2008 muley season thoughts/poll (only 24 hours to vote)

[bornforhorns]

I have my own thoughts and even though I didn't get a muley buck I had an enjoyable season...now it's on to whitetail!  I saw 4 bucks personally, 2 legals one buck that was in the mid 160's...he was a ways off.  Good luck permit hunters.

[WDFW-SUX]

I voted ABC and I also think that the season running through the end of October put a huge hurt on the number of bucks that are available.

Then there are the additional numbers of late tags that have been doled out over the last couple of years that are 100% success.

There are so many reasons OTC tags.......Where does a guy start

[firefighter4607]

I think it was moon cycles. It seems that the deer were more active right at dark or early morning before you could really tell what it was that you saw 

[high country]

jeez, I saw more and better bucks this year then last few.....consider me the curve.

[270Shooter]

I also voted on the moon cycles.

We saw 3 legal bucks but they weren't moving after 8am. With the moon out all night and without cloud cover they were feeding all night and bedded all day.

[huntnphool]

Can you add one more to your poll, how about "early STOP date". Its not that the season started when it did its that it stopped before the deer migrated. Is it any wonder we have seen way more posts this last weekend rather than the first weekend, and I seriously doubt its because it took everyone so long to get the story and pics up. To get a good hunt you now have to "pay to play", make sure you buy that permit application next year, other than the occasional early buck its the only way you are going to have a quality hunt anymore. Sorry for the rant but the whole issue just   me off.

[swanny]

For the area I was hunting, I think it more had to do with the archery and muzzleloader seasons before modern. I know there were legal deer during the summer and the word from the community was that the big bruisers were taken by the archery and muzzle guys. I saw plenty of bucks, I just couldn't find a 3rd point on any of them.

If I had a doe tag, there would be meat in the freezer, so I don't think the moon had much to do with my hunt.

[Slider]

I went up in the Entiat friday at daylight and seen 4 does!!! And one deer that sliped away before I got the spotter up!!! Thats sad!!! It's A,B,C and D

[blacktailer]

I'm with huntnphool 100% on the early end date.  We hunted over in the Okanagen the last 2 years before they cut 3 days off the end of the season.  Both years, we took a couple of mature muleys and saw several others in camp.  Other than the opening weekend, most all of the bucks were taken on the last few days of the season, and the caliber of bucks was a huge difference.  Both years, it was like a light switch turned on.  Went from seeing nothing but does and little bucks to seeing a decent buck with almost every group of does.  My guess is that when everyone filled out their hunter reports, F & G looked at how many mature bucks were taken the last three days and decided to axe the extra days.  I do understand that we cannot have open seasons extending so late that  all of the breeding/migrator bucks are going to be vulnerable but lets give us the last few days back.  Or, give out a lot more controlled tags for the later season.  It is getting awfully tough to take a nice mature mule deer  buck in this state during the general season on public lands.  I really wish they would jack the price up on the hunt applications to say $50.00 per application per species.  I think Goat, Moose and Sheep use to be this way.  Make all but $5.00 refundable.  I think that would tend to make people think a little more about purchasing their applications as opposed to plunking down $5.00.  Application numbers would go down and drawing odds would go up significantly.  My 2 cents

[JBar]

  I really wish they would jack the price up on the hunt applications to say $50.00 per application per species. 

Are you frickin kidding me??? You must be independtly wealthy or single. It's bad enough for a guy like me with 2 kids and a wife that hunt and fish to pay around $700 ( this is close I'm afraid to figure out an exact figure) in state license fees already. But to add close to $1000 for my family to put in for resident special permits is crazy  . The idea of getting more young people recruited into hunting would fly right out the window with that idea! Sorry for the rant!

I too am with Huntnphool, the 3 days taken away.

[huntnphool]

 

the 3 days taken away.

