Is there any Whitetails left around Wainwright???

[Vingiu]

Originally Posted by hal53

I want to know because your post was obviously directed my way, man enough to back it up???

Not sure how you would construe that, I can honestly say that it was not directed towards you… Don't make yourself look like a fool man. If I wanted to call you out I would have done so directly.

[cannin31]

Hows the hunting out inn the WMU 504 this season. Thinking about heading out there in there moring for closing day.??

[cannin31]

hows the deer season been out in WMU 504 out by smokey lake this thinking about going out for closing day?

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by bignixs

Hopefully predictions are wrong for this winter because most guys are predicting a nasty one.

I sure hope so too. I forgot to mention the coyote population. I hunt them hard all winter, and have taken over 200 in the last 3 winters. You'd never know it though. Last winter, if you saw a group of deer anywhere around here, there would always be 3 or 4 yotes just sitting there watching them. I found a lot of winter killed deer this past spring. The pasture poodles had a field day.

[hal53]

Originally Posted by AppleJax

How many have you shot Hal? I don't recall EVER seeing you post any pictures of your success's on here.... Likely you spend too much time on this forum spreading your negative take on everything than time in the field.

I haven't taken one in 9 years AJ, and I just apologized to Vingiu, because my computer is slow, didn't get his second paragraph right away, FYI, I am on my computer all day, everyday, and I am out in 232,234, 200 and 202 probably 275 days a year, I see where the herd was, and I see where it is now. It is my personal choice not to shoot a buck smaller than my best, but every year I buy the tag and go looking....I did however like his comment that we better start policing ourselves, because the Gov't. has no interest in it, and the new hunters think if they can buy 3 tags there is lots of deer left.....not true.........

[Vingiu]

Originally Posted by hal53

I haven't taken one in 9 years AJ, and I just apologized to Vingiu, because my computer is slow, didn't get his second paragraph right away, FYI, I am on my computer all day, everyday, and I am out in 232,234, 200 and 202 probably 275 days a year, I see where the herd was, and I see where it is now. It is my personal choice not to shoot a buck smaller than my best, but every year I buy the tag and go looking....I did however like his comment that we better start policing ourselves, because the Gov't. has no interest in it, and the new hunters think if they can buy 3 tags there is lots of deer left.....not true.........

Ah just saw the edit now. Cheers

[trigger7mm]

I'm with you Hal53!

[AppleJax]

[QUOTE=hal53;2216534]I haven't taken one in 9 years AJ, FYI, I am on my computer all day,I did however like his comment that we better start policing ourselves
Ok, just wanted to be sure.

[hal53]

Originally Posted by Vingiu

Ah just saw the edit now. Cheers

sorry Sir,

[Lefty-Canuck]

In the past 14 years I have had my antlered mule draw 4 times, I have shot exactly 2 bucks in the time frame....one year I shot a buck another hunter had wounded, the other one I shot was yesterday....it was an older large mature deer who would never score well.

I could have easily filled my draw those other years but made the personal choice not to, after seeing the decline in the area it's very disheartening.

But I love hunting that country and spending time walking all over the area, made many friends in the landowners whose places I hunt.

In short....we can all make our own decisions but with those decisions we make our own beds too....be prepared to sleep in the bed you make!

LC

[gman1978]

Originally Posted by hal53

I haven't taken one in 9 years AJ, and I just apologized to Vingiu, because my computer is slow, didn't get his second paragraph right away, FYI, I am on my computer all day, everyday, and I am out in 232,234, 200 and 202 probably 275 days a year, I see where the herd was, and I see where it is now. It is my personal choice not to shoot a buck smaller than my best, but every year I buy the tag and go looking....I did however like his comment that we better start policing ourselves, because the Gov't. has no interest in it, and the new hunters think if they can buy 3 tags there is lots of deer left.....not true.........

