Kapowsin deer season wrap up.

[trophyhunt]

So those of you that also have the pass, how would you rate the deer hunting this year?  With the multi season tag I spent a few days in the same area.  I didn't see much during the rifle season early or late, 2 points and few does.  I always look forward to late muzzy, it seems deer come out and stay out this late in the year.  With late muzzy you also have the place to yourself.  The past 2 days I've seen 7 bucks, 3 two points one two point was huge. One buck was at least a 3 point but never got a good look at him.  I'm only looking for pigs so I didn't kill anything, again!  Yesterday I saw 2 yotes, a bobcat, a cougar and at least 40 elk.  Missed the bobcat, a yote was going nuts on the road in front of me looking down the road.  He walked right passed me, I was crouched down in a ditch (walk in unit),  I didn't see the cougar he was barking at until it saw me first! No shot.  I would rate this season pretty low as to the deer numbers, wish we could run dogs in there for cats.  What did you guys think about the deer numbers this year in kapowsin ?

[trophyhunt]

I will be calling Hancock in the morning, someone is driving in the gated areas.  I know it's a tree farm and people work in there but it seems to me they should stay out of the wildlife escapement areas during hunting seasons.  Sucks to walk in 5 miles in a gated area and see tire tracks in the late rifle and in the snow for late muzzy, bs.

[woodman]

I will be calling Hancock in the morning, someone is driving in the gated areas.  I know it's a tree farm and people work in there but it seems to me they should stay out of the wildlife escapement areas during hunting seasons.  Sucks to walk in 5 miles in a gated area and see tire tracks in the late rifle and in the snow for late muzzy, bs.

If only you could hitch a ride with them to where you want to get to.

[TheKid#10]

I thought the number of animals I saw in my limited time this year was way low. Been decreasing every year for the last few. Predators for sure and maybe some poaching. But the cat and bear populations need to be reduced.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

I will be calling Hancock in the morning, someone is driving in the gated areas.  I know it's a tree farm and people work in there but it seems to me they should stay out of the wildlife escapement areas during hunting seasons.  Sucks to walk in 5 miles in a gated area and see tire tracks in the late rifle and in the snow for late muzzy, bs.

Huh? Really? You're going to complain to the land owners about a worker driving in to do his job? Seriously? Maybe they should just close it to all hunting.

[trophyhunt]

If I believed they were working it wouldn't bother me, they should be able to tell me if they were in there working.  If they had nothing to do in there then I would think they are hunting, which would be complete BS.  Don't want to bitch about there jobs, just want to make sure there not over stepping their own rules.  We pay a lot of money to access the property and if it wasn't for the locked up, no motor access areas, I wouldn't keep buying the pass. 

[trophyhunt]

I will be calling Hancock in the morning, someone is driving in the gated areas.  I know it's a tree farm and people work in there but it seems to me they should stay out of the wildlife escapement areas during hunting seasons.  Sucks to walk in 5 miles in a gated area and see tire tracks in the late rifle and in the snow for late muzzy, bs.

If only you could hitch a ride with them to where you want to get to.

I have a good friend that logs in there, I'm sure I could hitch a ride to get far in the gated area, but I don't want to start doing that.  Plus I'm sure they would get in trouble. But yes it would be very nice, it's impossible to make it to my favorite spot for a morning hunt with there time restrictions. 

[woodman]

I will be calling Hancock in the morning, someone is driving in the gated areas.  I know it's a tree farm and people work in there but it seems to me they should stay out of the wildlife escapement areas during hunting seasons.  Sucks to walk in 5 miles in a gated area and see tire tracks in the late rifle and in the snow for late muzzy, bs.

If only you could hitch a ride with them to where you want to get to.

I have a good friend that logs in there, I'm sure I could hitch a ride to get far in the gated area, but I don't want to start doing that.  Plus I'm sure they would get in trouble. But yes it would be very nice, it's impossible to make it to my favorite spot for a morning hunt with there time restrictions.

It might be a good question for Clyde. You would not be driving around back there and the worker is driving through anyway. I would ask him for sure. Worst is he would say no.

