Alberta Mule Deer Hunt
- Thread starter BigHornRam
- Start date
noharleyyet
Well-known member
"Don't tease me bro!"
The cabin is awesome.
The cabin is awesome.
Ridge Runner
New member
Looks good... did you kill anything?? Cabin looks cool too.
shoots-straight
Well-known member
Looks more like sheep hunting than mule deer...
Dinkshooter
Well-known member
Did you find the moose shed?
Bambistew
Well-known member
Nice pictures! How far north of the border where you? Look like just north of GNP. Looks like some fun country to hunt deer in.
Did you see many/any big bucks?
Did you see many/any big bucks?
BigHornRam
Well-known member
I bought the hunt as a Mountain Mule Deer hunt, refered to by Tyson as a "Poor Man's Sheep Hunt". We did see more sheep than any other animal. A few minutes after taking the picture of the guides, I poked over the ridge and spotted a band of rams right below the white cliffs in the middle ground. The sheds at the cabin were already there.
I'm a s-l-o-w writer and this is all I have so far. With a busy work day and opening day this weekend, it could be a few days before I can finish the story. Hope you like it........
Alberta Mule Deer Hunt
On Saturday morning, October 6th, after dropping the kids off at the dog jail, my wife and I headed out for a week long Alberta mule deer hunt with Happy Valley Outfitters. We drove from our home in Hamilton, Montana. Through the Port of Roosville, and planned to spend the night in Fernie, B. C.. We got there early, motel prices were high, the town looked too touristy, so we kept on going. We finally settled on a motel just on the Alberta side of Crowsnest Pass.
For diner we stumbled across a very nice restaurant in Blairmore. The grilled salmon topped with pesto and prawns was unbelievable! Being a carpenter, I admired the well finished interior made from reclaimed barnwood. Not a bad way to start the trip.
The next morning we took our time getting to the ranch we were going to stay at. It was near Chain Lakes Prov. Park, about 25 mile west of Nanton. Upon arrival, we met Tyson, the outfitter, and Dean, a hunter from Michigan. We also met Mark and Donna, the owners of the ranch, and cabins we were staying at. We were going to pack in to a wall tent camp, but poor whether the week prior and the ability to cover more country, had Tyson changing plans, opting for the cushy ranch cabins. Later that night we met Kelly, our guide for the hunt.
Kelly guides for sheep up in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. He was one of the main guides involved in the big Kluane Dall Ram taken this past summer, so we got to see pictures and hear stories about that hunt. He has to be one of the finest and nicest guys you could ever hope to hunt with. Sleep didn’t come easy that night.
Day One Alberta Mule Deer Hunt:
We woke early to a cold rain and had breakfast and prepared lunches for the day. We drove up to a high saddle, where the rain turned to snow. We hiked in through a small basin, through an avalanche chute, over another saddle, and into another basin. It was still snowing and visibility was poor, so we decided to “hunker down” in a little patch of scrub spruce and see if things would clear up.
After awhile it did, and Kelly quickly spotted a 3/4 curl ram side hilling a couple miles away. He also spotted a beaded coyote in the snow. We moved down hill a ways and glassed some more. Kelly spotted a “whack” of ewes and lambs across the way, and I spotted a lone ewe and lamb below. They did say that this was going to be a “Poor Man’s Sheep Hunt”, and boy was it ever! Diane spotted a couple cow elk way down below in the distance. Then the weather turned for the worse, and visibility was limited for the rest of the day. Crossing a ridge we cut the lone rams fresh tracks, shortly found him on the horizon 300 yards away. Down below we heard some shooting......in the general area Tyson and Dean were going to be hunting in. We had lunch in a blizzard, hiked some, and then decide to build a fire to warm up and wait the weather out. At about 3, it was still snowing with poor visibility, so we headed back to the rig.
There was a little light left so we glassed some spots on the drive out, spotting a number of mule deer does, but no bucks . While Kelly and I glassed the hills for deer, Diane noticed a large bull moose heading right for us. Soon it passed within 30 yards of us, crossed the road and kept on going. Kelly has a moose tag for another area this year, and said he would have no problem shooting one similar.
Getting back to the ranch, we found that Dean did score on a fairly nice 4X4 buck, and that was indeed him doing the shooting below. Best of all, it was Canada’s Thanksgiving Day and a full blown turkey diner was waiting for us in Mark and Donna’s house!
