Get off the road.....

[gcreek]

The coast road hunters have been beating the gravel for 10 days now without seeing more than grouse. A friend of ours and his son were here 1 full day and 2 hours. Called this bull in to 75 yards yesterday about 1/4 mile from an old logging road. Meat still smells good.

http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/hh71/gcreekrch/P9200034_zps37646e92.jpg (http://s253.photobucket.com/user/gcreekrch/media/P9200034_zps37646e92.jpg.html)

[s0ylentgreen]

cool man
which area are you in?

[Jelvis]

That's a heck of a bull right there folks.
Congrats to the shooter and the caller.
Heck of a bull moose
Jellatoid -- get off the road and get a toad

[panhead]

It'd smell better if'n it was in my freezer cgreek ...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I get the feeling that animals, after watching us in our daily lives, say a little prayer every night giving thanks that they aren’t human beings.

[1/2 slam]

The coast road hunters have been beating the gravel for 10 days now

??????? People can be so ignorant.

[abbyfireguy]

Rather harsh, ignorant is not a very pleasant word. Some people chooses to road hunt some don't.
I picked up two of the nicest bull moose road hunting while recovering from knee surgery...to each his own, even though I prefer to walk and call I understand not hiking in for moose. Not everyone is ready or able to pack out a behemoth.

[Sitkaspruce]

I thought there was too many hunters for you gcreek and no more moose up there due to "all the coastal road hunters"??

Oh by the way, nice moose, must have been the last one.....

Cheers

SS

[fuzzybiscuit]

I prefer road Moose, but in a pinch I might have shot that one.

[Lillypuff]

I only shoot road moose! Or off the railway tracks in Alberta.

[brutus]

Off an old logging road,so tecnicali you were road hunting,who said road hunting did not work lol

[Mik]

Gotta love road hunting....and hopefully it was on the uphill side :) Congrats on the moose.

[40incher]

Hey ... if everyone got off the road where would you be!!! Careful what you wish for. Personally we get way back, cow call them in and get 'em with the bow ... If not we still have a GOS rifle hunt in October. I heard a while ago that all the Region 7 moose migrated to the coast! Good thing there's still lots in Region 6. Lots of roads too ...

[davet]

oh well leave the road hunters to the roads. leave the nice animals to the real hunters.

[835]

What were the interior road hunters doing?

[Caribou_lou]

Road Hunters are successful too bud! Some just aren't in as good as shape as you and I to go for a Hike. We have had more success calling from off the Roads so that where I go.

on a side note. Id never pass one up on the road, would you?

[gcreek]

The fellas from the LML that I'm referring to have both asked me where they would find a bull. I have told them a couple of places to go that would likely produce and they choose to ignore the advice and burn fuel. When this fellow and panhead connect every time they are here without many hours of hunting time the road guys act like I'm guiding the successful ones. Nothing could be further from the truth. I'm still getting the last of my hay up at this time of year and am not inclined to go hunting even for myself.

Those of you who choose to road hunt are fine with me, just don't whine about not seeing anything when someone sincerely tries to help and you are driving by meat on the hoof because you are reluctant to leave the cab. As one of you implied about the population of moose here, there aren't many left so the chances of seeing one in a 20 year old cutblock are very low. This time of year, especially, calling is the most effective way to fill the freezer. Last I heard an engine, it didn't sound much like a lovesick cow moose.

Give'er boys, I can take as much as I give. It sucks to go home empty handed.

[bccanadian]

One of my hunting buddies is in his late 70's. Due to a long hard life, he is limited to either road hunting or getting on his quad. Hiking any great difference is out of the question. I get the feeling that he asks me to go hunting with him so that I can do all the "heavy" lifting if he gets lucky. I don't mind. He's a nice guy.

[gcreek]

Road Hunters are successful too bud! Some just aren't in as good as shape as you and I to go for a Hike. We have had more success calling from off the Roads so that where I go.

on a side note. Id never pass one up on the road, would you?

You were typing when I was so I missed this one. Meat is where ya find it so yes I would shoot one off the road if I wanted one to eat. I do prefer my own beef and lamb to wild game so haven't killed any game in over 20 years.

