Pe Ell South

[BigBuckBandit]

Wondering how all of those that bought a Pe Ell South permit did this year? This is my second year hunting and figured it would be a good investment so I went ahead and bought the pass. Spent a lot of time back behind the gates with not much to show for it except for a years worth of experience. I would pack in a mountain bike and make my way onto the Sierra Pacific ground to try to get away from the road hunters. I spoke with quite a few folks while on Weyerhaeuser ground that seemed pretty discouraged by the low numbers of deer being encountered. I was able to glass up about 5 does during late season rifle but couldn't manage to spot any bucks in tow. Saw a few elk here and there but not nearly as much game as I was hoping to encounter. I did hear a few coyote packs and was thinking maybe they had something to do with the seemingly low deer populations. I hope some had more success than I did! Any success stories coming out of these timber lands??

[Billy Fudd]

Herbicides.  Hard to imagine that this liberal state allows the spray that occurs on managed timberland.

[bobcat]

My uncle and I had that permit three years ago. We found practically no deer at all in there. About the only place we finally found some deer was way down low along the northern boundary of Weyerhaeuser and other private property. We hunted the early muzzleloader elk season and I don't recall seeing a single deer. Then we hunted the last week of October for deer and couldn't find any deer or even any sign, until like I said, we began hunting closer to our camp right down along the Weyerhaeuser boundary in the timber. My uncle finally ended up killing a 2 point on the 30th, and I decided to go home then even though we still had one more day to hunt. I hunted near home the 31st and got a 2 point in GMU 501. I'd never want to hunt deer in that South Pe Ell area ever again.

[hollymaster]

Didn’t see one deer in three days of hunting down there.

[fishnfur]

Herbicides.  Hard to imagine that this liberal state allows the spray that occurs on managed timberland.

I'm not sure that has anything to do with low deer numbers in Pe Ell South, but it grows trees faster and improves yields, which makes the money grubbing liberals very happy.

I'm not sure if this applies to Pe Ell South, but I've concluded, (quite likely incorrectly) that good elk areas make for tough BT deer hunting.  The deer are there, for sure.  It is easy to find sign, and often a lot of sign.  The deer just seem to be pushed by the elk to find hiding/bedding spots out in the fringes - areas elk don't use, or at least don't use frequently.  I have numerous trail cam videos of deer freaking out just before a group of elk come through - off they go running helter skelter.  I think that in many cases, any noise that sounds like elk might be close may often send deer deep into cover till the elk pass - except in the rare case that the does are expecting a buck to show.  Even quiet hunters likely make enough noise to clear an area of deer well around them in these high use elk areas.

I played with this theory in Ryderwood this year, hunting closer to roads where elk tend to stay away from unless they're traveling.   Results were promising.  Definitely more deer seen closer to roads than in areas deeper in, where the noisy elk come and go as they please.  Weird year though.  Elk sightings were non-existent after mid-summer, and much less elk sign seen during the season than in years past.  Something to think about anyways....

[Squidward]

 PL South and in PL North the reports are about the same not much of deer or elk. But the locals have been seeing wolf sign for the last few yrs. oh yeah we don't have them here on the wet side. LMAO

[Skyvalhunter]

Well if you don't have them and they resemble a coyote I guess you should just consider it a coyote and shoot it.

[Squidward]

Well if you don't have them and they resemble a coyote I guess you should just consider it a coyote and shoot it.

S.S.S.   

[bobcat]

I'd blame poaching before I'd blame the non-existent wolves. You'd think poaching wouldn't be an issue within a gated area, but those gates are left open most of the time except during modern firearm deer and elk seasons, especially during the week.

[fishnfur]

Well if you don't have them and they resemble a coyote I guess you should just consider it a coyote and shoot it.

S.S.S.   

Translation: Shotgun, shovel, shhh     

It could be poachers, especially if they're taking a lot of does/cows.    Is this area open to Native American hunting?  Some areas you'd never expect are routinely hunted by the original inhabitants of this region.  Even commercial timber sometimes allows the tribes to hunt their lands - hopefully not in this case if they're also selling hunters access.

[Jellymon]

 

[bobcat]

No, tribal members do not have access to the area.

[Wanttohuntmore]

The area was barren this year.  Some animals, but worse than the prior 4 years.  Going downhill fast.  Not sure why, very little pressure, lots of feed, lots of cover.  My cow had no hoof rot.  Most elk seen this whole year did not limp, all three of them 🙂

Debating on hunting somewhere else next year for elk.  Deer I wouldn't bother, it's more of my late season place to go.  I'm hoping other areas still have blacktails.

[fishnfur]

Talking to the regional biologist might shed some light on the subject.  Then again, I often think the WDFW biologists aren't really that aware of what is going on with big game in the units assigned to them.  Mazama Gophers and endangered frogs seem to be the main focus these days.

[PolarBear]

We had the Pe Ell South permit 4 years ago. We were in there a lot, mostly through the Rock Creek gate.  The entire deer and elk season we saw one buck and it was a spike that my daughter refused to shoot.  We did see a bunch of elk but all had hoof rot so badly that we wouldn't shoot.  I had my daughter on 5 bulls on opening day of muzzleloader and each one was so sick and spindly that she passed.  She said "I'm not eating a sick bull no matter what's on it's head!".

[SCRUBS]

We had the Pe Ell South permit 4 years ago. We were in there a lot, mostly through the Rock Creek gate.  The entire deer and elk season we saw one buck and it was a spike that my daughter refused to shoot.  We did see a bunch of elk but all had hoof rot so badly that we wouldn't shoot.  I had my daughter on 5 bulls on opening day of muzzleloader and each one was so sick and spindly that she passed.  She said "I'm not eating a sick bull no matter what's on it's head!".

I must say PolarBear, you are doing a fine job raising that girl. 

[PolarBear]

Thank you!!  She shows an incredible amount of restraint and determination. 

[ryanj]

         I live close by and the hoof rot is very bad! it has taken a huge toll on the animals in the past years. So bad i have been looking else where to hunt elk. The deer numbers are at a all time low also.