Strathcona opener on a Saturday!

[MooseRiverTrapper]

Who's ready to go fill their doe tags next Saturday? She's going to get noisy out there. Deer herds are a far cry from healthy. Let the antlerless deer live.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Boat loads of does in my area. Also quite a few mulie does

[MooseRiverTrapper]

Originally Posted by Alberta Bigbore

Boat loads of does in my area. Also quite a few mulie does

Boat loads! Better thin them out.

[Rigby]

Originally Posted by Alberta Bigbore

Boat loads of does in my area. Also quite a few mulie does

Give your head a shake man! You might have lots of deer on the land you hunt but that's cause they are probably coming from all over to eat. Anyone who thinks there are alot of deer left in strathcona must not have seen what hunting was back 10 years ago. Not trying to be rude ABB but the deer numbers are way down. Let's just be honest. When one person can legally harvest 6 whitetails in one WMU in times like these, it just isn't correct. Shoot a doe if you must but think of it as killing three deer that could have been there next year. I see nothing wrong with harvesting deer when numbers are high but not in times like these.

[Alberta Bigbore]

Three out of all the properties i have permission on, the landowners are having huge issues with deer they are all over like flies on poop. My trail cams are snagging many different does as single.... with twins... with triplets. I know the supplemental tags and shioting does is a huge issue for many on the forum.

I only made a comment on my obvservations. Also finding certain bucks and does tend tonstay to certain places in the properties. Didnt think whitetails were too territorial. And another thing.. i dont really have much intentions for harvesting the deer that supply the bucks to the area lol. But if it becomes a gong show like in one property lastvyear. Who knows. And no... didnt see populations in strathcona until about 7 years ago. And before that in travels from fort sask to ardrosson to a friends place.

[buckbrushoutdoors]

I've seen 6 does in the county, would any want gps coordinates so you go and take them out?

[sns2]

Originally Posted by Rigby

Give your head a shake man! You might have lots of deer on the land you hunt but that's cause they are probably coming from all over to eat. Anyone who thinks there are alot of deer left in strathcona must not have seen what hunting was back 10 years ago. Not trying to be rude ABB but the deer numbers are way down. Let's just be honest. When one person can legally harvest 6 whitetails in one WMU in times like these, it just isn't correct. Shoot a doe if you must but think of it as killing three deer that could have been there next year. I see nothing wrong with harvesting deer when numbers are high but not in times like these.

IMO, these are words to hunt by for the foreseeable future. They really are.

I had a fish cop tell me last year that increased hunting pressure and supplemental tags have had no effect on deer numbers.

Sure they haven't.

[diamond k]

Originally Posted by Rigby

Give your head a shake man! You might have lots of deer on the land you hunt but that's cause they are probably coming from all over to eat. Anyone who thinks there are alot of deer left in strathcona must not have seen what hunting was back 10 years ago. Not trying to be rude ABB but the deer numbers are way down. Let's just be honest. When one person can legally harvest 6 whitetails in one WMU in times like these, it just isn't correct. Shoot a doe if you must but think of it as killing three deer that could have been there next year. I see nothing wrong with harvesting deer when numbers are high but not in times like these.

Agree 100%. I live in the county and drive it every day. Deer numbers are dismal especially in the area east of Fort Sask. Poaching is also a huge problem now at least in my area. Confirmed by the F&W officer that stopped me on the road doing routine checks. At least they are paying some attention to this area now. 3 county tags is a joke but they will decimate the numbers to keep all the rich BMW drivers from hitting them and then they will put them on draw when they realize there are none left.

[waterninja]

Ive seen quite a lot of bucks and does in the areas that i hunt in 248. Rigby and Diamond k make some good points but you have to keep in mind that IMHO it seems the authorities are more concerned with people hitting big game animals and want to drastically reduce the # of deer and moose in 248. More and more people are commuting from strathcona every year.

[Rigby]

We will never see the good numbers of deer like there use to be unless tag numbers are reduced. Is there a time for harvesting doe's.... You bet there is just not in times of low numbers when it's hard to go scouting and even spot a single deer. Strathcona county use to be a amazing place to hunt. I harvested does when populations were good but I don't remember the last doe I harvested nor will I till the number come back substantially. The average age of our deer heard has also dropped. Now seeing more than a hand full of bucks over the age of three in a entire season even with the use of trail cameras is a stretch. There is still some giant whitetails in the county but not nearly as many as what was once one of the best places to hunt in Alberta. Some say " But vehicle casualties".... Well come on your in the country.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by MooseRiverTrapper

Who's ready to go fill their doe tags next Saturday? She's going to get noisy out there. Deer herds are a far cry from healthy. Let the antlerless deer live.

What was the point of starting this thread? "Who's ready to fill their doe tags?" "Let the Antlerless deer live"
Are you just trying to start a thread that will "stir the pot" and be nothing but bickering and BS?

