Hunting Chilliwack is it worth your life?

[Shawn Smith]

I hunted up Chilliwack Valley a lot this season and each time I was asking myself is it worth my life? I've never come across so many other people hunting it seemed like they were around every corner. There was recreational shooters in so many of the cuts this year while I was hunting in an area with no regard to the direction they were shooting in. One time my wife and I were out and we drove past a bunch of guys shooting into a cut and even though the road went around the back of the cut they kept shooting in our direction.

I had one incident that bothered me the most I was still hunting along a section of road where blacktail would cross to head into an old cut with immature trees. While I was standing there a truck drove up and dropped off one person about 60 yards down the road and proceeded to drive towards me and stopped to talk. I told him I was still hunting right there and that they should move on and his response was (Well I guess you have some competition). He then goes on to say maybe his buddy will spook something in my direction.

I was shocked I couldn't believe the absolute stupidity of these guys and that they couldn't see how dangerous that situation was not to mention there is a thing called edicate. I talked with him but he just didn't get it that someone could easily get shot so I decided I had to be the smart one and leave that area.

Hunting is not like sharing space on the Fraser going for sockeye people if an accident happens people die plain and simple.

[bigredchev]

its been like that for a while, I used to hunt and shoot and I now no longer to both because the entire area is crawling with quadders and dirt bikers.

[Steeleco]

Not hunted this side of Hope for quite some time. It's not the same as it once was, that's for sure.

[Wentrot]

I didn't run in to anyone else all season in my travels-get off the roads and the easily accessed cuts and you will be fine.

[Ferenc]

You where most likely on the bench road loop I take it.

[Fella]

Get away from bench road, and don't go in there on the weekends. There are deer and Bears up there but the nut jobs that think it's their right to trash that place keep them deep.

[Shawn Smith]

No I wasn't on the bench road that area is a waste of time plus there are make shift shooting ranges every couple hundred yards. I was hunting a section of road when those two hunters came along but I'm no road hunter I average 12 km a day or more I hunt the bush like a (Real) hunter. I guess that's old school now a days. I figure a lot of these hunters are also salmon fisherman and they are just used to a lot of people around them. But calling hunting close to another hunter competition is ignorant to what a firearm will do to a person.

[monasheemountainman]

But you said you were still hunting on a road where deer cross? Sounds like your not going into the bush. I always laugh when guys say the okanagan is so full of hunters. It is full of road hunters. If you get out of your truck and hike in the bush you will be amazed at what you see and what you see isn't people. Remember most cut blocks have roads to them so if your hunting cut blocks expect to see people!

[Shawn Smith]

I guess I'm not explaining myself clear enough when I said I'm (Not) a road hunter and when I said I put on 12 km a day on average I meant walking/hiking the bush. In that scenario it made sense to watch that section of road due to the number of animals crossing over into this old cut. When I say old cut the inmature growth was 10-15 ft tall. If I hunt cuts I walk into them well before first light and hunt til around an hour and a half after sun up then I walk the bush looking for tracks, rubs, smelling for the odor of a bucks scent glands etc. I attempt to pattern the animals in the area as best as possible. With the new shooting regulations for the Chilliwack Valley that's pushed the recreational shooters further into the bush due to there being an 800 metre no shooting zone from Chilliwack Lake Rd.

[BearStump]

still hunting on a road......hmmm thats really strange that you ran into other hunters.:shock:
I live in chilliwack and do most of my hunting elsewhere. But I still put in between 5-10 days a year up the chilliwack river valley. I have yet run into another hunter in any of the areas i hunt.
I found a 300 win mag round in one of my spots once. Thats about as close as ive come to running into another up there.If youre running into guys that are target shooting then you must be close to the valley bottoms where all tge clearcuts and dirt bikers are.

[Shawn Smith]

Very true Bearstump I'm close to the valley floor but I have an area early in the season that's 4100 ft. up then I follow the bucks down most of my encounters with shooters and other hunters was at the end of the season. I hunt a lot in the Kamloops and Merritt area and rarely encounter other hunters I've found areas that no vehicles are allowed and I hike in 2 km to where I hunt.

