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| Mule Deer Bowhunting Articles |
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BOWHUNTER (October 2011)
A Recluse In The Thistles - Archery Deer Hunt - edited by: Curt Wells
Sometimes being a loner and not heeding the advice of others can be fatal...
Feathery seeds of Canada thistle shimmered in the sunlight, looking like swatches of silvery shag carpet strewn randomly across the Alberta prairie. In the middle of one of those swatches was a glint of another sort. A forked antler sparkled like a diamond, betraying the mule deer buck bedded in the weeds below.
We found him, the heavy-bodied, wide antlered buck, had been a phantom for outfitter André van Hilten and his previous clients. Three bowhunters had stalked this buck and all three had failed. Now it was my turn...
Read the full article
Watch Curt Wells of Bowhunter TV on this exciting mule deer hunt on YouTube |
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Big Buck Magazine (spring 2011)
Life's a Game, Hunting is Serious - by: Matt Whitt
... For years I had read magazines and watched hunting
shows, dreaming about the possibility of an elk hunt. In
September of 2OO7, I made that dream a reality when I
garnered a nice 5x6 bull while hunting with Willow Creek
Outfitters in Alberta. While on that hunt, I had my first encounter with mule deer. My buddy had a tag and I was
fortunate enough to be alongside him when he arrowed a 160-class buck in perfect velvet. At that moment, I knew I had to
return to try my luck on these open country monsters. One year
later I did just that.
I retumed to Alberta in September 2008. I was eager to hunt
with Willow Creek Outfitters again, not only because of a
successful elk hunt the previous year, but I had also made some
great friends there and knew I could count on them for the hunt
of a lifetime. I learned the season opener had been less than
ideal for Andre and his guides. Four hunters that week had shot
opportunities, yet no bucks were taken. To make things more challenging for Andre, the select non-typical buck he had been
watching in that area had seemingly vanished that week.
Hoping for a sign that luck was about to change in our
favour, we were more than excited to see the non-typical
monster make an appearance our first evening out.... Read the full article
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Muley Crazy (July - Aug. 2007)
Big Buck From the Bow Zone - by: Robert Sherer
This year my trophy mule deer hunt started a bit
different than the usual "check the computer to see
if I had drawn anything" ritual. You see, every third
year I bow hunt the big mule deer that live around
Calgary, Alberta ... I couldn't stand the
thought of being in Alberta during the peak of the
rut without hunting... On past hunts I had
been at full draw with my bow three different times
on 165 - 180 class bucks without ever letting an
arrow fly. It seemed like something would always
go wrong at the moment of truth. However. I kept
the hope that my luck would turn around eventually,
and boy was I ever right... Read the full article
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Eastmans' Bowhunting Journal
The Hockey Stick Buck- by: Bill Ormsbee
After speaking with André and calling his references,
I booked a hunt for the last week
of September. Although I normally practice
with my bow out to 40 yards, at André's urging I
began extending my range to 50-plus yards.
We spotted a great 180-class buck on the first
morning of my six-day hunt and pursued him
hard for the majority of our time - which resulted
in four unsuccessful stalks. The most memorable
lasted six hours during the evening of day two.
The "big guy" had bedded in the brush 100 yards
above an alfalfa field with several smaller bucks
and several does. André and I crawled 250 yards
in the grass in the edge of the field but were unable
to approach near enough for a shot because of the
lack of cover
... As the big buck approached
the field, we scrambled to get close to his crossing
point but could get only within 50 yards. By
then, the sixth sense that big bucks have kicked in
and he knew something wasn't right... Read the full article |
| Mule Deer & Whitetail Deer Hunting Articles |
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SUCCESSFUL HUNTER (May-June 2011)
Double Down - Whitetail and Mule Deer on the Cold Prairie Plains - by: Ron Spomer
If hunting is the adventure of discovery, and I believe it is, then the Lewis and Clark Voyage of Discovery from 1804 to 1806 was the ultimate, epic North American hunting trip. New country, new vistas around every corner. New species, no bag limits and no closed seasons. Just hunt when you're hungry. Given current knowledge of wildlife and geography, we can't match Lewis's and Clark's adventure, but a good place to try are the foothills of the Alberta Rocky Mountains with outfitter Andre van Hilten. You'll not pole up uncharted rivers, evade hostile natives or encounter new species like bighorn sheep and pronghorn, but you will hike rolling grasslands that 99 percent of humans never see.
