Winterkill

[Martinhunter]

Wow this really sucks!! It's too bad they wouldn't just shut hunten down over there until the heard rebounds. Just make it open season on all preditors!!

[bigmacc]

Wow this really sucks!! It's too bad they wouldn't just shut hunten down over there until the heard rebounds. Just make it open season on all preditors!!

I have thaught the same Martinhunter, after the fires in the Methow I was saying they were due for a bad winter and if it hits it would be catastrophic to this herd, now its kind of a perfect storm that some had predicted. Whats different I guess is the hunting season that happened in 2015, with all those big migrators and breeding stock hitting the dirt. The fires, the 2015 season and now the bad winter is the "perfect storm" I guess. I wonder myself if its time to shut it down to let this herd rebound. It would only be the 2nd year I,ve missed in 50 years but if it would help with a rebound I would be all in.

[Ridgeratt]

Wow this really sucks!! It's too bad they wouldn't just shut hunten down over there until the heard rebounds. Just make it open season on all preditors!!

I have thaught the same Martinhunter, after the fires in the Methow I was saying they were due for a bad winter and if it hits it would be catastrophic to this herd, now its kind of a perfect storm that some had predicted. Whats different I guess is the hunting season that happened in 2015, with all those big migrators and breeding stock hitting the dirt. The fires, the 2015 season and now the bad winter is the "perfect storm" I guess. I wonder myself if its time to shut it down to let this herd rebound. It would only be the 2nd year I,ve missed in 50 years but if it would help with a rebound I would be all in.

Commendable suggestions on both of your parts, But for everyone who choses not to hunt them. The photos posted on here of success will bring 4 times as many that will. Many years ago I chose not to hunt a declining herd the WDFW warden told me why not they are going to die anyway. He said Nature will take it's course regardless of what I did. What happened this year is Mother Nature at her finest. From the Fires and the lack of winter feed to the harsh reality of winter kill. Just like the outbreak of Bluetongue this last summer.

[Martinhunter]

What would need to happen for WDFW to shut it down? It'd probobly never happen.

[bobcat]

If they were to shut down mule deer hunting they'd need to close ALL deer hunting statewide. Otherwise blacktails and whitetails would be over-hunted. My opinion only, of course.

[Kit Carson]

Mother Nature is ruthless.

 

[boneaddict]

I already made the choice and didn't hunt them this year.   Oh well.

[Axle]

If they were to shut down mule deer hunting they'd need to close ALL deer hunting statewide. Otherwise blacktails and whitetails would be over-hunted. My opinion only, of course.

It's thick enough on the wet side to provide enough cover for plenty of blacktail buck escapement. Wouldn't be a problem here. Most hunters don't like going through wet brush to get at them. And we all know how good a deer can hide. 

[timberfaller]

Well so much for WDFW claim that their "3 point" or better system was why the big boy's were taken(more then usual) during this last season in the Methow!! 

[bobcat]

Well so much for WDFW claim that their "3 point" or better system was why the big boy's were taken(more then usual) during this last season in the Methow!! 

Did they make that claim? I kinda doubt it, since the 3 point restriction is something they have wanted to get rid of for several years now. They only kept it because popular opinion strongly supported it.

[Duckslayer0513]

Has anybody seen all these winter kills in the cowiche or rimrock units? I haven't been able to hike around yet

[shootnrun]

If WDFW hadn't allowed a larger harvest last fall, wouldn't the winter kill off be that much higher?      If there isn't enough food for the deer that survived, there certainly wouldn't have been enough for more.. 

[Limhangerslayer]

Has anybody seen all these winter kills in the cowiche or rimrock units? I haven't been able to hike around yet

all of the ones I've seen are in Cowiche.

[muleyking]

We found two more dead bucks up the Methow today, and four does.  To answer your question.  One of those bucks was killed by a cat, and one might have been killed by coyotes, but most seemed to be winter kill, and then were being eaten by coyotes.  I am pretty sure I also found one buck that I have watched all winter hoping to find his sheds dead.  He had already shed, so I am not sure it was him, but he had the same scar on his nose and same big mature body.  So I am really confident it was him.  He was in the 180" range.

Really sad to see this many deer dying.  It seems like they would have at least done some feeding to help keep them alive.  I saw some private landowners trying to do their part, but not much from the state to make much of a difference.

[bowhunterwa87]

Found a ton of dead deer in the entiat over the weekend..really discouraging to see so many