Day Two:
We went back to check some of the areas we spotted does. Quickly we located 4 bucks, all dinks however. We hike up a ridge. Glassed and moved, glassed and moved. This day was turning out 180 degrees from the day before. Hot, sunny, and no wind. It would have been nice to be in the high county today, instead of yesterday. Picture #1 was taken from this ridge. For the rest of the day we saw 3 more bucks, nothing big. Hiking out that evening, Kelly stopped to let the local cowpuncher know that we spotted one of his cows and calves alone back in a ways. He appreciated that, saying he was looking for them. He also told of a small side basin that he had seen 3 nice bucks hanging in all summer long. Heading back we saw another good bull moose right before dark.
Day Three:
Dean was heading back to Michigan today so for the rest of the hunt I was going to have 2 guides. Kinda felt like a governor’s auction tag hunt! Today we were going to go in on horses. We trailered up after breakfast. At first light were saddling up and heading out down the trail. A couple miles in we came to the foot of the basin where the cowpuncher said the 3 bucks were. Just then I spotted a lone wolf at 50 yards. Kelly said, “ that’s a f—ing wolf.....excuse my language Diane!” He quickly disappeared over the hill. He ran up the ridge, and then howled back down at us. Not looking good for finding the 3 bucks now. Fuggin wolf!
We rode up the ridge to find a nice wooded basin loaded with fresh deer and elk sign. We tied up the horses and went to the open southwest ridge to glass. Soon I spotted a deer a couple miles away in a small sliver of open hillside in the thick timber. Spotting scopes quickly up found that it was a buck and there were 2 more with it. One for sure looked like he had a nice frame, but little else could be determined from that distance. Didn’t take long for them to vanish in the timber. After a while we continued up the ridge, in the trees, with fresh deer sign every where. Suddenly we bumped into a small forky buck at 20 yards. Continued on to the top of the hill. Had lunch and glassed. On the way back to the horses, we bumped the forky again, but never did find the bigger bucks.
We saddled up, and moved closer to where we spotted the bucks earlier in the day. Bumped some whitetails in a meadow. Found a good place to glass, and tied up. Glassing was slow, but after a while Tyson said, “I know this isn’t what you came here to hunt, but you might want to check this out.” In his spotting scope was 9 rams bedded on a rock face, a couple miles away. We got back to the horse trailer well after dark that evening. Turkey soup for diner was good!
Day Four:
Back to the high country. Skies were clear but the wind was ripping. A friend of Kelly and Tyson was tagging along looking for sheep. Andre guides for dall sheep up north and also outfits for mule deer in the Alberta plains. Nice guy. We hiked up to where we hunted on day one. Passed a feeding band of ewes and lambs, and then split up. We went west. Tyson and Andre went north and east. With cold wind and the alpine setting, it felt more like a goat hunt then a mule deer hunt this day. Glassing didn’t come up with anything that morning. We bailed off the top, and into a little patch of timber below. Fresh deer tracks in the snow, and poop. The buggers are hanging tight in the timber.
I'm a s-l-o-w writer and this is all I have so far. With a busy work day and opening day this weekend, it could be a few days before I can finish the story. Hope you like it........
Alberta Mule Deer Hunt
On Saturday morning, October 6th, after dropping the kids off at the dog jail, my wife and I headed out for a week long Alberta mule deer hunt with Happy Valley Outfitters. We drove from our home in Hamilton, Montana. Through the Port of Roosville, and planned to spend the night in Fernie, B. C.. We got there early, motel prices were high, the town looked too touristy, so we kept on going. We finally settled on a motel just on the Alberta side of Crowsnest Pass.
For diner we stumbled across a very nice restaurant in Blairmore. The grilled salmon topped with pesto and prawns was unbelievable! Being a carpenter, I admired the well finished interior made from reclaimed barnwood. Not a bad way to start the trip.
The next morning we took our time getting to the ranch we were going to stay at. It was near Chain Lakes Prov. Park, about 25 mile west of Nanton. Upon arrival, we met Tyson, the outfitter, and Dean, a hunter from Michigan. We also met Mark and Donna, the owners of the ranch, and cabins we were staying at. We were going to pack in to a wall tent camp, but poor whether the week prior and the ability to cover more country, had Tyson changing plans, opting for the cushy ranch cabins. Later that night we met Kelly, our guide for the hunt.
Kelly guides for sheep up in the Yukon and Northwest Territories. He was one of the main guides involved in the big Kluane Dall Ram taken this past summer, so we got to see pictures and hear stories about that hunt. He has to be one of the finest and nicest guys you could ever hope to hunt with. Sleep didn’t come easy that night.
