Highland Valley Copper Bow Hunting Area?

[Derek_Erickson]

Has anyone hunted this during the season or heard of anyone roducing out of this area?

[mark]

I drive through there all the time and see lots of deer, mulies and whities! Never really explored it though! I too have thought about trying it!

[Derek_Erickson]

Gate security tells me its really worth going out for going to have to buy a bow i suppose

[dave_fras]

where is this place?

[MattB]

Bow only area sucks for deer, you may find a moose in there though. I always see the bucks hanging away from the bow area, they like the open alfalfa a lot better than the thicker pine and spruce.

[huntwriter]

I have never hunted that area yet it surprised me to readMattB’s reply.

Bow only area sucks for deer, you may find a moose in there though. I always see the bucks hanging away from the bow area, they like the open alfalfa a lot better than the thicker pine and spruce. Deer are edge animals they do not like the deep dark forests. Deer prefer to live near transition areas. They feed out in the fields but they do not spend all their time out there in the wide-open fields. The trick to scouting for deer and finding a bow hunting ambush is to find out first where the deer enter respectively leave the alfafa fields. I bet if you look around the edge of the field where it borders on to forest and other thick vegetation you will find trails coming in and out of the fields.

When I bowhunt I like to find bottlenecks where several trails come together into one and hang my stand about 25 yards (my preferred shooting distance with bow) from the trail intersection leading in or out of the field. Unlike rifle hunting, going after deer with a bow requires you to find the perfect ambush spot and not just the general area where deer are. Scouting for Bow season is a lot of footwork and tedious observation. The alfalfa fields are a good way to start your scouting.

I love to bowhunt in agricultural and suburban areas, it makes deer much more predictable and commits them to a smaller area.

[MattB]

Sure, they do like the edge along the reclaimed mine site. None of the bow hunting area on the mine comes close to these areas. A lot of the bucks on the mine stay right out in the open all day long. Trust me, i have watched the bucks up there for the last 5 years at least! If bow hunting in the bow hunting area was going to be worth it you would think i would be a bow hunter....:wink:

[huntwriter]

MattB you obviously know the area and I do not. All I am trying to do here is to find options to hunt that place with bow and arrow. How about right at dawn? Where are the deer at that time?

Have you considered to get friendly with the farmer of the alfafa field and get him to leave one or two round bales out in the field for you. One place I hunted in Illinois was like that. As soon the season opened the bucks would stay out in the field from dawn to dusk. I watched them all day long from a treestand and made notes of their movement. Then I went to the farmer and asked him to leave me four round hay bales in the field.

I arranged the bales as blinds that got me within shooting distance of where the deer traveled in the field. To approach these blinds I used the farmer’s tractor, with his permission of course. I used the tractor because there was no way that I could walk to the field without being seen by the deer, but the deer did not mind the farmers tractor at all. From the tractor parked at the edge of the field I could use the strategically placed round hay bales to approach the deer unseen. I harvested a big buck from that field.

Sometimes you have to be very creative as a bowhunter. :)

[steveo32]

hunt writer, i am matts brother and the deer right at dawn would be right were they bedded last night, out in the open hill side seeing as they have not been hunted in years makes then feel safe out in the open, but if you still wanna give it a go you are more then welcome to:mrgreen:

P.s. it might jsut make you mad when you glass out on the open hill side and spot some monster that will never trek to the timber you are aloud to hunt:wink:

steve

[huntwriter]

If I understand you correctly then only the forest area is open to bow hunting? That would be a real shame and I see your point about the deer hanging out all day in the open hillside. That basically only leaves the option to get permission from the landowner to hunt in and around the fields.

[GoatGuy]

Sounds like a potential area for bowhunters to try to get access on the mine site where the deer are if they can.

Opportunity.

You guys ever fished that Trojan Pond - I fished it a couple times when I was younger - absolute friggen' tanks. I couldn't believe it - not too many lakes in BC where 8 lbs tippet is minimum equipment.

