I just returned from a week of hunting WMU 328 west of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta. I’d taken my new-to-me Jonathan Browning .54 mountain rifle and was hoping to put it to use. The weather was fantastic and the hunting was even better. I was not disappointed and managed to fill both of my supplemental antlerless whitetail tags as well as taking another doe with my general whitetail tag. I did see one buck but he busted me and I didn’t have a shot. I also saw a good sized bull moose (no tag) but did not see any elk so I still have a chance to hunt the rest of the season, if my better half will let me.
The area I hunt is a mixture of poplar, old growth spruce and cut blocks, some of which have been replanted with pine. My favorite spot is a meadow about 300 yards wide by 300 yards long. It’s got an L-shaped ridge running down the middle and towards one corner. The ridge ranges from a low of 15 feet above the meadow to probably 50 feet high, it’s not too wide and mostly treed except for the lowest part where most of the game trails cross it.
On each side of the ridge is swampy muskeg thick with willows. One side has a good sized rocky mineral lick with a creek running beside it ”“ the deer seem to prefer this one - the other side also has a mineral lick but it’s out of my muzzle loader range and more frequented by moose and elk. My dad’s been hunting here for years and has taken a moose and a couple elk from here, and he finally showed me this place a few years ago.
Over the years there have been numerous tree stands built (and lost to mother nature), but I prefer the blind that sits on the ridge above the mineral lick. The front of the lick is 40 yards from the blind, the back of the lick is about 60 yards, and the far tree line is just over 100 yards away. Every year it seems someone adds a log or two to the blind to replace those that have rotted away. This year I added a few as well as a small 4 point shed antler I found in the muskeg while hauling one of my does out. Overall it’s the most perfect “honey hole” a guy could ask for.
The next pictures are the views from the blind.
The first day I hunted here my dad stayed out at the pipeline so he could sit in the sun and read his book, waiting for his elk. My other hunting partner hadn’t shown up yet so I hiked the mile and a half in to the ridge alone. As the lick came in to view I counted at least 5 does, so I dropped my pack and slowly and quietly made my way to the far end of the ridge. It took me 20 minutes and by the time I covered those 400 yards the does had moved off into the swamp on the other side of the ridge and I had no shot.
By this time I was thirsty so I walked back to get my pack. As I got to the corner of the L-shaped ridge I spooked a group of whitetails that were making their way in for a drink. They turned and ran back the way they came from. I couldn’t believe the number of animals I’d seen in only the first hour out there! After retrieving my pack and getting my own drink I walked back to the lick, not worrying about the noise I was making because surely there wouldn’t be any more deer there so soon. However, as I got within about 40 yards I saw one behind one of the last remaining trees. I ducked down and crawled closer to get a better view. As I stuck my head back up to take a look I saw a good sized buck about 20 yards away. He’d come out from behind the trees and was staring right at me. One snort and he was gone, up the ridge, right past the blind and into the woods. Busted, I walked to the blind and waited for his return.
It wasn’t more than half an hour before the does started showing up again. I watched one with a fawn for about 10 minutes before another few came into view. One of them was absolutely huge and she didn’t appear to have a fawn with her, so I decided to take a shot. As I stuck my head up over the blind and lifted my rifle she turned towards me and stomped her hoof. I ducked back down, motionless, and she continued to stare at me, occasionally stomping her hoof, occasionally snorting in my direction. A few minutes later she settled down and went back to drinking. Finally she turned broadside and while she was looking the opposite direction I stood up, rested my rifle on the top log of the blind, aimed, fired and”¦. missed.
I couldn’t believe it! After months of practice at the range, putting shot after shot in to the target freehand at 50 yards, I missed a shot with a front rest at 40 yards? I reloaded and then walked down to the lick where I searched in vain for an hour for any evidence of a hit, but there was none to be found, and judging by the way she bounded off it was a clean miss.
I wasn’t feeling too good with myself after that so I decided to call it a day. As I walked to the far end of the ridge I turned and looked back at the lick. Yep, you guessed it, there were deer there, but they’d have to wait for tomorrow.
To be continued”¦
The area I hunt is a mixture of poplar, old growth spruce and cut blocks, some of which have been replanted with pine. My favorite spot is a meadow about 300 yards wide by 300 yards long. It’s got an L-shaped ridge running down the middle and towards one corner. The ridge ranges from a low of 15 feet above the meadow to probably 50 feet high, it’s not too wide and mostly treed except for the lowest part where most of the game trails cross it.
On each side of the ridge is swampy muskeg thick with willows. One side has a good sized rocky mineral lick with a creek running beside it ”“ the deer seem to prefer this one - the other side also has a mineral lick but it’s out of my muzzle loader range and more frequented by moose and elk. My dad’s been hunting here for years and has taken a moose and a couple elk from here, and he finally showed me this place a few years ago.
Over the years there have been numerous tree stands built (and lost to mother nature), but I prefer the blind that sits on the ridge above the mineral lick. The front of the lick is 40 yards from the blind, the back of the lick is about 60 yards, and the far tree line is just over 100 yards away. Every year it seems someone adds a log or two to the blind to replace those that have rotted away. This year I added a few as well as a small 4 point shed antler I found in the muskeg while hauling one of my does out. Overall it’s the most perfect “honey hole” a guy could ask for.
The next pictures are the views from the blind.
The first day I hunted here my dad stayed out at the pipeline so he could sit in the sun and read his book, waiting for his elk. My other hunting partner hadn’t shown up yet so I hiked the mile and a half in to the ridge alone. As the lick came in to view I counted at least 5 does, so I dropped my pack and slowly and quietly made my way to the far end of the ridge. It took me 20 minutes and by the time I covered those 400 yards the does had moved off into the swamp on the other side of the ridge and I had no shot.
By this time I was thirsty so I walked back to get my pack. As I got to the corner of the L-shaped ridge I spooked a group of whitetails that were making their way in for a drink. They turned and ran back the way they came from. I couldn’t believe the number of animals I’d seen in only the first hour out there! After retrieving my pack and getting my own drink I walked back to the lick, not worrying about the noise I was making because surely there wouldn’t be any more deer there so soon. However, as I got within about 40 yards I saw one behind one of the last remaining trees. I ducked down and crawled closer to get a better view. As I stuck my head back up to take a look I saw a good sized buck about 20 yards away. He’d come out from behind the trees and was staring right at me. One snort and he was gone, up the ridge, right past the blind and into the woods. Busted, I walked to the blind and waited for his return.
It wasn’t more than half an hour before the does started showing up again. I watched one with a fawn for about 10 minutes before another few came into view. One of them was absolutely huge and she didn’t appear to have a fawn with her, so I decided to take a shot. As I stuck my head up over the blind and lifted my rifle she turned towards me and stomped her hoof. I ducked back down, motionless, and she continued to stare at me, occasionally stomping her hoof, occasionally snorting in my direction. A few minutes later she settled down and went back to drinking. Finally she turned broadside and while she was looking the opposite direction I stood up, rested my rifle on the top log of the blind, aimed, fired and”¦. missed.
I couldn’t believe it! After months of practice at the range, putting shot after shot in to the target freehand at 50 yards, I missed a shot with a front rest at 40 yards? I reloaded and then walked down to the lick where I searched in vain for an hour for any evidence of a hit, but there was none to be found, and judging by the way she bounded off it was a clean miss.
I wasn’t feeling too good with myself after that so I decided to call it a day. As I walked to the far end of the ridge I turned and looked back at the lick. Yep, you guessed it, there were deer there, but they’d have to wait for tomorrow.
To be continued”¦