The question is this.... Why does one keep doing the same thing expecting change?

[panhead]

The question is this.... Why does one keep doing the same thing expecting change? -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Eveyone knows that is the definition of insanity. But then I know fer a fact all us from the coast aren't sane ... Don’t be a hosee.

[gcreek]

How was the party panhead? Did you get in trouble for "spilling the beans"?

For the record, you have spent close to 2 years of your life here. I suppose you bin eddicated some...

[DLP]

i spent 6 days bushwacking on foot, no quads, in region 7, 2 weeks ago and only saw cows and does. didnt road hunt at all and didnt get anything! i was then lambasted by a fat couple in a fleet of high end quads saying its guys like me from the lml that are destroying 'their' moose population. but i was born in fort st.john! that should count for a few no?.haha

[panhead]

How was the party panhead? Did you get in trouble for "spilling the beans"?

For the record, you have spent close to 2 years of your life here. I suppose you bin eddicated some...

I know one thing fer shure ... there is NOTHING like a good Chilcotin eddication. Priceless ...

[decker9]

Nice bull!! The only moose iv seen are off the beaten path also. Tons of road hunters out, but not the kind that need a license, or a bull for that matter.

[browningboy]

I'm water hunting this year, well water then walking because there's no roads where we go! Lol

[mungojeerie]

I was introduced to hunting by my step dad. My first hunting trip was for moose when I was 11. I got to shoot grouse, rabbits and learn about hunting. My step dad didn't play much of a role in my life after that and my neighbor who's son wasn't really into hunting at the time took me in under his wing. He gave me a crossbow and introduced me to different calibers of rifles and shotgun gauges, taught me a lot about hunting, gutting, skinning, calling, dogging, sitting etc. I owe him a lot. His name was Wayne.

Wayne was a firm believer that vehicles had no place in the bush other than to get you to it and get your meat out of it.

When I moved back to BC I had no family that hunted and no friends here, none of the friends I met hunted, I had no firearms of my own, nor a vehicle. Hunting just kind of stopped for me.

After 5 or so years I met a guy through work who's a bit older than me and lives in the Cariboo. He invited me to come hunt with him. I have been hunting with him for 8 years now, since I have known him he has had 2 strokes, 1 heart attack and a serious car accident that has rendered him with an almost useless knee and hip. He also is luck enough to suffer severe arthritis in his hands and shoulders.

He is essentially restricted to road hunting. In the past this has driven me crazy, I hated it. But I also know that when this coast hunter goes up to 7A to hunt with his road warrior buddy that we see just as much if not more than the bush wackers. I have come appreciate road huntings place in my hunting lifestyle. I get out a lot on my own. I always road hunt to some degree but I also hike the bush, bike ride the trails and sit back in on stands.

Last year I tagged out on deer, each one shot from the road. Retrieval is awfully easy and I appreciate it when I hear from a friend who had to hike his mulie 7km out of the bush on foot.

Hunting can be a game of skill requiring knowledge of habitat, animals movements, anticipating direction of travel, etc etc and all of that increases your odds and heightens the experience, but I know very well that it also has a lot to do with luck.

It doesnt matter if your a coastal weekend warrior, a die hard good ol boy, a road hunter or a pack your bag and scale the mountain hunter. What matters is that you get out there when you can, you enjoy being in the bush, you see things most people dont, you surround yourself with all of the natural beauty that this fantastic province of ours has to offer, you introduce youngsters to what you enjoy and coach them along the way, fill your freezers organic meat and your life with memories you'll never forget.

Great moose, I look forward to trying for one myself this year :)

[f350ps]

^^^Great post, sure would be a boring world if everybody hunted exactly the same way wouldn't it? K

[Carolbear]

Mungojeerie, i love your comment fill your freezers and your life with memories you will never forget!!