[gutpile]

That really sucks that they put that 800 meters further up the valley
they keep pushing us further out ot valley .
It's suppose to be public land for everyone .

[Fella]

That really sucks that they put that 800 meters further up the valley
they keep pushing us further out ot valley .
It's suppose to be public land for everyone .
The few idiots ruin it for the sensible majority. I don't blame them for putting the restrictions in, the amount of drunks with guns that hang out in that valley is ridiculous.

[ryanonthevedder]

That really sucks that they put that 800 meters further up the valley
they keep pushing us further out ot valley .
It's suppose to be public land for everyone .

Its only for people who clean up after themselves! That valley has always been rife with idiots. During the early days of the Vedder River cleanup we used to pull all kinds of shyte out of the bush. One time there was a guy's mail in it and he had driven all the way across town, and way up the valley to save $5 on the dump. Dont get me started about the BC day weekend either! Unfortunately the valley that I took my first buck out of is over run with wee todd's. Besides the eyesores left behind by all the "trash with cash" there are several gems hidden in the Chwk river watershed. However, people dont come here for the excellent deer hunting. Pierce Lake is a nice hike.

[Fella]

Ryan, I hope you tracked that idiot down and gave him his mail back.

[Shawn Smith]

I agree with the rule of 800 metres there are simply to many careless people shooting with no thought to the direction they are shooting. Pushing shooters further back off the roads just made them establish new spots they will leave their mess for someone else to clean up. I'm a big believer that you have no right to complain about something that your not willing to do something about. So I'm willing to set up a day to go and clean up a few of these spots if anyone else is up for it. I usually bring a few garbage bags in my vehicle and clean up the odd spot if there isn't too much.

[rides bike to work]

Week days up the Chilliwack valley can be very good. The deer know its a weekday and walk out in the open all day. Big bucks everywhere no one around to see it.

[TyTy]

competetion... is normal in the fraser valley. be prepared to adjust your game plan, you have no control over other hunters. dont get bummed out over it is best advice i can give. i hate it when people drive up on me too, but its normal out here. try to make the best from frustrating locations; move on or hunt harder :) lots of steep ground to share

[Sofa King]

Ryan, I hope you tracked that idiot down and gave him his mail back.

I found a whole truck-load of household garbage that was dumped up Gillard fsr one day.
called the co's to report it, i had even found lots of the guy's mail and everything in it.
they said there was nothing they could do and had no interest.
in their opinion, anyone could have dumped his garbage up there, that was the explanation that i received.
it's shit like that that makes one lose faith in the powers that be, the very ones that ask us to help them out and report any wrong-doings that we see.

[Wentrot]

I found a whole truck-load of household garbage that was dumped up Gillard fsr one day.
called the co's to report it, i had even found lots of the guy's mail and everything in it.
they said there was nothing they could do and had no interest.
in their opinion, anyone could have dumped his garbage up there, that was the explanation that i received.
it's shit like that that makes one lose faith in the powers that be, the very ones that ask us to help them out and report any wrong-doings that we see.

Those are the people that deserve all their crap dumped back on their front lawn.

[ryanonthevedder]

Ryan, I hope you tracked that idiot down and gave him his mail back.

I didn't. I was about 13 at the time cleaning up with my scout group. The fellas who were driving us around were pretty keen on dealing with the guy though. If anyone is concerned about the mess and wants to get out and do some cleaning please feel free to join the Vedder River Cleanup for a day or two each year. Tim Horton sponsors so there is coffee and doughnuts a-plenty. When they tell you which part of the river to hit just tell them you are heading up the bench road. Dumpsters, bags, gloves are all provided. http://www.cleanrivers.ca/

[Sitkaspruce]

If you are doing 12km/day, you need to slowwwww down if you are hunting blacktails. Plus still hunting a road that others can drive on.....what did you expect??

Glad I don't have to hunt the Valley, sounds like a crazy place.....

Cheers

SS