66B

[MikePal]

I read they are going to be opening a off-leash dog park there this fall. It will mean increased usegae in that area, but shouldn't affect the hunting that mostly takes place at the backside of the forest.

[rf2]

I just bought an additional tag for this area in the event that I use my main tag prior to the season in 66B. I am determined to follow through this year and actually get all the information related to this hunt. Once that is done, I'll decide if it is worthwhile to sacrifice a day or two of rifle hunting to see if I can get a deer with my crossbow in this forest. I'll do some scouting during August with my mountain bike to see what this area looks like and talk to Mr. Patchell to get all the rules about how this hunt takes place.

[MikePal]

Things might change there with the funding cuts from the province. Not sure of the impact yet. A lot of it was run privately so what will be left that Mr. Patchell has control over will be unknown.

I asked around last year and nobody from my old days hunt there anymore...

[awndray]

Thanks for reviving this thread. I was looking for info on 66B this morning. I decided to buy a tag and see what happens.

I walk the dogs at Ferguson quite a bit, but never spotted any wildlife other than birds and skunks. Though I haven't ventured much further than the nursery area.

Maybe we can meet up sometime. I haven't hunted the area at all since I moved here 3 years ago. This could be a good opportunity to recce at the very least.

[MikePal]

If you're scouting, head for the top end towards the Golf Course and Rideau River. There are a few access parking lots along #44 that provide a good starting off point or drive up as far there is access thru the Forrest Center and then go in on foot.

There are lots of deer on the golf greens at Dawn/Dusk but you can't hunt up that far as a wounded deer running that way may be difficult to retrieve.

[rf2]

I'll try to let you know when I plan to go over there. If you walk your dog there though, it should be pretty easy for you to scout the area.

Thanks for reviving this thread. I was looking for info on 66B this morning. I decided to buy a tag and see what happens.

I walk the dogs at Ferguson quite a bit, but never spotted any wildlife other than birds and skunks. Though I haven't ventured much further than the nursery area.

Maybe we can meet up sometime. I haven't hunted the area at all since I moved here 3 years ago. This could be a good opportunity to recce at the very least.

[rf2]

I went to the Ferguson Forest on Saturday. I brought my mountain bike and rode around. It's a strange place, and not somewhere I would normally consider hunting - seems too "residential" to me. Anyway, I will have to speak with the guy at the forest center to try to understand exactly where hunting is allowed. There are some large sections of bush in the northern part of the forest that seem to have less human traffic, so I assume that's where hunting is allowed. The mosquitoes were ferocious and apparently immune to bug repellent, so I got chased out of the deep bush in that part of the forest after a while. I saw two deer in the rain in the middle of the day, so that's a good sign.

[Fox]

I went to the Ferguson Forest on Saturday. I brought my mountain bike and rode around. It's a strange place, and not somewhere I would normally consider hunting - seems too "residential" to me. Anyway, I will have to speak with the guy at the forest center to try to understand exactly where hunting is allowed. There are some large sections of bush in the northern part of the forest that seem to have less human traffic, so I assume that's where hunting is allowed. The mosquitoes were ferocious and apparently immune to bug repellent, so I got chased out of the deep bush in that part of the forest after a while. I saw two deer in the rain in the middle of the day, so that's a good sign.

They do advise residents of the area to stay our during the hunting season, have never heard of anyone hunting it since I have been out there but Mike knows some and it will be really nice to hear about your experiences this year, best of luck.

[rf2]

I'll be heading over to talk to the gentleman who runs the Ferguson Forest on Friday morning to get more info. Awndray, if you are available, you should come too.

[MikePal]

So what became of this endevour....did anyone buy a tag and partake in the Bow hunt there ???