals more than quads do. But he was pretty surprised by the lack of any sign of moose.

Ya , we probably talked to those guys...lol We used choppers to get in to the real back country that has no roads or trails etc...yes we were landing on FSR'S here and there. But trust me, if we arent seeing it from the air, it isnt there. I know every guy, and chopper in the area, there were 3 crews of 3 guys, and 1 chopper that we all shared from Trans Canada Pipelines. I am sure the hunters thought we scared everything away with the chopper, but in reality the game has to actually be there first. The hunters we met (and they were the farthest in) were only 6k off the hwy, on the Calzon Rd. I know its popular to blame the pipeline, but in this case,,not accurate.

[tripleseven]

I spent 12 days up there this year, and there are a ton of grizzlies! It was my first year hunting the area so I don't have anything to compare it to. I almost became lunch for a sow and 2 cubs.

I saw some sign and a few moose, but I didn't punch a tag.

[Salty]

I lived in the area like 30 yrs ago for a spell. Wolves have been brutal in the past in that country, no idea if that's the case now though?.

[everythingwild]

More hunters than animals for to many years

[.330 Dakota]

Just got back from 7-29 for a week. With eight shooters, we took out two bulls on a group LEH in the first two days there. Spent the remaining six days searching for the elusive unicorn immy with no luck. Saw a few cow/calf combos. Chickens everywhere. Plenty of grizz crap and had one visit camp to relocate both heads and a quarter. Had to retrieve those from up and over the ridge, lost the ribs and some meat. Personally was buzzed by a wolf while still hunting from a nice hide setup just seven feet off a game trail. Never been that close before.

You must have been close to town, or up toward the Peace Arm? We were east of Mackenzie in 7-30 and saw virtually nothing,,a few chickens over a few months. If you want to see black bears then the 711 in Mackenzie has about 8 or 9 running around all summer. A long time resident here told me that back in 1976 they shot over 70 grizzlies out of the local dump in one summer,,,sad

[J_T]

With moose populations down (observed down) I'd be counting dog/wolf tracks. Not griz numbers or kilometres of pipeline.

[.330 Dakota]

We were in the Bug Lake area, reasonably close to the west shore of the reservoir, maybe 80-85km from the causeway.

Ya we werent working on that side too much. Mostly on the east side from town up in behind PowderKing, and on to Chetwynd.

[.330 Dakota]

I lived in the area like 30 yrs ago for a spell. Wolves have been brutal in the past in that country, no idea if that's the case now though?.

The one thing we did see consistantly was wolf tracks and heard them howling all the time

[Boner]

I'm working on both proposed Trans canada pipelines, I've seen sweet f all for animals too. I agree that we're not having a negative impact on them as well.

[Call of the Wild]

The one thing we did see consistantly was wolf tracks and heard them howling all the time

Well what do you expect then... From my experience when I see wolf tracks it’s tough hunting and if I hear them now it’s a game changer. Try to think like the animal, what would you do if something in the woods was present and wants to open you up??? I’d lay low and that’s what I find the game does.

Everyone has their opinions and theories why the big game population is down up here, personally I don’t care what people think WOLVES are a serious issue!!!! Industrial work is not the problem, it can disturb an area for the duration of some work yes but once equipment leaves normal animal’s habit return. Pipelines are great for wildlife in timber country with all the clover and alfalfa growing, also helps wolves travel and hunting.

More and more old timers here and in north west Alberta are seeing an increase of wildlife on their farming land over the past few years, what a coincidence more game is observed in farmer’s fields (especially in the winter), some of the past winters have been tough on wildlife, over abundance of wolves, less wildlife in the timber country (some have died from winters and wolves, some have moved to the farmland due to wolves pushing them) and now guys here are killing wolves in the farmland. Some of the game have been pushed out of the timber country to find refuge and safety in the farmland, take a wild guess what started to follow them…

When guys are killing wolves while truck hunting or driving around in open fields you don’t need a phd in biology to understand there is a very high wolf population to see them that easily!!! I remember when I moved out west guys were lucky to hear, see, cut a track or kill a wolf NOW a hunter is lucky to not hear, see, cut a track of kill a wolf while enjoying the outdoors in only 10 years. So yes there are too many hunters out there, especially the four legged ones with some serious teeth.

[adriaticum]

Very well said Call of the Wild.
I wish we organized group wolf hunts where bigger groups of people can find and flush them out in the open.
I'd drive 5 hours out for that.
I know 2 locations within 3 hours from LML where there might be wolves. Sightings and attacks have happened.
The one location I howled a month ago for half an hour and didn't get a response. But I think that was just a transitional area.
There could also be some in the Skagit area as the biologists claim some wolves in the US came from Canada through the Skagit mountain range.

[emerson]

Moose numbers seemed down over the last 2 years vs. the last 25 in area north of Dease Lake too. Not only harder to find, but also not as plentiful either. Last year was a little slow, this year more so. I know LML hunters sitting in sloughs think 3 bulls for 6 hunters in a week is good, but not according to those who have been hunting the same areas for several decades. Talking to the bio getting my moose CI'ed today, he said predators play a roll, but there seems to be something else at work besides hunting; maybe disease of some type.

[dhog]

We hunted 7-23b from October 1 for seven days did not see any fresh sign on the roads in the medows or the bush, hiked, called and even road hunted only thing that we did see was grouse yes there is a lot of wolf sign but not as fresh as we saw in the Peace. Talked to local trappers they say the Moose pop is down 50% in the last ten years,also its open for leh bull, leh cow, Imature bull and calve but no one is seeing anything May be its time for some conservation and let the population grow shut down the calf and imature hunts and only have leh bull it might help but it would hurt the money generated by those hunts.

[flyboy]

The only way shutting down the moose hunt will help is if it is COMPLETLY shutdown. That means everyone! Until someone in Victoria is willing to put their career and fat pension on the line it will never happen. Putting moose on LEH for you and me and leaving it free game for others is just silly. 5 year quotes of 180 moose in that area for some people??? Come on........

[dhog]

5 year quotes of 180 moose in that area for some people???
Now would that be the same person who has a chain and padlock across the forest service road ?

[sthdslayer]

This is why there is few moose in the parsnip area
http://www.bchydro.com/pwcp/pdfs/reports/pwfwcp_report_no_339.pdf

[adriaticum]

This is why there is few moose in the parsnip area
http://www.bchydro.com/pwcp/pdfs/reports/pwfwcp_report_no_339.pdf

very, very interesting.

[emerson]

Seems a bit cracked to hunt/starve out 2 species out to help another. Let wolf hunting by other means be liberalized. Guided helicopter hunts maybe.... Someone would even pay to do it.