Let The Methow Herd Destruction Begin

[Sitka_Blacktail]

How about season dates plus 2 extra days.   Is this really rocket science? They DEFINATELY have a "better buck to doe ratio" now. Congrats to those sussessful. You'll never see another like this ever. Destroys the 93 season.

Maybe a once in a lifetime season, but maybe not. The sad thing is, there will be people who will demand that every year should be like this year, and when it's not, they will say management isn't doing their job or will have some other complaint. Their expectations exceed reality.  Reality is, you can't have all time highs every year. Part of it is the stupid TV hunting shows where unrealistic herds are created in a very controlled environment and monster bucks are created through artificial breeding and feeding programs that you will never find in the wild. It's an illusion that some believe should be the norm.  Real wildlife management has it's ups and downs. Sounds like this year is up. Hopefully it will last a few years. Enjoy it while you can.

[WAcoueshunter]

The concentrated deer and high success rates may have been aided by Methow fires, but that's certainly not the primary factor.   I hunted a non-fire migration transition area, and a buddy hunted another one further south, and they both were full of deer.  Early migration for some reason - dry year and lack of water and food up high maybe.  Rut was going strong when I got there on 10/24.  Season dates definitely helped, but again, there was something else in play here.

[grundy53]

Agreed

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[boneaddict]

Lack of feed and water are my guesses, and I wonder if lack of doe up high brought the rutting migrators in early as well.   This was a crazy year for sure.  I've never seen so many big bucks killed.  Wrong year to stay home I guess.  I'm afraid of future years.  firkin should be thrilled spitless

[WAcoueshunter]

Lack of feed and water are my guesses, and I wonder if lack of doe up high brought the rutting migrators in early as well.   This was a crazy year for sure.  I've never seen so many big bucks killed.  Wrong year to stay home I guess.  I'm afraid of future years.  firkin should be thrilled spitless

I wasn't in the Methow so don't want to hijack...but, I saw an unbelievable number of small bucks - spikes, forks, small threes - in a unit not too far south.  Buck to doe ratio I observed was about 1:5.  I think the easy winters the last few years have really helped.  On the downside, I also observed several does with visible ribs.  That's not good for late October.  One almost attacked me last night looking for a handout...behavior you would expect in a campground, but I was at 6,000'. 

[grundy53]

I saw bucks more often than does. Most of the bucks were sub legal. I definitely didn't see as many does as I usually see.

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[wsmnut]

Perfect Storm year for Mule deer, I guess.
We'll know in a few years how big of a hit this turns out to be.

[skeeter 20i]

Fishing at banks got really good when they drained it

man "really good" doesn't quite cover it.   

[bigmacc]

Lack of feed and water are my guesses, and I wonder if lack of doe up high brought the rutting migrators in early as well.   This was a crazy year for sure.  I've never seen so many big bucks killed.  Wrong year to stay home I guess.  I'm afraid of future years.  firkin should be thrilled spitless

Here of a "hundred year flood", this could be a season that only comes around that often. Someone said a perfect storm for mule deer, that's on the money also. I think your hunches are right bone, I talked with a guy who said a bio told him not enough feed down low and not enough water up high, the migration was triggered early and the deer were then concentrated once they were down. this year could make a heck of a dent in the herd, a lot, and I mean a lot of great genetics were taken out of the breeding pool this season....

[Griz231]

I am 100% expecting that my family harvests one of these every year in the Methow from here on out.  This is going to be the normal, I'm sure of it.   

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Lack of feed and water are my guesses, and I wonder if lack of doe up high brought the rutting migrators in early as well.   This was a crazy year for sure.  I've never seen so many big bucks killed.  Wrong year to stay home I guess.  I'm afraid of future years.  firkin should be thrilled spitless

Here of a "hundred year flood", this could be a season that only comes around that often. Someone said a perfect storm for mule deer, that's on the money also. I think your hunches are right bone, I talked with a guy who said a bio told him not enough feed down low and not enough water up high, the migration was triggered early and the deer were then concentrated once they were down. this year could make a heck of a dent in the herd, a lot, and I mean a lot of great genetics were taken out of the breeding pool this season....

I hear the genetics taken out of the heard a lot. I would think that the huge bucks killed have spread there genes around for along time? Or is this the first year that they breed a doe because they got shot? Do the sperm of a buck get better with age ?  Just some thoughts that make me go hum???

[Chesapeake]

The concentrated deer and high success rates may have been aided by Methow fires, but that's certainly not the primary factor.   I hunted a non-fire migration transition area, and a buddy hunted another one further south, and they both were full of deer.  Early migration for some reason - dry year and lack of water and food up high maybe.  Rut was going strong when I got there on 10/24.  Season dates definitely helped, but again, there was something else in play here.

Yep, not just the Methow. The "Last Resort KOA" in the blues has a cooler full. They reported 35 whitetail and 33 mule deer on Oct. 20 on their Facebook page.

It was reported that the dry year pushed the bears down out of the high country early. I'm thinking the deer reacted similarly. Also they seem to be rutting a touch early. I'm guessing the fires, dry weather, last few mild winters, later than normal season dates, and touch early rut have all combined to make for a great hunting year. And now we have blue tongue in NE Washington an Northern Idaho.
Guessing we'll pay for it over the next few years.

[JLS]

this year could make a heck of a dent in the herd, a lot, and I mean a lot of great genetics were taken out of the breeding pool this season....

Well, the genetics also come from the does.  And, unless those big bucks have never bred a doe before, the genetics certainly weren't "removed" from the breeding pool.  That big buck posted was probably a 7 1/2 year old deer or older, I would guess.  Odds are pretty good he's bred an average of 20 does a year, minimum, over his lifespan.  By my estimation that's over 100 offspring he's put on the ground, so his genetics certainly aren't "gone".

[huntnphool]

this year could make a heck of a dent in the herd, a lot, and I mean a lot of great genetics were taken out of the breeding pool this season....

Well, the genetics also come from the does.  And, unless those big bucks have never bred a doe before, the genetics certainly weren't "removed" from the breeding pool.  That big buck posted was probably a 7 1/2 year old deer or older, I would guess.  Odds are pretty good he's bred an average of 20 does a year, minimum, over his lifespan.  By my estimation that's over 100 offspring he's put on the ground, so his genetics certainly aren't "gone".

+1

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

this year could make a heck of a dent in the herd, a lot, and I mean a lot of great genetics were taken out of the breeding pool this season....

Well, the genetics also come from the does.  And, unless those big bucks have never bred a doe before, the genetics certainly weren't "removed" from the breeding pool.  That big buck posted was probably a 7 1/2 year old deer or older, I would guess.  Odds are pretty good he's bred an average of 20 does a year, minimum, over his lifespan.  By my estimation that's over 100 offspring he's put on the ground, so his genetics certainly aren't "gone".

That makes sence. Common sence!!!!