Unfortunatly most hunters don't realize its not the fact that the season is only 8 or 9 days, the problem is which 8 or 9 days they open it for. I can see F$W adding in those extra 3 days and then patting themselves on the back, only problem is they would add them to the beggining of the season and hope most would not notice. For most hunters its okay, they are just meat hunting and are out there for the vacation time or family time etc. but for anyone that is looking for a mature buck, that will burn a tag unless they find one its a waist of time. For someone like me its permit or not even hunt. I understand that according to them the heards need a little help. I just have a hard time knowing when we used to hunt, knowing there were a lot more hunters then, knowing there are more deer than there were then and yet our season gets pushed back to the middle of the month.

[Ridgerunner]

I just have a hard time knowing when we used to hunt, knowing there were a lot more hunters then, knowing there are more deer than there were then and yet our season gets pushed back to the middle of the month.

I agree 100%.  Same with elk, used to be many many more elk hunters, later seasons and no spike only hunting, what gives.

[hogsniper]

THis is a very hard subject in my opinion...I like the fact that a young hunter can shoot a deer but when is it enough?? THe numbers are wayyy down from what I have seen and they continue to give out a ton of doe tags. I would love to hold out for that big  buck but it has gotten to the point that if you see a legal buck its either shoot it or burn the tag...There are a few big ones out there but I havent seen any in the last few years and yes I do get out more than 95 percent of people....Then you have the elk seasons here in this state that just freakin blow....Im ready to move to montana!!!!

[huntnphool]

Then you have the elk seasons here in this state that just freakin blow....Im ready to move to montana!!!!

100,000 acre HuntWa compound, everyone has their own little log cabin, I'm in. Now we just have to figure out a way to make some money

[CP]

I hunted four full days during early ML season and only saw 2 bucks, one legal, one not and maybe 7 doe if you count the fawns.  This was my first deer hunt in WA so I can’t compare to previous years but those are pretty sad numbers compared to just about everywhere else that I’ve hunted.  We had a better moon in ML season so I don’t think that was a factor.  There was little hunting pressure but there was a lot of scouting going on and that definitely had an affect.

I had scouted the areas that I hunted very thoroughly before the season and there just weren’t many deer there, so my vote is low numbers.

[hunterofelk]

I voted for other reasons.  The lack of great winter range.  I haven't seen the numbers of deer, on the east slopes of the Cascades, rebound since the winter of 1996.  More and more land is being eaten up by human development.  Also, road kill and poaching have more impact during the low cycle years.

[bucksnort]

I like how the season always starts on a full moon.  There is no way it is chance.  The WDFW and the bio's like maximum revenue with minimum harvest.  The early start date didn't help either.  I won't complain too much since my son shot a nice 3 pt though.

[dreamingbig]

 

the 3 days taken away.

Unfortunatly most hunters don't realize its not the fact that the season is only 8 or 9 days, the problem is which 8 or 9 days they open it for. I can see F$W adding in those extra 3 days and then patting themselves on the back, only problem is they would add them to the beggining of the season and hope most would not notice. For most hunters its okay, they are just meat hunting and are out there for the vacation time or family time etc. but for anyone that is looking for a mature buck, that will burn a tag unless they find one its a waist of time. For someone like me its permit or not even hunt. I understand that according to them the heards need a little help. I just have a hard time knowing when we used to hunt, knowing there were a lot more hunters then, knowing there are more deer than there were then and yet our season gets pushed back to the middle of the month.

I agree totally.  That is why early archery elk should be the 15th thru the end of the month!

[grizzlygibbs]

I voted for other reasons.  The lack of great winter range.  I haven't seen the numbers of deer, on the east slopes of the Cascades, rebound since the winter of 1996.  More and more land is being eaten up by human development.  Also, road kill and poaching have more impact during the low cycle years.

x2 exactly what i was thinking

[HuntingFanatic]

Other. Its the economy!....lol jk i think its a combo of a lot of things!