[steveo32]

goat guy never fished there but seen plenty pics of them monsters:mrgreen: As for permission i am sure if they were gonna let some one bow hunt the mine matt would have alread sold his rifle and been the first in line, i dont see that happeneing for a long time.

steve

[MattB]

Never fished the trojan pond. I know and have worked for the senior environmental engineer that works for HVC. I have talked to him a lot about the deer on the mine and hunting them. The area that is open to bow hunting is shit timber, there may be a few cutblocks in it now but i havent ever seen deer in them. You may be able to pull an immature bull moose out of that country though.

[Derek_Erickson]

How about if you want to know about it and where it is your thread stealing asswads, go to highland valley copper and ask for the bow hunting permission I didnt ask if anyone knew where it was or what it was I asked if anyone hunted it and produced from it! Steve does your brother work there, I watched a montser yesterday up in the Highmont pit

[MattB]

I dont work there. I have worked on the mine, i was up there checking some planting for Weyco on Tuesday. I will usually glass for bucks in July, they arent tough to find. But you need permission and have to go through their safety program to access the mine site and also know people there through which to gain access. Do you work there Derek?

[boxhitch]

How about if you want to know about it and where it is your thread stealing asswads,



I didnt ask if anyone knew where it was or what it was I asked if anyone hunted it and produced from it!

This one stayed on track until page two, which is the base requirement. Rules followed.
Not many stay in line this long. If you can't get info from what is posted, back out and try again.

[Derek_Erickson]

Yeh , I work for Sterling Crane we're doing a bunch of lifts for the shutdown be there for a while but I dont shoot bow and wwas gonna go buy one and start aso I could hunt this chunk of tree, so I'm indoctrinated and go through whenever I wish

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Had the pleasure of fishing Trojan Pond back around 1996 or '97. We were part of a crew catching rainbows for transplant to another lake. I believe they had built a spawning area in Trojan that was too successful and were trying to thin out the numbers to increase the size back to it's former glory. We missed the peak of the lake productivity but it was still damn fun!!

Hijack!!:oops:


Saw an elk-sized mulie buck on the hwy on the way to Island Lake back about the same time. Biggest mulie I've ever laid my eyes on:shock: and it was still only mid July!!!
Back on track8)!

SSS

[Kirby]

The bow only area isn't that good. I've hunted it and glassed it with matt, like he said the deer stay away from it. There is nothing in the bow only area to attract the deer away from much better food sources.

Kirby

[steveo32]

kirby, you gonna get out glassing for bears before the season closes?????

let me know if you want company

steve

[Kirby]

kirby, you gonna get out glassing for bears before the season closes?????

let me know if you want company

steve

Busy trying to put my truck back together... snapped frames aren't good for driving around with. Also Throwing in a 4" lift with it, now just gotta re-gear it and put in lockers and I'll be happy with it. Hoping to get back out next week, but will have to see if the truck is ready.

Kirby

[MattB]

Thought id see ya at CJs tonight, where ya been?

[GoatGuy]

Busy trying to put my truck back together... snapped frames aren't good for driving around with. Also Throwing in a 4" lift with it, now just gotta re-gear it and put in lockers and I'll be happy with it. Hoping to get back out next week, but will have to see if the truck is ready.

Kirby

Sounds like a good toy? Solid axle of IFS? What year? Snapped frame?

I had an 89 toy that I put a HO 4.3L in, lifted, boggers and locked in the rear, on board air and all the rest of that stuff. Quite the performer in the spring bear hunting and the winter getting in for deer when the roads were otherwise inaccessible. Better than a quad anyday of the week!

Definitely a money pit though. Finally sold it after sinking too many dollars in it, blowing up too many parts and spending too much time.

[dana]

Come one Matt, we all know you are a closet bowhunter and all those monsters you kill are P&Y bucks from the mine. ;)

[Fisher-Dude]

Better than a quad anyday of the week!


Bite yer tongue Stats Boy! :mrgreen:

[3kills]

hey kirby...u need any parts for ur truck i justed remember my buddy has a few of them laying around lol