305 306 elk mad house.
 

Iv been on here asking advice of elk in 305 and 306 south end. Some AO members advise me that it was a sh*t show and to this point i had never experienced it in the time hunting white tails. At the time it was hard to beleve, well im a believer now. October 25 15 trucks chasing a 50 head herd with maby 4 legal bulls in it, f&w babysiting the herd and the over exsited hunters running around guns blazing.

It was craziness with a hight potential for something to go wrong.
Needless to say i will be staying away from that even if my success rate will be under the 20% for that wmu for elk.

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305
 

poop show is a understatement, froze my backside off for a hour and a half, just to have someone come by and start shooting at the herd from the road, 10 minutes before legal light.

What’s even funnier the the Canadian Forces sniper division folks are doing field operations in 306 last week and this week......

Ya and there was guys parked at the south side of that range walking in! I call that land owner every time i want to try my luck in there just for that reason. You just never know.

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I was over in Bob Creek for the opener. It was quite cold that morning. The parking lot was full and four outfitters tents set up by the corrals. I only saw hunters at a distance. I didn't see any elk and only heard a few shots fired throughout the whole day.

Got drawn down there many years ago, it sounds like nothing has changed, have never wasted my time putting in there again, no elk is worth that :thinking-006:

302 AS BAD OR WORSE, Unethical hunters charged with multiple violations.

Big time!, when you shoot a bull in the ditch off the hood of your truck while 5 trucks are parked beside you..... some kinda stupid What a waste of a gorgeous bull. Shouldn’t be allowed to hunt for a very long time

I would rather buy meat on sale at Sobey's than be a part of that kind of sht show. Wowzers. This is bizarre behavior.

Is there a link to this elk shooting event?

Welcome to hunting near Calgary most zones within 2 hours are like this. 412 414 402 305 306 304 404(with bows) 308. Once to drive past that 2 hour mark you just start running into the Edmonton red deer Lethbridge sundry rocky mountain house and more calgary hunters. I went out for the bow opener seen elk on day one 5 km from the road. Thought I was being sneeky by burning boot leather like everyone thinks is the magical silver bullet for this problem. By the second day I only seen hunters My record is now calling in 6 different guys in one day. After that I tried another zone it didn’t get better. I’m almost to the point of just giving up on any crow land and paying for outfitters or floatplane hunts and just going every 2 or 3 years. Anything crown even if you think you found that secret little corner that touches the highway for access gets pounded with COVID it’s even worse people are at home watching randy Newburg and meat eater thinking the world is going to end unemployed or working part time trying to hoard free meat.

So true haha. Man its getting tougher and tougher on crown land for sure. Best advice I can give is become friends with a farmer. Need that private land. Even just 1 section. Learn to pattern the animals and you will have success year after year.

Alberta is one of the only jurisdictions with an increasing amount of hunters year after year.

I would bet our game populations and staying about the same, but with the amount of hunters every year going up, everything will be on draw soon and priorities will increase.

I agree with you totally. Because of this type of unethical and crazy hunter mentality and behavior I make a point of not going out opening day anywhere on private land.
Some so called, hunters turn into absolute idiots with no regard or respect for the game they are pursuing, fellow hunters, land owners or the law.
I find it sickening and disgusting. Unfortunately, as was the case in the 302 incident, it verifies and confirms to landowners that by their actions hunters are reckless, disrespectful and even dangerous. As we know, the result often is that all hunters are then viewed in a very negative light.

Due to statistics for hunting licenses sale our amount of hunters decreasing year after year!! I dont think the problem is with the amount of hunters. Our problem is with some type of hunters we have!! Anyways u guys have a safe season out there and good luck for everybody!


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Noticed a herd of about 50-60 elk with a couple of bulls right at the Okotoks exit on Hwy 2 in the last 2 days. No trucks parked on the side roads yet.

Oh the game is out there, they are just becoming nocturnal and quiet for self preservation. We find the tracks but the movement is at night.

I heard they started burrowing under ground too!:bad_boys_20:

I hope the guys shooting from the road were reported/arrested. What imbeciles...

I'm glad I live in the saddle hills and don t have to put up with that kind of crap:thinking-006:

For real though I am glad I gave up trying to do " easy " hunts. In places that are easy to get to. Have to work harder but don't have to deal with idiots often.

That made the local CBC last weekend there was a group of 200~ Must have split off. Guess I can expect lots of pressure this weekend and the land owners will get pounded. they where 2 sections from where I need them to be. One more step one more second one more section Dang bow hunting!

This hunting season is going to be bad. With covid and people not working or nothing to do, everyone is going to be out there. There are going to be a lot of hunters out there who have never hunted, let alone hold a rifle. All you had to do was go to Basspro or Cabelas, people were buying up everything. I think this year I will be wearing orange. Also going to be alot of wounded animals out there. Everyone be safe and keep a eye out for guys breaking the rules.

While it is the same for me, I know a few areas even around here that are not that easy to get to and that I still avoid from the start of the rifle season and all the way through October or so, or whenever the real cold kicks in, whichever comes first, lol. I have never experienced it, but can only imagine the “zoo” around the main cities.

Nowadays, I never see another person and rarely hear gunshots where I go. I guess this is a luxury that comes with where we live, being able to scout year round and get to know the area and its accessibility, etc. If we move somewhere south, this would still be my main hunting ground in all likelihood. I just won’t get to do it as often as I do now.

Good luck to all and stay safe.

The guys in 302 were reported and caught instantly, I just don’t get how nobody has permission in these areas yet 30 trucks are driving around looking all day. What are you going to do when you see them ?

There is a reason years ago looking at how to avoid other hunters became just as important as looking for sign when scouting. Avoiding others is not about burning boot leather but instead it’s a matter of thinking differently. My buddy in Calgary has no issues avoiding others

That said I am noticing an increase in hunters this year already. I am actually going to pull one of my Whitetail set ups because I feel it maybe found this year. It has been a long time since I have had someone find one of my set ups

It’s still possible to get away from other hunters but it is not getting easier

Yea...
 

Ranger I’m assuming you’re referring to that +350 bull that got poached opening day..... dude posted photos online and obviously trespassing.....

These are the current allegations so far anyways.

No, I am referring to the bull that was shot by two hunters from the Kerr road south of Pincher Creek. The two hunters drove around and past several other hunters in vehicles, stopped on the road and shot from their truck. The bull ended up wounded in the ditch. Shots were also fired in the direction of an occupied dwelling. The resident of the dwelling appeared on the scene and reported that another cow elk was also wounded near his dwelling. Fish and Wildlife were called to the scene and charges were issued. **** show for sure!

Happens here every fall, have been watching the poop show since opening morning.

Trucks up and down the road all day long yet no one has asked for permission. Oh, and I always love the “road bow hunters” :rolleye2:

Well, the small herd at the Okotoks exit is still there. Field must still have standing crops since they haven't left yet.

Still a gong show...
until they change the punishment to a fine worth charging, it will never get any better.
as for the guys shooting from the road and from vehicles they will never stop. these guys get caught and charged and it don't matter they will be back next year.