This week of deer hunting in Eastern WA seems to have a theme that I'd not expected - Hunt or Be Hunted. We've seen a lot of does and small bucks over the last few days. No shooters yet. But one thing remains, we're not alone in the woods.
We're hunting in SE Washington where there's lots of farms, the nearby Blue Mountains and wind farms.
1. Monday - We talked with a rancher who's observed about 10 cougars in the region that are hunting the deer like crazy.
2. Tuesday - we met 2 guys and 1 girl who told us a story about how they were stalking a deer, when they heard a sound behind them and they turned around to find a cougar 10 yards away, crouched down stalking them!
They quickly dispatched it with a shot head on.
3. Tuesday - We ran into some deer hunters that had just shot a big bear in the Wooten Wilderness. They weren't looking for bear, but came upon this sow who gave them a shot.
4. Today - a guy camping next to us came home for dinner and shared his story of hunting just a couple miles from the campground. He and his grampa were hunting just off of a river. They had crossed over to a large piece of land that's owned by the state. After crossing the river, he moved about 15 yards away from the river to survey the field. He noticed some does to his left and all of a sudden heard them hissing. Then "snap" a noise to his right. A cougar was stalking the deer and most likely, him! He didn't have a tag, so he walked slowly backwards out of the way while the cougar decided to continue down the river bed! (He should have shot it!)
5. Three Cougars are hanging in the cooler at the campground freezer. I suspect that a few more will be there by the end of the week.
Anyone else out there experiencing this same thing? Share your stories below...
