Boat Deer Hunt

[MisplacedAlaskan]

Hey All,

My Dad and I live on the wet side of the state (Sequim and Neilton) and my brothers are going to school at UofI and WSU. We would like to go over to the dry side of the state for a modern firearm white tail hunt with my brothers next fall. My brothers hunted IEP land in Mt. Spokane last year, but there was quite a few people in there. I was wondering if there are any areas over there where you could put a boat in on a lake or river and kind of get away from the crowds? We aren't set on using the boat, we just thought that might help get away a little. We would go with an area with a less deer if there were less people. Thanks in advance for any advice.

[MisplacedAlaskan]

Thanks Sundance, ill check into that. I have a friend that lived in Entiat, maybe ill go over there this summer and do some scouting with him. If we go ill keep tabs on the weather. At least I won't have to worry about the tide

[bobcat]

Lake Chelan is a good suggestion but you better be in good shape. And you won't find whitetails there, only mulies.

[MisplacedAlaskan]

Are there quite a few people who use their boats to access area from the lake, or do most access from the road?

[Skillet]

Lake Chelan is a good suggestion but you better be in good shape. And you won't find whitetails there, only mulies.

Take a trip up the lake during a good weather window and stare up at those hills before you decide that's what you're going to do.  The thing about accessing via water is you are almost always setting yourself up for a death march to get up to where the deer are.  Unless the weather is bad and has driven the deer down - and bad weather and boating on chelan is not something to take lightly.

Just my 

[huntnphool]

Lake Chelan is a good suggestion but you better be in good shape. And you won't find whitetails there, only mulies.

I agree with the being in shape part, but actually there are whitetails around the lake.

[MisplacedAlaskan]

I'm OK with the death march. I spent a lot of time goat hunting when I lived in AK and that was almost always a death march. Those of you that have done it, do you glass from below, spot them and then go after them? Maybe it would be better to pick a good looking spot, head up and camp up high and then hunt from camp?

[bobcat]

I know there might be the occasional whitetail in the area but mule deer are far more prevalent. I'd think finding a whitetail  by Lake Chelan would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

[huntnphool]

I know there might be the occasional whitetail in the area but mule deer are far more prevalent. I'd think finding a whitetail  by Lake Chelan would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Well of course mule deer are more prevalent, but I have seen plenty of whitetail there the last couple of years.

[T-Dozzer]

Are you set on white tails? You could try and get on the snake river, but you would need to start securing property and scouting ASAP. It would be mulies down there.
Mostly all private or army corpse. Not sure how many guys are doing the same these days. Just a thought.

[MuleDeerCrazy]

How about Priest Lake in northern ID... less people and more country and a guy could do it by boat if he wanted...

[MisplacedAlaskan]

T-Dozzer, I read about doing the snake and that is what started this boat idea out. After looking into it more, is sounds like quite a few people hunt from a boat off the snake and the public land is pretty limited. I'm not set on whitetails, i just figured it would be easier to find a couple of them. The brothers are starving college students and are hoping for some meat out of the deal.

Idaho would be ideal, but the out of state license cost is a deal breaker right now. I love northern Idaho if I could get a job there, I'd move there.

[T-Dozzer]

T-Dozzer, I read about doing the snake and that is what started this boat idea out. After looking into it more, is sounds like quite a few people hunt from a boat off the snake and the public land is pretty limited. I'm not set on whitetails, i just figured it would be easier to find a couple of them. The brothers are starving college students and are hoping for some meat out of the deal.

Idaho would be ideal, but the out of state license cost is a deal breaker right now. I love northern Idaho if I could get a job there, I'd move there.

I hear ya on N Idaho.
I think your right about the amount of people on the Snake. I've taken a few down there years back.
What about just some old fashion knock and talk for permission?
The warden and Rosalie area is great for big whitetail. South of Cheney and the Turnbull animal reserve.
Check out a map and send your brothers over there to try and get access on some farm ground.

[Snakeriver10]

From Clarkston up to Lower Granit dam, you can easily take a boat across the river and hunt a number of canyons.  The number of people doing this over the past few years has dropped dramatically.  It is tough walking up, and I would try to find a canyon where people are hunting from the top to try and get some deer pushed down to you.  Depending on the canyon, you can easily pitch a tent on the other side as well.

