Are there just not any deer in Western Wa?

[reagansquad]

In 2 years of hunting, I've spent ~5 days deer/elk hunting in eastern and central washington.
I've seen:
-4 shootable elk
-5 HUGE white tails
-a very nice looks 3x4 mule deer
-tons and tons of does and small bucks

In 2 years of hunting, I've spent ~3 weeks deer/elk hunting in western washington.
I've seen:
-Nothing.

What in the actual F? 

I think I just might quit hunting out here.

[furiouzgeorge]

Welcome to the club 

[DoubleJ]

  No deer here at all.

[bobcat]

I have spent a lot of time scouting blacktails and hunting almost every day if the rifle season, even if it was only a couple hours after work. I saw only one doe during daylight hours in an area that was open to hunting. And that was while driving home on a county road. I saw two bucks this season, one spike and one two point, both of which we killed.

I saw more deer in people's yards. But in the woods almost nothing. It's about to the point that blacktails are an endangered species. Seriously, I wonder if they need to shut the hunting season down for a couple years.   

[snowpack]

try the populated areas.  They are overcrowding with blacktails.  95% or so seem to be does/fawns, though.  Even the tree farms seem to have fewer deer than usual.

[reagansquad]

So is the going theory that the deer have just decided city life is better and abandoned the woods?

[billythekidrock]

An enforcement officer told me the term was "re-encroachment". When the animals  that were once pushed out come back into now populated areas.

[jason stevens]

Blacktails are completly different change your stratagy if you want to find then study them go where its immpossable to get. Your gonna get cut up and think your lost but they are there.

[bullcanyon]

Been saying this for years. We need some major changes on the west side to help the herds rebound. Been a steady decline since 96. Hmmm what happened in 96? Who'd of thought Hound hunting was so important?

[YoterHunter]

There their you just have to find then. Some spot hold more deer then others. I was in the woods a total of4 days . Seen 6 bucks and 5 does . If you don't see much sign in the area . Then there not to meany in the area.

[Taco280AI]

It can be extremely frustrating knowing deer are around, but never seeing them. They're there, but good luck seeing them.

[janttihunter]

I saw lots of deer and 6 bucks scouting this summer here on the westside. During the season I've hunted probably 20 days and seen a few does and a huge 5pt which I regret not taking a 60yard neck shot every day.....spent 5 days hunting the east side and saw well over 200 deer and 20 bucks, 7 of which wer 3 point or better..most I blew the stock and one big 6pt whitetail I missed with my muzzy at 83 yards..

I grew up hunting whitetails in New England, all I can say is Blacktails are tough..I feel like besides the few guys who grew up here and know areas really well allot of it is chance..it's an animal that has no patterns, lives in impossible terrain, and deals with cougars on a daily basis so is always on high alert. I rarely see them where I expect to or where my scouting leads me.

[snowpack]

I found LOTS of bones of fawns out in the forest this year, so I agree with lots of cats.
I heard WDFW is looking for lots of volunteers for a fawn mortality study to start in the spring to see if they can determine the reason for the decline.  Think they are focusing on areas that get sprayed with chemicals like herbicides/pesticides, thinking it is resulting in low reproduction/survival of deer.

[dinker]

Saw two does today one at 35yrds with brush in the way tryed to make a move and she ran. Saw another at 70yrds and my cousin shot under neather her 

[Boss .300 winmag]

I have been seeing two everyday in my lower pasture! 

Hope the darn cats don't get them.