[bornforhorns]

I've had an idea for awhile and I have some background in the WDFW.  I think they've made some good changes in the 3pt. or better/shorter seasons to increase herd and mature buck numbers.  I think an alternative draw system could look like the following to satisfy those who need to hunt every year (like me) and those that like the "draw or sit at home" method ie: Oregon.

I think they could reduce the number of late permits since there basically 100% success (or get rid of it), and keep the general season the way it is.  AND.....

AND my grand addition to the current system would be to include a draw that's basically a 70% to 30% split, where if you were drawn you not only get to hunt the first nine days (70%) like everybody else(if you want), but you also get to hunt an additional 7-10 days beyond that where only 30% of the license holders are out there than.  Other advantages would be the possible weather systems, etc. too many to count.  It's not a November hunt but the turnover on getting drawn would be excellent, and you might enjoy a quality hunt every 3 or 4 years.  The draw could be operated like the multi-season draw so you knew whether or not it would be worth it to even apply for a special late tag, or collect "ghost" points if you were drawn.  This would further reduce the number of applicants for special permits. Yeah!

I don't know what the exact percentage would be to split them, maybe you could even go 60% to 40% almost reducing hunters in the field by half, it would make a MAJOR  difference in the number of hunters in the field and the quality of the hunt because the lucky drawing hunters would probably wait and take their time off during their ten days. So....basically two seasons.  Harvest would obviously increase, so you would need to tinker with either the current late permit system or even antler restrictions for the later hunt so as not to over target the mature bucks.

Good idea!

[Nash]

I was up scouting durring the Modern season hoping to see all you guys having some good luck, but only saw one deer hanging.  I have seen very few deer this year so far, and Im sure that its due to all of the reasons that have been discussed. So, now I am just praying for a miracle for the late archery season, and since it sounds like there hasnt been much kill with all the rifle guys out there maybe I will get lucky.   

[huntnphool]

Interesting idea BFH.

[WDFW-SUX]

The current number of late tags is a total joke IMO.

[huntnphool]

The current number of late tags is a total joke IMO.

 

[Wahoo]

I copied this comment from an article in the Seattle Times Sunday paper.

Dave Ware is a state Fish and Wildlife game manager.

East of the Cascade Mountains, hunter turnout was modest compared to the 10-year average, and success declined about 35 percent compared to last year, when about 14 percent of the hunters in the Chewuch Unit in Okanogan County bagged a deer.
"The decline was due to a lack of 3 ½ year old bucks, which occurred because of poor fawn recruitment in 2005 and 2006, and so we predicted that outcome would happen on this opener," Ware said.

[bornforhorns]

I saw that too Wahoo, thanks for sharing.

[big_bucks]

Easterm Cascade winter range is poor compared to places like MT, predator management sucks thanks to the liberal *censored*bags on the westside, and crappy seasons that are both too early and ALWAYS have the wrong lunar cycles. 

I know we always had the best hunting during the last few days of the season when it was a wek later.  We used to see tons of quality bucks Okanogan county when the season was longer.  It was awesome.  Swakane late archery was legit too.  HUGE bucks up there made it so fun to go hunt in the snow with a bow.

IMO the early season dates blow and are a waste of time for anyone hunting for quality.  Risk of forest fires is way higher.  Honestly can't say one good thing about having the modern season that early. Maybe it's a good time to get a little exercise before the late hunts or out of state hunts.

Somebody at F$W needs to figure it out.  How do we get them out, and replace them with ppl who give a crap about something other than money?

[Malottguy]

The Chiliwist herd and some in the Methow had a feed program especially in harsh winters. Now they do not do that and since it has stopped we see alot more deer trying to cross the highway to get into orchards and alfalfa fields more than ever. So more road kill.

I live in Malott and my wife works in Brewster and she has seen a huge increase in deer along the Old Highway since they stopped it.

Part of our license fees is supposed to go to feed programs. What has happened to make them stop??