Entiat is "OPEN"

[muleracks]

You can now drive to the end of the Entiat River Road (Cottonwood TH) and to the Entiat North Fork TH.  Don't expect the same old growth forest.  The Wilderness had a stand replacement fire in 2006 (Tinpan fire) that burned from the Entiat Meadows to the Wilderness boundary.  Those dead trees are mostly gone (burned away in the 2015 Wolverine Fire.   Access to the burn was restored this weekend.  From the Wilderness boundary to the upper meadows the trees are nearly all gone.  Trails are open but not maintained and bridges are gone.  High creek flows until August.

[muleracks]

Here is a Google Earth image from the non-Wilderness part of the burn.  Trees were alive until Aug. 2015, image is from Aug. 19th 2016. It is now legal to drive to trailheads and hike the trails but be very careful around burned out stumps and crossing creeks which no longer have bridges.

[Ridgerunner]

Is there a plan to replace bridges or do any maintenance in the future?


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[muleracks]

The Access Entiat Committee is meeting with the Ranger to talk about trails and bridges.  They are seeking money for such projects.  They do plan to log out some of the Wilderness trails this summer but permission to use chainsaws was not obtained. 

[timberfaller]

"permission to use chainsaws was not obtained"

Don't ya just love Stuuupid     Gotta protect that "wilderness"!!   Those evil chainsaws and the noise they make are just going to kill everything out there!!

A college education is a scary thing!!!

[muleracks]

Last October some of the Entiat Saddle Club members were escorted into the burn.  They were taken to the Cottonwood trail head and hiked 4.5 miles up the Entiat River Trail.  The video shows what it looks like below the Wilderness Boundary.  In the Wilderness many of the trees burned away completely because they where killed in 2006 by an earlier fire.  The video will show the burned Anthem Creek bridge and the damaged Myrtle Lake bridge.
Chainsaws would have make opening the trail much easier.  In the Pasayten Wilderness chainsaws have been authorized.

[j_h_nimrod]

The idiocracy of wilderness managers is sometimes epic. I remember wilderness rangers flying by floatplane into wilderness cabins, using outboards to cruise the lake and destroy permitted limnology sample site marker buoys, then use a misery whip buck saw to cut firewood for the cabins because they couldn't use chainsaws

Glad the Entiat is open again though   it was closed my last two years living in the valley and messed up my high buck plans.

[Stalkin Prey]

Great news. I'm planning a scouting trip this next weekend, looking into 245, 247 for archery. If anyone has any tips/ info I'd greatly appreciate it. Really want to get the most out of this first trip in these areas. The units are both large just really not sure how to narrow down some key starting areas. Thanks in advance for any info.


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[Magnum_Willys]

Great news. I'm planning a scouting trip this next weekend, looking into 245, 247 for archery. If anyone has any tips/ info I'd greatly appreciate it. Really want to get the most out of this first trip in these areas. The units are both large just really not sure how to narrow down some key starting areas. Thanks in advance for any info.


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In late Archery you will only be able to go about 5 miles up from Entiat due to snow hopefully so that narrows your search considerably.  Eliminate the lower 3 miles of private land narrows it further so you have a narrow band to scout.     Just saying keep late season access in mind.   

[Stalkin Prey]

How's the pressure typically in the early season?


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[Magnum_Willys]

Tough hunting until bucks migrate down in November and rut gets going. 

[Stalkin Prey]

Thanks for your help. Sounds like I'll have my hands full.


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[Magnum_Willys]

Thanks for your help. Sounds like I'll have my hands full.


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Only takes one ! 

[muleracks]

There won't be many deer in the Entiat (GMU 247) during the early archery season.  About 80% of the County's mule deer migrate up valley.  You might find some September deer on the shady side of Tyee or any high elevation cool and moist spot.  The early hunt is great because you will have the area pretty much to yourself.  No pressure at all at the high elevation Wilderness areas but hunt that before the High Hunt begins for the modern firearms hunters arrive; hunt dates are 9/15-9/25.

[dscubame]

SHOOOOOOSHHHH