Dead deer North of Winthrop

[ghosthunter]

 

Talked to a bow hunter today whose buddy is bow hunting North of Winthrop.
Say his buddy found three dead bucks since the opener. All shot with a bow.

Two were less than 3 pt.
One was missing its head. All were left to rot.

This only what I was told. I have no other information.

[RadSav]

A poacher is a poacher regardless of what weapon they use.  If the story is true I hope the guy gets caught and receives what's coming to him.

[Hermit]

I wonder if there were any tree thinning operations going on near by. There's a group of people, 6 of them, running a tree thinning business around the Methow. They make a deal then come out 3 or 4 days early and a good percentage of mature trees disappear. There have been gutpiles found nearby. That's what happened up by Russian Springs, the landowner threw them off the job at gunpoint when he found a bunch of his timber missing. Guy was  cleaning up the mess with a chipper a week ago. Everyone is keeping a eye out for the guys. I guess they're camped out up there somewhere.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Yeah I do not know anymore ....I just got word that one of the permit holders where I live shot the huge bull not far from my house and did not find it ....I know it happens but it still makes me want to puke ...Especially when I here things like ...Man I shot a huge elk last night and I know I hit him dead center ,,,but I never found him ... I am tired of hearing this crap ...If I wounded something I would be to sick to tell anyone !!!!!! Sounds like a lot of bowhunters need some serious Discipline around here ...

[Bullkllr]

Yeah I do not know anymore ....I just got word that one of the permit holders where I live shot the huge bull not far from my house and did not find it ....I know it happens but it still makes me want to puke ...Especially when I here things like ...Man I shot a huge elk last night and I know I hit him dead center ,,,but I never found him ... I am tired of hearing this crap ...If I wounded something I would be to sick to tell anyone !!!!!! Sounds like a lot of bowhunters need some serious Discipline around here ...

Agreed!
And every time it comes up it gets written off with "it happens...". Seems like "it happens" has been happening a little to frequently.
I look at it the other way. If I were to lose an animal I shot with an arrow- I screwed up bad. At best the tag would be burned and I'd hide in shame. If you have much of a conscience, there is no solace in "It happens".

[Tbar]

Yeah I do not know anymore ....I just got word that onte of the permit holders where I live shot the huge bull not far from my house and did not find it ....I know it happens but it still makes me want to puke ...Especially when I here things like ...Man I shot a huge elk last night and I know I hit him dead center ,,,but I never found him ... I am tired of hearing this crap ...If I wounded something I would be to sick to tell anyone !!!!!! Sounds like a lot of bowhunters need some serious Discipline around here ...

Is that the bull off e elk run dr? 

[Hermit]

I've lost one deer in my life. I'd be back a hour before light next morning and start walking circles around where I last saw it. Almost always works.

[blacktail luv]

I think the multi season tags have a lot to do with it.  You get every guy that draws those tags out there bow hunting.  "Dude, I drew a multi season tag, can I borrow your bow and go fling some arrows this weekend?"

[RadSav]

I think TV shows have a little to do with the lack of blood trailing.  They don't want to show what can happen so they make it look like all animals are found right away.  Guys follow the easy blood and then give up once it starts getting tough.  Lorraine and I have found a good number of animals for guys that gave up too early.  My last big buck we lost blood within the first 30 yards.  Searched around for two hours without finding anything.  Finally I say to her, "I'm a mortally wounded deer.  Where am I going to go from here?"  Not more than five minutes later we were gutting him out.  A little common sense goes a long way when blood trailing.

I also use binos for blood trailing quite a bit.  Sit down at last blood and focus 6' away and view all vegetation in focus, then 8 feet away, then 10 feet away...  Especially where there is a lot of dry grass it can make all the difference.  But, I agree with Bowhunter45.  More guys need some discipline and some patience.  Both before the shot and after! 

Stainless broadhead blades add to the troubles too.  Guys think they are sharp because they do not rust.  It is staggering how many guys I run into who are using the same blades they used last year.  If those blades were blued carbon few if any would ever think of  using them all season let alone a year or two later.  Any good heat treatable stainless has carbon in it.  And it is going to rust!!!  It's just difficult to see on stainless blades.  Watch stainless blades in a saline bath through the microscope.  Good stainless blades go bad pretty darned fast

We now live in the Facebook and Twitter age.  Nothing in life is secret anymore.  And everyone seems to want to be a movie star.  Better to get attention for being stupid than get no attention at all.  Drives me crazy how many kids didn't get enough attention from Mommy and Daddy so they brag about being dumb.  Where I grew up if you did something stupid the neighbor kids or your brothers beat the living daylights out of you.  After a while you started keeping your stupidity to yourself

Plus it is so easy for people to reach out these days maybe it just seems like a lot because the lines of communication are just better now.    However, the deer mentioned in the OP sound like shots taken by poachers driving the roads at night.  Jump out and shoot...don't see them fall, drive around for the next one.  Don't want to blood trail because you do not want to draw attention to yourself. 

I talked with the gamie around Winthrop back in the eighties.  He lived in a place where he could watch the WDFW pear orchard at night from his window.  He said during archery season there would be twelve rigs a night shinning their spotlight at the deer in there and jumping out of trucks with their bows.  Sounds like he wrote a lot of tickets back in the day too.

[steeleywhopper]

I think the multi season tags have a lot to do with it.  You get every guy that draws those tags out there bow hunting.  "Dude, I drew a multi season tag, can I borrow your bow and go fling some arrows this weekend?"

I think you hit the nail on the head right here.

[Skyvalhunter]

Alot of speculation being thrown out without knowing the facts

[Bullkllr]

Alot of speculation being thrown out without knowing the facts

I'm reading opinions, and find some of them worth consideration, including yours 

[dis_pat_]

I think the multi season tags have a lot to do with it.  You get every guy that draws those tags out there bow hunting.  "Dude, I drew a multi season tag, can I borrow your bow and go fling some arrows this weekend?"

I really doubt this cute little vignette is accurate.

[boneaddict]

Really, nothing but negative speculation can be taken from any of this.   From determining they are bow kills, to two points being left, to poaching, to spree killing.      Its sad as its the future crop.   Wolves are bad enough, but idiots are even worse.

[rtspring]

We need to quit laying blame on types of hunters! These people doing this crap are not hunters!!  They are idiots