Bison mile 156

[Shortmag300]

Well here goes my first post. I have been reading posts on this site for almost a year what a great resource. I am planning a trip up north to sikanni chief pink mountain area. Wanting to know if there is anywhere to set up camp with a motor home on mile 156 Rd ? Have applied for leh Bison in beginning of October I am not being unrealistic thinking I'm going to get it first try more like might never get it but going weather I get the draw or not so I can get a feeling for the area just incase I get lucky on day and get drawn.not looking for sweet spots or anything of the sort just looking for advise on Rd 156 accessibility before I make the 1600 km trip only to find that plans won't work. Thanks in advance for any advise

[JustinG]

I had a draw last year and my friend the year previous (participated in both). Thought about bringing the RV on the first trip. Very glad we didn't and was not even considered for last year's hunt (both were October hunts 1st and 2nd half).

The guys who were successful stayed remote and limited their atv time.

Good luck in the draw.

[wideopenthrottle]

Well here goes my first post. I have been reading posts on this site for almost a year what a great resource. I am planning a trip up north to sikanni chief pink mountain area. Wanting to know if there is anywhere to set up camp with a motor home on mile 156 Rd ? Have applied for leh Bison in beginning of October I am not being unrealistic thinking I'm going to get it first try more like might never get it but going weather I get the draw or not so I can get a feeling for the area just incase I get lucky on day and get drawn.not looking for sweet spots or anything of the sort just looking for advise on Rd 156 accessibility before I make the 1600 km trip only to find that plans won't work. Thanks in advance for any advise
a few of the boyz I hunt with went up a few years ago and were discussing how if they could have loaded everything on trucks so as to avoid trailers they would have..as a matter of fact the discussion was around whether to fly or drive given all the wear and tear the vehicles took on the trip...so rv sounds unrealistic... also clay roads that turn to grease with a bit of snow and/or rain...this is only second hand info so take it for what it's worth

[M.Dean]

The last trip I made up there was to the 120 Rd, just south of Pink Mnt. We took my buddy's new Dura Max and a 30 or so foot toy hauler in to the Beaton River, where we set up camp because that's as far as we dare drove in a rain storm like we never seen before! The last 3 or 4 miles down to the river the trailer was fish tailing real bad, and we seemed to be picking up speed, fast! Thank Christ my buddy drives a logging truck for a living, he told me take my hand off the door handle and don't even think of jumping out cuz the trailer will kill you dead he said! It was near midnight and the mud was a good foot and a half deep on the road, and this was just getting to camp! After that, for the next 5 or 6 days weather was great, then dust was a problem, we were backed in right beside the bridge, and I think there was a 200 man camp farther up the road from us, so the mud was all gone, but now the roads were covered in a foot and a half of very fine powdered dust! Sure glad I brought a good rifle cleaning kit! This is a very well maintained main road we were camped 30 feet from, then it started to rain again, we'd brought one set of new V-barred chains, but even on the quads we were having one hell'va time just getting back up the road we were now at the bottom of! So a trip to Fort St. John and my my buddy picked up another set of chains and a mushroom burger, I could smell it on him when he got back!!! We had a bitch of a time getting the truck and trailer out of there, and this is a main road! Over the years we've camped well off the main roads, and believe me, unless it's bone bloody dry your going to work to get out! Had a guy tell us just a few weeks before we went into the 171 road and set up camp, he said the guys that went in for the August 15th opening were camped every where you could pull off the main road, then it rained, and rained, and rained! He said someone had finally brought a skidder in to pull out the dozens and dozens of stuck hunters! There was a white Chevy pickup on it's side in Chicken Creek, looked wild, the inside was darn near full of rocks and gravel from the rushing water! Glad I wasn't on that trip! So, after all that, what I'm saying is be very very prepared for dam near every type of weather up there, and do not park your motor home off the main road, and down hill, you might be leaving it in there! Good luck!

