Empire Valley: 4 Point/LEH Doe Hunt

[CooperSscat]

My Dad and I are going to scoot over to MU 5-03 late next week for a last chance at 4 pointers and maybe a doe(Dad has LEH).

Going forward the weather looks cloudy/with sun and a dusting of snow on Tuesday for Clinton. Temps: highs of 0 and lows of -10 C. The Moon phase looks real good as it's up during the day with minimal reflection to boot. :razz:

Anybody know what the snow levels are over there from Fraser up to tip of Black Dome? It could be really crunchy and crusty up top if the big boys haven't been pushed down to the Fraser yet searching for love.

We're hoping the rut will still be on full force and we'll have a good chance at filling up our freezers. Thanks guys/gals!

Jeremy

[David Heitsman]

See my report thread.

[TRIPALM]

just got back,lots of wolves in the churn,hungry valley,and on tabletop mountain,,good luck

[CooperSscat]

I read your report David! Thanks!

I've never seen a wolf in the flesh in 5-03 before. Hmmm look out wolves.

Jeremy

[hunter1947]

Cooper S you can be assured that the rut will still be in full force ,you can count on it.

Good luck with your dad and hop you will have some pic to post when you get back.

[David Heitsman]

Tri Palm,

Didn't see or hear any wolves this trip or the last couple years and the snow only lasted a day or so so didn't have the opportunity to watch for tracks.

Four years ago I saw five led by a black one when I was hiking along the ridges at Airport Mtn. I started calling hoping to bring them closer but they were over a K away and didn't even slow down their pace.

I quit after a few minutes as my throat was hoarce and as I was putting my pack on I startled another wolf that was staring right at me at about 175 yards. I tried to get out of my pack and get a shot but it turned tail and was gone in a heartbeat. There's not much target area on the backside of a wolf bounding straight away!

The rancher that year had also called in a trapper or exterminator of some kind and taken quite a few wolves out of the area allready that year.

How far up the Churn did you see the wolves? I can only get about 10 miles in or so as we come from the south side and don't camp in there.

[BCrams]

Anybody know what the snow levels are over there from Fraser up to tip of Black Dome? It could be really crunchy and crusty up top if the big boys haven't been pushed down to the Fraser yet searching for love.

You will have 2 feet of snow and the big boys still won't be down to the Fraser where everyone is camped.

We're hoping the rut will still be on full force and we'll have a good chance at filling up our freezers.

You will still find bucks ... I hunted the area the last week of November ..... but not where everyone else hunts / camps with high success at finding 4 pt bucks and some shooters.

You shouldn't have any trouble filling your doe tag down low.....



See my thread on the Empire ;)

[CooperSscat]

Ok I'll check out your thread BCrams!

And of course I'll post pics Hunter1947, with or without harvested game!

Jeremy

[CooperSscat]

Well we went 1 for two this past weekend. My Dad got his leh doe late Friday on the first day of our hunt after snow flurries blew in that morning.

Before shooting light we saw 3 bucks from small to medium size(no huge 4pt or bigger) and a few does on the way in from Clinton which got us going. :smile:

Across the Fraser and up to the base of Black Dome we went with animal sightings at nil save for a nice 4pt on the top of a camper with a happy father and son(deer apparently shot around Lilloeet on way over to Empire Valley). They also had a doe draw and were just about to go chase 3 doe tracks into the timber.

We also came across a CO just past the calving barns. He just waived us on bye as he was chatting to a fellow hunter(we think). So off we went in the light snow flurries only to find the big buck tracks in the timber and not chasing does out and about. :sad:

We decided to poke back out after a late snack and try again the next day as the forecast was calling for cloudy conditions. That changed when I spotted a doe lying on a ridge overlooking the Fraser. Dad got out and shot a different doe than the one I had spotted and confirmed. :shock: The one he got was not on the spine of the ridge-as the one I was glassing-but was bedded 5 meters down from the spine towards us. I applauded that because I did not want the doe I was spotting to crash over, down and much farther away from us. :smile:

After the doe was packed up and in the Jeep we decided to head to Region 3 the next day where we knew held some 4 points and a chance for me to tag out. Unfortunately we only saw a bunch of does and a spiker that I locked eyes with on a walkabout in the fog. We saw better sign of moose in the region compared to last year when we had a Nov Bull leh. And to our surprise we didn't see any wolf tracks! Oh well there's always next year. :smile:

Jeremy

I love virgin snow fall. http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v568/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4973291_2531.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973292&id=608685453)
My Dad and the Higginbottom Valley.
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v568/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4973328_2889.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973292&id=608685453)
My Dad and Lone Cabin creek in behind.
http://photos-b.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v568/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4973329_3133.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973292&id=608685453)
China Lake Valley.
http://photos-d.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v568/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4973331_3650.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973292&id=608685453)
China Lake Valley.
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v568/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4973333_4164.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973292&id=608685453)
Looking across the Fraser to Canoe Creek Benches.
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v568/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4973334_4420.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973292&id=608685453)
My Dad's doe was bedded down in tall stand of pines left of center.
http://photos-f.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v568/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4973293_2935.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973292&id=608685453)
I'm happy as the Doe is field dresser and dragged up to Jeep.
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v568/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4973294_3146.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973292&id=608685453)
My Dad with his LEH Doe.
http://photos-h.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v568/62/38/608685453/n608685453_4973295_3357.jpg (http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=4973292&id=608685453)

[xcaribooer]

thanks for the pics. That is beautiful country.

[Old Boar]

NOTE: We were running through no more than 6-7" of snow at +6,000 feet (except in drifts) driving up the northeast ridge to Black Dome Mtn. No one else had gone down to Grinder Creek, Higginbottom Flat or Lone Cabin Creek since the snowfall.

[BCrams]

If you look at the map I produced on the area ... it appears with the snow - I would have had a hell of a hunt for 4 pt bucks with a reasonable chance at a huge buck!

[CooperSscat]

Yep with no chains for my Dad's new Wrangler X we didn't want to push our luck digging around into Lone Cabin creek(I got a nice dry doe a few years back in there); next year perhaps!

Jeremy

[BCrams]

Yep with no chains for my Dad's new Wrangler X we didn't want to push our luck digging around into Lone Cabin creek(I got a nice dry doe a few years back in there); next year perhaps!

Jeremy

There's a thing called a human pack horse :grin:

[Old Boar]

I agree and before the most recent mining of Black Dome, going back to the only road (looping into Lone Cabin Creek and up) put in by Empire Valley Gold Mining Company based in Chilliwack. I hiked sround Black Dome and out to the northern ridges...but that was 35 years ago and now I'm 65 with high blood pressure.

With more time, a local camp and reduced wind at elevation, a big buck might well come of the top with us. But not to be this year.