Back home again, have wanted to do this hunt for years and years; was not disappointed. We had a ton of fun, saw some amazing varied country, lot's of game and visited with other hunters from all around the province.
Snow was about 18" or so deep on the level but it was fluffy powder so while tiring to walk in there was no crust. Couldn't have asked for better weather, it was simply perfect hunting weather.
Spent the majority of my time helping wife trying to get her first buck. No joy but we had lot's of opportunities on really nice deer. On day two I shot a 4x3 mule buck just so we wouldn't get skunked. Mule deer were very sporatic and it was basically random coming across them, just had to put in the time. WT were in small herds, 2 or 3 does to a buck.
Nicest deer I saw were; on opening morning a 3pt wt with 2 does bedded horns had to be at least 2' wide and maybe just over a foot tall. Mule deer saw by far the biggest buck I've ever seen; quite frankly I wouldn't have believed they could get that big. My biggest was 204lbs at the locker, buddy got one once that topped 215(hide, head and lower legs off). This one based on that I'd guess an easy 250, I kid you not. By the time we hurriedly slugged through the deep snow to position wife was breathing so hard there's no way she could shoot, told me to take it. Unfortunately he just couldn't sit any more and bounded up to the top of a knoll. No shot as I won't shoot over a hill no matter where I am.
Lot's of 3 and 4 pt mule bucks there. Every species group seemed to be having success, the elk hunters seemed to be having a tough time. We never saw an elk, only tracks, but that's pretty much the norm. Saw a couple hundred on the Suffield base on the drive home though.
The good folks running the show couldn't do a better job. Everything smooth as silk, all questions I had were answered in the briefing without asking. Kept hearing about lot's of guys getting stuck, but saw lot's of guys in, "4x4's" driving around on all season radials, some with those cable chains on, never saw any trucks with real tire chains and we never had to put ours on.