Day One Alberta Mule Deer Hunt:
We woke early to a cold rain and had breakfast and prepared lunches for the day. We drove up to a high saddle, where the rain turned to snow. We hiked in through a small basin, through an avalanche chute, over another saddle, and into another basin. It was still snowing and visibility was poor, so we decided to “hunker down” in a little patch of scrub spruce and see if things would clear up.
After awhile it did, and Kelly quickly spotted a 3/4 curl ram side hilling a couple miles away. He also spotted a beaded coyote in the snow. We moved down hill a ways and glassed some more. Kelly spotted a “whack” of ewes and lambs across the way, and I spotted a lone ewe and lamb below. They did say that this was going to be a “Poor Man’s Sheep Hunt”, and boy was it ever! Diane spotted a couple cow elk way down below in the distance. Then the weather turned for the worse, and visibility was limited for the rest of the day. Crossing a ridge we cut the lone rams fresh tracks, shortly found him on the horizon 300 yards away. Down below we heard some shooting......in the general area Tyson and Dean were going to be hunting in. We had lunch in a blizzard, hiked some, and then decide to build a fire to warm up and wait the weather out. At about 3, it was still snowing with poor visibility, so we headed back to the rig.
There was a little light left so we glassed some spots on the drive out, spotting a number of mule deer does, but no bucks . While Kelly and I glassed the hills for deer, Diane noticed a large bull moose heading right for us. Soon it passed within 30 yards of us, crossed the road and kept on going. Kelly has a moose tag for another area this year, and said he would have no problem shooting one similar.
Getting back to the ranch, we found that Dean did score on a fairly nice 4X4 buck, and that was indeed him doing the shooting below. Best of all, it was Canada’s Thanksgiving Day and a full blown turkey diner was waiting for us in Mark and Donna’s house!
Day Two:
We went back to check some of the areas we spotted does. Quickly we located 4 bucks, all dinks however. We hike up a ridge. Glassed and moved, glassed and moved. This day was turning out 180 degrees from the day before. Hot, sunny, and no wind. It would have been nice to be in the high county today, instead of yesterday. Picture #1 was taken from this ridge. For the rest of the day we saw 3 more bucks, nothing big. Hiking out that evening, Kelly stopped to let the local cowpuncher know that we spotted one of his cows and calves alone back in a ways. He appreciated that, saying he was looking for them. He also told of a small side basin that he had seen 3 nice bucks hanging in all summer long. Heading back we saw another good bull moose right before dark.
Day Three:
Dean was heading back to Michigan today so for the rest of the hunt I was going to have 2 guides. Kinda felt like a governor’s auction tag hunt! Today we were going to go in on horses. We trailered up after breakfast. At first light were saddling up and heading out down the trail. A couple miles in we came to the foot of the basin where the cowpuncher said the 3 bucks were. Just then I spotted a lone wolf at 50 yards. Kelly said, “ that’s a f—ing wolf.....excuse my language Diane!” He quickly disappeared over the hill. He ran up the ridge, and then howled back down at us. Not looking good for finding the 3 bucks now. Fuggin wolf!
We rode up the ridge to find a nice wooded basin loaded with fresh deer and elk sign. We tied up the horses and went to the open southwest ridge to glass. Soon I spotted a deer a couple miles away in a small sliver of open hillside in the thick timber. Spotting scopes quickly up found that it was a buck and there were 2 more with it. One for sure looked like he had a nice frame, but little else could be determined from that distance. Didn’t take long for them to vanish in the timber. After a while we continued up the ridge, in the trees, with fresh deer sign every where. Suddenly we bumped into a small forky buck at 20 yards. Continued on to the top of the hill. Had lunch and glassed. On the way back to the horses, we bumped the forky again, but never did find the bigger bucks.
We saddled up, and moved closer to where we spotted the bucks earlier in the day. Bumped some whitetails in a meadow. Found a good place to glass, and tied up. Glassing was slow, but after a while Tyson said, “I know this isn’t what you came here to hunt, but you might want to check this out.” In his spotting scope was 9 rams bedded on a rock face, a couple miles away. We got back to the horse trailer well after dark that evening. Turkey soup for diner was good!
