3-17 This weekend

[DEXTER]

This is my first year hunting and it has been pretty frustrating so far; I am quickly learning animals don't and won't come easy. I am a weekend warrior, and have been out several times this year with no success so far. I have been seeing lots of does but only a couple small 2pt bucks, which did not hang around very long. This weekend will find me in MU 3-17. Anybody know this area and willing to through a guy a bone? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Maybe this will be the weekend?

[835]

Get out early, stay out late, keep the wind in yer face and go hiking.
dont know the area.

Good luck

[coach]

Find the does and the bucks won't be far away. Weather is getting cooler now and rut activity is definitely heating up.

[835]

Oh ya take that discouraged hunter crap outa your sig line!!
If you've seen bucks and not shot them Speed up!!!!

Think positive man!
oh ya... as welll as the wind in yer face thing when you are walking GO SLOW take 3 steps and look all around and then 3 more look all around. Too many people go on a route march through the forrest and think they should have seen something. These deer get eaten when they screw up, so be sneeky. And buy good binoc's they are worth their weight in gold.

Now go!.... to your area. Sneak in the forrest like a wolf and claim your victory!!!

[bighornbob]

All the years sheep and bear hunting have only seen probably 5 deer. I am not kidding. I am sure they are there but there are way better areas.

PM sent.

BHB

[ruger#1]

Hunt up around the upper hat creek area. Or you can go in behind the Cache Creek dump. There are big deer in this area the odd moose and lots of bears. Not to big of a deer population in that area, But the quality is good. When you are in there you are on the Hat Creek Ranch property so do not leave a mess or mess with any gates.

[coach]

If you see a deer that appears to be by itself, it probably isn't. Use your binos very carefully to search the entire area. It's amazing how many times what looks like a solo deer turns out to be part of a group of four or five. I posted a video last year of my friend's son getting a 3 point mulie during the late youth season. We were focused on the deer he shot, and knew that there were others in the area, but were completely taken by surprise when a dozen or more took off running after he shot his buck. Some of those deer were also bucks, including one that was at least as big as the one he harvested.

[DEXTER]

[QUOTE=835;780694]Oh ya take that discouraged hunter crap outa your sig line!!

I'm just discouraged, but I am in no way giving up.

As I am sure you can all agree this site can provide alot of good info at times, especially for a rookie like myself. Not really knowing many hunters I look here for most of my info. Thanks again.

[4 point]

The early morning hours and later in the day hours before sunset seem to be the best for most movement. Get off the beaton track. Scan blocks espeacially the edges. Go slow,watch the wind and good luck.

[shed-hunter1]

go hiking i hunt the area all the time when you find deer slow down turn off hyw 97 at the hat creek turnoff and follow the road it will come to a side road going up the mountain remeber to hike lots of road traffic

[Sooke Hunter]

Get out early, stay out late, keep the wind in yer face and go hiking.
dont know the area.

Good luckGood info!!:-D

[skunked]

Theres only a small portion of hat creek ranch property, its all FSR.. they own the west side.. hope you have better luck!! been there all week and havent seen a thing!!

[frenchbar]

Theres only a small portion of hat creek ranch property, its all FSR.. they own the west side.. hope you have better luck!! been there all week and havent seen a thing!!
it gets pounded pretty good up there ...i would go elsewhere...

[Buckmaster]

We were up there this past weekend and got 4 bucks with minimal effort. Lots of deer up there.

[Darksith]

don't get discouraged, just keep getting out there and you will find your prize. A buddy asked me recently "are you just good?" I replied no, Im just out there a lot. I have shot a fair amount of deer since Ive moved to kamloops, but I haven't seen a "big" buck yet. I have friends that have only shot 3, 2 were 140+...and they only hunt maybe 5 weekends a year. I hunt every weekend and Ive never even seen a 140 buck. So it just goes to show...thats why they call it hunting and not shopping.

[TravisC]

3-17 Good luck.. There are deer there but you need to find the furthest point where the last person turned around in their truck and get out and walk. If you look to the hills at night you can also see the native population doing their act of food hunting aswell. With the extended any buck season and the whitetail doe season the human pressure is ridiculous. Areas like 3-17, 3-29, 3-30 and the Princeton areas have been hit extreamly hard. Good luck fining a buck next year. I've like alot of others this year have venture to theses areas and have seen a HUGE amount of small bucks taken, more then any other year I can remember. I've also seen alot of WT does talken and the fawns left 4 dead or shot dead and left. Sorry to be a bummer on your post but theses areas are really beginning to turning into a gong show. Stay off the roads push back to the back ends of the slashes and hike in. Most of the time you only need to go in a 1oo yards maybe 2 and you will find them. You have to work hard and quiet decide if that area looks to challaging. Then go for it because the last guy that looked at it probably rolled up the window and said screw that. You go where others dont, find a doe and you will be bringing back you buck. Good luck.

[pete_k]

Keep putting on those miles. (by walking or driving)
I know of a guy who strictly road hunts and he gets crankers every year.
He must spend a fortune on gas and vehicle maint.
Puts on thousands of km per year road hunting.

2 weeks ago he spent 3 days in an area and seen only two does.
Last week same area he seen a zillion does and quite a few spikers.
Still waiting for the big one.

[wos]

It should be real Veasy. Sorry I meant easy:)

[gutpile]

Is there any snow in cache creek ? probably not, the weather sure is changing .

[bsa30-06]

where in 3-17 approx you going.

[Buckmaster]

It should be real Veasy. Sorry I meant easy:)
Thats a good one!