Weyerhaeuser price hike...

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

I've almost missed buying it two years now.  They go quick. I'll probably buy it again. The wife's pregnant and the boy has killed a few bucks there.  We always all tag out. Not any great bucks. Opportunity is far and few between. It's great unit for the kids. Too bad they will make it the same cost as Idaho where the hunting is ten times as good as Vail.

[JeffRaines]

They will probably continue to hike the price until the permits stop selling out.

That said, for $100 more you can hunt deer in Idaho. Tack on $42 if you want to go for bear too.

I won't be renewing this year, or purchasing the permit again.

Jeff, whys that? Quality of the experience/game? Thanks

My experience was different than chesters - I found many more people during modern than any other season which is to be expected. One morning I was in line with about 7 other rigs going in the gate,  I never had more than one or two tops during archery. The one day of late modern I hunted I seen less people than regular season, and seen 5 different bucks that day. I ended up tagging out on a doe in late Archery. With that said, there are certainly deer in there... I just don't know if it was worth spending $300 on when I could've went to Capitol Forest and had nearly the same experience. The 5 bucks I seen weren't anything to write home about, sure definitely some shooter/eater bucks, but nothing that would make anyone go WOW. They weren't around every corner, either.

Now that its within $100 of an out of state tag that will likely be a much higher quality hunt(or so I hear), if I'm gonna spend that much money on a hunt opportunity I'll just go to Idaho.

[GBoyd]

How is it that poaching has increased?

Are you saying that permit holders are going in out of season to kill things? My experience down here in Oregon is that I just don't see anybody on the gated Weyco land, except people road hunting in the rifle season. Much fewer people running around messing with things.

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

I agree that poaching has increased. Here's why. So the gate at vail has always been locked prior to the permit, except modern rifle for two weekends a year. They may have done the late buck weekend too. But the gate opened an hour before daylight shut an hour after or even less. No camping allowed. Now with the permit, all year access and the gates got 850 keys floating around.  The wardens aren't up there stopping poaching they are wasting our tax dollars to regulate this timber companys big $ permit...  like has already been said they're only at one gate.  Before the permit a poacher had to walk into the property. Or try to sneak by the eyes in the woods station they used to have.  Now they can just go out the back way and avoid the permit check station.

[PolarBear]

 
We would leave an area well after dark, come back the next morning to that same spot an hour before daylight to find gut piles that were only a couple hours old. Hell, a kid killed a buck in that gravel pit at the Sorrenson/1,000/3,000 intersection 1/2 hour after dark while (on the one day) the WDFW was checking rigs 1/4 mile away.  Saw a bunch of people hiking in without permits. Saw a lot of rigs coming out 1,1/2 + hours before daylight the were obviously not Weyco employees.  I know folks who take over 12 cords of wood out of there.  It goes on and on.

[beav1980]

Im going to try and get it this year only because my wife wants to get her first buck and i have a 3 &5 yr old that like to go look for deer.  Plus its close to me.  Its not an area i plan on killing a wall hanger but if i can go out and see deer and give my wife a decent opportunity to kill a little buck its priceless.  In other words im not getting it fir myself 😁

[PolarBear]

Hunt the timber and storms, you should do fine.

[7mmfan]

Hunt the timber and storms, you should do fine.

   This.

[SkookumHntr]

I'll probably get the non motorized permit, I always mountain bike in anyways!

[GBoyd]

I'll probably get the non motorized permit, I always mountain bike in anyways!

Yes, me too this year.

I bought the motorized this year, but I've barely used it. I like hiking around to scout and to hunt. And anyway, I've found the best hunting in the little road systems that don't have motorized access.

Get a few miles away from the nearest vehicle access inside a big farm like Vail and you'll see a lot of deer.

[Bullkllr]

I'll probably get the non motorized permit, I always mountain bike in anyways!

Yes, me too this year.

I bought the motorized this year, but I've barely used it. I like hiking around to scout and to hunt. And anyway, I've found the best hunting in the little road systems that don't have motorized access.

Get a few miles away from the nearest vehicle access inside a big farm like Vail and you'll see a lot of deer.

Seems like there's only one significant area in the whole tree farm you can't drive to...

And that area is over run with 4-wheelers and guys without permits in my experience.
Way to many entrances to monitor. And a bunch of that area is not owned by Weyco- lot's of keys in the hands of contractors and others = vehicles driving in every day of the season.

I really wish they would close more roads in more parts of the tree farm, but I doubt it will happen.

[Goshawk]

I didn't.
I put it toward another Idaho tag with no regrets.
One of my hunting buddies summed it up pretty good. "I've been getting skunked on Weyerhaeuser land for free since 1965. Why pay to get skunked when I can hunt around your house on public ground and see less people and more game?"

PS. I doubt I'll even get a Washington State big game license this year. I did buy the small game for falconry. First time since 1970 I won't have a Washington deer tag in my pocket, so that's how much faith I have in our state to manage our deer heard and arrange access.