any LEH tips for new hunter?

[tikkat3]

Hey guys I went nuts and picked up 3 LEH entries for this year. My future hunting partner still hasn't taken his core course so they will be solo hunts I guess, (with his help of course). We are good friends with some decent outdoor experience between us so I figure it will work out. This is my 3rd season hunting and I am yet to bag any big game, but many grouse have made their way into my belly, so I don't feel too bad. But I reaalllly want to get something this year.:cool:

So this being such a great informative site, I figure i'll ask a few questions...

I plan on trying my luck at elk in region 4, moose in region 5, and either a whitetail or a mule deer, I guess in the kootenays for whitetail and either region 3 or 5 for mulies.


All I know about the kootenays is that's where the elk and whitetails are, I haven't hunted there yet..I live in the valley and have hunted regions 8 and 3 so far. I might go for a whitetail draw and elk, hopefully they can coincide, so I can hunt both species at the same time without having to make the 8 hour drive too many times.

I have been to hundred mile camping before, but never hunted region 5 and don't know it that well. I plan on making scouting trips to all the places I will hunt this summer so I have to justify the drive to these places which is why I'm not going to try moose hunting region 7a or 7b since I don't know them and it is real expensive getting there to have a hike before the season starts.

I just love game meat, don't care about trophy hunting. I also have a young family that I want to provide for, without giving them hormone laden meat. I am not a road hunter, have went on long steep hikes for each of my previous years of hunting. 2 hunts a day, at least 5 hours in the morning, and 3 hours at night. 4 to 5 day trips. Get up early, don't drink too much, etc. I hope to be a serious hunter. Have a quad, shoot a 30-06, have a camper as well.

I have hunted 3-32 and 3-33 before, was planning on maybe going to 3-30 as per the jelvis thread on that area, it sounds good to me:biggrin:

how is my reasoning?

I don't want to ask for any exact coordinates or anything, but if you could maybe give me a few tips on areas to get what I'm looking for, that would be great. I don't wanna screw up these LEH cards with wrong codes before getting your venerable advice.

If you don't want to post em, I take PM's as well!!!!!

Seriously thanks guys

[Tarp Man]

What, no Region 2 Blacktail hunting? You definitely need to get into the good stuff! If you have "decent" hiking and outdor experience, there are endless possibilities of blacktail hunts that make all the interior hunters tremble in their open-country alpine boots (I know, don't poke the sleeping bear...) I am a relatively new hunter too, but have had some LEH sucess. If you look at the odds to start, then look at how many tags there are designated, you get an idea of where to enter for the best chance at a tag. Also consider access and travel type (truck, ATV, boots, horseback). Talking to CO's in the areas as well as biologists is very helpful.

[Blainer]

Stick to the areas that you know.
Put moose leh in region 3 that you are familiar with.
Put mulie doe in region 8 that you are familiar with,shooting a doe is a walk in the park.
You mention long steep hikes,great stuff,but remember you have to pack the game out with you,keep this in mind when hunting moose.I always say don't look where you don't want to see it.I see guys glassing mountain slopes that would take a day just to get there.

[rocksteady]

Play the odds...Don't apply for a tag thats 25:1 odds and expect to be "lucky"....


Apply for the low odds. They are low for a reason:
Access
Number of tags
Management strategies....

Find one or more that interests you and then research the area. Google earth, asking others on this site etc.....

[guest]

Lots of moose opportunity and higher success rate both for leh and when you actually hunt all around PG. Head for Vanderhoof, Ft. St. James, Chytwyd, Ft. St John, Lots of general seasons too the farther you go north. Expect the work to start after you pull the trigger. Get forestry maps, KNOW the regs in and out!! Hunt opening dates if possible, go early scout it out. You success is not far away!
On the lehs, talk to a local C/O of the area, it will cost you a L/D call. Remember the better your odds on the lehs, it's for a reason, tough access, less success odds etc etc.
Use the shared system if possible on the moose, region 5 has decent odds on mulie does, as 4 and 8 have for W/T.
Put in for everything, when you get your letter back hopefully you'll have a draw or 2 then start the fine tuning and planning.
Good luck
C/T

[tikkat3]

thanks for the tips. if I want an elk, I have to go to the kootenays, no?
I thought region 5 was good for moose? I guess further north is better, but if I recall I heard last year wasn't very good for moose in ft. st. john area etc. so if I could go a little closer to home I will. I want to scout and hike an area before I go and I don't know if I could afford 2 trips up to the alaska highway in one year

[slyfox]

REG 5 is good for moose.

