Hunting mulies from the river.
 

I drew a high priority mule deer tag this year, and plan on doing a canoe hunt in late October. While I have done plenty of river hunts I have never hunted mulies from the river and never done a river hunt so late in the season, so I'm not sure what to expect in the way of behavior.

I know how to hunt the habitat and topography around the rivers, but beyond that I'm thinking by that areas where agricultural fields butt up against the river valley would be my best bet by late October. My strategy will to be get up on the side of the river valley and glass, hoping I will have some snow on the ground to help with glassing as well as give me some tracks to work with.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

You asking for permission all the way down the river?

This would be the hard part I would think if you see them up on the flats and not right on the river bank which is public.

We are talking about a fairly expansive valley of crown land here, by butting up against I'm talking about a kilometer or so as the crow flies, a fair bit more when factoring in vertical.

I have no intentions of hunting in the immediate vicinity of any private land, and no intentions at all of asking for permission... I don't hunt rivers that necessitate the latter.

Now... any real advice would be welcome.

I find many times I get more of a view from across the river, where I hunt mule deer there are very high banks with lots of plateaus on the way up.
if you are on the same side you are hunting, you often do not see the animals until you move to the other side of the river!
My strategy here is to glass from the far side and move over and then hunt the animal from several hundred yards parallel to it.
Going straight up towards the critter rarely works in my experience.:)
Cat

Thanks Cat, very useful tips.

The best place to find them in October will be right in the breaks along the river. ..especially when pressured.
It's super tough going in many places and recovery will likely be a chore. As Cat suggested, approaching from above or below is not a good bet and hunting parallel can be an endurance test. That's why they are there.
Lots of Big Guys around if you can put it all together. Good Luck !

Air currents in river valleys are something to consider. In the mornings as the air warms it rises up the valley slopes and in the afternoon the air cools and drops down into the valleys. Mulies will move up the slopes in the morning to keep the air currents on their backtrack so they can smell anything following them. The mulies will come down the slopes in the afternoons. South facing slopes will have more beds.

# 1 get the Ihunter app so you know where and who owns the country on the river bank, so if you see something you can ask if you can proceed, and where you can camp, and make sure your canoe can handle the extra weight of an animal in it, plus you and your gear

I'm not trying to be a jerk, but I get annoyed when people figure I'm doing something stupid or illegal. This isn't my first rodeo... and I never take a cell phone hunting, or anywhere else for that matter unless I am payed to do so. Just looking to fine tune my approach to a new species.

Late October ....could be deathly cold on the water and a mishap could mean death fast. I own it isn't your first rodeo but have you done this in October before?

This is later in October than Ive done a river hunt, and I am fully aware that there is less room for error on this trip than some of the other trips I have done. This trip for sure is going to push my comfort zone a little bit. I will be well prepared and very, very careful. To do otherwise on any trip of this sort is sheer stupidity, regardless of the specifics.

That said I've had gross, wet, snow show up on a few canoe hunts in the past, including one flat out blizzard that lasted 4 days.

If it were me I would toss the canoe and go with a flat bottom jon boat. Lightweight and can carry a lot of stuff and you could zoom around with a little 2 horse motor if you had too. Guess it depends on how long you plan to go and what river but that is what I would do if it were me.

I guess the idea of fighting with an outboard in cold tempatures, or having to row a tinner back to civilization, worries me more than any of the canoe's shortcomings. I have other boats I could use, but I have more confidence in the canoe to get me through any jam. We've probably traveled several thousand kilometers of river at this point, without one single hitch ever. I don't have another means of transportation I trust quite so much.

The zone my wife drew has had me thinking about bringing a little 10ft boat with a 2-4hp motor to get into some of the country that I have access to vs hunting it from the tops. A pretty cool adventure for sure. The idea of canoeing in late Oct would be pretty cool as well.

We floated the Bow once for birds/bucks when we had a draw in 132 years ago. It was -33 and we shot our limits of greenheads and geese in about 30 minutes. Spent 8 hours on the river and saw a couple bucks but nothing we were after. On the drive home (about 25 minutes after legal light) we saw a 200-220" buck right off the road. Irony....lol

I can't offer any tips as all my muley hunting was sneaking in from above along river breaks and coulees.

However, if I had to contribute one it would be take a camera because I can't wait to see your post later this fall. Good luck, sounds awesome!

My only advice would be to take some sort of communication like a "spot" in case of an emergency. The great thing about a river as opposed to the bush is that you will be easy to located if you need help, only problem is that you need to be able to call for that help if needed.

I don't look at taking the "spot" as being a newbie or wimp, I look at it as I owe it to my wife, kids, parents and anyone else that might give a damn about me.

Also, put your survival kit (you know the items plus the "spot") in a water proof bag and tether it your ankle while canoeing with a simple velcro strap. While on a solo canoe trip in the bush it is more important that putting your life jacket on.