Day Four:
Back to the high country. Skies were clear but the wind was ripping. A friend of Kelly and Tyson was tagging along looking for sheep. Andre guides for dall sheep up north and also outfits for mule deer in the Alberta plains. Nice guy. We hiked up to where we hunted on day one. Passed a feeding band of ewes and lambs, and then split up. We went west. Tyson and Andre went north and east. With cold wind and the alpine setting, it felt more like a goat hunt then a mule deer hunt this day. Glassing didn’t come up with anything that morning. We bailed off the top, and into a little patch of timber below. Fresh deer tracks in the snow, and poop. The buggers are hanging tight in the timber.
shoots-straight
Well-known member
Break away from baking for a few and get the rest of the story down! I have football tonight in the horrific weather we're getting and won't be able to see what you got until after the game...OH I like chocolate chips in mine..
Bambistew
Well-known member
Good story so far.
noharleyyet
Well-known member
Nice build-up Paul...
The Hedgehog
Well-known member
- Joined
- Dec 19, 2000
- Messages
- 11,641
You homos and your literary masterpieces. Ugh.
Show some bone.
Show some bone.
BigHornRam
Well-known member
I was going for my rifle in the scabbard and the wolf was gone. Here's the rest of the story starting at day four.
Day Four:
Back to the high country. Skies were clear but the wind was ripping. A friend of Kelly and Tyson was tagging along looking for sheep. Andre guides for dall sheep up north and also outfits for mule deer in the Alberta plains. Nice guy. We hiked up to where we hunted on day one. Passed a feeding band of ewes and lambs, and then split up. We went west. Tyson and Andre went north and east. With cold wind and the alpine setting, it felt more like a goat hunt then a mule deer hunt this day. Glassing didn’t come up with anything that morning. We bailed off the top, and into a little patch of timber below. Fresh deer tracks in the snow, and poop. The buggers are hanging tight in the timber.
We climbed up the other side in the rocks, and got out of the wind just under the ridge. Ate lunch and watched the timber patch below. Tyson came along and joined us, and shortly after so did Andre. Tyson saw some does. Andre saw a nice cinnamon bear. After a while we decided to move on and check out more country.
We worked our way along a ridge (ridge where picture of guides was taken). I peaked over the ridge at one point and instantly spotted at least 7 rams at about 800 yards. We backed out quickly, and then moved behind the ridge to get a closer look at them to see if any were legal (4/5's curl in that area). Kelly finally got a good look at them, only to determine none made the grade. At that point we decided to turn around and hunt our way back to the truck.
We had just returned to truck when the Preacher (who also does some guiding for Tyson on occasion) and Donna’s nephew pulled up. They had been out sheep hunting, and had spotted a so-so buck and a grizzly that day. There was still a bit of light so we glassed some spots on the way out. There was a big black bear boar feeding on a ridge about 800 yards off the road. The Preacher pulled up shortly and had bear tag, so that lead to the...........
Canadian Bear Hunt:
The Preacher, Donna’s nephew, Andre, and Kelly took off quickly to get to the bear, with only minutes of shooting light left. Tyson and I watched from the road through our bino’s as the bear fed on the skyline. There was a wolf howl (Kelly did this to get bear to turn for a better shot) and then a boom! From my view the bear rolled head over heels twice down the steep slope, hit a tree, then disappeared into the dark. Got to be a dead bear I thought. After some time the guys came out with no bear, and decided to look for it in the morning. They looked for it for 4 hours the next day come to find out, with out finding any sign of a hit, or dead bear. The next evening from some distance away, Kelly and Tyson spotted the same bear feeding within 100 yards of where he was shot at the evening before! The Preacher must have missed and scared it, or clipped some fat. Either way the bear was very much alive and doing well.
Day Five:
We hiked into a lower area only to find does and fawns. We did spot a nice sow black bear with two healthy yearling cubs. Diane likes bears, and enjoyed watching them feed at 300 yards. We hiked back to the truck at noon and had lunch on the road. We spent the afternoon driving and spotting, making a big loop through that part of the hunting area. Our efforts only netted one large black bear feeding up on a high ridge. The area was scenic with numerous jagged mountains that make up the British Columbia / Alberta border.
That evening we hiked up a steep but small basin to a good glassing spot above. Ewes and lambs fed without care as we passed through their basin. Diane spotted a lone elk grazing in a meadow below. We spotted a number of does in various openings in the timber. Then with only a half hour of light left Kelly spotted a nice buck a couple ridges away. He was a wary lone buck.....toke a bite to eat and then looked around. Bite and look, bite and look. It would be about a 3 mile stalk to get to this guy, with not near enough time to get to him before dark.
