Watershed

[HoofsandWings]

I see there are permit hunts for watershed this time around.

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

They had them last year as well. I'm curious to see the success rates.

[Roperfive88]

In 2011 it was 1 out of 5. I have heard the beginning of oct is to early for the watershed. Trying to find 2012 results

[Roperfive88]

0 for 5 last year. My buddy had the tag last year and did not hunt it due to moving to Alaska.

[Woodchuck]

They don't make deer big enough around here to go into that hole after em. That place has broken more than 1 hunter with a branch bull tag in his pocket.

[jackelope]

They don't make deer big enough around here to go into that hole after em. That place has broken more than 1 hunter with a branch bull tag in his pocket.

Pansy.

[Woodchuck]

I can live with that. You go right ahead my friend. 

[jackelope]

All of those Blues permits are a tough proposition with there not being a lot of deer. I learned that in 2010.  Got totally lucky in the Tucannon on the 1st buck we saw on day 3 of my hunt.

[Woodchuck]

Very true and well timed weather can cut a lot of access.

[724wd]

watershed?  for DEER?  naw, no thanks.   

[Woodchuck]

Welcome to the pansy club my friend 

[trophyhunt]

Hunted in there about 3 years ago with my buddy that  had an elk tag, saw very little deer. Of course we had our minds set on elk so it wasn't like we were looking for them, but I found a shed in the wenaha about 6 years ago that was a pig of a deer.

[724wd]

Welcome to the pansy club my friend 

after a back surgery at 32 and having back knees, i'm PERFECTLY fine with that!   

and trophyhunt, my dad saw the biggest mulie buck he's ever seen on the rim of the shed about 15 years ago.  but still... i couldn't imagine humping a deer out of the bottom of that place!     even if you shot one on the rim, one wrong stumble and they'd roll ALL the way to the bottom!   

[jackelope]

I wouldn't mind humping a deer out of there. What I would mind is hunting for 5 or 7 days and never seeing a buck. That'd be my concern.
I love the idea of hunting late Blues buck permits so much that I will probably put in for them again this year. And I'll probably put in for a couple "Buck deer" category permits too.  I hate the idea that there's an acute lack of deer, that or they're just really difficult to find.

[kentrek]

where is this "watershed" at ?? it sounds...interesting

[Austrian Hunter]

where is this "watershed" at ?? it sounds...interesting

Walla Walla.... I think    A hell hole from what I have heard.  But it has some big bulls in there!  The access is very restricted due to being the Watershed. 

[gaddy]

hell hole discribes it ok.

[jackelope]

where is this "watershed" at ?? it sounds...interesting

Mill Creek Watershed in the Blues. It's like a hole in the earth with elk and a rumored deer or 2. You can't enter it for scouting till the season opens. Very tight restrictions because it is a watershed. I think you can have 1 other person in there with you and thats it unless you're packing out an animal....something along those lines.

[kentrek]

so can you use a spotting scope an scout from the edge ?? no scouting makes things complicated

[Woodchuck]

Bingo, FYI it is pretty heavily timbered in alot of areas. 

[kentrek]

lol  oh boy..i found it..big hole in the ground thats pretty hard to miss  il def have to check this place out in the future..

[Woodchuck]

It has been rumored that if you have the guts to risk bigtime fines that the fishing in there is pretty awesome. 

[724wd]

and remember it's patrolled constantly, so weigh that against any fish you might catch!   

[jackelope]

lol  oh boy..i found it..big hole in the ground thats pretty hard to miss  il def have to check this place out in the future..

Just bring your glass because you'll have to watch from the sidelines.

[kentrek]

so on the game regs it says it has alot of private land  or are they just saying that since its a watershed area

idk bout doing that nearly 2k foot drop for some fish lol

[JLS]

Bingo, FYI it is pretty heavily timbered in alot of areas. 

Luckily though, it's not very steep. 

[270Flat]

Would make for an 'epic' backpacking trip. Dropping down to catch some dinner!!  if it were only legal...

[firefighter4607]

so on the game regs it says it has alot of private land  or are they just saying that since its a watershed area

idk bout doing that nearly 2k foot drop for some fish lol

It is surrounded by private land, you have 3 options while scouting there option 1 is stay right on the trail that circles around the shed, 2 watch from private land and hope if the ranger does come by he will not ask the landowner if he wants to press trespassing charges. The thrid option is find a landowner that will let you camp out there and you can spot. The rangers patrol the shed daily. And yes there is more than 1 ranger, when I killed my bull a few years ago a ranger found me within an hour of shooting it. I was highly surprised that he found my dad and I.
As for deer there I have been there for a couple different times for different tags and have seen 4 deer 2 does and 2 medium bucks nothing that I got excited about.

[kentrek]

i think im over it 

[trophyhunt]

You can access the entire watershed if you are drawn, like Jackalope said, you and one other person until an animal is on the ground then you can have a total of 4 to get it out. No private land, just watershed. I only saw 1 big bull in 4 or 5 days, and like someone else said, there is a lot of treed areas. The country is absolutely amazing, but it's very tough, not only the terrain but finding bulls and finding them close enough to shoot. I would much rather pack a deer out of the bottom, anytime, way easier than that elk we packed out 5 miles in from the bottom. Again, I don't think I would put points on that deer hunt, the only reason I would, would be to look at elk and try to find antlers.

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

so on the game regs it says it has alot of private land  or are they just saying that since its a watershed area

idk bout doing that nearly 2k foot drop for some fish lol

It is surrounded by private land, you have 3 options while scouting there option 1 is stay right on the trail that circles around the shed, 2 watch from private land and hope if the ranger does come by he will not ask the landowner if he wants to press trespassing charges. The thrid option is find a landowner that will let you camp out there and you can spot. The rangers patrol the shed daily. And yes there is more than 1 ranger, when I killed my bull a few years ago a ranger found me within an hour of shooting it. I was highly surprised that he found my dad and I.
As for deer there I have been there for a couple different times for different tags and have seen 4 deer 2 does and 2 medium bucks nothing that I got excited about.

No it's a lot of national forest land that surrounds it, the access points are mostly private land, unless you come in from the top out of Dayton.

[Roperfive88]

where is this "watershed" at ?? it sounds...interesting

Mill Creek Watershed in the Blues. It's like a hole in the earth with elk and a rumored deer or 2. You can't enter it for scouting till the season opens. Very tight restrictions because it is a watershed. I think you can have 1 other person in there with you and thats it unless you're packing out an animal....something along those lines.

You can take one person in to hunt and three to pack out now.