WAKE UP !!!

[snowpack]

I think in an hour, I will go shooting. perfect day to go burn some powder.  opening day, nobody will care.

Everytime you reach a landing...I think it is a rule.  Get out, glass for two minutes with your scope, get all the empty beer cans out of the truck, shoot at the cans, get back in the truck and repeat at the next landing.

[PolarBear]

I was sitting in my hot tub at 4:00 this morning (couldn't sleep) and like every opening day of MF deer heard 2 rifle shots over towards Johnson creek.  Usually the shooting around here does not start until at least an hour before safe light.  They must be getting a jump on it this year.     The daughter and I will probably wait until next weekend after a week of rain to give it a shot.  We usually don't get too excited about it until later in the season.  We will let the early guys thin out the spikes and forkies and get them out of our way.   

[billythekidrock]

Damn weather man. No rain here in Thurston County either.
Debating on going back to bed or take the wife out hunting.

It's not raining now, but it was raining hard when I went to bed at midnight last night.

No rain here until almost 11.
The wife and I did manage to get on a tall 1x2 this morning, but she couldn't get a shot.

[jasnt]

Looks like is coming for my evening hunt

[Little Dave]

Must have been a dozen trucks headed up to the gate nice and early.  Stopped there for a second while the way was blocked, wished those guys luck or zhu hayun in their case, didn't figure they understood English that well.  Looks like they tried to follow me in, they lost my track... slipped out from behind them just like a blacktail. Took some time to get up to my spot because a few guys on the minor road were doing their pre-dawn deer inventory and roadhunting practice runs.  Was concerned I'd have company up at my spot, but had the place to myself.  Glad the rain is back.

[Toptwo]

Every gate (almost) had 7-9 rigs parked. I managed to find one with only 3, so took off for a relaxing walk. Seen NO deer, a lot of hunters, and heard some shooting. I suspect it was Naches Sportsman since nobody I talked to had reported seeing any game

[PolarBear]

Most of the shooting I am hearing is from target shooters with semi-auto rifles blowing through tons of ammo.  I did hear a big bore rifle fire off on Miller Hill then 5 minutes later it was followed by 4 more shots.     It should have been a decent day with all the weather changes and wind.

[runamuk]

I was in the woods at 5:32  I had 2 hrs sleep it was awesome saw a few does had one try and sideswipe me,saw some pumpkins, some elk, almost ran over a bunny ... bored now I need something with 3 points not just 2 with 3 men all scoping the poor thing from the middle of a road.... bloking the road whenit was really obvious that was a fork by one and a spike by spike

[bearmanric]

On the coast plenty of rain and wind. Hunting Koloch ridge pay to hunt. Rainier land. Indians in at day light motorcycles and 4 wheeler. In the walk in. Disappointed  seen a spike at clearwater and a doe by camp. Hope things are better tomorrow elk and bears are quiet. Rick

[RadSav]

At the gate at 6am this morning.  Then realized I should have looked at the Weyco gate map better.  No access where I usually go in.  Have to drive about 40 miles out of the woods and around to get to the permit gate.  Four rigs at my #1 Weyco spot.  Spot #2 is DNR land...another hour drive to get out of weyco and find the DNR access road that is not gated.  Get there fog is so thick can't hardly see the road.  Off to spot #3 across main road and back on Weyco.  Another 1.5 hours later I'm at the permit entry gate with another 15 minutes to the spot. 

What burns me is these spots were less than 10 minutes apart last year.  Weyco really needs to put in more permit access gates so a guy can get from point "A" to point "B" without having to drive all over heck to find an access point.  I think my normal three spots are separated by less than five miles.  This year I bet it is 20 miles from one to the other.  If I were 20 again we would have just cut cross country on foot to each.

Hadn't planned on having the wife road hunt all day, but that is what this gate system ended up forcing us to do as we searched for access to our spots.  Most of these gates are in areas we have never entered from before.  Drove past the first one multiple times in the dark before I got out the magnifying glass and figured it out. 

