City Deer

[wafisherman]

So anyone actually take a deer in or near city limits?  Like in your own backyard?  I'm talking your typical neighborhood setting - not acreage in the country....

Last year I was in Kirkland driving past Costco and a huge 5x5 was standing in someone's front yard.  Looked fake at first and I had to do a double take and see it move before I was convinced.

Then last week my wife spots the young buck in these pics below a block away from our house (we live just outside city limits of Monroe).
A few days later, she sees a much bigger buck become road kill on 522 just 5 miles away.

Yesterday my son tells me he spotted rub just 1/2 a block away in someone's front yard.  I go and look, and sure enough, right by the road and right in the front the yard, a small tree is all ripped up.  That same day the kids spot a 4x4 or bigger buck in that same area while walking the dogs.

All that just to say, I'm thinking of setting out some apples, a trail cam, and doing archery off my deck next year.  We back to a sort of green belt \ seasonal creek.  I've never seen a buck in there, but plenty of does and fawns over the years.  And this is the first year we have been seeing bucks at all in the area (lived here over 8 years now).  So maybe it is time...

[jrebel]

Bad Idea 

Inevitably It will run off and die in your tree hugging neighbors driveway.  It will shed bad light on all hunters.  Let them be and enjoy the view they offer.  Hopefully they will spread their genes and provide better hunting in the surrounding forested areas.   

[bigtex]

Most people think city hunting is automatically illegal, not true. Each city must enact their own law governing hunting or the discharge or weapons (guns, bows, etc).

[mulehunter]

 knock some houses owner and ask for permission to threw arrow in.   


 

[wafisherman]

This is what my old yard use to hold quite often when I lived out near North Bend.  One cow elk, we name Annie, would calve in our area each year and hang out back there quite often. 


This is Annie:






And her friends:



Once in a while the big bulls would be there.  Didn't have my bow back then, but would have been cake to take one from my bedroom window 

[jrebel]

Most people think city hunting is automatically illegal, not true. Each city must enact their own law governing hunting or the discharge or weapons (guns, bows, etc).

Still makes it a bad idea.  I can see the headlines now, "Bambi brutally shot by a homeowner dies in neighbors yard.....two young children traumatized for ever."   

[bigtex]

Most people think city hunting is automatically illegal, not true. Each city must enact their own law governing hunting or the discharge or weapons (guns, bows, etc).

Still makes it a bad idea.  I can see the headlines now, "Bambi brutally shot by a homeowner dies in neighbors yard.....two young children traumatized for ever."   

Definitely not disagreeing

[wafisherman]

My neighbors are pretty cool.  Not hunters, but they do get tired of having their trees and gardens ruined by deer, so they may not mind.  I discharge my 22 now and then when dealing with my little backyard farm issues and they are pretty used to it (killing a hog for butchering day, killing a trapped raccoon chicken killer, putting down injured duck or chicken, and so forth).  We bring them fresh eggs from time to time and talk and ask them if the animals bother them at all.  They all say they love them and like hearing them (roosters mainly) as it makes them feel like they are out in the country.

But yeah, following a blood trail through someone's yard would not be cool.  I suppose I could just use the 270 and only take a solid kill shot.  Would definitely wake up the neighborhood, but would drop the deer fast....  but will probably pack up one of my boys and do another wilderness hunt next year either way.  Good quality time and getting away from it all for a few days.  It isn't all about the meat 

[jackmaster]

This outta go over like a fart in church

[Humptulips]

I see deer all the time when I drive in to Aberdeen. Years ago I knew guys that used to hunt Renie Island which is uninhabitated but part of Aberdeen. One year a preacher and his son killed two deer in their backyard. It was completely legal. They had tags and took them with archery. My understanding is no one even knew but they buried the guts in the backyard, and a dog dug them up and next thing you know there is a big stink. Upshot was they passed an ordinance against dangerous weapons. Now no one can hunt Renie Island.

[wafisherman]

This outta go over like a fart in church

Hmmm, so would archery make it the 'silent, but deadly' kind?   

[wafisherman]

I see deer all the time when I drive in to Aberdeen. Years ago I knew guys that used to hunt Renie Island which is uninhabitated but part of Aberdeen. One year a preacher and his son killed two deer in their backyard. It was completely legal. They had tags and took them with archery. My understanding is no one even knew but they buried the guts in the backyard, and a dog dug them up and next thing you know there is a big stink. Upshot was they passed an ordinance against dangerous weapons. Now no one can hunt Renie Island.

So if the island is uninhabited, and where the passed the ordinance, how does this relate to the preacher killing a deer in his backyard, which must not have been on the island?   

[snowpack]

I see deer all the time when I drive in to Aberdeen. Years ago I knew guys that used to hunt Renie Island which is uninhabitated but part of Aberdeen. One year a preacher and his son killed two deer in their backyard. It was completely legal. They had tags and took them with archery. My understanding is no one even knew but they buried the guts in the backyard, and a dog dug them up and next thing you know there is a big stink. Upshot was they passed an ordinance against dangerous weapons. Now no one can hunt Renie Island.

