Anderson Island

[ibuyre]

Hi guys. I thought I would post hear and ask your advice and help. I am a new hunter and new hear. I posted a thread asking for help picking my first bird dog. The response to that was amazing, and I should be getting the pup soon. It is a breed I wasn't even thinking of getting (field breed springer spaniel). I am hooked on hunting and on this site.

     I got my first deer last year and I am now hooked. So this year I put in for 10 different drawings... have to start building those points (and I am off to a late start), and might get lucky. And since I wanted to draw something in something..... I put in for Anderson Island for my 2nd deer.... and wouldn't you know it.... I got that one.  So any advice or help on finding places to hunt on Anderson island? It is a doe tag and I am just looking for meat for the freezer. I am excited. But I know this is going to be tough to find a place to hunt on that island.... it is all private property, and most of the locales view them as pets.  Open to any advice, and thanks for your time.

Also I am sorry for my slow response, I am working a shut down job right now, and am sorta a zombie that only has time to sleep.... and check drawing results  . But I will get back to you, it just might take me a wile.
Thanks again and I wish everyone the best on the hunts they are drawing.
David

[CoyoteChuck52]

Tag

[bb76]

There is no public access on the island.  Most people won't allow you to hunt.

[grade-creek-rd]

Contact the regional WDFW bio...ask them if they know any land owners that make deer complaints or have allowed hunting in the past. Also be aware of local and county firearms restrictions, as you probably cannot se a rifle but new this year you might be able to use a crossbow. I know a guy wh hunts Vashon and he drives around and finds the homes with well manacured lawns and simply ask those poeople if they have a deer problem and explains how he can help...it works for him. Be ready to haul the deer out whole, as leaving a gut pile could create a few problems. I highly recommend taking a gift over, like jars of honey and write your name and phone number it them, as you knock on doors asking for permission and explaining a little deer herd management is good for the deer, their yard, and your freezer, hand those that will "think about it" the jar of honey (something they will use and see everytime they open their pantry and had your name and phone number on it). Make sure you don't wear any camo or hunting related clothing while scouting for permission, be polite especialy to those that yell at you, and good luck!

Lastly, you can use the Pierce County Assesors website to find out landowners names and parcels (how much land they own) and try the larger parcels giving you a little room to roam.

G-C-R

[cem3434]

There is no public access on the island.  Most people won't allow you to hunt.

  Firearms restricted and very little area to hunt.  I know a couple of people that live on the island and they wont let anyone hunt.  One of them actually owns about 75 acres too, but they will only allow us to hunt coyotes.  Good luck to guys on finding an area hunt. 

[Special T]

I must say that Im a little disapointed you didnt ask this question before you put in for the draw. There are several small islands that have ZERO public land and this is one of them. As you will find it is very difficult to get permission if you dont have an "in" already... And many islands are click ish anyway and make it difficult on outsiders.

Good Luck and I hope you find a way to put the tag to use.

[haus]

Takes the fun out of it T. 

[ibuyre]

Thanks for the ideas guys. Grade Creek, I didn't think of asking the Bio. I will do that, good idea. I also really like the Honey idea, good tip.

      What I was planing was going though owner records for large parcels, and contacting owners, especially out of area owners, and offering to walk there place and take photos and report back to them of anything that might be going on with there place. I know I own some land away from where I live and the more people looking out for trouble and problems the better. I have had dumping, theft and vandalism problems in the past. I was also going to drive it, and talk to anyone I saw with a nice yard, and or big garden or fruit trees. The honey gifts is a great idea.

       T, I didn't want to go though the trouble of getting places to hunt, if I didn't get the tag (it would be rude to get permission and then never show up to hunt, and odds are the people that let me hunt, it is not going to be a buck that they want me to shoot, most likely a doe eating there roses or garden). I know I am going to have to put some work into finding places to hunt. But that is part of the fun of it. I am not planing on wasting the tag or giving up easy.

       I would like to use a 12g with slugs or 000 buck to try and drop them right where I shoot them. I am thinking if I stick one and it runs, even if it only goes a short distance it could turn into a mess. That happened to me, the first year I went hunting. I had a archery tag and a friend invited me over to take a deer that kept getting in the garden, and was eating all the leaves off their young fruit trees. I stuck it with a arrow, lung shot. It ran about 75 yrds but that took it across ed the rd and into the back yard of a neighbor that wouldn't let me recover the deer. It was a mess, I was instantly in the middle of 2 neighbors that where fighting. One that is anti hunting, and one that is trying to grow fruit trees and a big garden and constant deer problems. The sheriff was called, and came. He saw the blood trail from where I shot it, and you could see the deer in the neighbors back yard. But the neighbor would not let me recover the deer, even if I had a sheriff escort (it was funny, the anti neighbor called the sheriff, but once the sheriff saw the blood trail, and heard the story, he was trying to talk to guy into letting me recover the deer, and offered to help me carry it back to my car, but it was a no go). I didn't hunt again for a long time.... and for that reason, archery makes me nervous. I am thinking, I might get a crossbow and do a lot of practice with it, that might be a option.

     So maybe that experience is part of why I put in for this tag (I don't want to have some young hunter go though that, I would rather risk it with a 2nd tag)..... I don't know.... I was 18 when that happened and that was the first deer I shot. It soured me on hunting for a long time, and showed me just how much some people can suck.

      I am still thinking on how to get it out whole and not mess up the meat, with the wait for the ferry. I know I can't leave a gut pile. Thinking it might be best to take a tarp and some coolers and to field dress it, and put the gut pile in the coolers. But I don't know.... I am still new at this, but it would seem like leaving the guts in for 4-6 hrs would be a bad thing...... Open to ideas or advice.
And thanks for all the tips.

[haus]

Remove the gut pile? Whats the concern? Smell, house cat packing chunks to the door? Seems like a shovel solution.

[Bullkllr]

Seems like there are pretty liberal general seasons on the island, if it was something a guy really wanted to do.