Secret Hunting Areas

[TheProvider]

Every hunter has that one secret spot that no other hunter knows about. Plenty of animal sign, well off the beaten path but not too far away. Top secret forsure no one else will find it. Truth is, you found it so it's just as easy for another hunter to find it also. A lot of hunters think alike and a lot of hunter's use the same resources to find these "secret spots." I can't tell you how many times I've followed game trails and found hunting stands or blinds. Is it impossible to find a secret spot? No! But sooner or later someone is bound to come across it.

I live in Squamish and there's a few good roads that everyone knows about. Come hunting season the road is packed with hunters. So when looking for a new hunting areas, first things first I find an area to cancel out the road hunters. Dug out culverts, wash outs and rivers are the three physical objects that stop or at least slow down road hunters. Next are the atv hunters. Sneaky lil buggers can get over all three of those objects.

However we've all been on atv and we all know that they can't go everywhere so look for areas that are in accessible to atv's. Pretty much means you gotta get out on your legs and start hiking. However most hunters search areas on maps or google earth that are only a few hundred yard off a beaten trail. Besides it only makes sense to not go to far incase you bag an animal and willl have to carry it out. Why give 100% when you can get by with 50%:wink:. Even when hunters say they walk a mile from the road its normally more of an easier walk. Not too thick of brush, not to steep, not too swampy but just right. Humans are just like animals and prefer the trails of least resistance. Hence so many animal tracks on roads, dried up creek beds and skidder trails.

So my tip for you when scouting areas. Be looking for animal sign but also look for those objects that you need to cross or climb to keep other hunters out. If you come across a place loaded with animal sign and your cursing at yourself for making yourself go through h*LL to get to that spot. Well then your in the right spot.

[Jelvis]

I dig it! Tell me more about where four wheel atv's can't go from there on up 2
Jel Pro

[stoneslinger]

I have many, many, many top secret deer spots. Can get to all by car with bald tires. Walk a bit and sit. So close yet so far...........................

[TheProvider]

There's an an unlimited amount of spots that hunters over look. Doesn't take a very large area to hold animal, as long as theres water, food and shelter. Most hunters believe they gotta drive down crazy 4x4 roads to get to animals. Its nice to have secret spots that are nice an easy to go to.

[Jelvis]

I know when I hike up from a road onto a ridge I see more deer, less hunters but I see old roads that say De-activated so is it washed out or can a four wheeler get around it. One 4w quad guy said he can go anywhere around things, makes a trail around in the brush.
Jel .. I want no access to my spot with any motor vehicle, bike or squat.
Ezeee climb up a steep hill off the road they drive on by. Easy for me but hard for others with heart problems , bad knees, ankles, afraid of getting lost etc. Leaves the best spots for the experienced .
Botta Bing ,, Botta bang botta BOOM! You got legs to hike for hours non-stop .. ? ask thyself

[TheProvider]

Hiking up a steep ridge is one of the best ways in my opinion. Nothing turns a hunter around faster than the thought of a steep climb.

[Jelvis]

One guy took me on up a real steep snowy side hill after we saw deer and chased some up from a gorgeous basin .. He took his knee out he had to hike down with his foot sideways ..
At the top we saw a nice four point but his knee was shot and we headed down ..
After that he basically quit hiking hunting and went back to road hunting.
Jel .. Some hills are steep all along the whole side for a couple kilometers.

[TheProvider]

Well its up to the hunter to know his/her limits. Even though theres great hunting up there, the hunter must know his limits and know when to say know. Its too bad to ruin a good hunt with an injury

[Jelvis]

I've had a few fella's go down with knee problems from walking side hills, they can go up or down fairly straight but can't cut across from the pressure on the knees.
Sometimes a person thinks its easier than it is to walk with an experienced hunter who knows the area and is going to a spot a ways off of the road and steep in spots, up and down and across ..
Jel .. Side hill gouger .. towards the middle of the day it starts to get to most ..

[dutchie]

I will tell everyone my secret spots...

They are about 500m into the bush were no road hunter will ever see a deer, moose, elk, bear ect...

Dutchie

[TyTy]

If there is a good area, that seems or proves productive, what does access matter. The effort you put in is decided by the motivation of each individual.

mature animals either do (ex. getting big near cities/towns), or do not tolerate human presence.

