Eastern Olympics blacktails

[predatorG]

Has anyone taken any big bucks out of the foothills ? I live in kitsap and look up across the canal at the mountains everyday. There appears to be massive clear cuts with tons of steep, gnarly terrain that looks like some amazing habitat. There's no reason for me to ever drive all the way around the canal to explore in any more detail, so I was just curious if anyone has ever killed any good deer in the cuts or anything ?

[wooltie]

this

[predatorG]

 

That is indeed a toad. I am very impressed

[Alchase]

Head up the Elkhorn (Dosewallips RD) or Hama Hama, just be sure you know where the park starts.

[wooltie]

That is indeed a toad. I am very impressed

That is indeed dumb luck.  Shot him at 38 yards.  Took two steps and absorbed into the force.

[predatorG]

Head up the Elkhorn (Dosewallips RD) or Hama Hama, just be sure you know where the park starts.

I'm slightly pre occupied 

[JDHasty]

Very good blacktail country

[fishngamereaper]

Good hunting, especially with some snow up high.

[fishnfur]

PredatorG - if that SD card came from Kitsap, you've definitely got no reason to look elsewhere.  That buck's a stud!  I can't quite make out the coordinates.  Please send them by PM.  Thanks! 

I know a guy from this forum that hunts up in Olympic.  He's a really good hunter and does well there.  I'm sure if I went up to that unit, I'd never see a thing, or I'd see bulls during deer season, and bucks during elk season.  Some things never change.

[E35alex]

PredatorG - if that SD card came from Kitsap, you've definitely got no reason to look elsewhere.  That buck's a stud!  I can't quite make out the coordinates.  Please send them by PM.  Thanks! 

I know a guy from this forum that hunts up in Olympic.  He's a really good hunter and does well there.  I'm sure if I went up to that unit, I'd never see a thing, or I'd see bulls during deer season, and bucks during elk season.  Some things never change.

 

[jsnmac]

I am also a Kitsap guy. I have hunted it without any luck. I have some coworkers that live in north Kitsap. They hunt over there and have had success but no trophy bucks.

[Bronson]

This is a buck I shot quite a few years ago in the foothills.  I look at the Olympics all the time too, always have.  When I hunted over there consistently I always wanted to head up high, as high as we could get.  I was always drawn up to the higher elevations.  But there were always more deer down lower where there was cutting going on.  Every area is a bit different, but the area I used to hunt hasnt had any cutting or even thinning operations in a long time.  There are still deer up there but not in numbers, at least not the numbers that you will find down in the timber company land.  And there are some good bucks on that land too.  Hard to pass all the private timber land that has numbers and good bucks to hunt the mountains, other than for the experience. 

[JimmyHoffa]

I've only met a couple of guys that are real blacktail experts for the area.  One moved away after hounds were banned and the other is about 80.  I know that I go to the same trails/areas they do and see plenty of spikes and forkies and can occasionally find a three and with planetary alignment type luck something bigger; but they would go and get really big ones usually on opening morning.  One of the guys got a buck that had bases over 7" around and no teeth left, the bio said it was fourteen years old.  The guy that is 80 has to road hunt now because he can't drag more than a hundred yards and he manages to get a big four or five every year.

[fishnfur]

I hate those guys! 

[predatorG]

PredatorG - if that SD card came from Kitsap, you've definitely got no reason to look elsewhere.  That buck's a stud!  I can't quite make out the coordinates.  Please send them by PM.  Thanks! 

I know a guy from this forum that hunts up in Olympic.  He's a really good hunter and does well there.  I'm sure if I went up to that unit, I'd never see a thing, or I'd see bulls during deer season, and bucks during elk season.  Some things never change.

That buck is hiding in the woods behind my house. Only one member of my family has ever actually laid eyes on him (not me, it was my dad).

So yes, I am looking no further. But every day I drive home from school and look up at the steepest, most gnarly cuts connecting ridges and creeks and all sorts of perfection. It's usually basking in sun compared to the clouds I am under, almost like a deer promised land. I wanted to see if it was actually as good as it looks. It's not worth driving all the way around, just the personal satisfaction of looking at it daily and knowing what roams there.