What's goin' on in region 5?

[BlacktailStalker]

Leaving Wednesday night til Monday for 5-3, in hopes of a couple nice mulies.
Anyone been out, heard anything ?
Snow in the hills?
Thanks in advance.

[boonerbuck]

Windy as hell and warm.

I was going to go out but trees were snapping and the power was flashing on and off. Stayed home to do some loading instead.

[mark]

I just got back from 5-01, 5-02, the worst hunting ive ever seen in my life, and i used to live there!

[BlacktailStalker]

Uh oh. Not what I want to hear ! Hopefully a cold front moves in during the next 4 days :(

[boonerbuck]

I just got back from 5-01, 5-02, the worst hunting ive ever seen in my life, and i used to live there!

I was thinking of you and your girlfriend today as the hurricane moved through!:lol:

[BlacktailStalker]

Anybody have any experience in Riske Creek, Puntzi , Alexis creek, cache creek, clinton areas for late season big mulies? Pm if need be.

[mikek blacktail]

I was there hunting last week we hunted quenel and mcleese lake 140 does 3 small bucks, had fun but the hunting was the shits

[StoneChaser]

My buddy just got back from the Puntzi area last week.... between 6 or 8 of them they saw 6 bucks this year in 5 days of hunting!

Two other buddies of mine just returned from the Lone Cabin country (Gang) and saw even fewer deer (and 10X the people).

Both groups have killed plenty in those areas past years.... seems to be the shits this year!

Good Luck

StoneChaser

[Fido]

Lots smaller bucks up at Loon Lake, I would try what we call 8 mile. I just moved up there after 10 years of being away and took a nice 4x4 that dressed 184, I don't know how to score or get a pic up but will try and get one of the kids to help. If you are up you can try the Bonapart area or out Hi hume lake this time of the year is good. Hope this helps.

[patbrennan]

Just got back on friday night from a week up there. Pretty slow going this year. Windy (very), temperatures fluctuating significantly, snow either coming down heavy or crusty on the ground, and where we were the rut wasn't on. Took a couple of meat bucks with virtually no sign of being in the rut.
Still had a blast and it was way better than working! I'd go again in a minute, and pray for better conditions. I doubt the animals have moved down much so I wouldn't look for them in their wintering areas yet.

[mark]

yip, second what pat said, they havnt moved down yet, not in their winter grounds. I hunted all of my best spots in reg. 3&5, 1 -2 point buck was all we saw in 4 days, and my girlfriend shot him! (Was +14 in barierre yesterday)

[Elkhound]

Went rememberence day long weekend. Very hard hunting. Saw next to nothing. We got a little 3pt out of sheer luck.
Will send a PM

[willyqbc]

5-02 and 5-13 are eerily quiet.....have been checking winter areas, summer areas....like a ghost town everywhere, hearing the same story from tons of locals. Not sure what gives but something starnge is going on this year for sure.

Chris

[BlacktailStalker]

Thanks for all the replies, much appreciated. Keep em coming as we'll probably decide where to end up on our way lol. Already have 2 great heads ups.

[Timbow]

Don't really what to say. I've experiencing the opposite. Seeing many bucks and have been hearing of atleast four 180 plus bucks. Been out today and saw a 150 class 4 point. I guess location is the key.

[mark]

Well that settles it! Everyone race up to quesnel for a big buck!

[boonerbuck]

I guess location is the key.

Very true.

If they are not in the usual spots, they have to be somewhere.

[willyqbc]

Timbow, do you mind if i ask if you've been hunting on private land? I have several friends who hunt the farms that are usually dead by now still having great action. If you're out on crown land what type of habitat are you finding them in right now? Elevation? I'm really stumped...areas that usually hold lots of deer for us all season and have for over a decade are suddenly dead quiet. All our old standby areas are showing the same results, even hitting new very promising looking areas are yielding nothing much.....very puzzling:sad:

Chris

[JMac]

Agree with you there Chris, We know and hunt a ton of country around Quesnel and saw mainly sh*t bucks and some does everyday. I can honestly say I never saw a shooter buck in 10 days. What I did notice was a sh*tload of wolves every where we went. The country was absolutely overrun with the buggers. Found chewed up moose and deer legbones dropped on the side of the logging roads in the snow and wolf tracks, p*ss and sh*t everywhere. I think the weather wasn't favourable as well with the unreal heavy wind most deer were held up in the timber and with the snow being crunchy/frozen it was tough getting a look at them. Good luck to anyone else heading up however! Conditions can change and the rut can eb and flow like the tide!

