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09-06-2018, 05:55 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: whitecourt
Posts: 1,293
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Quote:
Originally Posted by muirsy
Beauty! Were they bulging much? What was your calling strategy like? Always love hearing the nitty gritty haha.
J
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We never heard one bugle all day. We were calling aggressively and all of the elk were responding by raking the bush on the way in. No calls on their part, but they were all quite interested. Pretty typical for early season elk actuvity though. You cant be in a rush. If they hear you tgey will likely come sooner or later.
Norm
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09-06-2018, 06:00 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: whitecourt
Posts: 1,293
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Quote:
Originally Posted by raw outdoors
The elk gods have provided
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Great job! Thats a cranker! I love the looks of those prairie elk. I wish the o es around here would live long enough to get that kind of size. Beauty!
Norm
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09-07-2018, 07:12 AM
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Join Date: Nov 2015
Posts: 261
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09-07-2018, 07:23 AM
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Okotoks
Posts: 776
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tbrown
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That is so AWESOME. Beautiful first animal. The biggest of congrats.
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09-07-2018, 08:53 AM
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Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Stony Plain, 248
Posts: 441
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Quote:
Originally Posted by CanadianEh
Damn that is a Sweet first take with a bow Elkster! Gotta be a good story with that one?
p.s. Not sure anyone has said it before.. but You look alot like Chris Kyle the american sniper. hah
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My first thought also. Awesome pics and congrats!
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09-07-2018, 10:23 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: calgary
Posts: 696
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[QUOTE=tbrown;3837497]My fiance got her very first big game animal yesterday.
Congrats. That’s a great first muledeer.
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09-07-2018, 04:08 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Gods Country
Posts: 747
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tbrown
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Beautiful mule deer. Congrats!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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09-07-2018, 08:51 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2011
Posts: 99
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Great animals everyone! Keep em coming.
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09-07-2018, 08:53 PM
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Join Date: Apr 2017
Posts: 186
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Congrats to everyone so far!
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09-07-2018, 10:01 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: central Alberta
Posts: 12,630
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Great pics. I am wondering something...sort of odd, but I will ask. I'm wondering if the successful hunters are seeing many ticks on their deer? I ask because a couple of early season deer I have shot in the past were quite infested.
__________________
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This country was started by voyagers whose young lives were swept away by the currents of the rivers for ten cents a day... just for the vanity of the European's beaver hats. ~ Red Bullets
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It is when you walk alone in nature that you discover your strengths and weaknesses. ~ Red Bullets
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09-08-2018, 06:53 AM
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Join Date: Apr 2011
Posts: 305
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Outstanding mule deer! Congrats
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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09-08-2018, 09:11 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Central AB
Posts: 1,714
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Awesome animals congrats everyone so far
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09-08-2018, 01:06 PM
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Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Okotoks
Posts: 776
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bullets
Great pics. I am wondering something...sort of odd, but I will ask. I'm wondering if the successful hunters are seeing many ticks on their deer? I ask because a couple of early season deer I have shot in the past were quite infested.
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Typically we see ticks on the early season animals, there was not a single tick on my mule deer. I was quite surprised.
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09-08-2018, 06:25 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 11,561
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Nice animals fellows, congrats to all of you!
__________________
“One of the sad signs of our times is that we have demonized those who produce, subsidized those who refuse to produce, and canonized those who complain.”
Thomas Sowell
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09-08-2018, 09:41 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 3,550
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Great pics guys....I’m all revved up for bow hunting this year!
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09-09-2018, 04:07 PM
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Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: Brooks
Posts: 271
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Long time coming!!! Finally got an archery elk. Lone bull, spot and stalk. Got reminded pretty quick that they aren’t a deer. Lol. Couple hours later he was in the meat locker.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
__________________
With guns in the hands of the public, there may be tragedies, but without them, there will be genocides
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09-09-2018, 04:10 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Stony plain
Posts: 475
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Great bull ... congrats ..
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09-09-2018, 09:02 PM
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Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 2,989
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Awesome flat land elk. Congrats
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09-09-2018, 10:45 PM
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Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Red Deer Alberta
Posts: 38
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Congrats to all!!! Love seeing the pictures and success stories. Just gets me amped!
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09-10-2018, 10:35 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2012
Posts: 150
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Red Bullets
Great pics. I am wondering something...sort of odd, but I will ask. I'm wondering if the successful hunters are seeing many ticks on their deer? I ask because a couple of early season deer I have shot in the past were quite infested.
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mine had at least 12 ticks between the back legs....
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09-10-2018, 10:40 AM
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Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Calgary
Posts: 633
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Quote:
Originally Posted by normanrd
Great job! Thats a cranker! I love the looks of those prairie elk. I wish the o es around here would live long enough to get that kind of size. Beauty!
Norm
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Congrats on the elk Norm, looks like you will have some good eating this winter.
But I did find this comment a little contradicting in that you wish that the elk around you would LIVE long enough to get bigger but yet you shot a young elk. Nothing wrong with shooting a young elk and its perfectly legal but they will only get bigger and reach their full potential if you let them go, let them grow... I'm sure you realize that, just more of a practice what you preach comment.
