High Buck Hunt 2015 - Mt. Skokomish Wilderness Area

[IslandStorm62]

Hi all, I am new to this forum and am looking for information and advice from anyone who has hunted or hiked/scouted the the Mt. Skokomish Wilderness Area.  This will be my first attempt at hunting in the back country.  I just got back from hiking The Brothers Wilderness Area.  It was just a day hike, no scouting, just to checking out the trail and terrain.  My next trip will be the same, but this time I plan on going to Mt. Skokomish Wilderness Area.  Again these first excursions are so that I can get familiar with the terrain. When I do my first scouting trip it will be a 3 or 4 day trip, primarily to test my gear and scout for a location to set up my base camp.  So here We go.

I am planning on driving in FSRD 25 until it dead ends.  Hike in through TH#822 towards Mildred Lake for about 3 miles and then break south off the trail through what appears to be a valley.  The map I have shows a small creek around that point of the trail.  I will follow that for a couple miles looking for a clear area to set camp. Is anyone familiar enough with the area to offer up any advice? 

[pd]

PM send.

[ZiMoni]

I am looking at hunting that wilderness as well for high buck, just moved here and this is my first season hunting Washington.
Any suggestions or information on hunting that area, I would love to learn.

I'll make a point to steer clear of your stomping grounds there IslandStorm62.

[IslandStorm62]

  I would like to offer help and advice...but, this will be my first "High Buck Hunt".  My wife and I attempted to hike into Mildred Lakes (via Trail 822), we started too late and were just taking our time.  Unfortunately, we did not reach the lakes.  Turned back around 3 PM, at about the 3900' level due to time/ potential rain; we did not want to risk coming down the steep trail if the rain picked up.

  Let me put it this way, getting up to that 4000' level was "close to" rock climbing.  My guess is that, the trail goes up at about a 75 - 80 Degree Incline.  We were just hiking to check out the area / access trail and did not expect it to take that long.  I/we are planning on going in again this FRI, camp the night and come out Sat afternoon; time constraints.  If not we will definitely try next FRI/SAT.  I guess we just didn't learn the first time  If you are interested, we could meet and discuss.

I was/am not planning on hunting that Mildred Lakes Area, just taking the little lady hiking/camping.  However, if I see some good signs / deer...then maybe.  Getting the gear and meat out...would be a serious challenge, especially as a solo hunter

Later in the  year, I will be going in for a couple days and do some scouting around the area where the creek splits;or like I mentioned earlier Mildred Lakes area if I see something I like.

As far as steering clear of my stomping grounds, don't even worry about it.  I make no claims to any area, nor do I frown if another hunter just happens by, or decides to hunt in the same area...it's open country and a free America (hmmm, no patriotic emoticon  ).  I served 30 Yrs in the US Army, so we can be free to live the american dream... I know some hunters get upset and feel like they are being crowded...too bad, it happens.  It's not like we know exactly where every hunter is.  And, if that is an area that appears to be most productive, then any hunter would focus in those areas.

Last bit...I did not see any kind of game signs on that hike a couple weeks ago; I don't know how / when I will decide if it is a good area to hunt or not.  I will probably decide it is a bad area after I have had an unsuccessful season...

Sorry, this is the last bit...I am not a proficient hunter, just someone trying to learn, improve and enjoy.

[JimmyHoffa]

Not rock climbing, but root climbing. 

[IslandStorm62]

Ahh Jimmy, you must live in the area and be very familiar with the area / trail...any advice?

[Nature Boy]

Mt. Skokomish is not known for a very dense deer population.  You can do some searches on past posts.  As I'm sure you know by now there are not many trails that serve this wilderness area.  It's pretty extreme terrain with dense vegetation.  The best advise I can give you is to start exploring this summer and looking for deer sign.  There arent many people who hunt this area and those who do usually hunt it once.

[JimmyHoffa]

No, I don't have much info on that particular trail.  But someone I know did it while with USGS and showed pictures.  Looked like ladders going up the trail because they could only go up tree roots.  I think after that they started going in from the park for a lot of the stuff on the eastern Olympics.