[houndogger]

After hunting up around Quesnel last winter for cats and the amount of wolf sign and sighting (7) I think the area needs some serious wolf trappers. What do you think Jmac?8-)

[Phil]

I got home last night from 5-1 and only saw one 2 point, unfortunately he saw me first . Lots of fresh sign deep in the bush but the snow was crusty. The weather was warming up when we left on Monday afternoon and there was considerable melt. Hope this helps. Good luck

[BCrams]

I don't think there is anything wrong with Region 5 and availability of bucks.

As hunters, you need to be able to recognize what the deer are doing in response to weather, predators and other hunters in the area and adjust your hunting styles accordingly to find big bucks.

One of the successful traits of a good hunter is the ability to adapt to changing hunting conditions to be successful by changing their own methods, where to look and hunting style (still hunting, stand hunting, glassing etc). Sticking by the old, "Got a buck in this block / area last year and the year before." may work for some but when things change, you need to change in order to find deer.

I spent all of a few hours in Quesnel area and passed on a beauty 170 class buck earlier and from what I could see, the area held other good bucks too.

[Fisher-Dude]

I don't think there is anything wrong with Region 5 and availability of bucks.

As hunters, you need to be able to recognize what the deer are doing in response to weather and predators in the area and adjust your hunting styles accordingly to find big bucks.

One of the successful traits of a good hunter is the ability to adapt to changing hunting conditions to be successful by changing their own methods, where to look and hunting style (still hunting, stand hunting, glassing etc). Sticking by the old, "Got a buck in this block / area last year and the year before." may work for some but when things change, you need to change in order to find deer.

I spent all of a few hours in Quesnel area and passed on a beauty 170 class buck earlier and from what I could see, the area held other good bucks too.

Agreed. We went to our "usual" area to find a few more cutblocks, upgraded roads and a LOT more hunters, with skittish game and little sign. By the end of day one we found that the game had simply moved a kilometer or so away from the pressure. Day 2 was successful hunting.

[wetcoaster]

5-02 and 5-13 are eerily quiet.....have been checking winter areas, summer areas....like a ghost town everywhere, hearing the same story from tons of locals. Not sure what gives but something starnge is going on this year for sure.

Chris

Agreed went up remembrance week to 5 02 and it was a tough week, hunting was non existant no sign etc. The weather had just moved in however and I think everything holed up tight. Started still hunting the really thick stuff and saw game during the crappy weather. We saw two good size bull moose rutting it up hitting each other like semi trucks on the first day of the hunt before the weather moved in but by the time the guys with moose tags came to where I was we were never able to connect and never saw them again. Still didn't find my buck either and time is running out!

[WoodOx]

Can only offer a little bit of generic advice:

Get off the roads - look for areas other hunters arent in. Look for sign - look for fresh tracks at water sources - look for areas with no human sign, yet lots of deer shat and heavy grazing. Hit ridges and glass down cuts or openings. I find a lot of deer are exposed when you glass areas from angles most hunters dont glass. As an end resort I find heavily used travel corridors and try and watch them.

I dont know what kind of hunting to do up there, as Ive never hunted in region 5. (Cept the alpine, where bucks will be long gone from there by now - Chilko, Yohetta etc areas)

[BCrams]

Cept the alpine, where bucks will be long gone from there by now - Chilko, Yohetta etc areas

If you guys only knew. :wink:

[JMac]

Fact is if you don't see a big buck you won't kill a big buck no matter what you do! I like most of you "live it and breathe it" and am not afraid to do whatever it takes to get big bucks (legally). I chase em and cats year round where legal. If you don't see em.......... you don't kill em period!

