Winterkill

[westside Elkhunter]

Anybody finding winter kills in the Manson?

[Bango skank]

I saw some private landowners trying to do their part, but not much from the state to make much of a difference.

We will see how many people are willing to feed deer once baiting gets yanked.  Seems like a lot of people will stop feeding to avoid being accused of baiting. 

[Wingin it]

I am not accusing anybody of doing anything wrong but I think it has to be said. If the deer are in such dire straits and struggling to survive why are people out there pushing them around? Why make them burn that much more energy that they quite obviously need? Wait until the conditions are more favorable for the deer and they can recover some and then go look for sheds or whatever.

[huntnphool]

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.

  Have not seen any kind of statement from them, and the APR has nothing to do with the percieved "big boys" being taken.

[zwickeyman]

Hey Wingin it.

I agree 100%

Folks are out there earlier every year trying to beat the  next guy. More people all the time too, some running dogs to help find them. Puts a lot of pressure on weak Deer. I quit shed shed hunting 10 years ago because of it.

I might get flamed for these comments but every one knows its true

[Sitka_Blacktail]

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.. 

Don't try to make sense to the destruction of the Methow crowd.  But you are absolutely correct. The more deer that get into the start of a bad winter, exponentially cause more deer to die. And it also makes the damage done to the winter browse exponentially worse and longer lasting. The Department was wise to trim the herd last fall.

The good news is, deer are prodigious breeders when conditions turn around.

[andrew_in_idaho]

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.. 

Don't try to make sense to the destruction of the Methow crowd.  But you are absolutely correct. The more deer that get into the start of a bad winter, exponentially cause more deer to die. And it also makes the damage done to the winter browse exponentially worse and longer lasting. The Department was wise to trim the herd last fall.

The good news is, deer are prodigious breeders when conditions turn around.

All that burned off winter range will be full of fresh new growth over the next couple of years and the deer that remain will be fat and happy


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[jackelope]

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!! 

Is there a link or something where these "claims" can be seen?

[boneaddict]

Hey Wingin it.

I agree 100%

Folks are out there earlier every year trying to beat the  next guy. More people all the time too, some running dogs to help find them. Puts a lot of pressure on weak Deer. I quit shed shed hunting 10 years ago because of it.

I might get flamed for these comments but every one knows its true

I applaud you.   I used to,pick up hundreds of sheds per year.  I haven't gone out yet.  I also felt so bad for them I quit even trying to photograph them so not to pressure them.  But I am only one. 

[huntnphool]

Hey Wingin it.

I agree 100%

Folks are out there earlier every year trying to beat the  next guy. More people all the time too, some running dogs to help find them. Puts a lot of pressure on weak Deer. I quit shed shed hunting 10 years ago because of it.

I might get flamed for these comments but every one knows its true

 There are a few that run their snow machines all over in Entiat every year pushing deer and "looking" for sheds, pathetic, and some of them are on this forum.

[bigmacc]

I am not accusing anybody of doing anything wrong but I think it has to be said. If the deer are in such dire straits and struggling to survive why are people out there pushing them around? Why make them burn that much more energy that they quite obviously need? Wait until the conditions are more favorable for the deer and they can recover some and then go look for sheds or whatever.

I agree  . I have never been into the shed hunting deal but a lot of folks are and like some have mentioned they are getting out earlier every year, using dogs and snow machines. I,m sure we will eventually see drones buzzing around with cameras looking for antlers also , one more thing harassing em......

[Hockey21]

I just hope all these hunters that heard about the great massacre last year don't all head to the Methow this year. With the winter kill going on and the numbers that were taking out of there last year......its probably going to be a sad year..or few years.  My family over there has found too many dead deer to count. About half from winter/predators and half from cars. 

[muleyking]

I completely agree about shed hunting and pushing them around.  All the deer I have found have been while predator hunting and/looking for cat tracks.  Yesterday was the first time I went out hiking the very low end of some private property we have, that the deer have migrated back out of.   It was far worse than I expected.  I found 14 dead deer in about a 5 mile loop, and this is at the very bottom of the winter range.

We have private property, and have caught people sneaking in there all winter to get a head start on shed hunting, with both ATV and Snowmobiles.  We have turned all of them in, and I have yet to see anything done, even though they are blatantly on private property.   This is land that we let people hunt, if they are respectful enough to call and ask.  The only time we try to keep people out is late winter/early spring, to make sure the deer are staying alive and not being harassed.

[johnnyaustin44]

I completely agree about shed hunting and pushing them around.  All the deer I have found have been while predator hunting and/looking for cat tracks.  Yesterday was the first time I went out hiking the very low end of some private property we have, that the deer have migrated back out of.   It was far worse than I expected.  I found 14 dead deer in about a 5 mile loop, and this is at the very bottom of the winter range.

We have private property, and have caught people sneaking in there all winter to get a head start on shed hunting, with both ATV and Snowmobiles.  We have turned all of them in, and I have yet to see anything done, even though they are blatantly on private property.   This is land that we let people hunt, if they are respectful enough to call and ask.  The only time we try to keep people out is late winter/early spring, to make sure the deer are staying alive and not being harassed.

That is very unfortunate.

[steen]

Between the doe massacre last year and winter kill this year the methow herd is going to be hurting for many years . my buddy came across a giant winter kill buck last weekend, took his wife up the next day to show her and someone had already whacked the head off.

Thank goodness I killed that doe or she'd be dead anyway!! She was really stupid anyway.