[ZiMoni]

Well, me and a buddy were looking into that area. Both of us are military, so we are used to walking around a bit with some weight on....

BUT we also try to work smarter and plan accordingly, so we may start looking at some other areas for the high buck hunt - you guys offered some good intel.

That being said, even a bad day of hunting in some pretty country is a day well spent   

I appreciate the information guys. Hope to see you down the trail yet.

[tallcooljuan]

My wife, daughter, and I "hunted" it in 2008.  The road was washed out a mile before the trailhead.  We started hiking in the evening and lost the trail several times.  Preload a good GPS because the trail is sparse in places and the canopy will make an old GPS hard to use.  We found a nice place to stop for the night and finished the hike in the morning.
We only stayed two nights, but I never saw so much as a track.  The weather was hot enough to take a nice swim and the lakes are full of hungry cutthrought.
It was a super memorable excuse to hike with a rifle.  I won't do it again.

[cdriver]

My wife is still pissed at me for taking her into Mildred Lakes for an overnighter, and that was 30 years ago!  Nice country but some bushwacking and elevation gain.

[IslandStorm62]

I think the wife is upset with me becauseI am going in this week w/o her..

[Nature Boy]

Watch out for the bee ground nests in the trail on the final ascent. 

[Soady]

I have hiked into Flapjack lakes and it was a good scramble to get to. I then tried to scramble up the valley to Mt Gladys to get over into the Black and White lakes basin it was a fair puff to get up Mt Gladys to look into the two lakes called it a day and a wonderful three day weekend hike, on the good side the vistas were breathtaking and I have many photos to remind me not to do this again. BTW I was in my mid thirties and in peak shape, the final out come was find a more target rich environment as the sign was sparse.

[IslandStorm62]

Fortunately, those areas are out of the National Forest (Wilderness Area)...don't need to go there.

[Soady]

Understood, yet those screen shots are representative of what to expect in respect to terrain and conditions without pin pointing your intended area. Having tramped that ground in years past I am familiar with that area and conditions to be expected. Good luck in your endeavors. 

[merlo105]

It's thick and Nasty better luck over on Mt. Rose seem's to hold better deer numbers

[Skyvalhunter]

there should be lots of human company there with you

[IslandStorm62]

It's thick and Nasty better luck over on Mt. Rose seem's to hold better deer numbers

What area is Mt. Rose in?

[sirmissalot]

Thats all pretty darn tough country. The high hunts aren't generally high producers, especially up there. In my opinion thats not the reason most guys do them though. I planned on hunting buckhorn wilderness this year but a couple family members drew tags that need my help in scouting. Keep it up, the scouting you are doing now will put you ahead of most of your competition.

[MountainWalk]

Bring a jet pack.  Mt rose has a couple trails that service it, maybe better deer numbers, and more hikers. Never hiked it, but map studied it. Mildred I've done twice. Jimmy Hoffa is dead on it being a roots and rock trail. Hard trail to keep to sometimes. First time I did it, I hiked it at night. I figured that since I'd packed mules and hiked at night in some pretty big country, no big deal.  Big mistake. Ended up bedding down on the trail, then finished the next day.

[huntingbaldguy]

Welcome to the Olympics boys.  I make no claim to be an Olympics olympian, but i've hiked and backpacked it for over a decade and there is one rule there... if the original explorers wanted to get somewhere, they made a trail straight to it, through whatever was in the way and thought switchbacks were for sissies.  LOL

In my humble opinion, there's not much that's better hiking or backpacking in WA state.  It's a completely unmolested massive area, but unfriendly to those wanting to get a lot of gear in, or an animal out.  The Skokomish, Brothers and Buckhorn Wilderness areas would be very tough hunts imo.  I've seen deer all throughout there, but it would be a challenge to get to them.  Extremely rugged terrain.  I've always said i want to hunt the high buck hunt though, one day, if not just for the experience alone, but i'd take a long range rifle, that is for sure.