There really is no game in the mountains!
Whats everyones take on the Bighorn mountain WMU's 418-434? I went out this weekend for a quick look for Sheep again. Got a nice spot where I could glass for miles, with quite a few meadows, and openings I could see. I didn't end up seeing one thing for miles. No sheep, no deer, no elk, no moose. I guess the harvest reports don't lie in these particular WMUs.
If its the case that theres very few animals in these zones. Is the province allowing prescribed burns or logging to help improve the habitat in these areas? Or are there any other options which could be considered to help the area? What are your guys thoughts on the situation? |
Shoot any predator you see
And the hot weather doesn’t help finding game |
There are still animals in pockets, numbers are nowhere close to what there should be, predator hunting needs to become a lot more prevalent in several of those zones. I’ll be trying to do my part this winter on the wolves on my trapline.
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Its hungry country alright.Wolves,Cougars ,Bears,Coyotes and hunting have taken there toll for sure.
Combine that with poor management, and you have a recipe for what we have now. It makes me angry and sad to see the prefect game habitat so lacking in the numbers they could,should and used to hold. Yes the warm weather can be a factor in spotting game, but even in the right conditions some areas that were prime are way down. I shoot Wolves on sight and have killed my share, however we need a proper cull in order to make a dent in the overall population. As for the Cougar problem the numbers seem way up judging by the amount of tracks I see. Mule deer have suffered huge declines in the areas I hunt. |
Been trying to hunt elk out west, found a small pocket of them but I’m seeing more bears and wolves than elk. Also a big ass cougar.
Plan this winter is to go out with a bait site and try and get some wolves, bear is on the radar for fall and spring. If only I could get rid of the grizz too. |
Its hungry country alright.Wolves,Cougars ,Bears,Coyotes and hunting have taken there toll for sure.
Combine that with poor management and you have a recipe for what we have now. It makes me angry, and sad to see the prefect game habitat so lacking in the numbers they could,should and used to hold. Yes the warm weather can be a factor but even in the right conditions some areas that were prime are way down. |
Yep, predators are definitely an issue. But I think we could be creating more habitat to help the herds through prescribed burns. Lots of overgrown forests in that area that could be burned or logged to improve feed for them. On a side note I'm not as worried about the sheep population I know they're there. But there should be far more deer, moose, elk through that whole area. I think the wild horses are also having an impact on the area.
Was wondering if anyone knows what the government's plans are? Also think that the bighorn dam didn't help by flooding the meadow. Is there any way to remove it? Or does it supply to much of Alberta's energy? I'll try to plan a few trips during cougar season to see if I cant help out with the predator population. Might even make it into the 300 zones around there as I already saw 1 wolf off the highway east of Nordegg. |
Burns would go a very long way. I read the people and peaks book about the Willmore. About 120 + years ago, the natives would burn those valleys with prescribed burns. It would keep the willow and scrub brush down so the grass could grow for their horses. That grass was huge for the ungulates population. Lots more game back then. Still seeing deer, ek, moose, grizz, sheep, goats and wolves in that area. Wishing they would burn some of those valleys out again and help the critters though
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Mountains are never crawling with game, it's just not a highly productive habitat. Then time of day is important, most feeding takes place early in the day and near sunset. Recognize that and you'll see way more.
Grizz |
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It’s rare to see a moose, deer or elk track in most of the Wilmore these days, but not uncommon to see multiple grizzly everyday of a 10 day hunt. It’s pathetic what they’ve allowed to happen, too many people are ok with Biologist dictating their own agendas |
I was in the same area this weekend and saw very little ungulate sign, but did see a lot more burns and clear cuts then most years. Piles and piles of burn piles ready to be lit up this winter. Maybe things will return in a couple years for it.
With the warm weather and it was almost a full moon all weekend (along with Mars visible) it probably had something to do with it. |
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Mule deer,Elk and Moose were all on general tags in most zones. The increase in predators especially Wolves on the Elk and Moose, and Cougars on the Mule deer decreased the numbers substantially. Whitetails are found in areas they were unheard of in years ago. A testimate to their ability to avid carnivores as well as hunters better than other game. And yes you will see more of whats left early and late. |
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I’m talking about burning valleys so the grass grows, not burning cut piles. |
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I don't think it would ever be realistic though to see the numbers of deer out in the hills that you would see in the parkland. Sheep on the other hand seem to be doing well imho but they aren't hanging around on every mountain and never have, there has been a lot of great sheep taken this year again and not just squeakers. |
There used to be 150 elk in the Blackstone in the 90's and now there are zero. Plenty of grass, no poachers, no subsistence hunters, no industrial activity and no cow tags.
Same thing in the National Parks and the Willmore. The grass is stirrup high, virtually no hunting pressure, and there are very few ungulates. These are just two examples of the many mountain areas that don't see much hunting pressure and have no game animals left. The ungulates aren't starving to death, they're being killed by predators. When a herd of 30 cow elk has no calves by fall, it's not a nutritional problem. The bio in BC that had video of a single gbear killing 50 caribou calves should be enough evidence to convince SRD that predators are the problem but no one wants to believe it. |
Mules are hurting for sure. Elk are a myth. Looks like prime country but you are right, numbers down, waste of time unless you got a month to hunt.
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Lol, manage the predators. Good luck Lucy.
We keep dogs and cats as pets, then the Disney factor, ya...what needs to happen won’t. But what needs to happen is predators need to become scarce for awhile and then the ungulate numbers will start to come back. As it stands we are supposed to level pred/ungulate swings somewhat...wildlife management. But we aren’t really allowed due to the climate of in-equal love for the predators. So we have been and will remain predator high for a long long time. |
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Yup, some aerial culls also.
Love them all the same. No favorites. |
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Grizz |
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Hebblewhite's telemetry study in Yaha and adjacent areas would dispel the notion as myth. Predators did influence small bands to relocate relatively short distances to new range, but still well within the mountains. The same is true from the top of Alberta's rockies down south to the Bow River. And now predators are significantly reducing deer, elk and moose numbers south of the Bow. Quite simply, predators have wiped out mountain elk to a degree of more than 90%. Some herds including the previously famous Yaha/Banff migratory herd are now extirpated. I've been saying this for years now... It is an absolute dereliction of duty by Alberta biologists to allow these native animals to be wiped out for the sake of a few temporary politicians maintaining peace with the anti-predator management voters. Habitat enhancement would be great if and only if predator reductions are also enacted. |
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Why cant we have a cull in strategically determined areas via drone data? |
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