Hunting Lillooet area

[psyclops]

Hey guys!

My mom has recently moved to the Lillooet area, actually it was in part due to my brother and myself trying our hand at hunting the area the last couple years, we told her how beautiful it was and she ended up moving there.

Since we now have a home base there in a sense we are going to give it another shot this year but we haven't had any luck with anything other than grouse so far (which we have gotten a ton of). Most of our time has been spent up Yalakom valley where we have seen grizzlies twice (one small blonde one was seemingly sleeping on the road in a shady bend, the other was a massive reddish one my bro mistook for one of the many cows at first until it ran right up the steep slope beside the road) which apparently isn't very common so we're fortunate for that I suppose depending how you look at it.. we don't sleep there in tents anymore! We've seen a few black bears (one was gigantic but it wasn't season yet) and a linx as well. Most of the deer you see are after dark when they seem to be everywhere along the road. One time we met a local guide whos family used to own the Yalakom ranch, he gave us some pointers (we were wayyy up Yalakom too late in the season for deer! He also said there are something like 13 grizzlies in the area) but we are still to harvest a buck.

So I just wondered if anyone here would be nice enough to point us in the right direction, or give some idea as to how/when/where to the dear move thru the area etc.

Any info would be greatly appreciated, this is the third season in the area and we would really like to harvest a buck this time around.

thanks guys, and good luck out there!

[warnniklz]

If you're seeing deer at night, they're there. Just have to figure out where they go for the day.

[BRvalley]

I lived in gold bridge for year and a half, beautiful country, that area is hunted hard (especially dec 4 pt season), get out there early am (like 4am) and get up on a ridge with a view, keep quiet and glass....my first year was hunting only a xbow, didn't connect but damn i wish my rifle then, good bucks

between yalakom and tyax there are lots of roads where you can park and hike or drive up and then hike...pearson ridge, 5 mile, around plateau ponds, can do an overnighter in the eldorado cabin, etc, buy the backcountry mapbook (the fold out map) and start exploring, it really is amazing country......lots of grizz and cougars around, seen a couple wolves too

[BRvalley]

also make sure you have 2 full size spares....I learned that lesson too many times....if you do have troubles Pioneer Paul is the local tire guy in GB

[Getbent]

Head up above Carpernter lake road or high up in the alpine off the yalokom...used to be good, lots of bucks...i know the pressure has increased and we haven't been back since the guy with the station wagon showed up with a 4 point tied to the roof rack...lots of grizzly for sure and big blacks...

[psyclops]

thanks guys. Yea we have already had our flat tire nightmare up there, we're sitting on 10ply mud tires now, someone who stopped to help told us that's what you need for Yalakom roads. He'd gone up thru the plys over the years and found that 10ply are the only way to go up there with the crazy sharp rocks.

Thanks for the tips so far guys

[ravensfoot]

Haha. You call it the eldorado cabin. We call it the German cabin because we met the German fellow that built it.

[psyclops]

what is this Eldorado cabin? We have found a few cabins up there, which one is that?

edit - well I think I just uploaded 3 pictures of cabins we found but I don't know where they went or how to post them.. if anyone knows please let me know



I dunno here they are from the photobucket account tho

http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z343/Boulderfield/20130629_192523_zpsc6c97b16.jpg (http://s1185.photobucket.com/user/Boulderfield/media/20130629_192523_zpsc6c97b16.jpg.html)

http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z343/Boulderfield/20130629_200218_zps8f966b0d.jpg (http://s1185.photobucket.com/user/Boulderfield/media/20130629_200218_zps8f966b0d.jpg.html)

http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/z343/Boulderfield/20130630_132416_zpse480bd51.jpg (http://s1185.photobucket.com/user/Boulderfield/media/20130630_132416_zpse480bd51.jpg.html)

some pics of the old XRs we rode into the ground up there, good preseason mobility while they lasted.

Actually what am I saying, they definitely need some work but they'll probably go for another 10 years, we just upgraded and sold them to a buddy.. cant keep an XR down!

[frenchbar]

Shack#1 canzak cabin ..old mining cabin
cabin #2..freinds of mine built in the mid eightys
cabin#3 old cowboy cabin base of poison mnt .
ive spent many night in all 3

[frenchbar]

the Eldorado cabin is nowhere near these cabins

[psyclops]

Cool thanks which one would be Eldorado then or is that another one? edit - (just saw your last post, guess we'll keep looking!)

My bro and I stayed a few days in that first "shack" last year, we had camped near by and a wind storm literally blew our camp apart the first night.. we found a bunch of stuff in the creek the next morning haha.. we eventually found that shack and moved in there for the rest of the trip. Super nice stove in there! Some creepy stuff written on the walls, some nice stuff too. Looked like many many people have stayed there over the years.

The second one your friends made is really impressive, especially the outdoor area, but there is a sign and a book that says pretty much don't be here in the fall because the guys who made it will be there.

The last one was in pretty rough shape, but there were like 3 or 4 burnt out stoves down the hill from it so its had a lot of use obviously. There was a wasp nest in the wall and TONS of rat shit on the floor we didn't hang out there long. Super nice area up around Poison mountain I was blown away.

[frenchbar]

the second cabin isn't used much anymore by the folks that built it . its a beautiful area all right !

[frenchbar]

Eldorado cabin is located in the south chilcotins on the east fork of Eldorado creek at roughly 6300 ft.

[wildcatter]

I've been up in the Yalakom many times and never had a flat tire, strange......
Brought a very nice 4 pointer out of there.