So if the island is uninhabited, and where the passed the ordinance, how does this relate to the preacher killing a deer in his backyard, which must not have been on the island?   

the backyard hunters got all city hunting shut down...which includes the island.  No on lives there, but because the city cracked down, nobody can hunt there now is my guess.

[arees]

I drove my son to the far side of the state for his second year deer hunting, still trying to get him is first animal.  He came so close to getting one.  He had a legal deer at a reasonable range but just couldn't get a shot off in time.  There was a fair amount of jitters involved.  He accepts it as practicing and getting better.

We get home and the local deer are hanging out in the back yard.  There is a 3x3 chasing the does around under the apple trees.  This is an any buck area and while it is firearm restricted we can use a shotgun with slugs (unincorporated King County) and we have them handy.  We watch the deer and talk about what cover we would use to sneak in and where the safe shooting lanes would be.  The deer here are fairly tame and it wouldn't take much sneaking.  But in the end, 5 acres just isn't enough to be certain that the deer would drop on our property.  We let him pass and talked about finding time for a late season hunt.

Yesterday a spike buck spent the morning chasing the doe around the yard just to see of our resolve had held.  It did.

Sometime the deer in the yard can be an irritation.

[Humptulips]

I see deer all the time when I drive in to Aberdeen. Years ago I knew guys that used to hunt Renie Island which is uninhabitated but part of Aberdeen. One year a preacher and his son killed two deer in their backyard. It was completely legal. They had tags and took them with archery. My understanding is no one even knew but they buried the guts in the backyard, and a dog dug them up and next thing you know there is a big stink. Upshot was they passed an ordinance against dangerous weapons. Now no one can hunt Renie Island.

So if the island is uninhabited, and where the passed the ordinance, how does this relate to the preacher killing a deer in his backyard, which must not have been on the island?   

the backyard hunters got all city hunting shut down...which includes the island.  No on lives there, but because the city cracked down, nobody can hunt there now is my guess.

Yep, the point is there can be far reaching consequences to upsetting your neighbors.

[snowpack]

I see deer all the time when I drive in to Aberdeen. Years ago I knew guys that used to hunt Renie Island which is uninhabitated but part of Aberdeen. One year a preacher and his son killed two deer in their backyard. It was completely legal. They had tags and took them with archery. My understanding is no one even knew but they buried the guts in the backyard, and a dog dug them up and next thing you know there is a big stink. Upshot was they passed an ordinance against dangerous weapons. Now no one can hunt Renie Island.

So if the island is uninhabited, and where the passed the ordinance, how does this relate to the preacher killing a deer in his backyard, which must not have been on the island?   

the backyard hunters got all city hunting shut down...which includes the island.  No on lives there, but because the city cracked down, nobody can hunt there now is my guess.

Yep, the point is there can be far reaching consequences to upsetting your neighbors.

True.  A few years back a couple deer were shot in Port Townsend.  That town is like 80% of the county's population and at the extreme corner of the east part of the county.  The town residents were upset and tried to pass a countywide 'no firearms discharge' ordinance.  Anyone who knows Jefferson county, knows that the western part is probably one of the most remote and sparsely populated part of the state--Queets/Hoh/Clearwater areas.  It would've been a bowhunter's wet dream had it passed.

[BBD87]

True.  A few years back a couple deer were shot in Port Townsend.  That town is like 80% of the county's population and at the extreme corner of the east part of the county.  The town residents were upset and tried to pass a countywide 'no firearms discharge' ordinance.  Anyone who knows Jefferson county, knows that the western part is probably one of the most remote and sparsely populated part of the state--Queets/Hoh/Clearwater areas.  It would've been a bowhunter's wet dream had it passed.
[/quote]

A little late to the converstation but, Port Townsend actually makes up less than 1/3 of the population of Jefferson County. Also the Port Townsend residence cannot pass an ordinance without the approval of the voters (including Queets/Hoh/Clearwater residence) and the Board of County Commissioners.

[Milkman]

Yeaaaa frustrating indeed. I'm out all night in Sammamish and see an amazing amount of deer. Bears too..... just wish I could take one. But it's a no hunting city.

[tgomez]

My cousin lives in Medical Lake, WA. He has BIG mule deer in his back yard all the time. He had two great bucks sparring with each other in his yard this year. Sometimes it's funny coming home from a deer hunting trip empty handed to see a few bucks in his yard teasing us. City deer show no fear because they know they are safe.

[fishnfur]

Yeaaaa frustrating indeed. I'm out all night in Sammamish and see an amazing amount of deer. Bears too..... just wish I could take one. But it's a no hunting city.

Funny!  This is a no hunting city too.  Except for the occasional fawn, the deer seem to know better than to show their face during daylight.  I've yet to figure that one out.