[BCBear]

x2 what M Dean said. If in ain't gravel then you better have time on your side.

[Whiterock]

You absolutly cannot fathom the Beatton mud,,unless youve seen it!

[Bunner]

X3 on that
The mud is unreal. I was up on fontas rd Sunday and it poured rain and took me almost 4 hours to get to pavement.
you couldn't go any faster then 15 km and even that was pushing it It's worse then driving on ice
and you keep sliding around even in 4x4. Almost next to no control
Happened last year a dozen times or so. I would never pull a trailer on anything but a gravel rd up here. It rains while your pulling can make for an intresting time not to mention stressful

[brutus]

2x of chains in my duramax all the time when i go up there and my quad in the box in case i want out no matter what and have custom chains for my quad to boot.if it stay dry you can get arround good with any set of wheels but if its wet its nasty,can barely stay on the road,if there is a crown on the road when you stop you slide sideways in to the ditch i shit you not.PS i lives up there for a while and have lots of miles in the bush up there

[Sitkaspruce]

The 156 rd is graveled to Lifeline Lake (Dhya lake). Can camp there. But you will need a good 4x4 w/mud tires and chains and an ATV to explore past the lake. If you get a dry October, no problems, but if it rains, as others have said, you could be stuck back there. Peace Gumbo is like no other.

I have seen camps back there w/trailers in September and October, but they are playing with fire as far as I am concerned.

Long way to go, but worth it if you get a tag.

Cheers

SS

[Boner]

I jackknifed my trailer on the lily lake road this past March, I was able to drive out of it without any damage. Similar scenario. The frost was coming out of the road and I lost control driving down the hill to get back to camp. Most of the roads in that area get scary greasy.

[Shortmag300]

Thanks for all the great advise sounds like I should go no further than life line lake and take quads from there, then hike. Rather have a longer days travelling and hiking then days stuck in the mud. Now the wait to see whether the leh gods are going to give me a chance at the mighty bison or just go for elk and moose while learning the area. Either way gonna be great! Thanks again!!!

[Ajsawden]

I miss the Peace, mud and all! Good luck up there.

[bc kid]

I was up there last year with a couple of buddys for are leh in oct I would not even try to bring a RV in 156 or 171. The mud is extremly slick and if it snows good luck. We had to small inclosed trailers with side by sides and are wall tent not much weight and we had to chain up with my vbars to get out. One of the hills we went down it was a slip and slide. I drive truck for a living and those roads up there were the worst Ive seen when any type of wet stuff gets on them.

[thunderheart]

I miss the Peace, mud and all! Good luck up there.

x2..........

[BiG Boar]

Its smarter to go up in a wall tent and camp further in IMO. The gas alone would be the cost of a wall tent.

[bridger]

I live up here and have hunted that area extensively. Bringing your motor home is not a good idea as other posters have pointed out. The roads up here are not motorhome friendly and having a serious and expensive accident is a real possibility. Camping in a safe spot and travelling back and forth to the hunting areas is impractical and counter productive for good results. This is big country and you have to hunt it differently that other parts of the province. Bringing your motorhome will just be a long and expensive camping adventure not a practical hunting trip. Good luck in the draw.

[Shortmag300]

Thanks with the advise gonna see if I can get a map with Rd closures on it and re think the plan and maybe take my wall tent and see how far back I can get with it. This is exactly why I asked before going as I have never hunted outside the west kootenays and didn't want to make avoidable mistakes on such a big trip! Is 156 still a good idea with a wall tent or should I lean towards going in at mile 171?

[StuBrown]

A little off topic but I am wondering what the first road you can go in at? 120 mile?

[Edge]

You absolutly cannot fathom the Beatton mud,,unless youve seen it!

