Collect eh?

I'm betting you beaded everyone of those by yourself. Bushman to Bushwoman- "Heading to the cabin to do some beadw....I mean going to trap"
Bushman to self- "Hmmmmm....Did I remember my favorite thimble?"

Just kidding, Quite the collection you got there! See a few different styles.

I wish I had beaded those myself Ryan! When my first kids were being born I did some beadwork in the hospital on a loom to pass time but that was decades ago. I buy from northern BC, Alberta, Yukon, and NWT. Mostly NWT though as lots of old friends and relatives still involved in old ways. This is a small portion of what I've got over the years. I'll post some other northern work as soon as I get displays built.

Hey Brian where did you buy those mesh bags at?

Amazon has them. Just search mesh produce bag.

Is there anything better than hunting with your son? J pulled a cow elk tag that was only good for a few more days. We headed out this morning and got lucky

Pictures Brian!

I actually was checking google earth and found an area that looked worth checking out. High sand eskers surrounded by tamarack swamps. The place was full of deer and elk sign. After 15 minutes of hunting we bumped 3 cow elk that hung around long enough for my son to take one. 230 yards shot. Drove quad right up to the elk so didn't even have to pack it. Might be the easiest hunt we ever had, but we've earned it!

Hey Brian, looks like a lot of fun. Nothing like getting out in the bush with your kids! I finally got to enjoy an easy hunt myself! Got a good bull right in camp on the first day!

Nice moose Dave. Looks like you could have called him right into the freezer?

Spent the weekend cutting up meat, grinding burger, and making jerky.

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Just catching up on things. Been gone out west for some time.
I thought the focus was a little off on the close part of that tree. But to be honest I took your word for it. You got us good!!

No! I agree, hunting and trapping with my boys is one of my favorite experiences of fatherhood!

what an awesome thread! thanks to all for sharing the pictures and stories. Good medicine!

I wrote up this years elk hunt for a magazine I write for




Silent Elk


The call sounded far off and faint, but I knew better. I’d been busted too many times in the past by an elk I figured was over half a kilometre away, but in reality was only a few hundred meters off in the thick brush. In these conditions an elk’s call fades out faster than most hunters realize. But in this case the bull might as well have been ten miles away, as it had picked its calling location wisely, virtually untouchable.

I was back in hunt camp along the Smoky River with friends, Al & Bing. I’m a late arrival to their over 30-years of hunt camp, having only joined them the last few years. Accessible only by jet boat their camp is strategically located in good game country, but still hard to hunt. Anyone with delusions of shooting game alongside the river is going to end up with an empty freezer. The elk in this area have been hunted hard for years and have adapted accordingly. They frequent the river flats at night, feeding heavily on peavine, then retreat to the river slopes during the day.

Also gone are the days of bull elk bugling recklessly throughout the day, allowing you to pinpoint their locations. These days elk are far more likely to come in to a hunters call silently, looking intently for another elk before making their presence known. If you’re lucky you’ll hear the crack of a broken branch as they sneak in, or… as more likely, get busted by your scent as they circle the location they heard your calls from. Two hunters can use this behaviour to their advantage by posting one of them downwind, sitting in ambush, while the other hunter calls. But that takes patience, which I’m kind of short of. I take a more aggressive approach to hunting elk usually.

When I hunt elk with someone for the first time they’re usually surprised by how much I call. I’ve been told several times that calling doesn’t work anymore and elk have gone silent, maybe so, for some. But personally I’ve had good luck over the years by using calling to my advantage. And if the number of animals I walk up on, and the distances I usually shoot from are any indicator there is still room for calling. Perhaps my latest hunt best demonstrates my approach.

We weren’t hunting from the Smoky camp opening week, as I was in the mountains chasing a nice 6x6 bull that managed to elude me and my son. So we hadn’t pre-scouted any of our hunting areas, but my hunting partners long history with the region allowed us to focus on those flats that usually hold elk. Our approach is to scout the shorelines for fresh tracks, then hike the river benches looking for fresh sign. No sign, no elk, simple as that. We’re not banking on a chance encounter with a wandering bull, we want to focus on where the cow / calf herds are living.

But before I barge into the bush on these scouts I like to give a bugle from the tree-line along the shore. Far enough in that the noise of the river doesn’t screen out any answers, but close enough that if an elk is in close proximity you have a chance to pinpoint its location. Rarely do you get an answer, but often enough to make it worth your while. I also believe that the bugle and any other subsequent calls I make while scouting give me some leeway making noise as I move about.

On this latest hunt I cow-called sporadically as I worked the flats, especially after snapping a branch, and walked up on several moose and deer. The technique doesn’t work if you’re hiking through the bush like a man, but by walking slowly and stopping frequently, you’ll convince other ungulates you’re just a cow elk wandering around. And if it’s a bull elk it’s often enough to have it squeal at you or come in to check you out. When I do call I like to be in an area with shooting visibility and will often hang around silently afterwards for 15 minutes. A technique that has resulted in several dead bulls.