[Timbow]

Chris, I don't hunt private land. Really not that appealing to me. I've been chasing a good 170 plus on crown land for the last 3 weeks. There are a few new cutblocks and the deer have changed their habits. I've been hunting the same areas as I have for the last decade with only a few minor changes. With the dry summer the deer were harder to locate in September but October and November seemed to be a little off but not much.

Tim

[Tinney]

If you guys only knew. :wink:

You gonna climb to the alpine to hunt big bucks in 2 feet of snow? You're effin crazy if you do. I was up high in 5-02 last week. Waste of time. I saw 2 does and a spiker buck up there. There is no sign up high right now. I got my buck down on the quesnel river where there was LOTS of sign. get off the roads, wayyyy off the roads, they're holding back up in the timber for now, at least where I was. Coming down lower in the dark to feed/drink.

[Tinney]

Yeah, stay on your high horse. I'm stayin low. You like hunting 2 feet of alpine snow in november go right ahead. I'm talking at least a km off the roads. I hiked the backside of the Nyland lake country and down to the river and other unmentionable areas further south. Not much sign up high, not much sign around the cutblocks. You got any proof otherwise? I was THERE last weekend. Were you?

[WoodOx]

I am east of the Fraser, and there are nice bucks up high. Me and JJensen were so high we were in thigh deep snow drifts. Although we didnt shoot any deer, the sign was there. Pretty sure them mulies can be found on any mountain, anywhere (almost?). Not just costal mtns. I dont think BCRams was insinuating only east of the fraser, just saying there around.

[Tinney]

Draw a line between Nyland lake and the river. The J road doesnt go far enough for my liking. Too many commandos in jeeps willing to go over deacts. I got up to the top and humped er down to the river (8K rounder? ish? My distances arent so good. Made for a nice pack out). Nice fire burnin down southeast of there.

[WoodOx]

Never even heard of the bloody place. What town is it close to? not that im interested in poking around there - god knows theres enough country much closer to k-town to venture and get lost in.

[Tinney]

Yep. Won't be goin back there in november though. be a much more productive area in october I think

[tufferthandug]

Yep. Won't be goin back there in november though. be a much more productive area in october I think

It's a busy place.

[Tinney]

that's what i didnt like

[MattB]

Wow, a whole kilometer off the road! Thats nuts....what would you do if you were to shoot yerself a buck that far from the road?

[Tinney]

I was suggesting that for the slackers....did you read my post? I was 4K off the back of the J road. Nice country.

[BCrams]

Only 4 k ??

[MattB]

4 k one way? man, you must be in real good shape to be doing that! Did you end up shooting something that far from yer truck and if so how did you pack him out? That would be a weekends work in itself!

[Tinney]

Oh get over it boys. I know you work the backcountry....you think you got a exclusive right to it? Only 4K. it was snowy :lol: I got tired. shot the next buck i saw. dressed out round 180lbs

[MattB]

didja drag him out whole?

[Tinney]

it;s tough i tell ya. Sometimes i even cry a little. Mostly i just walk

[Tinney]

You bet i did :lol:

[dana]

BCrams,
And you thought I was crazy because I wanted to go get that Booner Black bear in a foot of snow. It was only 14 kms in. I don't think I could ever do 4km for a buck.

[Tinney]

Oh common guys, lets beat me up on just one thread eh? tryy and keep it real please

[Browningmirage]

180 pounds, one piece 4000 metres, in 2 feet of snow, already exhausted from the original 4000 metres. Less than 10 hours of daylight. Keep it real Tinney,

[Tinney]

Awwww common Matt, we's just havin fun.......I know you like to pop em as close to the road as possible :lol:

[Browningmirage]

Oh thats just convenient, why packem if they come to you?

[Browningmirage]

and not that i like to, its just that i see most deer when im in between walking

[MattB]

I'd pop 'em close to the road if i could find them there! Take 'em where you find 'em, thats what i say! :)

[BCrams]

Matt - You had "geeeeeze I hope we don't see a buck way back here written all over your face" that one day. :)

[MattB]

Nope, that was my "#$%# there better be some deer back here" face :) . And then we jumped that doe and had that huge buck come in that i was so excited about!

[BCrams]

That was hilarious wasn't it !