Mule deer habitat vs blacktail

[Okanagan]

A couple of weeks ago now I hunted my last day of mule deer, in a four point or better season (one side above eye-guard).  The last afternoon I still hunted through timber opposite to the direction of their migration to lower elevation, and looked over five does, one bedded, all easy shots, but no bucks.  Night time temps were about 0 F, cold and dry pine and fir country.





Lots of tracks from deer that had passed by on the migration, and I was behind too many of them!



Last Sunday afternoon a week ago I hunted my last day of this season for blacktail bucks.  Only took one picture because the rain got my camera so wet.  I still hunted up and around this mountainside till I was half a mile above the road, and could have shot 8 blacktails, not one with an antler however.  My only photo below.  Constant rain, heavy most of the time.

[golfertrout]

is all the land you hunt public hunting? you got some purty country there

[Okanagan]

is all the land you hunt public hunting? you got some purty country there

Yes, it is all public land. British Columbia is as long north and south as from Seattle to Mexico, and as wide east to west from the Pacific to part way across Montana.  Most of it is public land, though a fair number of roads are blocked off due to mining or logging outfits.  Most of the northern half doesn't have hardly any roads, so is fly in, river boat or horse packing.  There are a few huge ranches that stretch for 40-50 miles of some of the very best country, like the Gang Ranch and Douglas Lake Ranch, but they are a drop in the bucket compared to public land.

Take a summer and fish your way to Alaska.