[T-Dozzer]

Pm sent

[Badhabit]

Lake Roosevelt, troll for trout, drift for ducks, geese and deer. Know of a few folks who go up there just to poke around early am for a deer. Just make sure you're not on the reservation.
We were steelhead fishing Heller Bar for the WA deer opener, saw more than one jet boat come back to the launch around noon with a few bucks on them.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Most all of my deer hunting in Alaska was by boat. We'd run to where we wanted to hunt and then head up to the peaks from sea level which would be anywhere from 1500 feet to close to 3,000 ft.

Basic things to remember, you want to find a safe place to leave your boat where it will be secure if the wind comes up. Either anchored well behind protection, or even beached if possible. We hunted from the ocean so had to deal with tides too. Then you want a safe way to get to the beach and back to the boat if you anchor out. I've been involved in a couple incidents when people went unexpectedly into the water. One time was just funny as it was about 2 feet of water. Another was very scary as he went in and disappeared in the dark hanging on to the bow of a small skiff as the tide was running hard. By the time I got the main boat going and the anchor pulled, I had thoughts that we had lot him, but he had managed to get in the skiff, but filled it half full of water and lost the oars.  He paddled by hand to the beach and I found him about a third of a mile away because he had the presence of mind to flick a lighter at me and let me know where he was. It was freezing that night, so he could have easily gotten hypothermic but I found him soon enough and got him warmed up.

Always take a flashlight no matter how you plan to be back to the boat before dark. Plans can be changed by circumstances. The night my friend took his scary plunge, an hour earlier we were dragging two deer apiece down the mountain when sunset caught us only a couple hundred yards from the beach. Not being able to see what obstacles were in our way created a lot of problems. The nice buck I had kept hooking his antlers on branches and brush and what should have taken us 10 minutes took closer to 45 minutes.

Radios are indispensable. If you get separated they help finding each other, and if someone gets down to the beach in the wrong spot, he can direct you to his location via radio. We usually just use walkabouts as they have good range over water. But Garmin Rinos work very good. I've had to find guys who came down close to 2 miles from the boat before. Was glad they had a radio to make locating them easier.

Usually, if you know the lay of the land and know you have a safe way down, if you get an animal, it's easier to bring it straight down to the water, then make for you boat without a load on your back. Come back in the boat to pick it up. We'll regularly end up two to three miles from the bot while hunting, but you may not be that far from the water, so this saves a lot of packing.

While hunting, be aware of where you are before shooting something. It's easy to get up high, then go over  ridge top and spot something down the other side. And if your first shot doesn't put it down, it may go farther down the other side. It's way easier to pack an animal down a ridge or peak than it is to pack it up the mountain or ridge first before you can head down.  The first buck I took on Kodiak  made that mistake. I hunted about two miles up a mountain and not seeing anything, started down a ways on the other side to glass. And damned if i didn't spot a nice 3 pt buck down in a gulley by a small stream. So down I went to get him as it was he only deer I saw that day.  When I hit him he slid 150 yards down a steep hill into the creek gully. I was alone that day, so I made him into a pack and had to get out of the gully, then pack him about a half mile back up to the top and down the other side.  I was dead tired when I got him out. Luckily I was about 26 and in pretty good shape so I made it. But I learned to set my limits on where I'd shoot an animal from that nasty pack.

[BULLBLASTER]

Lake Roosevelt, troll for trout, drift for ducks, geese and deer. Know of a few folks who go up there just to poke around early am for a deer. Just make sure you're not on the reservation.
We were steelhead fishing Heller Bar for the WA deer opener, saw more than one jet boat come back to the launch around noon with a few bucks on them.

I have done this quite a bit.... well only for Deer. We have had great success also.

[WSU]

I don't have much help on boat hunting, but your brother should be able to get permission to hunt some decent areas around Pullman.  There are tons of places to hunt and lots of deer.

[NRA4LIFE]

For a whitetail hunt from a boat, I would go to Idaho and hunt the Dworshak Reservoir. 

