Swakane

[NWBrute]

It appears the late Swakane archery hunt will exist no more if these new regs are approved, congrats to all who scored last year.

[videoman]

Personally I think that is a good thing.  By doing this the swakane will become a trophy unit again.

[dbllunger]

As long as they allow hunting in other areas to make up for some of the loss.  They should still allow permits.  I guess I better check out the suggestions or what they are planning.

[Slider]

Personally I think that is a good thing.  By doing this the swakane will become a trophy unit again.

All it will do is give the tribes another place to hunt and they wont have to drive as far?

[GoPlayOutside]

I think it's bulls---!  The rumor is that they are going to open more modern and muzzleloader tags for the area.  So why take away from the late archers, to help the plinkers.  
This is all coming from one moron biologist out of the Chelan area who thinks the archers just slaughter the hillsides during the late season.  I'm up there every year talking to everyone I see, trying to get feedback and hunting statistics (success rates)...I have found that the success rates are the same in the Swakane as they are in most areas 9-14%.
The moron biologist I talked to is the one who has proposed the restriction.  I asked him how he gets his #'s of buck to doe ratios and overall counts.  He said by helicopter.  I got kind of snitty and said what do you think the factor of error percentage is in your heli counts.  He laughed, and said "I don't know, but I know you guys are slaughtering them."  
That is complete bulls---!
As for making the area a trophy area again...get your butt out there and spend some time on those hills.  There are great bucks out there if you put your hiking boots on.  TROPHY AREA, Ha!  WDFW would love to make everything a trophy area...so they could get their hands on a lot more revenue and special permit $.

[GoPlayOutside]

Slider's got another great point.

[alecvg]

I think it's bulls---!  The rumor is that they are going to open more modern and muzzleloader tags for the area.  So why take away from the late archers, to help the plinkers.  
This is all coming from one moron biologist out of the Chelan area who thinks the archers just slaughter the hillsides during the late season.  I'm up there every year talking to everyone I see, trying to get feedback and hunting statistics (success rates)...I have found that the success rates are the same in the Swakane as they are in most areas 9-14%.
The moron biologist I talked to is the one who has proposed the restriction.  I asked him how he gets his #'s of buck to doe ratios and overall counts.  He said by helicopter.  I got kind of snitty and said what do you think the factor of error percentage is in your heli counts.  He laughed, and said "I don't know, but I know you guys are slaughtering them."  
That is complete bulls---!
As for making the area a trophy area again...get your butt out there and spend some time on those hills.  There are great bucks out there if you put your hiking boots on.  TROPHY AREA, Ha!  WDFW would love to make everything a trophy area...so they could get their hands on a lot more revenue and special permit $.

I agree, I hunted there for the first time this year, and fell in love with the area, in fact, I hope to live out there someday.  And there defintly are tropheys out there, I sure saw a few dandy's!  I didn't acually get to hunt, I went along helping to glass with the spotting scope, but just that one weekend made me want to convert to archery in the next few years... guess that isn't going to happen anymore!  That was the funest hunt I have ever bee on!  STUPID WDFW!!!!

[GoPlayOutside]

Alecvg....you hit the nail on the head!  I'm an elk freak...but when I did that hunt for the first time, it is the one I constantly look forward too.  Spot and Stalk all day!

[spin05]

Thats probly the same guy who tried to tell me there was 650 hunters in the entiat before it went permit.........right

[Sage Weasel]

Just curious, how many of you outside the Wenatchee are archery hunt the Swakane area?  I live in Wenatchee and hunted the Swakane a bunch with a bow years ago and there were some great bucks. It was a heart breaker, you could find them easy enough the problem was stalking them.

[smitty]

My friend and I hunted there the first time this year and found the area to be unbelieveable for deer.  It seemed like where we would park would have at least 5 rigs in the area and we would walk 1/2 mile or so and spot some big bucks.  It made me want to switch over to archery in Washington.  We also found a lot of nice sheds that gave us a pretty good idea of the type of bucks there.  I think that it would be pretty sad to take that away from a few average guys who love the challenge of possibly taking a shot at one of those giants. 

[nwhunter]

What they should have tried before making it a permit unit was making it an unlimited draw unit that you could put in for but if you drew it that is the only place you could deer hunt that year. I think it would have eliminated the guys who came over just because they still had a tag and left it a quality hunt for those who are committed to late season mulies. OF course way to confusing of a concept I guess. nwhunter

[bobcat]

nwhunter,

Good idea. I like it.

[mossback91]

I like your idea

[Bullelk]

I have been hunting hay canyon , which is in the Swakane unit, since I was 14 years old ( 30 years now) it would break my heart if they closed it.  I'm not sure where they get their harvest info, but I have never see more then a ten percent harvest and that is a good year. I think we have some PETA personal in the WDFW, death to hunters.