Cypress Elk

Cowtown guy · #1 01-22-2010, 11:52 PM

I was looking thru my draw priorities and I am a 3 for Cypress. I am wondering if I should keep up with this draw or not. I haven't heard a ton of success stories from this area in recent years. In fact I haven't heard much of anything from Cypress.
Does anyone have any info they wouldn't mind sharing. I guess I could always just 999 it and pull it on a year that nothing else lines up for me also.
I have yet to get an elk and want to really concentrate on putting in for the draws that are going to produce.

ishootbambi · #2 01-23-2010, 12:07 AM

depends what you want for an elk. if you are happy to take any elk, then it is a good bet. if you want a bull, it gets a little tougher, especially since the elimination of the early october hunts where the bulls still were with cows, but it can still be done. if you want a big bull, you are in for a tough hunt period. the area has produced the odd bull over 300 over the years, but very very few. your best bet if you want a good bull with the season dates now is to wait a few more years and get the late season. the downside is you are limited to private land, and access is not easy to come by. also you need to pray to the weather gods for snow and cold. without the weather the elk seldom leave the sanctuary of the park during daylight. hunting pressure there is intense, but with a little research you can be successful.

madatter · #3 01-23-2010, 09:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

depends what you want for an elk. if you are happy to take any elk, then it is a good bet. if you want a bull, it gets a little tougher, especially since the elimination of the early october hunts where the bulls still were with cows, but it can still be done. if you want a big bull, you are in for a tough hunt period. the area has produced the odd bull over 300 over the years, but very very few. your best bet if you want a good bull with the season dates now is to wait a few more years and get the late season. the downside is you are limited to private land, and access is not easy to come by. also you need to pray to the weather gods for snow and cold. without the weather the elk seldom leave the sanctuary of the park during daylight. hunting pressure there is intense, but with a little research you can be successful.

Hunting pressure is no longer intense....only 10 guys per hunt,you may not even see another hunter in the late season.
With a priority 3 you are a few years away from gettin any hunt out there.
Maybe by then they will have transplanted a bunch of elk from Suffield to the park!!!

ishootbambi · #4 01-23-2010, 08:14 PM

yeah, thats true, tag numbers are way down. if you get a late hunt though, even 10 guys out on the 2 or 3 ranches that allow hunting is still is more than i prefer. i guess pressure is relative. either way, not my idea of a great hunt.

madatter · #5 01-24-2010, 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ishootbambi

yeah, thats true, tag numbers are way down. if you get a late hunt though, even 10 guys out on the 2 or 3 ranches that allow hunting is still is more than i prefer. i guess pressure is relative. either way, not my idea of a great hunt.

IMO this was never an ideal hunt.
The 1st hunt back when it started in early October was OK,the bulls were still responding to the bugle but you were out there with 50 other guys....that was hunting pressure.....

Cowtown guy · #6 01-24-2010, 09:57 AM

Thanks for the info guys. Helps to make those decisions when the area is so far away to spot every week.

whitetail Junkie · #7 01-24-2010, 11:48 AM

I lived in medicine hat until I was layed off due to recession 16 months ago.However i'll be back there this spring.I apply for elk in cypress i'm prority 5 and there are some big guys in there.Alot of guys I know at work have hunted that area for years and have shot some great elk.however the best hunting was always in the park in the really early season(they tell me). except 3 years ago buddy @ work had a late season tag and he missed a 350 class bull 4 times at 100-200 yards!!! Guys at work now and still call him "Sure Shot" as a nick name

.Anyways i'm still applying for cypress,plus like I thought A while back,the elk on the suffield block have gotten smart after a few years and they knows whats going on now.However dads like a prority 7 for elk at suffield and might try it out next year?