Anyone hunt ya ha tinda?
 

I know hunting is allowed as long as you are 500 meters from the buildings. Ive had multiple people tell me that there is very few deer out there. I am not familiar with this area yet ive only viewed it from the road and the elk herds near the campground. So i decided to get back off the trails abit do some exploring of the area. Followed some well used horse trails, and there seems to be deer sign, and droppings all over the place back there. Seen quite a few white tails. gps says we put on 11 kms one way. so i actually think we were north of the ya ha boundary? The fields as well closer to the bighorn falls, and bit farther north had deer droppings all over the place. Is it ok to sit at the edge of these fields in the mornings, as long the horse trails are not in the backdrop? My short chubby legs get me where i need to go but takes a bit of time :) id love to own a horse.

Deer and elk usually feed at dawn and dusk, and relax in the middle of the day. They usually feed toward water on a well defined trail twice a day. Never shoot at any anything without knowing the backdrop or background. Hunt accordingly. Rut = different rules.

I spent a few days in there when I lived in Rocky lots of deer and elk long wait though for the elk draw

Ya Ha is pretty tolerant, Just don't forget the 400 meter road sanctuary that extends from the forestry road to the ranch buildings. Firearms have to be cased or taken down. Actually a fair number of Whitetails there.

Grizz

whitetails
 

yeah i will be chasing whitetails. Im only a priority 5 on elk so ill be waiting awhile for tag. Ill do some more exploring back there over the summer, looks promising if nothing else gets me outdoors

Good hunting in there. I've hunted it lots in the back. Lots of other hunters tho.

I have hunted the ya ha tinda as well on horse back, a friend of mine has taken some really big bulls out of there. Lots of wild horses there too which are fun to see. Not many places where you can see wild horses In Canada.

No feral horses on the Ya Ha. :lol: Used to raise them for the Parks, now just winter them there. They belong to Parks Canada, who owns the ranch.

Grizz

Well they sure look wild to me, lots of horse traps there too, the ones I saw were pretty old though.

I had a black stallion with a pinto mare and a colt walk right pass me while I was hunting there and have seen as many as 9 of them together in a herd as well.

Couldn't have been on the ranch then. fenced on the east side, I've never seen any past the Wild Horse flats. Only trap on the ranch is meant for elk studies.

Grizz

I am thinking you are right!

The horses are Parks Canada right by the ranch. Spent some time with Rick last summer showing us the herd and how they were familiarizing the horses with buffalo. There are feral horses in that area, but way down the road before you reach the ranch boundary.

Great hunting in that area, but lots of hunters. Have seen wolf, grizzly, whitetail, elk and sheep all in the same day.

A few years back normal elk population was around 2000. Now I believe number is around 200, lots of wolves, bear and cougar.

plenty of nocturnal deer @ and around the Ya Ha, elk-sheep and wildies east of there.

grizz too.

Yep. He is right .:)

Your correct, the area is full of ferrel horses, has been for years

I know, just didn't want to argue about it.

I have seen more stallion poop stacks there then I ever saw elk droppings and I have also seen more wild horses in the area then I ever saw elk. But hey what do I know?

I guess I will just believe my own eyes.

Not on the Ranch you didn't.

No, right near it and in the same general area.

Was out there for a drive on sunday,haven't bin there for quite a few years and my daughter has never bin there so we went for a tour,hiked up to the falls.
There was a herd of elk(20 or so) just east of the ranch buildings
Drove up trunk road and came back by Bearberry.Seen to moose and about 10 whitetail and 5 mulelies.
It was a nice drive.

Son and girl friend were out there riding on the weekend. Apparently a Grizzly has shown up in the camp ground a couple of times.

Grizz

The elk used to be incredible back there, they really got pounded around 15 years ago by wolves and I think ticks also contributed. I think the number of wolves has gone down so there may be a comeback at some point in the future but we shall see. The whitetail are around in decent numbers, never seen any big ones back there, probably because of all the pressure but you never know, saw a piebald buck out there like 15 years ago which was neat.

Maybe if the number of bears decreases substantially

No chancy, unless you eliminate the two legged four season hunters .

Grizz

Here's another question: how is the big horn sheep population doing? has it been affected like the elk? I went out 3 times last summer, got off the trails into high country but didn't see any sheeps. saw some does each time and the resident elk herd which was nice to see.

Lots of sheep to be seen. A few grizz too. Spent a lot of time out there last season and was surprised to see as many grizzlies as i did.

Maybe the elk disappeared because "liberals" love "predators" ? Both the 4 legged ones and sanctioned 2 legged ones ? :scared0018:

That place 20 years ago was heaven on earth. Sad to see the state of big game there now

I hunted the area in the late 80's early 90's. It wasn't that great, the fellows that introduced me to the area said it was better in the 60's and 70's.

BW

It was much better.:)