Day Six.....Last Day of the Hunt:
We went back to the same lookout where we spotted the lone buck the evening before. At first light we were setting up spotting scopes, and only after a few seconds I had found the buck again. He was a couple hundred yards up the ridge from the previous night, feeding on the edge of the timber. Better light showed him to be a solid 4 X 4 with eye guards. He slowly fed into the timber and disappeared. The guys thought he would bedded down shortly, and we made a plan to go after him.
It was about mile away and a couple of deep drainage’s as the bird flies, but more like three miles as the hunter hikes. We dropped down to the first creek and found a good trail that headed down to the large elk meadow. Along the way, Kelly pointed out to Diane, a lodgepole tree next to the trail that a grizzly had marked with his claws. In the creek bottom we jumped an animal. Tyson caught a quick look and thought it to be a deer or sheep. The trail passed through the edge of the meadow, back into the timber, and passed a group of 3 lakes. From there we bush whacked our way up the ridge finally working our way to just below where the buck fed into the trees.
Then we waited and waited to see if he would come back out. No luck, and at 1 PM, being the last day of the hunt, we decided to try and make something happen. I set up in a good spot to cover the opening, and Tyson looped around to do a drive through the trees. No buck. He looped around and tried again. Again no buck. We climbed up the ridge to where it flattened out and did some glassing. Perfect mountain mule deer habitat in every direction! We were just below where we had lunch the first day in the blizzard. Visibility was much better this day, but the weather was warm and too nice. The deer were probably bedded in the cool heavy timber.
From the top Diane spotted something dead in the meadow below. Tyson’s spotting scope showed it to be a cow elk with a coyote and birds feeding on it. Kelly looped down into the trees for one last push as we watched from above. Same luck as before. Lot’s of deer sign in the trees but no buck came out. It was getting late in the afternoon so we started hunting our way back. We checked out the dead elk on the way through the meadows. The coyote was gone by then, lucky for him. The elk had to be the lone cow Diane had seen the evening before. Other than being dead, it looked like a healthy elk. No sign of predators killing it. The death was a mystery.
We took a wooded ridge out bumping into some elk along the way. By the time we got back to the truck, it was getting dark. The end of the hunt.
Overall we had a great time, in some beautiful country, hunting with some super people. Diane enjoyed it a lot. On the way home she said it was her best vacation ever. I was very proud of how well Diane did. See more than kept up with the guys. Kept a good attitude on the poor weather days. Spotted her share of the game, as well. One day while she was using my binoculars, she said that maybe for Christmas I could upgrade and give my pair to her. Gotta like that! I told the guy’s next time we come up to hunt, she get’s to carry the gun!
Day Four:
Back to the high country. Skies were clear but the wind was ripping. A friend of Kelly and Tyson was tagging along looking for sheep. Andre guides for dall sheep up north and also outfits for mule deer in the Alberta plains. Nice guy. We hiked up to where we hunted on day one. Passed a feeding band of ewes and lambs, and then split up. We went west. Tyson and Andre went north and east. With cold wind and the alpine setting, it felt more like a goat hunt then a mule deer hunt this day. Glassing didn’t come up with anything that morning. We bailed off the top, and into a little patch of timber below. Fresh deer tracks in the snow, and poop. The buggers are hanging tight in the timber.
We climbed up the other side in the rocks, and got out of the wind just under the ridge. Ate lunch and watched the timber patch below. Tyson came along and joined us, and shortly after so did Andre. Tyson saw some does. Andre saw a nice cinnamon bear. After a while we decided to move on and check out more country.
We worked our way along a ridge (ridge where picture of guides was taken). I peaked over the ridge at one point and instantly spotted at least 7 rams at about 800 yards. We backed out quickly, and then moved behind the ridge to get a closer look at them to see if any were legal (4/5's curl in that area). Kelly finally got a good look at them, only to determine none made the grade. At that point we decided to turn around and hunt our way back to the truck.
We had just returned to truck when the Preacher (who also does some guiding for Tyson on occasion) and Donna’s nephew pulled up. They had been out sheep hunting, and had spotted a so-so buck and a grizzly that day. There was still a bit of light so we glassed some spots on the way out. There was a big black bear boar feeding on a ridge about 800 yards off the road. The Preacher pulled up shortly and had bear tag, so that lead to the...........