Hal, I totally agree on the policing ourselves thing. If you saw what went on in 232 during that December season that ran for a few years you would cry. It was a joke. People traveling from all over the province looking to fill supplemental tags just because they could. If you think that what the hunters killed didn't hurt the population there think again, followed by two bad winters that really smoked the deer numbers even worse. What really surprises me is that some people think the population is fine, maybe that let's them sleep better when they fill each and every tag they can buy. It's sad because I know there are good genetics that are totally wiped out.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by gman1978

Hal, I totally agree on the policing ourselves thing. If you saw what went on in 232 during that December season that ran for a few years you would cry. It was a joke. People traveling from all over the province looking to fill supplemental tags just because they could. If you think that what the hunters killed didn't hurt the population there think again, followed by two bad winters that really smoked the deer numbers even worse. What really surprises me is that some people think the population is fine, maybe that let's them sleep better when they fill each and every tag they can buy. It's sad because I know there are good genetics that are totally wiped out.

I agree....I wish I had video from that area at the time when we would cover a 5 mile square area and literally see 100 deer comprised of both WT and mule.

If I see 20 all day now I am doing good and 99% or those are mule deer....I saw literally 2 white tail bucks there this year and had only 1 on my camera since July....

LC

[AppleJax]

Originally Posted by gman1978

Hal, I totally agree on the policing ourselves thing. If you saw what went on in 232 during that December season that ran for a few years you would cry. It was a joke. People traveling from all over the province looking to fill supplemental tags just because they could. If you think that what the hunters killed didn't hurt the population there think again, followed by two bad winters that really smoked the deer numbers even worse. What really surprises me is that some people think the population is fine, maybe that let's them sleep better when they fill each and every tag they can buy. It's sad because I know there are good genetics that are totally wiped out.

I had my mule doe draw in 236 this year and decided to hang it up. In laws have 5000+ acres there and my nephew has reported low numbers. Filled all my tags in the 300's.

[Springer]

I had a photo of over a 200" Whitey forwarded to me just NE of Wainwright..sure hope he's an AO guy and posts for all to see, made a believer of me again that Whiteys are doing well in some spots in 234 and 236.

In my opinion if guys get out and pound the trails and not just driving you will see more Deer. They do educated to the road hunters for sure and become nocturnal..

[hal53]

Originally Posted by Springer

I had a photo of over a 200" Whitey forwarded to me just NE of Wainwright..sure hope he's an AO guy and posts for all to see, made a believer of me again that Whiteys are doing well in some spots in 234 and 236.

In my opinion if guys get out and pound the trails and not just driving you will see more Deer. They do educated to the road hunters for sure and become nocturnal..

..and therein lies the problem, you get a photo e-mailed to you of one Deer, that "may" have been taken someplace NE of wainwright, and that tells you the population is doing okay????

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by hal53

..and therein lies the problem, you get a photo e-mailed to you of one Deer, that "may" have been taken someplace NE of wainwright, and that tells you the population is doing okay????

Yup even the most cagey white tail makes a mistake, but one mature white tail doesn't give an indication of a population.

LC

[pikeslayer22]

Seen that one to springer...awesome deer!!!

[remmy300]

Keep shooting the does..it does wonders for the population. It's not just wainwright. . It's a large portion of the province that has low deer numbers. Yet no one seems to give a *****. I know it's legal but when I see the brutal numbers of deer and then see someone mash a group of 3-4 does at once it makes me mental. Most guys don't give a crap. They will just keep killing whatever they can.

When one wmu turns to crap they just move onto the next.

[speedfreak]

Was out today and seen a few does and doe/fawn combos. Reading all this makes me(a relatively new hunter) feel pretty good on all the does and fawns I passed on this year. I don't really need the meat as I still have a bit and hopefully the ones I left make it through the winter.

[walking buffalo]

Originally Posted by Deer Hunter

Youre right snap shot, Another early winter this year with a foot of hard crust snow already. At least cwd isn't going to be an increasing issue here anymore.

Wish that I could agree, but I can't. CWD will be a lingering and possibly catastrophic issue anywhere it has been identified.

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

Prions are known to be able to exist on their own in the ground for over 40 years....if there are no deer around the spread slows down as a result of low populations.

What it also does is cause deer from other areas where carrying capacity is met to migrate to those areas of lesser population....thus pulling deer in from Saskatchewan, which is where CWD in Alberta originated.