One evening I worked my way along a favourite ridge line of Al’s, calling as we walked. We had heard several faint bugles from the flat below us but the bull had gone silent as we got closer. We knew from experience that the flat below was a jungle of blow down and rose thorns and would be a nightmare to stalk through and more importantly to pack an elk out of. The bulls used this to their advantage and often bedded there. We knew we could try and lure the bull out with cow calls but night was coming fast so we retreated.

That night around the campfire we formulated a plan for the next morning. I would return to the ridge line and call from on high. Bing would come up the middle of the flat along one of the few open game trails while Al would access the ridge line from upstream and work his way towards us. our hope was the bull would respond to me at a distance again allowing the guys to sneak in and perhaps ambush it.

And sure enough as soon as daylight peaked over the trees the bull responded to my calls. More than once the bull bugled from down in the jungle, but it was on the move, the calls constantly shifting position. Increasing the chances of crossing paths with my buddies, I though. After 45 minutes the bull quietened down so I worked my way toward its last position and entered an open poplar grove and setup beside a stand of trees.

After waiting a bit for the scene to quiet down I gave a series of cow calls followed up with one aggressive bugle, none of this squeaker bull stuff! Within minutes I heard the sound of something big headed my way, which turned out to be a cow elk, calf at her rear, running with her tongue hanging out. The cow and calf came to a screeching halt only 20 yards from me and scanned the clearing, looking I’m sure for the elk herd she had heard calling from there. I was in full camo including my face and the pair didn’t detect me as they ran into the clearing still looking.

I had no sooner thought to myself, “a bull had to be following that cow”, when I caught the flash of antler heading my way. Into the clearing bust a bull, in full-on rut glory, in pursuit of its latest love interest. The bull traced the exact same route as the cow and the calf, until it’s chest filled my crosshairs at 35 yards and its journey ended. Unaware of my presence the bull dropped right away while the cow and calf continued to circle the clearing even after my shot.

As I approached I could see it was a younger animal, even though a 6 x 6 bull, showing the great genetics of the area. Before long my buddies made their way to the shot and the work began. I’m not one of those guys who puts a branch in the mouth or says a prayer of thanks after the harvest. I respect that for those to whom it means something, but for me a simple thank you to the animal as I approach, and quick handling of the meat is the most respectful action I can take.

Before long the meat was boned out, with the exception of one hind quarter still packing proof of sex, and the kilometre long hike to the boat began. Seven loads later the elk was onboard and three happy and dog tired hunters headed back to camp. While the elk may have gone silent I can guarantee you the hunters around the campfire that night weren’t, as the day’s events were unfolded by each Nimrod, and another hunting story comes to life.

My kind of story Brian, adventure packed with good info. Elk are on my bucket list, they sound like a fun animal to hunt. Has anyone in your country ever talked about moose being call shy? I had some experiences the last couple years that makes me wonder if they might go quiet too.

I believe the golden days of calling are over to a large extent just because of number of hunters using the techniques. Most of us hunt where there is pressure from others. But even in areas where other hunters say elk have gone quiet I can still usually get responses. But I'm a bit obsessed with animal communications and think a good caller can set themselves apart from the crowd and increase your odds.

I'm still getting good moose vocalization here Yukon, from late sept to mid October. After that the bulls seem to come in a lot quieter. Late season I will hear a bull bonking his antler on a tree instead of grunting. To me the bull is announcing he's there but wants the moose he heard to show itself. A decoy of black building paper can help close the deal. I've walked right up to bulls and cows all year round by just grunting softly and rocking back and forth as I approach. You can almost see a look of shock when you get too close. One memorable day a calf of the year walked up within 10 yds, licking the inside of its nose to try and pick up my scent. It was January and the cow was standing off at 40 yds watching.

I've also walked up to whitetail in the bush by voise grunting and flicking my hand back and forth horizontally. We've all seen deer when they're calm and feeding and their tales go back and forth from side to side while they're content, and start lifting up when spooked.

developing these skills gives me even more admiration for traditional hunters who either learnt every thing they could about animal behaviour, or starved.

The rut is on. Just taken by a friends niece. 195 green score. A big muley buck for sure.

Wow nice deer! I too admire the traditional hunters and the skill they possessed. I was lucky enough to get to spend a lot of time with some old Cree hunters, as Im sure you did too. I think thats one reason I find myself having a harder time guiding non-resident hunters anymore. Things like tracking or still hunting through the bush is a lost art. Even most guides are lost in heavy bush country where knowledge of the animal, and its habits can make the difference. Nice to read a story like the one you posted and see there are still a few of us left that will use our legs and bush savvy.

I was looking through some pics from the wolverine live traps and noticed we had a couple fisher come in together