[Timbow]

If you want to travel to region 5 and hunt moose, I think you're better off hunting north of Williams Lake and you could try and cordinate a LEH moose and doe for the same time which would allow you (if you get the moose and doe LEH) to harvest a buck along with your doe.

If you are serious I could PM you where to go.

Cheers

[ElectricDyck]

I think the most common leh tip on here is to use black ink. LOL :biggrin:

[Jelvis]

I'll throw my hat into the ring. If you live in the Fraser valley and want to camp this summer where you want to hunt why would you go to tim-buck-too and back. If your pockets are full of denaro and your boss don't care about you taken mega time off, go ahead.
Otherwise put all your chips on Reg 3 hombre. Mule deer antlerless and any bull moose.
If you're hot and bothered over a six-point bull elk go for Reg 8 and hunt hard if your lucky in the leh draw and nail a whitetail or muley on the same trip.
Reg 3-19 3-30 or 3-31 for moose leh and antlerless mule deer. Pay the bucks and let the chips fall where they may. Good luck in the leh draws --- Jel thats the tikkat-3

[tikkat3]

I like region 3...more food for thought for sure
I am curious about regions 5 and 4 though.

[hunter1947]

If you get picked for LEH in region 4 for elk the whitetail open season and mule deer season are open at the same time ,you don't need an LEH to shoot the deer ,just something to think on. There are lots of whitetail bucks in that region. Don't forget the the GOS is also open for elk when your permit is issued to you. This means if you see a bull that is legal you can down it but it then will cancel your LEH draw permit for that animal ,you can only shoot one elk per calendar year as a holder of a hunting license.

[Seeadler]

Whitetail doe and Antlerless Elk season do not coincide in most areas of Region 4. If drawn for Antlerless Elk, a guy can hunt for any whitetail buck at the same time. Or if drawn for whitetail doe, you can go for a 4 point muley and shot any whitetail on the side.

Personally, I wouldn't drive any great distance to shot a doe and would look for doe draws close to home.

Good luck with the antlerless elk, I have only been drawn once and the best region 4 odds are around 6:1.

[hunter1947]

Whitetail doe and Antlerless Elk season do not coincide in most areas of Region 4. If drawn for Antlerless Elk, a guy can hunt for any whitetail buck at the same time. Or if drawn for whitetail doe, you can go for a 4 point muley and shot any whitetail on the side.

Personally, I wouldn't drive any great distance to shot a doe and would look for doe draws close to home.

Good luck with the antlerless elk, I have only been drawn once and the best region 4 odds are around 6:1. Why apply for antlerless elk why not a bull ???. GOS for elk do share the same time for whitetails in different parts of region 4 if you apply for 3 or better bulls. There is LEH for 3 point bulls in different parts of region 4 when whitetail GOS is open so you have the chance on shooting any bull elk that is 3 or better if you get drawn for elk LEH and if you put in for doe whitetail and get picked you can shoot ether a buck or a doe witch ever one you take first so your odds really go up if you get picked for both ???.

[tikkat3]

I have been elk hunting once in the okanagan, found a cow, never actually seen a bull. Are they as spooky as deer? Also, is a 3pt bull hard to find in the kootenays?

[hunter1947]

I have been elk hunting once in the okanagan, found a cow, never actually seen a bull. Are they as spooky as deer? Also, is a 3pt bull hard to find in the kootenays?
A 3 point bull is as easy to find as it is a spike deer in the EK. You just have to know where to hunt them. I saw 25 bull elk last year all ranging from spikes to 5x5. That was of course in a 5 week period of hunting them. On a average elk hunt for two weeks I usually see 12 bulls and 50% of them are 3 or bigger.

[Seeadler]

Why apply for antlerless elk why not a bull ???. GOS for elk do share the same time for whitetails in different parts of region 4 if you apply for 3 or better bulls. There is LEH for 3 point bulls in different parts of region 4 when whitetail GOS is open so you have the chance on shooting any bull elk that is 3 or better if you get drawn for elk LEH and if you put in for doe whitetail and get picked you can shoot ether a buck or a doe witch ever one you take first so your odds really go up if you get picked for both ???.