In short....it's a feel good solution IMHO, not sure they will ever achieve the desired affect.

I don't think Saskatchewan has had a cull, or even continues to test heads for CWD....but I could be wrong.

Prions are a faulty protein (folded over) when in contact with other similar proteins (like those found in the brain and spinal fluids) causes them to behave in the same fashion....making them ineffective in their primary uses. Get enough folded over proteins (prions) in the brain and it effects behaviour and leads to death. They are not really an organism...and are difficult to destroy....and very persistent.

LC

New study going to the press soon.

CWD found in LIVE PLANTS. Alfalfa, corn, barley, tomatoes....

This could be disastrous far beyond wildlife issues.

[sparky660]

I grew up in Edgerton and my parents still live in the area so I spend a lot of time in 234 and 236. Both have been hammered hard but 234 is far worse. Areas that have been crawling with deer have been barren the last 3 years. I only spent 3 full days hunting this year as I feel that not harvesting a deer will help. We are buying land near Edgerton for an acreage and hope that things will get better in the next few years.

[trigger7mm]

Originally Posted by Springer

I had a photo of over a 200" Whitey forwarded to me just NE of Wainwright..sure hope he's an AO guy and posts for all to see, made a believer of me again that Whiteys are doing well in some spots in 234 and 236.

In my opinion if guys get out and pound the trails and not just driving you will see more Deer. They do educated to the road hunters for sure and become nocturnal..

I do not mean to disrespect you in any way Springer, but believe me, the deer are in a very bad way here. With all the coyote hunting, shed hunting, and snowshoeing I do around here, I'm way back off the roads alot, and it's very discouraging to see what has happened in the last few years. In spots where there normally have been tons of deer tracks, there are surprizingly few. That alone tells a story. I hope they can catch the break they need, so you, I, and everyone else can enjoy it the way it was only a few short years ago.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by hal53

let your thoughts be known prior to the end of February to everyone you can think of. I personally hope they shut it down completely for a couple years. After the winter of 2010/11, the SRD officer that resides in 234, reported in Feb, that it looked like an average, albeit somewhat on the high side 25-30% winterkill, when he sent in a secondary report the end of March as the winter was not showing any signs of backing off, and that he now estimated 60-65% winter kill, he was told "too late,the draw booklets are at the printers".....????? there is Alberta's commitment to game management.

I talked to fish cop out by Viking a couple weeks back...he has been there for 28 years.
Told me it was the worst that he has ever seen.

I do NOT believe the supplimentals or the cull did this.

The last year of the cull I saw 58 shootable deer on the last day of the season...Dec 19.

The next fall... numbers were cut by about half.

It was the weather.... and those spring blizzards.

I also hope they shut down deer out that way for a couple years.

I made a couple trips out... good land...private and public. Land that I used to fill all my tags on every year if I chose.... what I saw was pathetic.

In the end I only carried my deer rifle in case I saw a cranker....otherwise I stuck to grouse and geeese this year.

Next year....I'm going to 999 everything but moose.

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by Springer

I had a photo of over a 200" Whitey forwarded to me just NE of Wainwright..sure hope he's an AO guy and posts for all to see, made a believer of me again that Whiteys are doing well in some spots in 234 and 236.

In my opinion if guys get out and pound the trails and not just driving you will see more Deer. They do educated to the road hunters for sure and become nocturnal..

The picture means nothing.

Its one place and where is it?
When is it?
Are they herded up looking for feed or water?
If there are 200...how many were in that place at the same time of year 4 or 5 years ago?

I know lots of guys that got similar pics the last couple years.
I also know that by thaw they had pictures of those same animals laying dead in their feed lots buy the hundred.

A lot of landowners out that way used to beg guys to shoot deer to keep em off thier bales... but the same guys have been feeding them without complaint the last two or three years.

Numbers...are WAAAAY down.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Badger

The picture means nothing.

Its one place and where is it?
When is it?
Are they herded up looking for feed or water?
If there are 200...how many were in that place at the same time of year 4 or 5 years ago?