[waterninja]

On a side note..... Coyotes numbers appear to be way up from last year.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by Rigby

We will never see the good numbers of deer like there use to be unless tag numbers are reduced. Is there a time for harvesting doe's.... You bet there is just not in times of low numbers when it's hard to go scouting and even spot a single deer. Strathcona county use to be a amazing place to hunt. I harvested does when populations were good but I don't remember the last doe I harvested nor will I till the number come back substantially. The average age of our deer heard has also dropped. Now seeing more than a hand full of bucks over the age of three in a entire season even with the use of trail cameras is a stretch. There is still some giant whitetails in the county but not nearly as many as what was once one of the best places to hunt in Alberta. Some say " But vehicle casualties".... Well come on your in the country.

I agree that I don't see the need to have so many antlerless tags given out and really don't see the need for a primitive season.
This isn't a Strathcona problem only as deer numbers are still recovering from ample antlerless tags and harsh winter and excess coyotes province wide. After a few years of questionable supplemental antlerless tags given out it seems like SRD has smartened up and cut tags unfortunately several years after it should have been.

Do you believe it is the tags given out or the legal use of firearms that has caused the problem in Strathcona?

[Rigby]

Originally Posted by Alberta Bigbore

Three out of all the properties i have permission on, the landowners are having huge issues with deer they are all over like flies on poop. My trail cams are snagging many different does as single.... with twins... with triplets. I know the supplemental tags and shioting does is a huge issue for many on the forum.

I only made a comment on my obvservations. Also finding certain bucks and does tend tonstay to certain places in the properties. Didnt think whitetails were too territorial. And another thing.. i dont really have much intentions for harvesting the deer that supply the bucks to the area lol. But if it becomes a gong show like in one property lastvyear. Who knows. And no... didnt see populations in strathcona until about 7 years ago. And before that in travels from fort sask to ardrosson to a friends place.

What kind of problems are they having and what time of year? I'm gonna guess in the dead of winter. It's the exact same thing where I hunt. The farmer has silage which the deer travel from all over to eat because they can't find food elsewhere. Deep snow, Ice blankets making it impossible for them to dig. Do you blame them for walking into a farmers yard to eat the giant mound of hay? I mean if you were starving would you just lay down and die or would you do whatever it takes to strive to live. With that being said if it is a bale stack silage bag issue there are ways to alievate the problem without killing them all. Much of souther Alberta has farmers placing fences around there livestock feed. If it's not one of these I would like to see what these so called problems your farmers are having.

[The Anvil]

Been living in the County Southeast of Edmonton, south of Sherwood Park for over a decade. Close to Hiway 21 Esso.

For the past 8 years, I have been observing the deer population in my area.
I am not sure wether I can say the population is healthy or not, but I have a feeling that because I live in a subdivision, that is why I have seen the numbers.


I do a lot of work for the neighbours, and last winter I was plowing snow for one neighbour and I noticed there were 15 deer, all eating her horse's hay. The tarp covering the bales had blown halfway off, and there in their glory was a herd of white tails. Split ear, which I will explain more was there as well.

I was on my tractor, and the could care less, they were too busy munching away, mind you when I got close they were startled, but they didn't run.

Every fall, since 2006, there has been a group of White tails that has been increasing in numbers, that frequents my subdivison. In 2006 there was a group of 4, we saw them each day for a few weeks, Original group I first noticed was Two Does, and two yearlings. The one Doe of the original two has a split left ear, not sure how it split, but its noticeable.

In Fall 2007, the group was back, and now had a total of 6. The original Split ear, a doe the same size, which I assume was the same doe in 2006, then there was the two no longer yearlings, and two more yearlings.

2008, we saw the same group of 6, one of the yearlings was a young buck, I noticed during the year they would show up and bed down on a secluded part of our property.

2009 the numbers shot up again, Old split ear was still there, there is a series of trails in our area that the deer frequently use. I was shocked when I looked out the window one day and counted 8 deer. All looked to be females, they were bedded down among my apple trees. It looked like there was now 6 adults and two yearlings.

2010, the population exploded again. Split ear showed up a month early and had two youngsters with her. By Early october, there was a small group and I counted 11 in total.

2011, The number grew again to 12

2012, 12 Deer again showed up and did a number on our apple trees.

2013, the numbers were inconsistent, I only counted about 9 that season that I saw all together on the property at once. But at my neighbours hay pile, there was a party going on.

On my own land, while having a coffee and watching from inside the house I was amazed when I was witness to a gorgeous 5x5 WT buck come crashing out of the bush, chasing after the does.
First time I had ever seen a buck on the property, I mean I have seen many bucks around the area, but never in my back yard, just mainly the does.

This year... I am a little concerned...

I have only seen three deer this season at once on the property, they were bedded down in their normal area. One thing I have noticed is that the deer in my area are almost on a schedule.