I just started hunting with my dad a couple years ago, and we mostly road hunt with quads. He did break his leg a few years ago and wouldn't have been able to hike much at all.

ive gotten lucky out hunting a couple times, but even if i was on a quad i still tried my ass off!! Hunting 21 days, felt so lucky when i got my first moose last year the very last morning that i could hunt! It was so priceless! I was all by myself even. This year i pulled the trigger on day 5 :) and couldnt have been happier that my dad was at my side!! Priceless memories forsure!

i would luv to learn to call and would be so excited to see a bull come walking in! I have watched alot of wild tv and it looks awesome! Maybe my future husband will be able to teach me ;)

[walnutz]

Very well put!! I really never understood the ones who care about how other people hunt?? At the end of the day luck is about all you need to bag one. And if one was so succesful in the way they hunted why is they try to convice more hunters to do the same??? Just seems like it lowers your odds. I would stay tight lipped about any method i used if it was that much more succesful than the others IMO. Good luck whatever way you go about it!!

[Rob Chipman]

I've got a walk in hunt for moose planned for a couple weeks from now. Couple hours back into the bush from the end of a long dirt road. High country. Been there before, and this time we're hoping to see a bull we didn't have a tag for last year.

I like getting out of the truck as well, but....who's kidding who? I've driven trucks and quads close enough to moose and deer to hit 'em with rocks and leave a bruise. You can see animals anywhere, and for that matter, anytime (haven't seen a moose trot through your camp at high noon? Just wait. It'll happen).

The dif between road hunting and not road hunting isn't success, in my experience. Road hunting allows you to cover more area, but leaves you less time to hunt each square foot. You don't see a lot of rubs from the truck.

But, if you're getting to that age where some of your buddies have got health issues, sometimes road hunting's all you've got. And it can be damn successful.

(I hunt by foot, canoe, quad and truck. Lend me your horse and I'll hunt from that too! Helicopters still seem like cheating!)

[caddisguy]

As a new hunter, I have been analyzing some of these road hunting versus "get off the road" debates. I think there are more variables than both sides consider. I suspect it depends on the region and prior scouting/experience. If you have put in enough time scouting, setting up trail cams, have knowledge of animal movement through the area previous years success, getting off the road and creeping through the bush or still hunting a meadow makes perfect sense. I doubt it gets any better than that.

That said, like trying a new lake, it doesn't hurt to troll around a little. You don't have to commit to dropping anchors and casting chronies in the same general area all day. You look for activity, zero in on the area, depth and what they are feeding on. I would be hesistant to tell the guy to get off his quad, off the FSR and start bush whacking 10km in a random direction unless there is good reason to do so. Otherwise he is better off waiting for sightings or if an area looks good, stopping to look for signs. Prints, poop, trails, rubs would warrant wandering and if it checks out, next time previous road hunter in future seasons under similar conditions will probably be getting off the trail, into the bush and enjoying their newly found regional honey hole, or maybe they'll road hunt/scout and find another.

I can recall one occasion after spending over a week hiking, fishing and camping miles away from an road, seeing 1 bear and 0 deer, only to get picked up and see 3 does, 1 buck and a dozen bear on hour long ride out. Critters like roads/trails too. Good ground zero to start scouting I would say.

[caddisguy]

Lend me your horse and I'll hunt from that too! Helicopters still seem like cheating!)

I like the horse idea. Best 4x4 ever! Helicopters though, we are not allowed, as per the regs. These drones however are coming a long way... if you have a radio license, you can fly your quad copter over them hills... your laptop screen shows you what is on the other side of the mountain... alerts upon infrared critter detection! Within 5 years, the Wildlife Act will discuss drones. If I am wrong, first person to revive this thread gets a flat of beer.

[bigredchev]

im just glad to be hunting. road, quad or hoofing it. lifes tough when we can bitch about going hunting, same thing as drinking beer wether free or paid for the end result is a good time.

[HIGHRPM]

Congrats on your super hunt !

[Rob Chipman]

Caddisguy:

Good call about drones. You could probably get all the stuff you need online to monitor vast areas relatively cheaply. Makes you wonder: if google street view can get pictures of guys breaking into houses, etc, what would cheap drones tell us about, for example, moose population declines? (That said, I dread the uber-surveillance state we're moving into, and hope it never gets as widespread here as it already is in some countries).

I'm putting it in the daytimer, 5 years from today, to see if the Regs have picked up on drones. I suspect that you're going to be correct.