Don't bother going up the 8600 merrill lake area. The place has turned into a city and the oregonian hikers have taken over. If you get up around the goat marsh you're gonna think you are in portland. I started off my hunt in the area I had been scouting for about a month watching three different bulls in an place I thought nobody would ever think to ever try. So I get into the woods and I'm above my timber I want to setup in and around the corner a car comes up and parks right next to me. A little bit shocked that somebody was there, I stand and wait for them to come ask me something or give me a good morning but nothing. As I watch them grab their gear and lock up their car, they walk 5 yards up the road from me and straight into my timber I was gonna hunt 
pretty dissapointed in that and mad I didn't say something I decided to just walk to some other timber. On my way I heard about 5 other cars driving the roads and more and more I realized my spot wasnt as seacretive as I thought 
All around dissapointed with my first hunt of the season and I don't know when I'm gonna get back out there. The west side struggle is real 
congrats to all you that are filling your freezers though. I'm seein some nice bulls on here! Good luck!
When I first moved into this area I did the same thing in the same area. Scouted all summer and up to the beginning of archery season there. The whole time very few people, was not the most convenient place to get to and there were good numbers of deer, elk and bear in there. Then the night before early archery happened
The quiet secluded place turned into spring break in Fort Lauderdale with camo instead of bikini's.
I figured, how many of these guys are actually going to get out of their trucks and hunt? I've hunted crowded spots before and as long as you got out of the truck all was good. And with the amount of alcohol consumption the night before opening day I figured most wouldn't even get out of bed in the A.M. Boy was I wrong! Seemed the deeper into the bush I got the more hunters I ran into. And when I would toot on a bugle they came running like I was the Pied Piper of Camo Clan. To this day I have never experienced anything quite like it. Maybe NF-93 in the same unit comes close.
By 10:A.M. the second day I was out of there. While driving out the 8600 it was like camo was boiling up from the edges of the road. I've never gone back! Not even to take a picture or two. Now that the hikers, shroomers and rock hounds have moved in I expect it's even worse now.