[Thehowler]

This is my eighth year hunting in there, and the first couple I wasn't very successful finding legal bucks. The last four years or so I have come across some of the nicest bucks I have ever seen on the west side. Of course, out of bow or muzzle range, or just sneaking away before I could get my scope on them. I have though taken a couple pretty heavy forkeys.
Just a matter of learning how to hunt the tree farm.
What's cool about the place is the landscape is constantly changing.
The place is a absolute paradise for the road hunters, and 80% bow, muzzle and rifle guys hunt from there rig. Some of these roads through the reprode are loaded full of deer, and those deer can disappear in 1/2 second when they hear truck tires crunching down the road. Fun roads to still hunt on foot.
I'll keep buying my permit as long as there offered.

[trophyhunt]

Do you have Clyde's number? I lost all my contacts

[woodman]

Do you have Clyde's number? I lost all my contacts

Yes, I will pm it to you.

[rasbo]

Its a working property,I run into all kinds of projects going on in there,surveyor's,logging,biologists,you have to get used to that and trees disappearing in an area you love to hunt..I still dont get where folks are claiming no deer...you cant step anywhere in there and not find sign...cant let it get to ya,change with the changes like the animals do

[MLhunter1]

Me and dad both spent our first season in the tree farm.  Dad got a decent 3pt.  I got skunked.  For me the deer have really done a good job of dissapearing by early modern firearm.  If it wasn't for my summer scouting I would have been turned off pretty quickly up there.  Hunted weekends hard with a multi tag.  Saw a few small bucks, none that provided a shot or a chance to get into position. Lots of does and elk.  Few bob's and bears on the cams earlier.  Pretty frusterating comin up empty after so much effort.  Pretty much spent the whole year behind the bridge gate.  Back to the drawing board.  Gonna spend next year on the main kapowsin side.  Cams went back out today.  Time to start lookin for next years buck. Anybody feel there is more deer on one side or the other?  Seems there is far less folks on the kapowsin side if you get back in there a ways but less deer sign from what I have seen.

[woodman]

Me and dad both spent our first season in the tree farm.  Dad got a decent 3pt.  I got skunked.  For me the deer have really done a good job of dissapearing by early modern firearm.  If it wasn't for my summer scouting I would have been turned off pretty quickly up there.  Hunted weekends hard with a multi tag.  Saw a few small bucks, none that provided a shot or a chance to get into position. Lots of does and elk.  Few bob's and bears on the cams earlier.  Pretty frusterating comin up empty after so much effort.  Pretty much spent the whole year behind the bridge gate.  Back to the drawing board.  Gonna spend next year on the main kapowsin side.  Cams went back out today.  Time to start lookin for next years buck. Anybody feel there is more deer on one side or the other?  Seems there is far less folks on the kapowsin side if you get back in there a ways but less deer sign from what I have seen.

Opening day of spring bear I saw 15 elk and 22 deer on the South side in a walk in area. During that 60 days I saw lots of antlers coming in.

[Crunchy]

On opening day of late rifle deer I got mine, and I know of four others taken within a mile.  I got mine within 100 yards of where I got last years buck.  If I were to give advice it would be to find the good cuts with timber nearby and glass.  Don't get impatient.

[woodman]

On opening day of late rifle deer I got mine, and I know of four others taken within a mile.  I got mine within 100 yards of where I got last years buck.  If I were to give advice it would be to find the good cuts with timber nearby and glass.  Don't get impatient.

That's great Crunchy! Did you post it here? I love seeing those Hancock bucks.

[BigCutty3]

I think deer numbers are fair but decreasing compared to prior years, I have been hunting it for seven years or so.  Early rifle was tough due to conditions, and we saw some bucks but they wouldnt give us the time to get it done.  My son ended up filling his youth doe tag towards the end of the season.  Late season was over quick for me with a nice 4 point.  General observations of more elk than ever, more predators, and seems like more hunting pressure in general.  We went in coyote hunting a couple weekends ago and I was shocked by the number of guys and traffic on the roads for so late in the season; multi season permits perhaps?  Walked some of our normal areas and minimal rub activity compared to past years.

[Crunchy]

This years

[Crunchy]

Last years 4pt broken off on one side.

[woodman]

This years

Very nice Crunchy, I helped Rasbo drag out one of his that was similar to first on that you posted.