Sit, glass, spot and stock from side, wind in face, sit and ambush first and last light in areas often travelled.....
Remember that will attempt to bed with wind over thier back and looking down into a draw....for the most part...good luck.

Been there ,done that, pending which river, late fall river depths vary from 8ft to 2" making it challenging to say the least for anything other than a jet boat.
Its a tough hunt, best be in good physical condition as what looks easy from afar is much more challenging once there.
Running a shallow river in darkness is not a good idea so plan to spend the night in key locations for the next morning as you want to be on top when the sun rises.
See you on the water!

River muleys
 

I have done a number of these trips and you need to keep in mind the weather... if its a warm fall no issues at least for the 1st week however if its cold the prairie rivers freeze up a lot earlier because of the lack of current and the substrate(sediment) in them which helps with the freeze-up. This also makes a jet boat useless as soon as there is slush in the river as they will over-heat quickly.... a go-devil will work better.... have fun and good-luck ... no luck on the draws myself so it will be early season with a stick & string

My biggest concern late October would be ice putting the kibash on your entire hunt plan?
I've often dreamt of doing a similar style hunt,and had tentative plans to do just that last year,but by Nov.1 lat year which is the deer/elk firearms opener in the section of Athabasca I was planning,the river was frozen solid.
Just guessing that you are likely talking about doing this hunt on the Peace?im guessing it could be hit or miss by late October wether or not its navigable via canoe then?

Just for the record, I don't leave the cell phone behind out of some misguided macho thing. Its just that the experience that I'm after involves there not being a cell phone, a person canoes a river in late October because they want some isolation from the rest of the world for awhile and to me the cell phone spoils that. I've thought about Spot before, but it wasn't considered irresponsible to go deep into the bush without any connection even as little as 10 years ago, we did just fine back then and I'll do just fine now.

I keep all the vital survival items on my belt or in my pockets, if I am dressed my survival kit is on my person. Believe me, after 12 years or so of doing canoe hunts, I don't take these ventures lightly. Making it back home to my family is the main goal, having some meat to show for the whole venture is secondary.

From a completely logical point of view, although one can feel very vulnerable alone in the bush without the technology security blanket around, I honestly think a canoe hunt is actually far more safe than many of the more common types of hunts that people do. Break downs and getting stuck are a non issue, speed beyond the pace of an elderly snail is rarely achieved, the presence of the river makes it practically impossible to get lost, there is no tree climbing involved, there's no booze, few other hunters, no ATV's to roll... compared to the average day hunt that many of you fellows somehow manage to survive a canoe trip is really quite tame.

If you're more interested in the hunt and making memories it sounds like a heckuva good time. If you're more interested in in downing a animal I'd use the height of the river banks to your advantage and do a spot and stalk type of a hunt. Sounds like a good time either way.

Why do you want to go at that time, I would think they have an easier pattern in the early season, they may travel down to the river more often also for water then? I have seen bucks bed right on the lower banks in the heat also. Later they may be up in the crop land more often taking advantage of second cut alfalfa and second growth coming in on the stubble fields. Early season the bucks are fat and lazy also. The rut is not on in late oct really but there is some interest and checking going on. If you go earlier you will have no worries of ice, maybe just the odd jet boat. Just some thoughts. Sounds like a fun time either way.

This is refreshing to read. There are those of us that understand the zen & serenity of hunting unimpeded. The less 'gadgets' one has on a hunt allows for much more enrichment by teaching self reliance.

I don't have or want a cell phone. And it's not a macho thing...it's just a cell phone is not a necessary thing.

X2.

Being that close to Peace River, which has to be close to the Jet boat capital of Alberta, I want to stay far away from the elk and moose rut. I feel that having some snow on the ground will give me a better edge than anything else, plus I just really like looking at tracks. Call the late date an experiment, if it works out good I might try even later next year. Done lots of elk and moose trips earlier in the season and I often find myself wishing I had snow. Hopefully I don't spend this trip wishing I didn't have snow LOL.

To me, one of the neatest feelings I get from hunting comes when I'm a few day's travel into the bush, by myself or in proper company, watching the mist rise off the river... I consider myself a very practical man but it becomes quite easy to understand how the Cree believed these forests to be inhabited by all kinds of ghosts and spirits. Something about that big, lonely boreal can just strip the "modern man" baggage right off of me once I've properly immersed myself.

Could be 25C+ at the end of October too.

Sometimes the boreal forest is so quiet it is deafening too. I don't like that.

Last year, The Big Smokey was not navigable the 3rd week in October due to ice conditions .

I believe most of those jet boats are just a dog and pony show..... come late leave early..... make some noise for the first 5-10 miles from the boat lauch. Have a fire, smoke a big fatty, have a few beer, hit the elk bugle and goes ohm.
Lol
The serious guys are up the side waterways in real skinny boats camping and hikung into the hiddy holes. Most will be looking for elk some moose. Bet you will be the only one hunting mulies there.
Anyways I hear you on the tracks, the best way to hunt in my experience, make things happen. Good luck, time well spent.