[Jelvis]

Hey tee tee if it's easy to get too and easy to hunt there will be nuttin ..
Away from access you will see bigger bucks and that's what a trophy hunter wants otherwise shoot a two point buck by an old logging road somewhere driving around wasting gas .. What do you want?
A big buck or a smaller buck or an antlerless .. for meat? Choose your goal then hunt accordingly ..

[steepNdeep]

Secret smecret... ROAD HUNTING kicks a$$... you can cover more miles on the road than in the bush! :biggrin: you. Even more miles on the computer... jellya! :rolleyes:

[Jelvis]

It's a proven fact that big bucks are got by gut wrenching back breaking effort, climbing up early in the morning. In conditions that are slippery, steep, rocky, limbs and branches on the ground, thick bush and walking up and down and across terrain that is ruff, uneven and wild.
Jel .. or drive a vehicle up and down back roads like most do all year .. and get a trophy willow grouse ..

[TyTy]

No, not so.

In general, animals have a better chance @ reaching older ages further away from hunter access; but not absolutely. Population dynamics tell us that were species have healthy populations, there are proper (whatever they may be) age distributions. Hunt in an area with a healthy population of that species would generally state that mature animals are present.

ps. thanks for poking fun of my name,

[Jelvis]

Ok tie tityty if I get what your trying to say in that mombo jombo, it's drive around until there are some deer and hopefull a dum record book buck will want to commit harry carry.
Jel .. Ah good idea hunter .. right by the road ..

[TyTy]

assume whatever you what, i don't hunt "record" bucks. i hunt respectable bucks. and although i wouldn't pass up a chance at a decent buck i spot from the truck, i hunt the timber.

u want to read some mumbo jumbo, read your own posts, haha

[Jelvis]

Hunt the timber? What timber where? Timber ok so you hunt timber. Then you should see some fine bucks, cuz that's where they hang.
Jelly Timber is where the bad boyz hang .. Tie one on!

[TyTy]

i guess my point is its not hard to get to into good timber where there are good populations.

what if no one has found or hunted a good area for long time. On the coast, the timber is coming full second rotation. Good areas with mature animals are everywhere, just a matter of finding them.

Further away doesn't really mean better deer, but less hunters in my opinion. I'll admit, I do like an area to myself.

[aaronfisher]

what i do it quad everywhere i can gps everything worth noting pulg it into my laptop at camp and see how my area to go over the next day gets smaller and smaller

[Jelvis]

Your speaking in circles like the riddler what are you tying to say try?
It sounds like you drive around looking for spots to hunt, cost a lotta gas eh?
Jel .. In thick bushes on the coast every where is thick crappy hunting, every where is thick vine maple and devils club thick as the hair on a rottwieller's back unless you go up real high into open stuff

[TyTy]

not going to argue with there Jelvis. you obviously know everything and good bucks are nowhere near anywhere but far far away in furthest wilderness.

please don't put words in my mouth n' try to get me worked up, :)

like i said, lots of good spot province wide, lots of good bucks

I'd be all over bow season if I were not stuck working in alaska.

come to the coast jelvis, see what a good buck really is; its one you put the effort into.

[Jelvis]

The coast for big bucks? You mean big Sitka blacktails or the Columbia blacktail, bin dare done dat, I will admit the blacktail is a number one challenge to hunt.
Jel .. blacktails rock .. taste good too and look awesome ...

[TyTy]

Jelvis, you must be strictly a trophy hunter?? (honest question)

[TyTy]

(sorry for getting the thread off track)

I hunt an area west of the fraser river, that is considered mulie territory, but really is blacktails. it has a 4 point restriction other than october. Not alot of deer, but awsome terrain; has lots of potential. Big wash-out through the road some years ago. this is my spot and i have never ever seen anyone else there. I push further into it every year, maintain my access and will keep @ er' till I get a good one.

cheers

[madrona sh]

For me it is easy. Well sort of. I boat to a great remote area. Set up base camp. Then it is two feet and a heart beat and the hunt is on.

[Jelvis]

Up the Skuzzy lookin fuzzy on a ridge the change-over at Anderson Creek and across the mighty Fraser river .. Good pick patytywack .. chilliwack .. blacktails to mule deer .. meet .. a territorial border ..

