Pasayten High Buck Hunt

[GUHunter]

I am just looking for input in hunting the Pasayten for the High Buck hunt. The reason I ask is that it seems that all the information I find here and elsewhere online only discusses Glacier Peak and Alpine Lakes wilderness areas. Is that becasue these are better areas or just closer to population centers? I haven't decided where, but this year I will hunt the High Buck for the first time and just want to be as well informed as possible before I make my decision.

[Skyvalhunter]

If you type in Pasayten, high hunt in the search you will find some info.

[7mag.]

Are you going in on your own or with a packer? If you use an outfitter to pack in your gear, I know a couple of good ones. Cheap too. If you are hiking in, get in shape, it's steep country. I know a guy that shot a real heavy 30 inch 4x4, in there last year. There are some whopper bucks in there but they can be hard to find.

[Skyvalhunter]

well lets see a picture of that heavy 30"!!

[7mag.]

well lets see a picture of that heavy 30"!!

I wish I had some pics of it. The guy that shot it was an old timer that doesn't even mount his animals. If you want to see the antlers, you have to wait until the puyallup sportsmans show next year. The guys nephew, Scott Montegomery of Three Peaks Outfitters had the rack hanging in his booth.

[Dansk]

I did that in 2007 - a lot of info here, including my write-up:

Hunting Washington > Big Game Hunting > Deer Hunting (Moderators: boneaddict, billythekidrock) > Deer drop camp?

[Skyvalhunter]

You might find alot of disappointed hunters that come out of the Pasayten for the high buck. Plenty have said it ended up being a great camping trip with great views. Alot of times the temps can be warm up there. Maybe the past forest fires will help with the animals vegetation. Just my 

[7mag.]

I went in there in '06. It was anything but warm, it snowed every night. That's the thing about the high country, the weather can change real fast. We camped at 6300', real steep country, hard to hunt. We saw a lot of deer, but no shooters. I had a great time, a great experience.

[GUHunter]

We are planning a do it yourself, hike-in type hunt. We will most likely head into the ALW, but I was just wondering what everyone's opinion was on the Pasayten. The more information the better.

[Dansk]

Lot's of DIY's in the pasayten if you make the run up from Mazama.  10+ horse camps go in from that direction as well.

We came accross a spike camp in almost every bowl.

You might try a lower pressure entrance point.

[7mag.]

If you go in at the Harts Pass trailhead and head NW, you can stay on top of the ridge and the walking is a little easier. You will eventually run into the crest trail, and I understand there are some good camp sites near it. As far as I know, there is only one outfitter with a permit to pack out of Harts Pass. When I was up there, I saw one other person, a hiker, on our way out, about 3 miles from the trailhead and 3 guys just leaving the trailhead on foot, for a 2 day hunt.

[7mag.]

Harts pass is out of Mazama.

[TeacherMan]

Thanks, my bad, I was thinking Billy Goat. Still the same, dont hunt there (Mazama), not a good area. 

[7mag.]

I saw lots of deer, but no shooter bucks. What is a good area in the Paseyten? Someplace a guy could hunt on foot from the trail head?

[TeacherMan]

PM sent

[7mag.]

PM received, thanks.

[Dipsnort]

I'll tell you what I don't understand about the Payseten unit.  "On paper" it looks like a great area for deer and yet year in and year out the harvest statistics show it to have very low harvest rates compared to most units.  I don't get it.

[shanevg]

I'll tell you what I don't understand about the Payseten unit.  "On paper" it looks like a great area for deer and yet year in and year out the harvest statistics show it to have very low harvest rates compared to most units.  I don't get it.

It's very steep and very rugged.  A lot of places that look like they should be very good hunting on maps just aren't that good, and a lot of places that look like good deer spots just see too much traffic.  There are a lot of hunters so success rates are relatively low.  And there are less and less migratory deer going up to the high country these days because so many of them just live on the farm lands down in the Methow year round.  There are definitely deer to be found in the Pasayten, but it takes a lot of work.

[Dansk]

I was there for a week in 2007- hired Early Winters to pack us in.  Decent packer but nothing fancy.  We packed out of the bowl just past harts pass - there were a ton of cars at the trailhead and on up the other side where they kept the stock, and further up the ridge where the DIY's park.  Probably 20-30 cars total.  We camped on the main trail head in the valley 6 miles or so in, and ran into people everywhere - hunters, hikers, etc. on every trail, and every ridge. 

We saw two shooter bucks down lower on our drive up to the pass from Mazama- we were stoked.

However those two bucks were running a ridge going out of the wilderness area.... and the last legal deer we saw.  After 2 hard days and thousands of feet of vert, we stopped hunting for deer and just tried to find sign of any kind.  It was scarce to non-existent. We scoured the area.  Then it snowed and we thought we were in like flynn... hunted 3 days in the snow- again, up and down the ridges, rock slides, in the timber, etc... still- hardly any sign... did see cat tracks though.

I truly believe the population is thin- at least any area that is within a day or two's hike from Harts pass, or frequented by the outfitters.  I think they had in 10+ camps.  That is a lot of traffic.

Here is some good data - check out early winters hunting picks - only 1 buck from thier high hunt drop camps.  The rest are from General season.
http://www.earlywintersoutfitting.com/home.html

[7mag.]

I went in with Early Winters as well in '06. They are great people and good packers, fairly inexpensive as well. I think you are right about that area. Maybe over hunted?

[Dansk]

I dont think its overhunted- there are deer there earlier in the year, and it's rarely accessible for General. Hikers see them all the time in July and August- I've seen many pics of deer in hikers camps along the PCT.  During the summer, they don't seem to mind the people.  However, come september they vanish- the sign we did see was very old, and in the gnarly spots you would expect a wise old buck to hide.  I just think they are wise and move to another area in september.

[andrew_12gauge]

if you read the outlook it says they took 5 bucks on the '08 high hunt

of course it says the deer are wintering well and the 2009 season should be great

[jlane]

I hunted out there in '08 with Early winters outfitters. Good people. We (me and two others) did a drop camp about 12 miles back and I have to agree with everyone else. Steep country, hot weather(one day hit almost 80) until the last day when we were leaving it snowed. One of my hunting partners did get a descent 3x3. I dont know if I would do the early hunt again but I wouldn't mind trying the general hunt when the weather gets better. We also didn't see any other deer.