+1....nothing more unnearving that sitting in a truck on a switchback stopped and brakes applied and having the truck slowly starting to slide sideways...OMG....ya gotta keep inching forward or slide off the road..my $.02

[bridger]

Thanks with the advise gonna see if I can get a map with Rd closures on it and re think the plan and maybe take my wall tent and see how far back I can get with it. This is exactly why I asked before going as I have never hunted outside the west kootenays and didn't want to make avoidable mistakes on such a big trip! Is 156 still a good idea with a wall tent or should I lean towards going in at mile 171?

The 156 road doesn't really get you very far. If you have a quad I would go to 171 way better access to hunting area

[M.Dean]

On a number of my trips to the Pink Mnt area, when I got back to camp around lunch from my morning hunt, I'd grab a empty coffee can, drive my quad into the river, trying to get it so the brakes were under water and start pouring water all over the quad to get some of the mud off! Last few trips I was going to bring my Honda jet pump and 20 feet of garden hose just to wash the quads and do laundry, but I though that might be a bit of "Over Kill", I kick my ass for not doing it now! On one trip we'd strung a rope across the back of the Toy Hauler, this way we could dry our muddy pants and coats etc inside for the next day, we tried to sweep the mud out all week, but by the time we loaded the quads, moose and clothes for the trip home, the mud was still a good 2 inches deep, and dried on the floor! I don't think the trailer was 2 weeks old when we left, and after all this, on the trip home my buddy's quad broke loose and dam near went right through the side of it! Best part was when we pulled into my buddy's place, his wife had all the camping gear ready to pack the trailer, up and her and the girls were going to a lake for 3 or 4 days holiday! Took 2 full days to get the mud out! But another great Northern trip!

[browningboy]

Been there over a dozen times and I enjoy the mud ( must be a kid inside), for driving we always took a travel trailer with us, camped on 143, 146 or the old runway at Sikanni Chief, we have never had an issue and never used chains etc the mud is crazy and when it's raining it's pretty greasy but we usually use our quads as the trucks and trailers are parked the entire time.
If there's new road closures since 2013 then I don't know as haven't been there since

[Shortmag300]

Well didn't get the Bison draw I hoped for,so I guess going to scout the area this year and go for moose and elk while up there. it's still a hunting trip up north :)

[Shortmag300]

Well less then a month till we head up north gonna take the motorhome as far as life line lake as I have been told it is a good gravel Rd to that point. I'm brining the Motorhome as its the most cost effective way for the group of us to travel that far. I think we are going to spend the majority of the time in 7-58 as antlerless is open and we are a group of meat hunters that all have empty freezers. Anyone hunted this area and have tips?

[Icedog]

If moose are scarce, hunters plentiful, and you reach the point where you need a change in scenery, you might want to move a little further north.

There is ( or at least used to be) a campground at Buckinghorse which is basically right beside the highway. From there it's a short trip north to oil/gas roads giving access to the west in 7-42. It's been many years since I was in there, but did annual hunts in along the Buckinghorse River, around Impa Lake, near the Minnaker, and towards the Pocketknife for more than a decade in my younger years. It was very good country, though it may have changed considerably in the intervening years.

Maybe more recent travellers to the area will chip in with an update. The same warnings as those given about "off-road" roads to the south apply there as well. A slight rise in humidity, and you can be high centred, have your wheel wells fully packed with gumbo, or be slithering into the ditch in a matter minutes.

Wishing you the best for your trip, and good luck with future bison draws ... been applying forever myself ... no luck yet ... will be celebrating my 68th thus autumn!

[Shortmag300]

Thanks ice dog getting exited 18 days till we leave !!!

