First off I would like to say this forum is awesome! I have found a lot of great info on here and everyone is helpful. Even the ones that commented on my last post several months ago, even though I didn't get back on until September.
Anyways, this is my first year deer hunting (hunting in general other than rabbit, coyote, and other random small game). I did hunt with my grandfather once when I was 13 in New Mexico, but I don't really count that. Anyway, that's off topic.
I had planned to prescout two DNR spots, but unfortunately was unable to due to some extenuating circumstances, which I'm sure will cause of my downfall this year. I went hunting Sunday and today in those two spots. Both days the only bucks I saw were standing in the road as I was driving early in the morning." They, of course, ran off onto private land.
Sunday I drove to one area, that looked like the best place according to the maps and aerial photos, but by the time I got there, at 6:30, there were already 2 cars and a third drove up that had three people in it. So I drove to my 2nd choice. I only saw one vehicle, but a couple hours after I was there I heard two shots and ran into 3 hunters that hadn't bagged a deer yet.
Today I decide to try my luck at the 1st spot, where a lot of people were Sunday. I got there at 6 and no one was in sight. I started to think that it was going to be a good day, but I got my hopes up too soon. I parked on the NE corner, the only place you can park from what I understand, and immediately started hiking west. After a while I hiked south, trying to circle around the middle and staying on the ridges, with the wind in my face, looking for deer in the valleys. I planned on having the other hunters push the deer into me but, to my dismay, I believe the opposite happened. I pushed the deer into the other hunters. Over the course of the next 4 hours I heard 7 or 8 gunshots behind me and almost walked on top of a guy laying in a rock crevice on the side of a cliff. I'm not sure if he didn't see me or was ignoring me cuz he just laid there reading a book with his pack 20 feet behind him.
Makes me want to quit modern already and just hunt muzzy next year. It also makes me regret being a stubborn teen only interested in...well what every other teenage boy is interested in and not spending enough time with my grandfather. I'll actually have a 4wd at the end of the month. The plan is to drive as far as I can and then hike around mt Spokane for late season.
Ok, so enough of my little rant. and sorry about the long post. Consider this...memoirs of a newbie Below is the main reason for the post.
What do you guys think about Mt Spokane for late modern? Will there still be deer there or will there have been too much pressure during the regular season? Will there be a lot of pressure during the late season? Is it even worth hunting these DNR spots with all the pressure they've gotten over the weekend? Will most of the deer move to private land or will some still be in the area? Also, if anyone has any tips I would greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
