How soon is too soon to start scouting?

[acnewman55]

Hoping to try my hand at scouting mule deer this summer and fall around the Lake Wenatchee area and north of there, along the White, Napeequa and Chiwawa rivers and surrounding ranges.

I do a lot of hiking and backpacking in the area and know the landscape relatively well, but I've never scouted it for mule deer (though I've seen plenty of them).

How soon does it make sense to begin scouting?  Do the mule deer winter in the river valleys up there, or migrate out of the area to lower elevations?  If they do migrate out, when do they start returning?  If I start scouting the area now, will my efforts be wasted?  Will the mule deer be in a different location when hunting season rolls around?

When do most hunters start scouting for the upcoming mule deer season?

Hunting method would be modern firearm.

Thanks everyone!

[vandeman17]

I like to start scouting as soon as the conditions allow me to get in. While the deer will be in a different spot now and in the summer then they will during the modern season, it never hurts to get out and about. It sounds like you know the area you want to hunt so just burning some boot leather and making notes about different areas is what I would be doing throughout the summer. Then when it is time to hunt, you will see where the deer like to be and don't like to be etc. Every year you will learn something new and become a better and better hunter.

[merlo105]

  He hit the nail on the head. I would start as soon as you can and just keep hitting it threw out all seasons so you know where they are in spring you'll know where they are in summer and then when hunting season roles around you will be ready and know where they are then. Bring a journal and right notes can be very addicting....

[wilsongideon]

  what they said I agree with..but that being said I would wait to do serious scouting untill late may early june...let the antler growth getting underway enough to make it fun to spot the bucks.

[dreamunelk]

Any time is good time.  Really all you are doing is going for a walk in the woods to see what you can see.

[bmccalister]

I would agree that June is the best time to start getting into the woods and scouting. This is when antler growth can be seen and will give you an idea of what is in the area. Game cameras are a good tool to use and gives you a good reason to at least get out into the woods once each month. Good hunting.

[acnewman55]

Game cameras are a good tool to use and gives you a good reason to at least get out into the woods once each month.

people just leave their cameras out there on public land?  i know there are ways to secure them to trees/etc for theft prevention but i didn't think it was common practice to use them on public land?

thanks for the feedback!

[sirmissalot]

Spring is a great time to scout, the animals are active and out in the open often (I'm talking westside) and you can get a good feel for the deer numbers in a general area. Its my opinion most the does and fawns I see in the spring and summer should be there in the fall as well, at least in the areas I hunt where there is no migrations. I hunt the does, and the bucks will come (eventually  ) later in the season.

[Eli346]

Scout year round.

[hunter_sean08]

You could start your scouting as soon as possible to start seeing if there are any resident deer in the spots you like. Obviously it's gonna be hard to distinguish the quality early on without any antler growth, but it will get you more used to your spots and keep you in good shape (important in the Chiwawa GMU). We've killed some nice bucks in that unit, and from my experience, the best scouting comes in late August and early September. We got on two nice bucks Labor Day Weekend a few years ago and ended up taking one of them plus another different buck during modern firearm. I wouldn't count on the migratory animals though. It's been really hard to get lucky on the timing of their arrival ever since WDFW shortened the season by a week a few years back. 2004 was probably the last year we saw a lot of migratory muleys in late October and it had been snowing up high for the whole season pretty much.

[MLHSN]

The first problem is going to be the access roads.  It was a unique year in this area.  Trees are down everywhere.  Before the ground had a chance to freeze this winter, many of the trees were loaded with snow just in time for a windstorm to sweep through.  It was ugly.

So you won't be able to start getting to the trailheads until the Chiwawa, White, and Little Wenatchee river roads are logged out.  From what I understand, they have hired logging outfits to clear the roads which the FS is reporting might be as late as June.

As far as wintering in those units.  Most of those deer summer up around the Napeequa, White River, etc and then winter down in around the Swakane/Entiat area.  The PUD did a migration study where they put tracking collars on I think a 100 deer.  You should be able to google for it.  The study was done by Chelan County PUD. 

[acnewman55]

The first problem is going to be the access roads.  It was a unique year in this area.  Trees are down everywhere.  Before the ground had a chance to freeze this winter, many of the trees were loaded with snow just in time for a windstorm to sweep through.  It was ugly.

As far as wintering in those units.  Most of those deer summer up around the Napeequa, White River, etc and then winter down in around the Swakane/Entiat area.  The PUD did a migration study where they put tracking collars on I think a 100 deer.  You should be able to google for it.  The study was done by Chelan County PUD.

My place out there is on the white river and I'm well aware of the downed trees.  Seems to me the FS should allow locals to harvest the wood for a fee.

Thanks for the tip on that radio collar study, I'll be sure to look for that data.  Any other useful resources specific to that area that you're aware of?