Hwy 33 area whitetails?

[czechsanchez]

3 weeks ago, I explored the dee lake area and was about to take a shot on a WT doe on the opening morning when a momma moose came outta nowhere with her calf and spooked me and the does.

Last weekend I road hunted (with a few hikes) pretty much half of the FSR's off of the 33 from conkle lake all the way to Big White. Didn't see a single deer.


Are there any areas worth looking at when I head out this weekend? I'd really like to take a WT, even a Doe.

I was thinking maybe the areas outside oliver, naramata etc instead of the 33?

[ryanonthevedder]

If you didn't see any deer around conkle lake you must be doing something wrong...Try sticking to an area rather than going all over the country side. Thats just my opinion though

[goatdancer]

If you're road hunting up 33, you probably won't see much. Ever since the GOS WT doe season started they've been pushed hard and stay out of sight. Gotta go work for them. All the dumb ones got shot pretty early on.

[DeepJeep]

I drive that road about 4-5 times a year and I have only seen mulie does midway between beaverdell and big white.

[butthead]

ive been hunting that area really hard and am not seeing any deer at all or very few.
did see a wolf there though so maybe thats why

[HarryToolips]

3 weeks ago, I explored the dee lake area and was about to take a shot on a WT doe on the opening morning when a momma moose came outta nowhere with her calf and spooked me and the does.

Last weekend I road hunted (with a few hikes) pretty much half of the FSR's off of the 33 from conkle lake all the way to Big White. Didn't see a single deer.


Are there any areas worth looking at when I head out this weekend? I'd really like to take a WT, even a Doe.

I was thinking maybe the areas outside oliver, naramata etc instead of the 33?
Welcome to whitetails adjusting to hunting pressure, find a good place and sit sit sit...

[butthead]

i'am hunting winter range for them this year
last year i was trippin over them there were so many
this year think I've seen 8 wt

[czechsanchez]

i'am hunting winter range for them this year
last year i was trippin over them there were so many
this year think I've seen 8 wt


Exactly this! last year I was seeing at least a doe every few KM behind winfield (after opening day for does)
But I was too proud to road hunt so spent several days hiking around with no luck.

This year I'm absolutely okay with road-hunting if it puts meat in the freezer, but its like they've dried up.

Gonna try again this weekend and then spend the rest of the season focusing on stuff closer to my home in the Fraser Valley

[Fisher-Dude]

Exactly this! last year I was seeing at least a doe every few KM behind winfield (after opening day for does)
But I was too proud to road hunt so spent several days hiking around with no luck.

This year I'm absolutely okay with road-hunting if it puts meat in the freezer, but its like they've dried up.

Gonna try again this weekend and then spend the rest of the season focusing on stuff closer to my home in the Fraser Valley

Totally different years.

2015 was a drought. 2016 was a flood.

Animals live where the protein grows that year. And that varies with weather conditions.

They adapted, you didn't. Change it up.

[Ourea]

3 weeks ago, I explored the dee lake area and was about to take a shot on a WT doe on the opening morning when a momma moose came outta nowhere with her calf and spooked me and the does.

Last weekend I road hunted (with a few hikes) pretty much half of the FSR's off of the 33 from conkle lake all the way to Big White. Didn't see a single deer.


Are there any areas worth looking at when I head out this weekend? I'd really like to take a WT, even a Doe.

I was thinking maybe the areas outside oliver, naramata etc instead of the 33?

Conkle Lake to Big White........in a day?
You are in the heart of generous WT populations......and depending on the exact location.....some pretty good density as compared to other areas.

Not trying to run anyone's life here but looks like u need to invest more in "how" u hunt more than where.

FYI, I have seen a total of 3 WT in 3 seasons driving up to and hiking into my numerous cam locations. I check cams a couple times a week. Yet my crew kills a handful every year by sitting in well identified spots.
Think about that.

Stumbling around for WT is probably the most inefficient means of hunting them.

Find an area with active sign.
Identify and understand their movements in that location.
They become fairly easy to kill once u take the time to learn an area.
Most just show up expecting to kill a WT with no investment
No Investment - no return

[cmarrie]

I hunt WT for one trip a year and love it. I think WT don't get the respect they deserve as a quality-challenging hunt, maybe it's the hunting shows showing how easy they come into a tree blind or feed plot on private land, but they are no sure thing on crown land in B.C. in my experience. WT are expanding their range because they are so darn adaptable and move/relocate a lot more on crown land than I think some realize. Here one year, seemingly gone the next, maybe not too far, just till they find their next safe place. Hunting pressure will shoot off the ones out in the open on/near logging roads, the survivors adapt and move deeper into the bush. Those get found by hunters eventually, the ones standing still get shot, the rest inevitably move to private land if they encounter it and stay there. Predation has same effect. Wolves move in, WT will adapt to survive. Unfortunately I think Mulies get picked off before WT do when there's both in an area wolves are targeting, just based on the different reactions to threat between the 2 species. WT long gone at first hint of threat. Muley not so much. They like to stop and wait to see what threat is in my experience. Or go a bit then stop and reassess.