Canadian Bear Hunt:
The Preacher, Donna’s nephew, Andre, and Kelly took off quickly to get to the bear, with only minutes of shooting light left. Tyson and I watched from the road through our bino’s as the bear fed on the skyline. There was a wolf howl (Kelly did this to get bear to turn for a better shot) and then a boom! From my view the bear rolled head over heels twice down the steep slope, hit a tree, then disappeared into the dark. Got to be a dead bear I thought. After some time the guys came out with no bear, and decided to look for it in the morning. They looked for it for 4 hours the next day come to find out, with out finding any sign of a hit, or dead bear. The next evening from some distance away, Kelly and Tyson spotted the same bear feeding within 100 yards of where he was shot at the evening before! The Preacher must have missed and scared it, or clipped some fat. Either way the bear was very much alive and doing well.
Day Five:
We hiked into a lower area only to find does and fawns. We did spot a nice sow black bear with two healthy yearling cubs. Diane likes bears, and enjoyed watching them feed at 300 yards. We hiked back to the truck at noon and had lunch on the road. We spent the afternoon driving and spotting, making a big loop through that part of the hunting area. Our efforts only netted one large black bear feeding up on a high ridge. The area was scenic with numerous jagged mountains that make up the British Columbia / Alberta border.
That evening we hiked up a steep but small basin to a good glassing spot above. Ewes and lambs fed without care as we passed through their basin. Diane spotted a lone elk grazing in a meadow below. We spotted a number of does in various openings in the timber. Then with only a half hour of light left Kelly spotted a nice buck a couple ridges away. He was a wary lone buck.....toke a bite to eat and then looked around. Bite and look, bite and look. It would be about a 3 mile stalk to get to this guy, with not near enough time to get to him before dark.
Day Six.....Last Day of the Hunt:
We went back to the same lookout where we spotted the lone buck the evening before. At first light we were setting up spotting scopes, and only after a few seconds I had found the buck again. He was a couple hundred yards up the ridge from the previous night, feeding on the edge of the timber. Better light showed him to be a solid 4 X 4 with eye guards. He slowly fed into the timber and disappeared. The guys thought he would bedded down shortly, and we made a plan to go after him.
It was about mile away and a couple of deep drainage’s as the bird flies, but more like three miles as the hunter hikes. We dropped down to the first creek and found a good trail that headed down to the large elk meadow. Along the way, Kelly pointed out to Diane, a lodgepole tree next to the trail that a grizzly had marked with his claws. In the creek bottom we jumped an animal. Tyson caught a quick look and thought it to be a deer or sheep. The trail passed through the edge of the meadow, back into the timber, and passed a group of 3 lakes. From there we bush whacked our way up the ridge finally working our way to just below where the buck fed into the trees.
Then we waited and waited to see if he would come back out. No luck, and at 1 PM, being the last day of the hunt, we decided to try and make something happen. I set up in a good spot to cover the opening, and Tyson looped around to do a drive through the trees. No buck. He looped around and tried again. Again no buck. We climbed up the ridge to where it flattened out and did some glassing. Perfect mountain mule deer habitat in every direction! We were just below where we had lunch the first day in the blizzard. Visibility was much better this day, but the weather was warm and too nice. The deer were probably bedded in the cool heavy timber.
From the top Diane spotted something dead in the meadow below. Tyson’s spotting scope showed it to be a cow elk with a coyote and birds feeding on it. Kelly looped down into the trees for one last push as we watched from above. Same luck as before. Lot’s of deer sign in the trees but no buck came out. It was getting late in the afternoon so we started hunting our way back. We checked out the dead elk on the way through the meadows. The coyote was gone by then, lucky for him. The elk had to be the lone cow Diane had seen the evening before. Other than being dead, it looked like a healthy elk. No sign of predators killing it. The death was a mystery.
We took a wooded ridge out bumping into some elk along the way. By the time we got back to the truck, it was getting dark. The end of the hunt.
Overall we had a great time, in some beautiful country, hunting with some super people. Diane enjoyed it a lot. On the way home she said it was her best vacation ever. I was very proud of how well Diane did. See more than kept up with the guys. Kept a good attitude on the poor weather days. Spotted her share of the game, as well. One day while she was using my binoculars, she said that maybe for Christmas I could upgrade and give my pair to her. Gotta like that! I told the guy’s next time we come up to hunt, she get’s to carry the gun!
Tom
New member
Sounds like a great trip! You saw everything, but shots were hard to come by, that's a bummer, but you made a good story out of it for sure. The best part was hearing how your wife went and seemed to like it and wants to do it again. That's fantastic! Congratulations on a great trip there! How was the cabin? You didn't say much about that. The food sounds great too!
greatwhitebuffalo
Active member
Looks like the memory was well worth it. Had a similar experience in Alaska that went beyond expectations. Never would of thought to hit Alberta for Mule Deer. Very Cool