You'll also face the challenge of finding, stalking and shooting not just one trophy, but two - whitetails and mule deer. Imagine that. In the twenty-first century, when humans live in artificial satellite environments in space, you can roam the plains in the shadow of the Rockies, looking for your winter meat supply much like mountain men did 200 years ago. "There's another group of about a dozen," our guide said over the keening wind. Clouds moving in from the east had just blotted out the afternoon sun, sending temperatures falling toward the 18 degrees they'd been that morning.... Read the full article
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Big Buck Magazine (spring 2010)
Where the Prairie Meets The Sky - by: G. Latham Myers II
My good friend André van Hilten of Willow Creek Outfitters called me last summer to ask if I would be interested in hunting whitetail deer in Alberta that fall. I had hunted with André on three previous occasions and was delighed he had invited me. When I arrived in Calgary, André informed me that he would be able to lease a mule deer tag for me from his friend Tyson if I desired, since all his mulie tags were fully booked. I had hunted mule deer with André the previous fall during the rut and had take an 164- inch buck, my best so far. I graciously accepted the tag and now with a whitetail and mule deer tag in my pocket I was eager and ready to hunt. This area is managed and therefore gaining a reputation for its big mule deer. Residents can only hunt there once every 3 to 4 years. During my previous hunts with André, the first hour or two of each day was generally spent driving the truck around and stopping frequently to glass. Mid morning we would usually hike into a honey hole then still hunt and continue glassing. This prairie country in the foothills of the Rocky Mountain's has lots of draws, coulees, poplar and willow thickets, and mile after mile of grazing land. André has secured hunting from an amazing number of ranchers enabling him to hunt enormous chunks of real estate... Read the full article
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Safari Club International (Sept. - Oct. 2006)
Big Muleys in Alberta? - by: Bob Robb
For decades Alberta has been a haven for serious whitetail hunters. Today, it's reputation as a mecca for high-quality mule deer is growing by leaps and bounds. Alberta, among serious deer hunters, the very name conjours up visions of whitetail bucks with bodies the size of a small cow and multi tined antlers with bases as thick as your wrist. I have been hunting there, on and off since the mid 1980's...when my friend Wade Derby told me he had a sleeper spot for good bucks in Alberta I was ready to hear more. It was when he said it was for mule deer, not whitetail's, that I became all ears... Read the full article |
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Safari Club International (Nov. - Dec. 2009)
Big Muleys in Alberta Confirmed - by: Todd Lawson
We had been waiting in the same place for close to five
hours, moving as little as possible, and doing our best to be silent. My hunting partner, mentor and dear friend, John Martin, was doing a commendable job of sitting motionless even though he was suffering with a sore back. When our guide, Kelly Wiebe, finally broke the silence with a whisper, it was music to my ears. "Don't get excited, guys, but that buck is here." Being the pro that he is, Kelly was trying to keep me calm, but it was evident the sight had given him an adrenaline rush. Staying low, I aligned
my binocular to where Kelly was looking and saw the magnificent mule deer through blowing grasses. Working hard to stay calm, I worked to raise my rifle
slowly and get him in my scope without giving away our position... Read the full article |
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North American Hunter (June-July 2009)
Marathon Muleys- by: Gordy Krahn
"KEEP YOUR STICK ON THE ICE, EH?"
Kelly Wiebe signed off and stashed his
cell phone back in its cubby hole. He
turned and raised his eyebrows as he
dropped the pickup in gear and continued
down the gravel road. "That was
André," he said. "A local shot that big
muley with double drop-tines. He saw
it in the back of a pickup at the gas station
in town." Kelly, my guide for an 8-day Alberta
mule deer/whitetail combo rifle hunt,
had told me about the buck he and
André, his boss, had seen several times
that summer and during bow season-a
non-typical 180-class bruiser on property
where we had permission to hunt. I could feel Kelly's disappointment, but
having hunted with him before, I was
pretty sure he had a Plan B. Actually, we
were lucky André had spotted the buck
or else we might have wasted valuable
time chasing its ghost...Read the full article |
| Black Bear Hunting Articles |
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North American Hunter (Feb.- March 2007)
Overtime Bear- by: G. Latham Myers II
WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN DARKNESS
arrives on the final day of a 6-day black bear hunt, and you still haven't pulled the trigger? Well, if you're like me, you ask the outfitter if it's possible to extend your hunt. That's exactly what I did during the spring of 2006, and thankfully my old friend André van Hilten Willow Creek Outfitters in Nanton, Alberta, had room in his tent camp for me to stay and keep hunting. Although I'd seen several bears during my spot-and-stalk hunt with André, bad weather and simple bad luck had kept me from being
successful. As André's new group of hunters arrived in camp, he assured them that I
was the exception to the rule, and that
there were plenty of bears. After all, last
year after only 3 days of hunting, all five
of his hunters in camp had tagged out,
and three of those five bears had
squared 7 feet... Read the full article |
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Bear Hunting Magazine
Raising the Bar - by: John Malakassis
...Our camp was in the middle of a
valley. There were two steep slopes on either side with
small rolling hills in between. It was a breathtaking
place. I finished a page in my book and happened to
look up towards one of the slopes. Low and behold
there was a bear scampering down the hill about 500
yards in front of me. I alerted André, grabbed my rifle
and off we went. We had to cross a very wide and cold
creek (boy I wish I was not wearing sneakers) then we went up and down a couple of hills, closing
the distance quickly. We stalked within 20 yards of a
beautiful blackie. He would make someone a wonderful
trophy, but it was not what I came for.
The following day André and I were out scouting
on the quad when we came upon a large valley that
had timber on both sides with grassland running up
the middle. There were a few small hills in between
with tall grass and other vegetation. We stopped to
glass when eagle-eyed André yelled "Bear!"... Read the full article
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| Coyote Hunting Articles |
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North American Hunter (Dec. - Jan. 2008)
Chinook Country Coyotes - by: Gordy Krahn
NANTON, ALBERTA, WAS A MESS. Fierce Chinook winds had sneaked into
town during the dead of night and pillaged
the sleeping community. We'd
arisen early for the third and final day of
our coyote hunt expecting the worst.
The quaint bed and breakfast where we
were staying had been rocked on its
foundation. I subscribe to the mantra: Hunt
when you can, weather be damned. But
I couldn't help but think that every
Nantonite coyote had been blown clear
into neighboring Saskatchewan and it
would take them days, if not weeks, to
walk back home. As we pulled out of
town, heading south along a winding
reservoir, André explained that high
winds were common in the Nanton
area and affect hunting strategy... Read the full article |
| Outfitter Hunting Articles |
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Safari Club International (Nov. - Dec. 2010)
A Memorable Safari - by: André van Hilten
Two hours into my morning hunt I had my chance at a nice kudu bull. We came into a clearing, and noticed a lone bull watching us from about 200 yards away. I had to move 10 yards to get a rest on a tree, I found the bull in the scope and began to pull the trigger. Just then, the bull whirled for the safety of the bush a fraction of a second before the trigger broke. A clean miss! At that moment I thought I missed my last chance at a southern greater kudu.
... Read the full article |
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