The way I see it, a guy won't get drawn for any of the 3 point LEH's in the average lifetime. Odds range from 25 - 80 to 1 or so. I don't think advising someone to apply for the 3 point elk season is good advise at all.

My advise, apply for elk and moose where ever you prefer, but hunt deer close to home. Or just go somewhere that has a 6 point elk season and have some deer tags in your pocket, same for areas with moose seasons.

[tikkat3]

After all you guys' advice, I'm thinking now I'm gonna try and get a bull moose draw for september hunt in 5-02, go mule/spike moose hunting and get a mule doe draw in 3-30 or 3-31, and do a whitetail hunt in 8-15, with a wt doe draw there as well. The deer hunts would happen when any buck happens which in region 3 is most of october, and in 8-15 is all season till the end of november. I would probably hunt through halloween into november in 3-31 if I got a doe draw there as they are only for the month of november.

So I'm thinking, if I magically get all my draws (highly unlikely I know), I would hunt moose LEH in region 5 in september, then hunt whitetails in either mid october or mid november in region 8, and hunt spike moose/mulie buck/leh mule late october-early november.

How's that sound???

[Blainer]

Sounds fine.
If you are interested in a big mule deer?November is you're month,the doe draw is in November,which is also rut time.I personaly would focus on 4 point and take the doe when things are slow or in the early afternoon.I avoid the any buck season and hunt only the 4 point season.It's not so much where you hunt,but when.Opening day & the rut.

[Jelvis]

How are you planning to take care of all that moose meat animal in September, when it could be very warm? It must be taken in real quick cause it can get bone sour by the bones. Something to plan for way before you drop it on the ground they are big animals Tikkat think about the meat and what you plan on, like local area cooler or something viable to set up before hand. Jel.good-planning

[tikkat3]

When is better to hunt for moose on an LEH, september or november? Because I could go for either in the same area with the same odds

[tikkat3]

Sounds fine.
If you are interested in a big mule deer?November is you're month,the doe draw is in November,which is also rut time.I personaly would focus on 4 point and take the doe when things are slow or in the early afternoon.I avoid the any buck season and hunt only the 4 point season.It's not so much where you hunt,but when.Opening day & the rut.


Why do you avoid the any buck season? I am more looking for meat than antlers at this point, and they get stinky in rut...

[Jelvis]

Ok moose rut from sept 15th to October 20th it's warm in September and October, November is cooler and you could skin moose and cool it out in the bush. Otherwise have a cooler plan. For bull moose best around early October first week. IMHO. You'll do fine just remember when you walk up to a moose on the ground for the first time it will blow you away how heavy and big they are on the ground. Be prepared study up now. Jellybullmooseheavy

[hunter1947]

I find that the best time for moose is the middle of Oct ,weather is cool then and the moose are still in rut. We got a nice bull last year on the 19 of Oct ,it was with two cows ,the meat was some of the best meat I have ever had.

[Blainer]

tikkat3-I avoid the any buck season because any area that is easily obtainable will have some one in it.Every yokal hunts the any buck season,not to mention the road hunters.
Less hunters during the 4 point season and I see way more deer.
Next tip,very important one here,now don't tell everybody;here you go-OPTICS,they are as important as you'r rifle!

[KevinB]

Don't forget about region 8 whitetail antlerless draws - some of them have okay odds, and there are lots of Wt's in the areas with draws. It would arguably be a fair bit closer to home for you and you would have a good chance of running into a WT buck as well.

[tikkat3]

I'm going to go for a wt draw in 8-15 as well, that's probably going to be my first hunting trip of the season around oct. 10. going to try for a buck at the same time

[Jelvis]

That sounds like a good start to your hunting season tikkat3. First trip and that will be deer so you can de-bone the meat out at camp with your buddy. October is still fairly warm but a deer can be handled way easier than a moose or elk. I think your putting it together now sounds smart. Good-luck stick to your plan, Stan. Jel

[tikkat3]

thanks jelvis, I couldn't have done it without all you guys!