[TheProvider]

You raise some good points TyTy. Theres lots of areas of timber that people "used" to hunt but now is too grown up. However alot of these areas still hold alot of deer. Can you see them easily? of course not the timber is getting grown up and you need to spend time scouting the area. I heard the blacktails here around Squamish sorta hover and don';t leave tracks :)

[Jelvis]

After the deer hunting season starts for youth on Sept 1st and regular gos on the 10th the deer move up on the hills more to the tops so they can look down.
Jel .. deer move up and down to get away from man into pockets that are away from access roads, traffic areas and isolated by distance, terrain and other factors .. You've been informed by jelly.cadeermovementexpert.phdmulewhitesblacktail. sitka.coastal,northern.southerncentralwesteast

[steepNdeep]

You've been informed by jelly.cadeermovementexpert.phdmulewhitesblacktail. sitka.coastal,northern.southerncentralwesteast

So computer hunter PHD... let's see pics of your bucks from the last 3 years... :rolleyes:

[Jelvis]

I don't want to show pictures of the last three years, one year I saw 400 deer in a month and shot not one .. then I went out a little last year saw some that were on the move and some too far away for an accurate kill shot.
This year, is the year of the big buck in Kamloops area and north to McBride, some record makers ...
Jel .. I want a big wide and high, even non-typical mule and a young buck for meat .. and sausages all smoked up .. mmmmm yah smokies (moose) a young bull moose, in real good shape for the table Ma bell

[steepNdeep]

I don't want to show pictures of the last three years,

one year I shot not one ..

then I went out a little last year saw some that were on the move and some too far away for an accurate kill shot.

That's about what I thought... 10,000+ posts... self-proclaimed PHD in Deer... BUT you haven't shot a deer in years... :rolleyes:

Maybe you could post that dusty old buck of yours... shot once upon a time... AGAIN. :wink:

[kennyj]

Very Very fussy about what he shoots I'd say. More power to you Jelvis. When one hits the ground it'll be worth the wait.
kenny

[Jelvis]

Thanks kenny I know a hunter in Kamloops that past on over forty four point mule deer bucks in one season looking for a bigger one.
.. others are happy to see one four point in a season.
Jel .. Pro.ca.phd.deerbehavior.ba.indeerpsychology.ma.in. huntingplansforsucksess...phd.inbigbuckknowitall..

[Kootenai]

I hunt 6 pointers (12 point if you are Merican) in my back yard. No vehicle, no hiking. Not hard to get to and no you can't come hunt here.

[kennyj]

I hunt 6 pointers (12 point if you are Merican) in my back yard. No vehicle, no hiking. Not hard to get to and no you can't come hunt here.
Ahhh, come on.
kenny

[Jelvis]

Probably St Mary's by the accent Kootenai we can and are coming into your back yard so move over rover let Jimmy take over .
Jel .. Jimmy Jack James ... St Mary's Elk Hunting in dah Koots ...

[Kootenai]

Probably St Mary's by the accent Kootenai we can and are coming into your back yard so move over rover let Jimmy take over .
Jel .. Jimmy Jack James ... St Mary's Elk Hunting in dah Koots ...

No, I mean literally my back yard.

[Jelvis]

Impossible to hunt at St Mary's in your or any others back yard it would be too small.
Jel .. now tell the twooth .. where exactly do you pretend to live lol ..

[Kootenai]

Impossible to hunt at St Mary's in your or any others back yard it would be too small.
Jel .. now tell the twooth .. where exactly do you pretend to live lol ..

Well, you said St. Mary's, not me. I live so far back in the bush I have to come out to go hunting.

[kevan]

Jelvis, I have no idea where you hunt but in the area around our cabin which is on the boundary between 5-1 and 3-30, I haven't seen any more than a dozen deer in over 15 years.
All of my hunting is done on foot and every fall I hike day after day witout seeing a critter thats legal.
We have honestly not seen any bucks for years in the neighborhood.
Even the sound of a rifle shot is a rarity.
A secret hunting area, if such a thing exists is something I've yet to find..

[Jelvis]

5-1 and 3-30 hunt Windy Creek up from Roe Lake lots a big deer in there and in 3-30 go into Hammer Lake area ..

[steepNdeep]

one year I saw 400 deer in a month and shot not one ..
Yeah, i've seen over 100 deer in 1 day drivin' through the valley... BFD :rolleyes:


Thanks kenny I know a hunter in Kamloops that past on over forty four point mule deer bucks in one season looking for a bigger one.