[rippinlips22]

For a whitetail hunt from a boat, I would go to Idaho and hunt the Dworshak Reservoir.

 

[et1702]

For a whitetail hunt from a boat, I would go to Idaho and hunt the Dworshak Reservoir.

Elk too!

ET

[CAMPMEAT]

For a whitetail hunt from a boat, I would go to Idaho and hunt the Dworshak Reservoir.

Elk too!

ET

.............and wolves.

[MADMAX]

Hunted the snake twice
3x3's both times, one was a hybrid mulie whitail
Fun hunt
Lots of walking up from the boat to the wheat and rimrock.
When I did it it got crowded.
Even saw a nice 5x6 bull some idiots were shooting at thinking it was a big mulie, poor guy had his toungue hanging out
I launched one year at Wawawaii and one year at Central ferry, gave it up when gas got expensive and went to $2 a gallon in the jetboat
Worth trying, good luck

[MisplacedAlaskan]

Thanks for all the great info folks. I'm thinking that doing something on Lake Chelan sounds good. My first choice would be Idaho, but the non-resident license fees there for a deer aren't worth it. Maybe someday ill end up working at Dworshak and ill hunt that reservoir hard then. When I lived in SE AK most of our hunts started with a boat ride so I have a lot of nostalgic memories of boat hunts.

[splitshot]

    you will need good eyes that are patient and protected.    mike w

[coyotecrazy]

Heads up on th waterfowl hunting on lake Roosevelt. That's a no no. Only allowed in one area way north. Sounds like a fun hunt besides that.

[baldopepper]

I'm not aware of any waterfowl hunting restrictions on Lake Rossevelt, curious where you got that information.  You can't hunt on the reservation side, but I see hunters on the other side all the time.

[bhawley76]

I have always wanted to do the same hunt till I went to 25 mile creek just to see what the pressure was like, I didn't even put the boat in the water. But it is a big lake. I think the snake would be a better choice but lots of private ground. good luck

[Limhangerslayer]

I'm not aware of any waterfowl hunting restrictions on Lake Rossevelt, curious where you got that information.  You can't hunt on the reservation side, but I see hunters on the other side all the time.

[Shane54]

Lake Chelan. Plenty of land to hunt, just check the areas so you know you are not in the park. Weather can get nasty too, seen some nasty waves on that lake before.

Shhhh there are not deer in chelan.

[Skyvalhunter]

Of coarse there's not in in the town of Chelan but go up lake and have a go.Head up the lake and start climbing or hit Safety harbor, Prince Creek trails

[Shane54]

I honestly would not hunt chelan out of a boat. My friend has done it 2years in a row, and has only seen a lot of does, spikes, and rams. We do well in the hills though

[Halo]

I've been on the water from Ketchikan to the Columbia and Lake Chelan is some of the roughest water I have ever seen and as concerned for my safety as I've ever been in a boat. You know it's getting serious when you tie a life jacket to your rifle.

[Hangfire]

You might take a look at Sullivan Lake in northern Pend Oreille  county. There is about 2 miles on the east side from noisy creek to Hall creek with no roads. I am not sure about trails. It looks brushy. It climbs up in elevation to Hall Mt. There are both whitetail, mule deer, elk, bear, both black and grizzly, and cats. I would also suspect wolves. There is a camp grounds and boat launch at noisy creek and the north end. A deep lake with some very big fish if you can find them.

[Trailtamer]

I've been on the water from Ketchikan to the Columbia and Lake Chelan is some of the roughest water I have ever seen and as concerned for my safety as I've ever been in a boat. You know it's getting serious when you tie a life jacket to your rifle.

I couldn't agree more. Very rough water very few places to escape it. If you decide to try it I hope you have at least a 25 foot boat.

[James E]

I hunt the Snake every year.  We go in from the top.  It would be nice to bring a boat. It's a lot easier packing meat down, compared to up hill. Switched to muzzle about 10 years ago. Rifle used to be really crowded.  It was a war zone. The crowds have slimmed down. people are not a bad thing over there.  They get the animals moving. Good luck, I hope you can find a place to hunt.  I think the Corps of Engineering have maps.  There are Whitetail in the breaks, but mostly mule deer.