[M.Dean]

Some of my most memorable hunting trips were in the Pnk Mnt. area. And the things I remember the best was under estimating that country! If you guys are taking quads, make sure there in top running condition, wheel bears, U-joints, ball joints etc. Take extra motor oil, for everything with a motor, extra fuel, and drinking water, the water up there is yellow, and believe me, if you drink a gallon or so the day before you leave, the "Rest Area" washrooms aren't close enough together! Take "High Top" rubber boots, your leather hiking boots will be useless on day 2 if it's raining, rain jackets, at least 2 or 3 pairs of extra hunting pants, I had to let the mud dry on my clothes then beat them with a stick to soften them up so I could get them back on! If your riding a quad, a gun boot is the way to go, I'd put my rifle in the boot, put the top on it, then take a garbage bag and wrap it around the top part, that way when I seen a moose, I'd rip off the bag and the top of the boot wasn't caked in 2 or 3 inches of mud, which gets on your hands, then all over your rifle! On a few trips we took a run into Pnk Mnt Motor Inn, rented a room, had supper and washed our clothes in there machines, the owner screamed and yelled at my buddy when he brought in 2 garbage bags full of our dirty pants and coats, opened the washing machine and dumped our clothes in, along with about 30 pounds of mud!!! Still got my room key with my hunting pictures, I went out to the truck and when my buddy paid the bill the guy was still screaming at us! Good times tho! You guys have a great trip, take lots of pic's, and post up a good moose story when you get back! Have Fun!

[Shortmag300]

Thanks m.dean for sure will post a story and pics when I get back thanks for the great tips. Hopefully the story is all about the great success we had!

[albravo2]

If you head up Pocketknife, I'll apologize now for the monster ruts my heavy duallie left when the roads were soupy. Not quite down to the diffs, but close.

Have fun, I wish I was back up there. If I lived in Prince George I'd head up there for the weekend, but from Squamish its a bit of a haul.

[Shortmag300]

6 days and I'm starting my trip up to pink mountian.does anyone how the weather is up there and are the elk starting to bugle up there? It's been unusually quiet here in the west kootenays.

[Shortmag300]

Is there road restrictions in 7-58???

[Walking Buffalo]

Best wishes on the hunt to you Shortage,

But I gotta say that this thread has some interesting notes on OHV use.
Wash it in the river....
Sorry for the ruts....

Could be a wake up call for today or a sour source for posterity....
Remember when we used to....

[David]

Best wishes on the hunt to you Shortage,

But I gotta say that this thread has some interesting notes on OHV use.
Wash it in the river....
Sorry for the ruts....

Could be a wake up call for today or a sour source for posterity....
Remember when we used to....

I understand where you're coming from, but Peace mud isn't mud as someone in the lower mainland thinks of it - it's gumbo.

It gets slick as ice when you spit on it and then hardens tougher than clay. Even on a "gravel" road boggers will be packed tight full of mud in a couple hundred meters. A storm rolls in and you're chaining up - for both traction and steering.

I'm surprised noone told the OP to make sure to pack chains.

[Walking Buffalo]

I understand where you're coming from, but Peace mud isn't mud as someone in the lower mainland thinks of it - it's gumbo.

It gets slick as ice when you spit on it and then hardens tougher than clay. Even on a "gravel" road boggers will be packed tight full of mud in a couple hundred meters. A storm rolls in and you're chaining up - for both traction and steering.

I'm surprised noone told the OP to make sure to pack chains.


I think you don't know where I am coming from.

I've traveled through bentonite fields. Used a knife to cut the mud after every second step up the hill.

The mindset is one of caring for the land, and deciding to Not use that vehicle, Not wash it off in a river, even at the expense of access, because one cares to maintain wilderness,
Or not.

[Sitkaspruce]

Been raining off an don again for the past couple days. Supposed to dry out this weekend, but the fall is here and the roads will be getting rutted up and a bit of a mess.

Good luck on your hunt.

Cheers

SS

[Shortmag300]

Thanks Sitka one more sleep and we are starting the 1600 km drive from Castlegar to pink mountain not gonna be much sleep tonight. Thanks to all that gave me advise for this trip.

[Lucky 7]

I was up to Pink Mountain 3 times, 03,06, 08 for buffalo and had a great hunt all three times. always first week of December