"Thank you"!!! to the guy in the two tone Ford who showed me where to find the DNR access corridor.  I'd still be trying to figure that one out if not for him

Did see some deer but nothing with horns.  Not one single elk...very strange!!  Weather was great.  Although the hail storm, thunder and lightning I could have done without.  Will hit spots 4,5 & 6 tomorrow.  Should only require a single entry to get to all those spots.  Should be less frustrating and we can capitalize on hitting them at the right times of day.

On the plus side I did not see a single person get out of their truck today.  Love that!!  Should mean that we will have the woods to ourselves once we get off the road and can move freely without being held hostage by the gate system.  Should also mean calm and relaxed deer once we get there

See you guys at 4:AM 

[PolarBear]

I noticed the gate problem at Pe Ell South.  It is darn near impossible to go in one gate and out another.  I'm actually fine with that.  In 2 days of muzzy elk we only saw one non Weyco Rig.  Bt the way, we got into elk on opening morning and every one of them had hoof rot, the bulls had thin, messed up racks and all of them were limping so badly and were in such poor shape that my daughter passed on 2 legal bulls (4x4 and a 5x4).  The elk looked like they were from Ethiopia.

[JJB11B]

At the gate at 6am this morning.  Then realized I should have looked at the Weyco gate map better.  No access where I usually go in.  Have to drive about 40 miles out of the woods and around to get to the permit gate.  Four rigs at my #1 Weyco spot.  Spot #2 is DNR land...another hour drive to get out of weyco and find the DNR access road that is not gated.  Get there fog is so thick can't hardly see the road.  Off to spot #3 across main road and back on Weyco.  Another 1.5 hours later I'm at the permit entry gate with another 15 minutes to the spot. 

What burns me is these spots were less than 10 minutes apart last year.  Weyco really needs to put in more permit access gates so a guy can get from point "A" to point "B" without having to drive all over heck to find an access point.  I think my normal three spots are separated by less than five miles.  This year I bet it is 20 miles from one to the other.  If I were 20 again we would have just cut cross country on foot to each.

Hadn't planned on having the wife road hunt all day, but that is what this gate system ended up forcing us to do as we searched for access to our spots.  Most of these gates are in areas we have never entered from before.  Drove past the first one multiple times in the dark before I got out the magnifying glass and figured it out. 

"Thank you"!!! to the guy in the two tone Ford who showed me where to find the DNR access corridor.  I'd still be trying to figure that one out if not for him

Did see some deer but nothing with horns.  Not one single elk...very strange!!  Weather was great.  Although the hail storm, thunder and lightning I could have done without.  Will hit spots 4,5 & 6 tomorrow.  Should only require a single entry to get to all those spots.  Should be less frustrating and we can capitalize on hitting them at the right times of day.

On the plus side I did not see a single person get out of their truck today.  Love that!!  Should mean that we will have the woods to ourselves once we get off the road and can move freely without being held hostage by the gate system.  Should also mean calm and relaxed deer once we get there

See you guys at 4:AM 

GET BACK IN THE MACHINE SHOP AND GET THOSE BROADHEADS WORKIN!!!!!!!!!!!

[RadSav]

I noticed the gate problem at Pe Ell South.  It is darn near impossible to go in one gate and out another.  I'm actually fine with that.  In 2 days of muzzy elk we only saw one non Weyco Rig.  Bt the way, we got into elk on opening morning and every one of them had hoof rot, the bulls had thin, messed up racks and all of them were limping so badly and were in such poor shape that my daughter passed on 2 legal bulls (4x4 and a 5x4).  The elk looked like they were from Ethiopia.

Man that is sad   I had never seen hoof rot in there prior to 2010.  Heard of it, but never actually saw it. 

Two years ago they sprayed the living tarnation out of that place.  I'm starting to warm up to the idea that spraying is having an effect.  If nothing else than reducing their ability to resist the infection.  Westside elk will be permit only soon, I think!  What a shame.

[BOWHUNTER45]

Some big blacktail hit the dirt today ..spent 3 hours packing one out  just wish me and the wife would not have turned around when we did just because the trees were falling down ...

[PolarBear]

I am also of the thinking that the herbicides and fertilizers that are being used by the timber co's are softening the elk's feet and making them more susceptible to damage and more resistant to fight off fungus and such.