[Jelvis]

tikkat3 One thing I would like to tell you before signing off on this thread of yours.
I guess this will be the first big game animal you will try to field dress and skin as well as cut up and package.
I would like to say that when you shoot the deer and it is dead on the ground, be very careful handling your knife. I realise that sounds elementary but it is a time to slow down and relax. Take your time and watch for slippery knife handle from the warm blood it can slip around easy and cut your hand. Safety first on all aspects of hunting. Just a little something to remember when field dressing. Read an article or two on field dressing a deer before you go out. Good-luck and take some pictures. Jel-Re-knife and field dressing safety.

[moosinaround]

As a 7a and 7b hunter, I would say that your odds in the LEH are WAY!!! better in region 8, or region 5, and they are closer to your home base, and you will not have to compete with hunting parties from the lower part of the province. You could get into the hunting convoy and draft the lead truck and camper for the sept and Oct migration north!!. Might save on fuel!!.............. Use black ink, rub your luck critter foot, and dance naked around a Fire of mesquite wood during a solar eclipse!! That last part, the wood type is actually optional, it doesn't have to be mesquite, but lets use local fibre not imported wood!! Good luck, Moosin

[srupp]

Tikkat3..

If ya get a draw up near here and I can help send me a Pm..

Steven
Williams lake

[tikkat3]

Jel, me and a friend of mine actually connected on a nice big 5x4 mulie buck in the tulameen area in '06. My buddy did most of the gutting, etc, but I helped and understand what I'm potentially dealing with. I have bought an elk de-boning video and have watched a few field dressing videos online. I know the key is to take your time and use a sharp, small knife or gut hook...
One thing this guy did that I haven't seen in any video, is after skinning the animal he would wash the meat in white vinegar, he said it kept the flies off. I have read in a few places that folks use a lot of salt to do the same thing. It seemed to work pretty good, our deer turned out great when we got it back from the butcher. Any thoughts?

[Blainer]

I'm thinking thats pepper,not salt.

[Jelvis]

Sounds pretty good, pepper is good to put on the meat if you got lots of yellow jacket bees and blue bottom flies otherwise ok. Put the hide up flesh side near you on the ground and some insects will go there for a diversion tactic.
You can use some water mixed with vinegar and wash the hairs, dirt or little needles etc. off the meat pretend that the meat will be eaten by guests at an outside back yard pool party and your meat from this animal will be cooked there. Your family and friends want good clean healthy meat to eat so think of things like that. When your gutting don't cut urine sack, dragging don't get dirt in chest cavity, skinning don't get hair all over meat.
Don't put any plastic around game meat when it is at all still warm, never. Give the meat three days to age to get rid of rigor-mortus etc ex. de-boned and on trays in fridge
Do not cut scent pads with the same knife and if you do clean it. Don't touch scent pads with hands then touch meat. Have some smooth cloths for cleaning hands and meat. Gotta go work out so talk about more later, jel

[dana]

If you are putting in for moose for the first time, I would advice against the Nov draws. Post rut bulls are tuff to find. Many like to head for the thick dark timber and rest up until the snow gets balls deep. Oct is far better time to hunt the bulls. Focus on the first week of Oct as the bulls will be vocal and will be wandering looking for cows. And the Anybuck Muley season is open at the same time. Very rarely is it too warm in Oct. Heck, many times I've had snow on the ground in the mountains during that first week of Oct.

[tikkat3]

maybe I'll pass on a moose LEH and just look in oct. for spike forks then the area I plan to hunt moose doesn't have leh in oct. Maybe I'll try to find a closer than the kootenays elk LEH to go for instead.

[Jelvis]

All depends on weather and as you know. I live in semi-desert or syn; semi-arrid climatic system, at 1120 ft above sea-level in Nor Kamloops. I've seen sunshine, I seen rain, I seen sunny days I thought would never end, I seen hazy days when I could not find a hunting trend, but I always wait for cool nights to appear. Especially for big moose, I got one up Oliver Creek, in late October, just up the Yellowhead a few k and had to ski daddle to the first open meat cutter with a cooler. Since your not a local it's hard to know these things first hand. One thing it's not cheap to hang/age, cool, split, quarter, cut and wrap 300 lbs of moose steaks, roasts and burger for smokies and jerky and pepperoni Tony.
It all starts before you even pull the trigger you say, " How da ya figure?" Shoot when animal is relaxed and doesn't know your there, with a good clean shot, through the heart area. It will bleed the moose out inside.
You want quality and quantity a moose fills the bill and causes bills. Jel-I-got-a-knife so sharp I can cut a cow in half, and thats NO BULL.