This might be my trophy for the Year

[Decker]

I found this while out on Opening week. There was a Grizzly not too far from where I found this.

[attachment deleted 180 days old]

[walleyes]

Cool find Decker.. So was there any remaining evidence it may have been a grizzly kill or just death from old age. Either way a cool find.

Thx for sharing..

[Doug N]

Very nice! If you are in the hummingbird or canary creek areas, you are never two far from a grizzly. I saw 6 there in one day. Another time I ran into the wardens packing out of the ram. They said they had seen NINE grizz on the trail out.

[albertadave]

Cool find Decker.. So was there any remaining evidence it may have been a grizzly kill or just death from old age. Either way a cool find.

Thx for sharing..

I'd say that one definately  didn't die of old age.  I have him at 7.5, maybe 8.5 tops.  And yep, always lots of g-bears out there,  last week we saw two different bears in four days, without really looking for them.   Two years ago we were hunting out there and we saw/knew of eight different bears within 4/5 miles of our camp.  Cool find Decker.

[Paul]

Nice find Decker

[Decker]

Thanks, he is only 7 1/2 so dieing of old age is out. I seen the skelton remains first and knew there should be a head around somewhere and sure enough. The game warden figured  he was shot last fall and someone got nervous as he was just legal. If he would have been able to grow older he would have been a nice trophy as he already had good size bases and  pretty big loop for horn.

[walleyes]

Being shot and left,, that would be about the worst scenario of all wouldn't it. A bear well,, he's just doing what he does. But a human well,, what can be said..

[Weste]

That's a big assumption for a warden to make just by looking at the skull.  Awesome find though.  Sheep die of many things before they are really old so who knows....go with the bear kill story - at least he probably ate a chunk of him.  Cougars probably kill more sheep than bears.  Hopefully the warden is wrong, either way, its all speculation unless there was evidence to the exact nature of the death.

Thanks, he is only 7 1/2 so dieing of old age is out. I seen the skelton remains first and knew there should be a head around somewhere and sure enough. The game warden figured  he was shot last fall and someone got nervous as he was just legal. If he would have been able to grow older he would have been a nice trophy as he already had good size bases and  pretty big loop for horn.

[Doug N]

Yes, could easily have been a cougar kill. First cougar I saw in the wild was at the head of canary, well above tree line. Wonder what it was doing up there eh!

[badback]

Nice find Decker

X 2

[nube]

I would say it got shot and the hunter thought it was too close to take a chance on it. 

[sheepguide]

Nice find bud. I know some guys that saw a cougar last winter on a ram kill in that same area. Ill see if I can find out where they saw it.

[ishootbambi]

id be nervous asking for a permit for it.  i know you have nothing to do with it decker, but there is a fish cop where i live that would be sporting wood if he thought he could charge me with something for a head like that.   heck, he got big eyes when he saw my ram in hinton a few years back and wanted me to bring it home for him to analyze.  no thanks fella....he was plugged in hinton.

[nube]

Not sure why he would be nervous.  He found it!  Even if it was taken illegally they can't charge you unless they have proof of you being a part of it.  Obviously the thing has been sitting thre for some time.  I'd take it in with no problem.
Why would the fish cop get excited about your ram Dale?

[ishootbambi]

like i said....the thought of being able to stick something on me gives him a full on rager.  he has made it no secret for a few years now that he would love to be the one to nail me.  youve seen the bucks i kill.....deer like that dont grow around medicine hat.  i told you in pm wher i am, but there is always some jealous fool thinking he knows something.  every year the rumor mill churns out something along the lines of "dale shot a big buck with a rifle in bow season, or dale shot a big buck in the city limits, or dale was in cypress hills at night". 

no word of a lie, i used to be the scoring and awards chair for the med hat F&G club.  a few years ago when i shot my 210 whitetail, i was hanging category winner ribbons on the heads on the display board and a guy tapped me on the shoulder and said "you arent going to allow that poacher to win are you?  my buddy has him on video shooting that buck in the city limits."  i looked right back at him and pointed to the fish cop booth 70 feet away and told him that if he goes and tells them that i would pull it.  i even offered him 100 bucks to see the video, and he quickly told me that hois buddy doesnt want to get involved because that asshole dale is a big tough bugger who would kill him.  i laughed pretty good at it as the poor clown had no clue who he was talking to.

anyway, mr fish cop was in hinton for some sort of course at the training center and saw my ram and asked how i felt about it.  i said what are you talking about....he is legal by two inches at least.  he said i should bring it home to medicine hat so he could register it for me, but like i said, i wanted someone who has a clue doing it.

youve seen this before, but here he is in the office in hinton.




pretty squeaky huh?   

i wont get into the details yet as its still open, but there is another story going on right now.  its completely bogus, but as long as its open id best not discuss it publicly.  just another example of a wild goose chase trying so hard to paint me as something i aint.  jealousy does that to people.  oh well, i work hard at earning trophies and some guys just hate me for being successful.  there are a few guys around here who get similar treatment.  you too phil....why do you think WJ is all over you about your trail cam pics.