I know lots of guys that got similar pics the last couple years.
I also know that by thaw they had pictures of those same animals laying dead in their feed lots buy the hundred.

A lot of landowners out that way used to beg guys to shoot deer to keep em off thier bales... but the same guys have been feeding them without complaint the last two or three years.

Numbers...are WAAAAY down.

BDB....he meant a pic of a 200 inch whitetail not a pic of 200 white tails.

LC

[Speckle55]

Lots of doom and gloom but here is Shedcrazys number from surveys in Wainwright base as you can see the number are up if you want more numbers he posted some


Food for Thought

David

Here are some numbers of the last and first survey of the base:

2012 Survey (Dec 17/18): 3438 deer(1280 WT, 2158 MD), Moose 312, Elk 402
Hunters:572 Harvest:302 Hunter success:51.8

1980 (first full survey): 1487 (1266 WT, 212 MD), Moose 0, Elk 0
Hunters:598 Harvest:125 Hunter success:20.9

See you at the hunt.

S
also Quote

2010: 2876 (1008 WT, 1868 MD)
Hunters:604 Harvest:465 Hunter success:76.2

2007: 3932 (1480 WT, 2452 MD)
Hunters:645 Harvest:603 Hunter success:92.4

2000: 2006 (816 WT, 1190 MD), moose 160-170
Hunters:561 Harvest:281 Hunter success:50.1

1995: 2754 (1484 WT, 1270 MD)
Hunters:713 Harvest:341 Hunter success:47.8

[Lefty-Canuck]

Originally Posted by Speckle55

Lots of doom and gloom but here is Shedcrazys number from surveys in Wainwright base as you can see the number are up if you want more numbers he posted some


Food for Thought

David

Here are some numbers of the last and first survey of the base:

2012 Survey (Dec 17/18): 3438 deer(1280 WT, 2158 MD), Moose 312, Elk 402
Hunters:572 Harvest:302 Hunter success:51.8

1980 (first full survey): 1487 (1266 WT, 212 MD), Moose 0, Elk 0
Hunters:598 Harvest:125 Hunter success:20.9

See you at the hunt.

S
also Quote

2010: 2876 (1008 WT, 1868 MD)
Hunters:604 Harvest:465 Hunter success:76.2

2007: 3932 (1480 WT, 2452 MD)
Hunters:645 Harvest:603 Hunter success:92.4

2000: 2006 (816 WT, 1190 MD), moose 160-170
Hunters:561 Harvest:281 Hunter success:50.1

1995: 2754 (1484 WT, 1270 MD)
Hunters:713 Harvest:341 Hunter success:47.8

Read this post below David, pay attention to the comment about mature deer and yearlings....have you hunted around Wainwright every year for the past 15 or so years?....I have so I am sharing what I observed in the area I hunted for at least 15 days this year and actually most of this past week so....

I truly hope the guys in the base have good luck but I wouldn't count on it. Talked to some muzzy hunters and they are not seeing the deer....elk yes, deer no.

Originally Posted by shedcrazy

I think the population on base and area took yet another pounding last winter. It will be a tough one just like on the outside. It's tough those long winters on deer that's winter grounds are in native pasture. The ice and then deep snow make it hard on deer that don't have agriculture to help them thru the long winters. Mainly mature rut weakened bucks and fawns took most of the beatings. Don't expect too many mature bucks or yearlings this year.

I would say mulies did a lot better than the whitetails. Which is norm on a winter like last.

Still hoping we find a few good bucks this week and enjoy some good company.

Enjoy the hunt and be safe.

S

LC

[Vingiu]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

BDB....he meant a pic of a 200 inch whitetail not a pic of 200 white tails.

LC

love this

[Big Daddy Badger]

Originally Posted by Lefty-Canuck

BDB....he meant a pic of a 200 inch whitetail not a pic of 200 white tails.

LC

Well what does that have to do with herd strength and numbers?

[Vingiu]

Originally Posted by Big Daddy Badger

Well what does that have to do with herd strength and numbers?

The number of mature bucks in a deer population can be a reasonable indicator of the overall health and strength of said population lots of old bucks with good genetics = strong population