Anyway, obviously in parts of the province there's a lot of WT still on crown land that have just adapted through this antlerless season era to be extremely distrusting of any sound or smell, and don't poke their noses near roads for any length of time. Or maybe they do, but they hear trucks and quads coming a mile away and so we assume there's none near roads. I've for sure seen them more when I've been walking spurs than driving on the same spurs, first and last part of light usually.

For me, tip toeing through the bush midday lets me see more WT (albeit running away). Tip toeing AND stopping every other step, might give me a good shot at one of them before they bolt. Most still see me before I see them and are on the move, flag a-waving. But one of out 10 or so present a good shot, so it's worked out the past few years.

I'm too impatient to sit still with only 2 days or so to hunt, but if you have the time and know your area, that's the best given how distrusting they are of any sound. Have done it during bow season and they do move in, but out of range for me most of the time. It's frustrating hunting but so rewarding as the meat is so tender and tasty. I guess moral is, road hunting not the most conducive to whitetail unless you are in a place so thick with them it's inevitable you'll trip across one standing still.

[czechsanchez]

WT are so darn adaptable and move/relocate a lot more on crown land than I think some realize. Here one year, gone the next, maybe not too far, just till they find their next safe place. Hunting pressure will shoot off the ones out in the open on/near logging roads, the survivors adapt and move deeper into the bush. Those get found by hunters eventually, the ones standing still get shot, the rest inevitably move to private land if they encounter it and stay there. But there's a lot still on crown land that have just adapted through this antlerless season era to be extremely distrusting of any sound or smell, and don't poke their noses near roads for any length of time. They hear trucks and quads coming a mile away.

For me, tip toeing through the bush lets me see WT does (running away). Tip toeing and stopping every other step, gives me a good shot at one of them before they bolt. Worked well last couple of year, but took a lot of trial and error. I'm too impatient to sit still, but if you have the time and know your area, that's the best given how distrusting they are of any sound. It's frustrating hunting but so rewarding as the meat is so tender and tasty. I guess moral is, road hunting not the most conducive to whitetail unless you are in a place so thick with them it's inevitable you'll trip across one standing still.


I think that's the plan for this weekend, i'll try the hills between OK falls and the 33, find a nice area and hike around with sight, noise and wind in mind. If i see anything great, if I dont, I at least got some nice hiking in on sunny autumn weekend.

[cmarrie]

If you do see some when driving on a logging road and they bound away into the bush, that's an area to note and perhaps target by sneaking in to a good vantage point in the open timber and sit still another time waiting for them to move through. It's a starting point at least. Where's there was one, there's dozens more in that general area in my experience. Good luck

[Ourea]

I think that's the plan for this weekend, i'll try the hills between OK falls and the 33, find a nice area and hike around with sight, noise and wind in mind. If i see anything great, if I dont, I at least got some nice hiking in on sunny autumn weekend.

Once you find the "where" and the "why"....
Next part of the equation to success is "when".

Be in ur defined area as its getting light.
If ur sitting late afternoon....wait it out until the last minute of legal shooting light (one hr after official sunset)

The first and last 15 mins of legal shooting light offer far more opportunity than the combined 11 hrs wedged in between.

[AgSilver]

Snagged a two point buck off 33 today. From what I understand of whitetails, it's very much as Ourea noted and, otherwise (like it was for me today), right place at the right time.

[czechsanchez]

Just eating breakfast in midway, did McKinney rd this morning (slept in the truck) and did the 201 road last night for sundown, saw one doe near big white around 3pm at really high altitude and that's about it. Gonna cruise the Christian valley and head back to the coast. Good learning experience this round at least. Can't really go
wrong with a cruise around the Okanagan in the fall. Might roll to Texada for antler less if my wallet is in the mood

[BRrooster]

Man I'd bet you drove by a thousand deer that heard you drive by and just sat it out. There are plenty out there. Pick a spot, look for water , feed , shelter, look around for some sign. Then find a stand site, and sit for awhile. As Ourea said first light and last light are good times, but that usually covers the open areas. The guys I hunt with see deer all day in the woods. Watched a Wt doe and fawn feed around me a couple of weeks ago from 8am to 9am in the morning. We both listened to the trucks driving by on the road a couple of hundred yards away. Lots of deer are shot around noon , when they get up from "nap time" , for a stretch and pee.
An old saying is "walk little look lots".
but as you already said, a day in the woods sure beats the heck out of a day at work .