[sheepguide]

Sounds like a personal issue between you and a fish cop Dale, doest reflect anything on why Decker should be nervous about registering the ram he shot. I know of probably 30 sheep heads that have been found and registered from 201" to half curls and not one of them was questioned. They cant just say oh you brought a head in so you must have killed it. The have to produce a case and in situation they wouldnt even bat an eye and registering it. Take it in to Rocky and there will be no issues im sure.


And to touch on you friend the fish cop Dale,
Funny thing about fish cop tails such as yours is that there is usually a reason they target guys,
1. Because the do actually poach and the just havent caugth them yet
2. The guy targeted has pissed others off by bragging
3. The hunter beat the fish cops on another charge
4. The hunter has been stepping on others toes out in the field so guys get mad and try and get the guy in trouble.
5. Stems from a personal issue unrelated to hunting.


There are alot of guys that have outstanding results hunting big animals and have no issues with fish cops, im not saying that you have done anything to deserve the Fish Cops attention but down the road somewhere something was probably  said or done to someone that got the ball rolling that has made you a target now and im pretty sure its more than just harvest a couple big deer because. But hey thats just my thoughts for what there worth.
SG

[nube]

I hear what your saying Dale but In Deckers case he has nothing to worry about.
Yes some guys kill big critters.  I think the reason why a lot of the times is because of time hunted and knowing what the heck the hunter is doing.  Also to keep off the trigger when you find a decent critter to get a real big one.  How many guys will shoot the first 150" deer they see?  Most of them is what I think.  You can't kill 170" deer if your shooting the ones that are smaller!
WTJ can blow me as well.  Yup I get pictures of big deer on camera.  Why would I come home with a 166" deer like last year when I have bigger on camera I could have killed  

[ishootbambi]

darcy, i agree that decker should have nothing to worry about.  usually its big stuff that raises eyebrows.  there is no reason that the former world record non typ elk found in the lake in bc should have been confiscated....or remember the trucker who ran over the giant ram at exshaw a decade ago?  never held a hunting license in his life and when he killed that ram with a tire iron he was charged.  thnk there is any chance it would have been charges if that had been a whitetail doe instead of a top ten ram? 

as for my little buddy....you hit 2 1/2 of 5.

phil, i know you understand what im saying as you are in the same boat.  success breeds jealousy which breeds stories and rumors.  i think most fish cops are pretty good guys and can weed out the bullschit.

[sheepguide]

Not sure the circumstances behind the elk bambi but I do know that the rules in BC as far as keeping found dead wildlife is allot different than what we have here. I was told you must take it in and they put a price on the horns or antlers then you either pay that or they are taken and sold. Not sure if thats 100% correct but there has been lots of thread about this on hunting BC(maybe do a search) and I would bet could possible behind why the bull was taken.

Second the ram in question was killed by the guy. I dont know if the charges stuck but ive heard many different versions about the tire iron incident so it can go either way. As the law reads he did wrong. Moraly he did right but legally he broke the law.

Both allot different than picking up a head in Alberta!

As for me getting 2 1/2 out of 5 of my reasons right explains why you have the issues you do. Doesnt always stem from you being such an awesome hunter and people are just jelouse. Most of the time guys bring a certain amout of that negativity upon themselves.
SG

[ishootbambi]

i have no idea what bc's rules are on found deads.  i never found anything i wanted to keep when i lived there. 

the trucker that killed the sheep....yep, according to the law he wasnt by the book.  but then again, do you think the charges would have even been filed if it was a whitetail doe?

as for the 2 1/2.....1 and 3 are out.  ive posted pics here and won a pile of categories in the local F&G club.  some guys just hate that i have consistent success.  ive posted pics on a couple of hunting forums.  i thought thats what these are all about.....but some consider it bragging alright. 

not sure i exactly stepped on anyones toes, but a guy got pretty sour when i helped my 14 year old cousin get a 182 mule buck several years ago.  i didnt know he was eevn after it, and i didnt know it was there.  i just took the kid to a place i knew of....and in fact showed this guy.  it was MY area first.  the kid shot the buck, and the guy told the fish cops and the grazing lease manager that i chased the thing down with a snowmobile and killed it.  i didnt even shoot it...the kid did.  he was that mad that he created a story....and the worst part is.....i was the best man in his wedding.  thats some ugly jealousy right there.  i hnestly didnt know about the buck, or that the guy was hunting it, but he figured i pulled the rug out from him.

the half is a personal issue alright.  it originated regarding hunting issues, and turned personal.   whatever....hunt me all you want.  the truth is i have nothing to hide, so by all means look at me all you want.  remember last year when i told the story of a buck well over 200 inches that i didnt shoot twice just after legal light?  that was true.  ive always said that if you had to cheat to win, then you didnt really win.