At any rate, congrats to all successful hunters this fall and best of luck to everyone else.
Cheers,
SS
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09-10-2018, 07:24 PM
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Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Stony plain
Posts: 475
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Maybe they do live long enough to get to the max potential but you haven’t found them yet
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09-10-2018, 09:56 PM
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Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: By whatcha call it
Posts: 603
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Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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09-10-2018, 10:30 PM
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Join Date: Jan 2011
Posts: 281
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Not even close to the trophies on this thread but I couldn’t be more excited. This buck is my first archery kill and my first velvet buck. I had this buck at 15yards for 10 minutes until he finally presented a shot. My heart was beating so hard I felt it in my throat! Bow hunting is a whole new level of excitement for me. 100% addicted now.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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09-10-2018, 10:34 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 535
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1bowhunter12
Maybe they do live long enough to get to the max potential but you haven’t found them yet
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There’s not as many elk in that area as there used to be due to deforestation of prim areas and lots of pressure. Not very many bulls make it to be 6 pointers any more and are lucky enough to make it to being a 5 now days. Used to see heards of 20-30 elk now it’s 5-10.
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09-10-2018, 10:36 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: whitecourt
Posts: 1,293
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sharpstick
Congrats on the elk Norm, looks like you will have some good eating this winter.
But I did find this comment a little contradicting in that you wish that the elk around you would LIVE long enough to get bigger but yet you shot a young elk. Nothing wrong with shooting a young elk and its perfectly legal but they will only get bigger and reach their full potential if you let them go, let them grow... I'm sure you realize that, just more of a practice what you preach comment.
At any rate, congrats to all successful hunters this fall and best of luck to everyone else.
Cheers,
SS
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Like gmx says, habitat destruction is a primary cause of low elk numbers. We just dont get the numbers that the southern heards have had a chance to get. I have hunted 350 class bulls around here, one was harvested, the other died of old age and i killed a 321" 7x7 a few years back. It is quite likely that there are a few more 300 class bulls locally but they are scarce.
They get hammered hard in the gun season, since we are so close to the city, and once rifle season opens there are guys everywhere, shooting everything that moves. This along with a strong native harvest, the numbers simply just dont seem to grow. Every now and then a big one show up though. Not like the prairie bulls though, or the bulls around the bases.
Recently i have been lucky enough to find, hunt and harvest boone and crockett class bull moose during archery season, so i now treat my elk tag as a freezer tag, and then hunt for a big bull moose. This is why i am willing to kill a raghorn bull or cow elk, just for freezer meat. So, "pracitice what you preach" - i guess its just a concious decision to fill the freezer because i can. The one small bull i kill is just one less that the weekend warriors or the natives will kill. This zone will never have big elk numbers ever again because of habitat loss and other factors. If i happen to find a big bull elk, i may decide to focus on that, but when there are 200 class bull moose to kill its hard to not go after them.
Norm
Last edited by normanrd; 09-10-2018 at 11:00 PM.
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09-10-2018, 10:37 PM
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Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 535
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Those last few bulls posted are damn fine specimens!!! Well done guys
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09-10-2018, 10:48 PM
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Join Date: May 2011
Location: whitecourt
Posts: 1,293
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1bowhunter12
Maybe they do live long enough to get to the max potential but you haven’t found them yet
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Quite likely there are, but i cant look everywhere. But i have hunted here for over 35 years, so i do know a few good places to look, and run close to 20 trail cameras year round. I also scout on foot for around 20 days a year, and hunt for 30 to 35 days a season, so its not like im not looking or am talking off the cuff about something i dont have any time or energy invested in. I also have a few close friends that i compare notes with, so between us we cover a fairly large area, and have a good idea of the quality of animals in the area. Just sayin, not like we arent looking, lol
I have had the opportunity to hunt some great animals around here over the years, and i am thankful for that.
Norm
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09-11-2018, 12:12 AM
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Stony Plain
Posts: 833
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sharpstick
Congrats on the elk Norm, looks like you will have some good eating this winter.
But I did find this comment a little contradicting in that you wish that the elk around you would LIVE long enough to get bigger but yet you shot a young elk. Nothing wrong with shooting a young elk and its perfectly legal but they will only get bigger and reach their full potential if you let them go, let them grow... I'm sure you realize that, just more of a practice what you preach comment.
At any rate, congrats to all successful hunters this fall and best of luck to everyone else.
Cheers,
SS
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Can’t always tie them to your favourite spot. Congrats to all bowhunters. Any legal doe, buck, calf, bull, and predator harvest! All beauties and well deserved!
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09-11-2018, 09:46 AM
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Edmonton Ab
Posts: 384
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Quote:
Originally Posted by capper
Not even close to the trophies on this thread but I couldn’t be more excited. This buck is my first archery kill and my first velvet buck. I had this buck at 15yards for 10 minutes until he finally presented a shot. My heart was beating so hard I felt it in my throat! Bow hunting is a whole new level of excitement for me. 100% addicted now.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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A trophy is a trophy, and this is a beautiful velvet buck. Shooting a big game animal should always be considered a trophy, even a doe - why not? It’s a measure of accomplishment, and they should all be held with pride.
Well done!
BG
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