Dad and myself could sit on our front step, and almost like clockwork for the past few years now, the deer show up around the same time.
Usually around 4pm-5pm. They will run down the street and head to my one neighbours land, a few hours later, they come around the back part onto our property, and we usually see them munching away and following their path, usually a few hours after they have run by.

Last night the Trio, was in the garden around 8pm.
At 10am today I saw the trio bedded down, well two of them were the third was picking at the apples on the ground.

This is the first fall I have not seen split ear, but I am almost positive that the deer that are here are part of this group I have witnessed growing up.

Normally we also get a family of Moose that come around, usually first weeks of Oct is when we start to see them, but I have yet to see any moose on my property this season.

Have only ever seen one Mule doe and that was in 2009, Saw her in a field about 30 yards off the road on my way to the Esso.

[Kurt505]

Strathcona county is not worried about herd conditions, they are only worried about deer stuck in grills or eating fruit trees. The less deer the better as far as county officials are concerned, I highly doubt we will ever see actual wildlife management in this area. Ever.

[Rigby]

Originally Posted by Mike_W

I agree that I don't see the need to have so many antlerless tags given out and really don't see the need for a primitive season.
This isn't a Strathcona problem only as deer numbers are still recovering from ample antlerless tags and harsh winter and excess coyotes province wide. After a few years of questionable supplemental antlerless tags given out it seems like SRD has smartened up and cut tags unfortunately several years after it should have been.

Do you believe it is the tags given out or the legal use of firearms that has caused the problem in Strathcona?

like I said a person can legally harvest 6 whitetails in strathcona.A huge portion of it is a tag issue. If they made it so only one tag was available for the primitive season we would see a substantial growth in the deer population. The winters and predation are also a issue but in my mind the amout of tags is a bigger issue. Again there is a time for a surplus in doe tags but the last 4 years have not been them.

[Mike_W]

Originally Posted by Rigby

like I said a person can legally harvest 6 whitetails in strathcona.A huge portion of it is a tag issue. If they made it so only one tag was available for the primitive season we would see a substantial growth in the deer population. The winters and predation are also a issue but in my mind the amout of tags is a bigger issue. Again there is a time for a surplus in doe tags but the last 4 years have not been them.

I agree

[Altaboy]

I wouldn't worry to much about the deer population in 248. There is so much land that is inaccessible and a lot deer get fed through out the winter by acerage owners. One place that I know of personally feed up to 30 deer daily during the winter

[1ceman]

Perfect I only need 5 does

[Scouter]

Tons of deer in the County! I drive all over the county. See them all the time. Probably one of the best years for deer in the County. I have hit 2 with my truck. Fill your tags. Please!

[Mr Hawken]

I guess I look at it this way. At the end of the day it's not fish and wildlife managing our hunting it's us as hunters. Just because there's 5 whitetail tags doesn't mean we have to fill all 5. I myself look at eat what you shoot and if you don't want to eat it or can't eat it all. Leave it be. What gets me is hunters who shoot animals that have no intention in eating what they shoot but giving it away. We can all do our part in managing our wildlife or one day we won't have it

[drake]

Originally Posted by Mr Hawken

I guess I look at it this way. At the end of the day it's not fish and wildlife managing our hunting it's us as hunters. Just because there's 5 whitetail tags doesn't mean we have to fill all 5. I myself look at eat what you shoot and if you don't want to eat it or can't eat it all. Leave it be. What gets me is hunters who shoot animals that have no intention in eating what they shoot but giving it away. We can all do our part in managing our wildlife or one day we won't have it

How do you expect me and my uncles to feed our extended Ukrainian family without killing 6 strathcona deer, 1 elk, and a moose a year. The sausage casing isn't going to fill itself. Hopefully we get our Mulie doe draws filled (2 each) and our wainwright deer (3 each). It's hard for a guy to fill the freezer when he can only kill 11 deer, an elk and a moose each year. Alberta hunters can't afford to forfeit any opportunity.

[89 Chevy shorty]

I too live in the south east and I personally feed 4-5 deer each winter. In my friends place each winter the deer camp out in his hay shed, 10-15 everyday. We have 3 trail cams set up on the land we hunt with shotguns and in 6 days we has over 200 pics, mostly does, whites and mules and around 7-8 moose pics. no Mature bucks, lots of little guys and 1-2 decent 5pointers with no mass. We will hunt it hard in the rut due to the shear numbers of does in the area and hopefully will draw in some of the bigger bucks from surrounding areas. No does will be shot as they are the future for this specific area. Also, no bucks under 150 class are shot either, let them grow!!!

[Dan4570]

I would speak of a wmu that has the most deer ive ever seen. But i wont mention that on this forum,it might get hunted out fast. Most people wouldnt want to drive that far north anyways.

I will say where i usually hunt east,i counted 16 coyotes in 2 days while hunting this week.
Will definatly be doing some coyote hunting this year.