Late Alta Draw

[Chimmer10]

Thanks guys it was a great time.  Wish it wasn't over.  Thanks for getting thangs figured out for me jackalope....Awesome!!!
We started up high, and got into a few deer, and one bachelor group of average bucks.  Then we hit I'd say medium elevation areas and really started to see animals.  We never got to the low country.  The fog early on in the season was kind of a problem, but after that was over it started to pick up.

[skybusterbo]

Nice bucks!!! My buddy drew the same tag. Very hard conditions this year. With the fog early and the damn wolves. He didn't see many deer. But he did put his tag on a real nice heavy 3pt. Our group, 5 of us, hunted the general season and only seen one legal buck. Worst year we have ever had. Wolves!!!! Lots of wolves. After three genrations of hunting there and years of great times, looks like were going to have to find another area to hunt.?   

[Chimmer10]

I really think I came across a solo wolf track, but that was it...I did hear allot of coyote.  Congrats to your buddy, sounds like a good one.  I usually hunting in the Garner Mt. unit, or Perygun(sp) unit, so this was some very new country for us.  Kinda makes it even more special.
Anyway,
thanks.

[DeerHarvester]

Cograds.  Great deer and a great unit to hunt, just wish I could draw a late tag.   

[boneaddict]

There was a stray dog or "wild" one working the area you were probably hunting (I'd just assume not mentioning it on here)  That is probably the track you saw.  It was about twice the size of a coyote and about half the size of a wolf.  The wolves summered in an area North of where you were.  I didn't see any fresh and the game department claims they have moved over into the Chelan.  I guess they also heard there was more deer in the Entiat.

[skybusterbo]

Hey Bone,  These were not dogs. I seen them. They were definitely wolves. My buddy was up last Monday,10th, and got to a place and set up for some grunting. He had 6 or 7 of them come in on him in the fog. He said they started howling, very loud. Then they made him and took off. He just about s@#t his paints. One of them only had 3 legs.

[boneaddict]

Darn.......
as for that 3 legged one, I'll shoot better next time. LOL   JUST KIDDING!

[SSG Brower]

i know that they were wolves as well.  i used to hunt out of War Creek camp ground and two years in a row saw the same black wolf with yellow eyes come down off the hill cross the twisp river road grab some chow left on the picnic tables and haul ass back across the road.  the first year i saw him i thought maybe just someones dog from the camp ground but after seeing him personally up close, like within 10ft, i know it's a wolf.  my friend called bull!@#$ on me and he went hunting with me the next year and two days into the hunt became a believer after we watched it go to the neighboring campsite raise it's leg, nose open the cooler.  we were making noise to get it to go away but it crouched down and started belly crawling towards us.  i grabbed my rifle and putting a bead on it when my buddy nailed in the forehead with a rock where it ran back across the twisp river rd, in front of some other hunters who just about wrecked breaking their necks looking at it.

[skybusterbo]

The two I saw within 20 yards, were both jet black. When I saw the first one come up, I thought bear, then I realized, that's not a bear.  I never heard them until they were right there. I put my rifle up very slowly. The wind was right so they never saw me. Thank goodness. Kinda scary.  They were definitely on the hunt. Sniffing the ground like blood hounds as they went up the hill at a fast trot.

[SSG Brower]

hey skybusterbo where did you see the wolves at?

[big_bucks]

I know that they're in there too - confirmed sightings over on Libby creek too.  It would be nice if WDFW pulled their heads out of their asses and started managing that population.  They're crushing the deer herd up there.

With our super lib political system there's very little help for us on the horizon.  Get used to not seeing much in the Methow and Chelan areas.

[skybusterbo]

Libby creek and Gold creek. We also talked to some guys that saw them up the Lookout Mt. rd.

[SSG Brower]

WDFW has a link to the wolf reintergration that they started in 2006.  if this year was bad for deer hunting, wait until the wolves start taking off.

[big_bucks]

Lookout and Libby aren't far apart.  Hunted that area a lot and there wasn't much in there this year - nothing like it used to be.  I used to see 6-8 shooter bucks a day up there - not dink 2 and 3's either. 

Figure each wolf needs to kill a deer a week to survive and do the math.  And we wonder why the numbers are down?

[SSG Brower]

what you don't know don't hurt you.