Author Topic: How far away do your hunt camps guys come from (Read 1043 times)

John Y Cannuck · « **on:** May 26, 2003, 01:36:42 PM »

For me, deer camp is a three hour drive (legally)
One of the guys drives all the way from Kitchener six solid hours. (He says four :eek: )
But most drive about two hours.

longwinters · « **Reply #1 on:** May 26, 2003, 01:45:03 PM »

45 min. for me. It is too long. I wish I could live there. . . but it is state land.

Rick Teal · « **Reply #2 on:** May 27, 2003, 01:30:55 PM »

I drive 4 1/2 to 5 hours to get there, then spend an hour unpacking the truck and packing the ATV trailers, and then another hour into the bush to reach camp.

Two or 3 of the guys come from Windsor, and insist on going to Toronto then turning north. They travel about 7 hours before unpacking.

John Y Cannuck · « **Reply #3 on:** May 28, 2003, 02:44:49 PM »

Moose camp is less than an hour by road, but then two hours or so of pounding in the old army truck.

7x57 · « **Reply #4 on:** May 31, 2003, 07:16:55 PM »

Luckily I live in the Kootenays so my commute is only 12kms; if the traffic is bad it's a 10 minute drive :roll:

David Parenteau · « **Reply #5 on:** May 31, 2003, 07:25:29 PM »

Moose and Elk camp for us is 21 hours drive.
Dave

Lagavulin · « **Reply #6 on:** May 31, 2003, 08:16:54 PM »

Yeah...me too. Moose/ Elk is about 18 hours in. Deer can be 12 hours from Vancouver when i hunt with my family in Alberta for deer (better tasting and a lot easier to hunt than this rain forest I cant see 6 inches stuff :rain: ).

David Parenteau · « **Reply #7 on:** June 01, 2003, 01:45:13 PM »

I get the feeling that we don't hunt to far away from each other!
Dave

Lagavulin · « **Reply #8 on:** June 11, 2003, 12:17:32 PM »

Dave,

Where (approx) do you go?

David Parenteau · « **Reply #9 on:** June 11, 2003, 04:08:31 PM »

The nearest big town of any sort is Fort Nelson.It puts us into some of the ugliest muskeg in Northern BC but it also gets us into great moose and elk country once we fight our way in.Its taken us up to 13 hours to get from our trucks and into camp with track equipped Argos.We're pretty much all alone though!
Dave

Lagavulin · « **Reply #10 on:** June 11, 2003, 05:43:50 PM »

I've never hunted up quite that far. My hunting buddies used to hunt Trutch till the number of bears have become just ridiculous. More like south of Chetwyn for us. How was last year for you guys? moose no doubt, but how about the 6 point elk?

David Parenteau · « **Reply #11 on:** June 11, 2003, 06:40:05 PM »

We used to hunt west of Trutch,up the Buckinghorse and into Redfern Lake.Probably the prettiest hunting country in BC.Up there on any given day you can see moose,sheep,goats,caribou,both types of bears,a few deer and even the very odd elk.That was quite a few years back before the antler restrictions and filling all your tags was no great feat.
Now we hunt further north,where the elk population is really taking off.No elk last year although we saw a good number of 5 point and smaller bulls as well as a few big ones that we couldn't get a point count on.It was after the main rut and we couldn't do anything to get them to respond to a call.We have averaged 1 elk a year since we started hunting here.
Moose are a different story.Used to be a race to see how fast we could get our 4 bulls.Now,because of antler restrictions you really have to hunt for them.Lots of binocular work even a short distances.Because the north country is becoming so overgrown,you have to call them right in to be able to see them.As an example,a few years back I shot a really nice 54 1/2" bull who came to my call on a burnt hillside.I could sit and see 500 yards to my right and to my left.This past year,visibility from the same spot had been reduced to about 30 yards each way.Spotting scopes don't help much because unless you carry a full size tripod,all you see is grass through them.We've changed our hunting from walking and glassing to sitting and calling now.We've still always been able to fill 50% of our tags or better though.
Sometimes dumb luck is all you need though.Two years ago,I was working a burn,looking up for elk and down for moose.I was going to go to one more ridge and then work my way up high.I peeked over the edge and saw a big bull elk feeding about 75 yards below.It took about 5 minutes with the binoculars to determine that he was legal.Because he was feeding his head didn't stop moving and it was hard to get a point count.When I finally counted 6,he was down.A nice 300" elk.I had 1 partner on the same hillside who found me and we had it packed out to the trail(mostly downhill)in about 4 hours.We went back to camp to get a trailer and have a bite and then headed back down to get the rest of the elk.!0 minutes from camp,coming up the trail was a big bull moose.A quick look said he was legal and he fell to my shot a little ways off the trail.Now we see the occasional moose on the trails but never a big one so this was a rare sight.We were able to get the Argos right up to him so we had no packing at all.(We came back the next day to get him)he had a 49 1/2" spread and missed the BC record book by about 13"My partner shot one a few days later that missed the book by a 1/2 inch.That was my best day ever hunting and I doubt that I'll ever match it.My other partner is a B&C scorer and with another partner off mine(and a few other really great guys)publish the BC Trophy Wildlife Records Book.Heres's the link
www.members.shaw.ca/wildliferecordsofbc/pages/wildl_rec_1pag.html
It's a great site.The newest and best book is out and for sale now.
I didn't really intend to flog the record book but it just happened.Anyways,we'll be off again this year at the beginning of October again this year.Can't wait!
Dave

Lagavulin · « **Reply #12 on:** June 12, 2003, 05:24:55 AM »

Wow...that was quite the day you guys had there. I share the same frustrations when it comes to the antler count even though I've onlystarted hunting over the past few years (late starter). year before last we called in 12 bull moose and none were legal. Elk always seem to be 5 point. Except for that same year. We were walking single file on a steep slope and walked straight into a herd about 75 yards from us after a bend. There stood what i like to call a monster Jasper Park bull elk, last tine touching his backside. My friend taking point had his head down because the terrain was so difficult...all we could see through our scopes between the elk and us was his head (not a good story for the wives to hear). he spooked, headed for the trees ( the elk that is :lol: )and we couldnt even get a shot off out of the three of us. :evil: Needless to say my buddy almost threw up after everything unfolded knowing he missed the bull of his life.

I wish i had more time to focus on Elk, but it seems that to get meat for the year...its time better spent hunting for Moose. Last year we were fourtunate to get a 48" and a 54"...went pretty far between the three of us.

sport240 · « **Reply #13 on:** July 23, 2003, 03:52:10 PM »

Deer plots (2 of them in opposite directions)....15 mins away each.
Moose camp...1 1/4 hour drive.
Duck pond...20 minutes away.

Sport240

ringo · « **Reply #14 on:** July 24, 2003, 02:36:46 PM »

I travel approx. 9 hrs from Vancouver Island to the Kootenays and about the same to North of Prince George. I work the LEH's as much as possible to enhance odds. I have found some "sweet holes" after years of hunting and I usually get my moose and whitetail. This year will be an elk hunt along with the whitetails and I think I will take a blacktail on the Island.