Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Need some help on hunting in central BC

Looking for some guidance and do's/don'ts in booking a hunt in central British Columbia. Looking to possibly book a combo moose/mule deer/bear hunt.

I have been checking out a couple of outfitters in central BC. One in particular claims to hunt in cutovers, which obviously have road access.

One question that comes to mind is that with that much road access, how much hunting pressure is there from the locals ? Don't mind alittle hunting pressure, as long as it is not excessive.

Any help or suggestions from a BC resident or someone who has hunted in BC with a quality outfitter would be appreciated.

Time to use some of the toys ! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

TIA,

Tony.

Tony.

Who are you looking at and when. Furthermore, what is your primary quarry. If you want Mulies, my favorite time of year is Mid-Late November. Moose, make it early October. Spring bear are hard to beat here, with some nice ones taken in the fall. With so many variables, give some more details and I'll get you some answers. A geographic location would be very helpful as well.

280_ACKLEY

HiCountry, Have you considered talking to a booking agent like Jack Atcheson? Might be the best way to get what you're looking for. RS

"One question that comes to mind is that with that much road access, how much hunting pressure is there from the locals ? Don't mind alittle hunting pressure, as long as it is not excessive."

The last I had heard - a few years ago, there was close to 8000 km's of dirt roads in the Central Interior of B.C. Some of them are deactivated, but many of them can be traversed with either a 4x4, or an ATV.

Hunting pressure is highly dependant on where you go, and the time of the year. Spike fork bull moose (a moose with no more than two tines on one antler) season begins on Sept 10th and is generally open until the 5th of November.

The area I hunt in really didn't have any pressure until the season opened for Calf moose on October 15th to the 25th. Obviously this betters your chances for getting a moose had you not been drawn for Limited Entry Hunting (a draw system for Mature Bull, or Cow Moose). Because of this, those planning a trip here, plan around those 15 days.

When that comes about, you see all kinds of campers, trucks, trailors, and ATV's zipping around the roads.

The only way to avoid the pressure is to go to a place that doesn't have road access. I have never hunted with an outfitter so I can't really help you there. Sorry.

Turok

280_AI, turok,

One of the Outfitters I am checking out is Wildlife Adventures, Lac Lahache, BC.

Evidently they hunt in the Fraser Plateau Region. I saw them featured in this months Petersons Hunting. Don't usually hunt with a Outdoor magazine feature outfits, but I have hunted several times with Powder River Outfitters (Broadous MT.) and they have been featured in many magazine articles and I have taken some great mule deer with them. (Ken Greslin is great Outfitter BTW)

I talked to the Outfitter, he indicated the dates you did as to the best times to hunt moose and deer. The place looks to be first class. He said that they have 6k sq miles of hunting concession, including ranches, and large areas of cutovers.

My concern is cutovers = logging roads = access for everyone. Might not be a big deal, but just wanted to run it by some of you BC guys to see what you thought. I always wanted to hunt BC, NWT and perhaps even the Yukon. Thought I would stimulate the Canadian economy with some devalued US greenbacks !!!

Anyway, turok and 280, thanks for the reply. Any additional input would be greatly appreciated.

Tony.

hicountry: The info the boys have given you is pretty factual as regards best times to be here. On the other hand nothing you see here will be like Virginia. Even at peak times there is a lot of space to be alone in. The cutblocks and regen areas are hunted by the locals but a distribution of a vehicle, camp or hunter every 3 or 4 miles is not unlikely. Does that sound too crowded? Outfitters also get their camps either a little farther in or on land Joe Public can't access.

It doesn't mean you might not run into a "hard" hunter or two that busts his butt to backpack in. It usually means you won't see much of them.

If this is not to your liking you need to look for an outfitter who is more remote from mainstream access. There are a lot of them but your chances at game may not be better than the one you are looking at now. Your chances at total privacy will be better but it may not make much difference in the results of the hunt for the species you name.

If I wanted a high probability of complete privacy I would look in other areas. The area you are looking at has the species you've expressed interest in and the hunt cost may be less than the remote camps.

It's a kind of pay your money and take your chances situation.

I might know the outfitter by name but don't get a connection with the business name you indicated. We tend to refer to them by their personal names rather than their business identifiers. Their name IS their reputation here.
best of luck.

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hicountry



I think the first thing you have to do is decide which of these animals are you wanting to hunt the most. If moose and bear are what you intrested in chances are you will have better luck going north of Prince George . If you decide to hunt in the area of Lac Lahache you increase you chances of getting a good mulie but IMHO the moose and black bear hunting won't be as good. The best way to go about finding a good guide/outfitter is to go through the Guide Outfitters Assocation of B.C.--- www.goabc.org -- .The one outfitter I would recommend without hesitation is Bowron River Outfitters --- www.bowhuntingbc.com --- . The one outfitter to stay away from at all costs is Rocky Mountian Outfitters , this guy can't manage to keep his guides never mind repeat customers. If you want to ask me any questions about Bowron River Outfitters email me at boondock20002000@yahoo.com , I am not associated with his guiding in anyway but have seen his outfit and have done busness with him in other areas.



Boondock

HighCountry,

Me and some pals just booked a Mule Deer / Bear hunt with the outfitter you mentioned in BC. They look to have some great deer and all of the references we've called have been absolutely glowing about the quality of the animals, guides, and lodge.

Good Luck,

Lou

It's interesting that this topic would come up. I ran into a booking agent that I know at the Phoenix boat and fishing show yesterday and he showed me some stuff he has on a mule deer hunt in Central BC. I think one flys into Williams Lake.

I am seriously looking at a mid November hunt but want to do my homework before I choose one specific outfit. Not interested in anything other than Mule deer and maybe a wolf.