Pro.ca.phd.deerbehavior.ba.indeerpsychology.ma.in. huntingplansforsucksess...phd.inbigbuckknowitall..

Some people get it done and others just talk about it... Let's see any animal that you shot from the last 10 years... :rolleyes:

[shadow1982]

Guys i have questions regarding Clearcuts...

I have read on previous threads that anytime i see a new clear cuts... look around for 15 mins...

How about clear cuts that are 5 yr or older... where plants are about 10 ft tall and its really thick... should i walk through that?

[Jelvis]

I don't hunt any clear cuts it's boring and time consuming I'm all get up and go kokomo, out of the truck my feet going before they hit the rich muley soil by the fresh water shallow crickster meester man.
Jel (Hercules) .. Don't try to keep up with the trickster Go by his plan Stan Success or Failure is in your hands ..
And your feet and lower back Jack .. ankles, calves, quads and hamstrings and knee joints .. upper back, traps neck and your mind under duress and stress, hot and cold, thirsty, exhausted .. spent .. draggin your butt

[JDR]

I think many hunters overlook areas that aren't so secret. Not everyone hunts the same area in the same manner. Some of the best areas are often close to home.

[Jelvis]

Not just that sassy fratz but who we go with and what excuses do they create for you ..
If your hunting alone you can go all day anywhere. With a partner you need to meet up periodically for some unknown reason, makes you come out of bush tactics real fast and turn around from your target ..
Jelly Belly .. Jelly Donuts .. Jelly Jam Tarts .. Jelly Special Unit Hunting Forces .. Commando Tactics ..

[sawmill]

Guys i have questions regarding Clearcuts...

I have read on previous threads that anytime i see a new clear cuts... look around for 15 mins...

How about clear cuts that are 5 yr or older... where plants are about 10 ft tall and its really thick... should i walk through that?
If you see a fresh cut,by all means spend a few having a look.After trees have been chewed on they secret a chemical that makes all the lower branches taste horrible but when a tall tree is knocked down all the tops are new and tasty.I logged for 20 years and in the mornings there were moose and deer chomping away behind the De limber on the top branches laying on the ground.
On the older sights where it`s grown up 8/10 feet it`s hard to spot in there but check the margins,the edges close.Especially if it has a pond or creek in it.Taken a few dandies over the years.Always pay attention to the bush line,can`t stress that enough.On new cuts and old.Luck to you.

[Jelvis]

Clear cuts are for road hunters to look at while in the warm truck, meat hunters wanting to get away from the house for a few hours.
Jel .. Hunt like a man .. Hike up into real deer country .. start small and work it up ..

[sawmill]

Clear cuts are for road hunters to look at while in the warm truck, meat hunters wanting to get away from the house for a few hours.
Jel .. Hunt like a man .. Hike up into real deer country .. start small and work it up ..
Not every one can be as manly as you Jel.The guys just asking for some advice,be nice,Jesus would aprove.

[Jelvis]

There are things to deal with in order to get into a secret type honey hole. Think of who likes to hunt like you do? Pick someone who likes to do the same type of hunting as you. Pick an area that is known for good sized bucks over the decades. Find a spot that needs to be crossed, like a creek.
Then walk across the creek where there are no roads on the other side and walk up and around in that spot to find where the big bucks hang out.
Jel .. People drive by these spots all the time .. stop, park, cross creek and start walking in ..

[slicky72]

this thread gets me excited to go and walk a ridge I found last year , can't wait! bang, bang...

[TheProvider]

I think at this time of year everyone is excited to start walking ridges :D

[Jelvis]

You know there are big bucks in B.C. that's a no-brainer, so where are they?
Look in the BC record book etc, attend local hunting and gun clubs.
Boone and Crockett say Thompson/Nicola for record mule deer buck antlers .. In B.C. ..
Big bucks this season for sure, great feed and mineral water.look for limestone deposits in lakes they turn light green with the mineral deer drink and POW! Huge healthy antlers .. One lake for example Johnson Lake
In from Louis Creek has so much limestone in the water the lake is lime green from space..
Limestone up by Cache Creek to Lilwat (lillooett) big antlered bucks by the Fraser
Jelly Fun Facts on Giant Mule Deer Bucks ..