[rasbo]

my last deer hunt in there,woodman and Bruce helping,it was a mile or so in..deep dark woods rattled in to 12 to 15 feet,he was on old  bugger...talking about the deer,lol

[Skyvalhunter]

Yea he is an old looking bugger!! The deer too..

[grundy53]

Yea he is an old looking bugger!! The deer too..

sent from my typewriter

[trophyhunt]

I will be calling Hancock in the morning, someone is driving in the gated areas.  I know it's a tree farm and people work in there but it seems to me they should stay out of the wildlife escapement areas during hunting seasons.  Sucks to walk in 5 miles in a gated area and see tire tracks in the late rifle and in the snow for late muzzy, bs.

Huh? Really? You're going to complain to the land owners about a worker driving in to do his job? Seriously? Maybe they should just close it to all hunting.

update, seems the guys that have been driving behind the locked, habitat area are with manke which own a small piece of property behind the gate. Hancock is supposed to address this issue at a meeting in a few days w the prop owners, they did not know they were driving in the area.  Makes me wonder if they are hunting elk in there also?  Sucks that I've been hiking in a walk in area when guys have been driving the whole time.

[Alan K]

Manke has easement to their property, and unless they have some agreement with Hancock can hunt elk on their own property.  They own a half dozen or so sections within the farm.

[trophyhunt]

I really don't have a problem w them hunting on their property , but walk in like the rest of us.

[Alan K]

Their easement is I'm sure for motorized access to their property (which it sounds like is through a gated area in your case).  That's completely within their rights. If their hunting Hancock's land in a walk in area from a vehicle, that would be grounds for some sort of repercussion.  Maybe that's what the meeting is about? 

[trophyhunt]

Their easement is I'm sure for motorized access to their property (which it sounds like is through a gated area in your case).  That's completely within their rights. If their hunting Hancock's land in a walk in area from a vehicle, that would be grounds for some sort of repercussion.  Maybe that's what the meeting is about? 

yes, from what I gathered that will be discussed.

[hunterrcc]

Very little deer way way way too much pressure.  Not enough elk tags in my opinion for the amount of old mature bulls.  I say at least 5 tags for each weapon would be fine that way people would have a better chance to draw for the increased number of permits and cost of permits.
also
Just because Someone owns land in there that is not Hancocks and drives into their property with a legal easement doesn't mean you have a right to complain to Hancock that and tell them they have to walk like you.  They own the property they can do as they please and drive all over their own property.  My suggestion would be to offer to buy the piece of property and then you can drive yourself in behind the gate too.  If not quit bitching about someone that hunts their privately owned property because $350 you spend to walk in there is nothing compared to the thousands actually millions to drive to your piece of ground.  Maybe you are trespassing onto there property up there since no one has permission to be on their ground up there... And I have seen plenty of rigs parked hunting their properties on the South Side of the river.  So I don't think you need to be getting mad at the only timber company that is not charging you to hunt their other properties around the area!

[trophyhunt]

Very little deer way way way too much pressure.  Not enough elk tags in my opinion for the amount of old mature bulls.  I say at least 5 tags for each weapon would be fine that way people would have a better chance to draw for the increased number of permits and cost of permits.
also
Just because Someone owns land in there that is not Hancocks and drives into their property with a legal easement doesn't mean you have a right to complain to Hancock that and tell them they have to walk like you.  They own the property they can do as they please and drive all over their own property.  My suggestion would be to offer to buy the piece of property and then you can drive yourself in behind the gate too.  If not quit bitching about someone that hunts their privately owned property because $350 you spend to walk in there is nothing compared to the thousands actually millions to drive to your piece of ground.  Maybe you are trespassing onto there property up there since no one has permission to be on their ground up there... And I have seen plenty of rigs parked hunting their properties on the South Side of the river.  So I don't think you need to be getting mad at the only timber company that is not charging you to hunt their other properties around the area!

if manke doesn't want to agree to the wildlife enhancement area and continue to drive behind locked gates, then I think Hancock should open the gates for all of us.  They can find a different area to lock up that doesn't have any manke or other property owners accesses.  I'm not trying to take any property rights away from owners,  they can lock up their property.  That area shouldn't be advertised as a wildlife enhancement area if its not. 

Also, I looked at the property map and the manke guys are driving in area that is not near their property.  They are not supposed to be driving on Hancock land unless accessing their property.