Anyone forthright with tactic for whitetail hunting the last week of October near Cold Lake, Alberta?

We'll be mostly tree stand bound. Rattling, grunting and other calling ideas? Time of day?

All day tree stand advice appreciated!

Most important thing is to have a bota bag full of blackberry brandy with you.

Yep, something warm and tingly I guess. If I ever spent a whole day in a tree stand, they would need the EMT service to extract me. Yikes. I gotta be on the ground. Good luck and have a buddy.

Find Doug down near Angling Lake and ask permission to hunt on his land. Dumb bush deer last I hunted there 20 years ago.

And we consider Cold Lake to be more Central Eastern Alberta since part of the lake is in Saskatchewan.

Sue dog, I’ve had some success with rattling late October in AB. From my recent observations the bucks are starting to move up here. In timber anyways. Good luck to ya!

Thanks for correction Dave. East central it is.

I've begged and borrowed some heavy cloths. I'll have to put on the butterball outfit this weekend to make sure I can shoot around all the cloths with no clearance issues.

I just received new Heat Factory electric insoles. I'll charge them up tonight and see how well they work.

Luckily it has cooled from the 90's here in South GA for a cooler dry run.

I know it's a long trip, but depending on terrain, I'd surely consider a decoy.

Bowmania

I just checked the 10 day forecast on Weather Network and daytime temps will be right around freezing that week.

Prevailing wind is northwest to west, but make sure you have a setup for any direction.

Which outfitter are you hunting with. I know a couple of guides who still live there I think.

I would hunt first hour in the morning and last hour before dark. Half hour before sunrise to half hour after sunset is legal but with any cloud cover sunrise to sunset may be your shooting light.

I would also hunt from 1100 to 1300. As bucks tend their scrape lines they will move midday.

In a good area with a good setup and settling for a Pope and Young qualifier you may be done the first day.

Finally, with high wolf population there the smart bucks will be very close to the city.

Darcy of Timberghost. I have very little information except , it's gonna be colder than I'm used to and bring my safety harness.

Okay then.

I have known Darcy Ledrew since he was a young lad. His dad and I have been longtime friends. His mother and my wife worked together. Darcy is a hugely accomplished Traditional Archer who has lived there most if not all of his life.

Pretty simple strategy then, just do what he suggests.

Never guide the guide. That's great info on Darcy. Thank you Dave.

Next time you think the Traditional Archery world is not a small one read this thread.

I worked in a shop in Cold Lake in the early 90's where we sold compound bows. That lead me to joining the local archery club where Darcys dad was a member.

Fast forward about 20 years and entering a 3D shoot at Lloydminster I said hello to a fellow shooter. He said, "I know that voice" and that was how George Ledrew and I, and little Darcy who is now well over 6 feet, renewed and created a friendship.

A word of advice if Darcy suggests a little impromptu shooting for cash. BAD IDEA!

Thanks Dave. I was warned.

But Bigger they are the harder they fall.

Looking forward to seeing pics from that hunt. Got a good feeling.

I was out today near my Central Alberta home and saw evidence that the rut could be on.

I could not see them well but does were acting like there was a buck chasing.

Be ready to use any tactic you would utilize during the rut.

Gonna bring this one back up. Insider info tells me that it will be added to soon, eh.

DDave

Five of us from all points of NA met in Edmonton on October 21 in Edmonton Alberta to drive 3.5 hrs north and east towards Cold Lake. I hunted all day in snow/rain/wind the first two days . Most of our group hunted every day, all day for 7 days.

I killed a 2.5 yr 120” 8 pt on the 5th day 4 minutes before dark. My outfitter Darcy LaDrew had relocated me 30 miles on the 3rd day to a current food/scrape/bedding transfer area with multiple pawings within 30 yds of my stand. I saw 41 different deer the first day after my relocation.

My guide was Jason Laudin. Jason was the best guide I have ever had, day in, day out. Mr George and Mrs. Nikki were phenomenal cooks/hosts. Everybody was impressed.

I practiced every hour on imaginary points aiming and expanding through imaginary shots and letting down. I passed several bucks as impressive as the one I took.

If you go to Alberta, you better be ready for the brutal cold, rain and snow. With proper planning you will be impressed with the incredible close encounters and hospitality.

My pictures won’t upload. Text 229-309-9932

How many more great shots would be made if everyone simply drew on an imaginary point every hour while hunting?

DDave

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