Island county deer hunting

[Tmaughan]

Recently moved to whidbey island. I've talked to a few people and have heard that there are some public land along with on base hunting. I was wondering is there anyone looking for a partner, or willing to give some pointers for this upcoming season?

[Widgeondeke]

Can't help with places to hunt on Whidbey, but make sure you know the firearm restrictions. Most of the islands only allow archery or shotguns. Also, some handguns as long as the barrel is minimum 4".

There are few members on her who hunt that island, but getting permission is tough.

[fishnfur]

Welcome to the forum,  Whidbey has lots and lots of deer, so you're in great shape there.  If you are military, you mau have an in at NAS Whidbey for at least limited access.  Otherwise, you're going to have to knock on doors, so to speak.

There are several members of this forum that hunt that island, though they may be currently inactive currently.  Later in the summer, as thoughts turn towards the pending season, you might get further assistance from those people in specific Whidbey information.  In the mean time, I'd do some parcel searches for large chunks of land as potential places to pursue permission,   Island County Assessor's Office maintains a GIS searchable map that allows you to identify potential targets of interest and current owner's mailing addresses.  Farmland and forestlands are your primary targets. 

Don't ignore the rest of the local islands as well as the San Juan Islands, which are also loaded with deer.  Several have public land that is open to hunting.  Getting to the island becomes the major logistical problem.  Also, Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula are a 45 minute ferry ride away.  There is no end to the hunting opportunities in that direction. 

Good luck!

[O. hemionus]

Give the WDFW Private Lands Bio for the area, Rob Wingard, a call. He has a pretty good knowledge of some of the land trust properties that allow public hunting access.

[cvandervort]

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[lokidog]

Don't ignore the rest of the local islands as well as the San Juan Islands, which are also loaded with deer.  Several have public land that is open to hunting.  Getting to the island becomes the major logistical problem.  Also, Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula are a 45 minute ferry ride away.  There is no end to the hunting opportunities in that direction. 

Good luck!

Good luck with that... as a San Juan County resident it is hard enough to get access to private land.  There is very little public land and what there is, is usually packed with people from what I have heard.  Also, San Juan County requires by law written permission to hunt private land, not just a verbal OK.

Good hunting!

[fishnfur]

My bad Loki.  I assumed Cypress Island was included in the San Juan group - it is not (but easily could have been).  It is primarily DNR land and requires a boat ride in what might be some heavy seas.  It's pretty close to Anacortes, as is Guemes Island.  Both are possibilities not too far north of Whidbey.  A quick search of this forum will give you some clues to many of the hunting possibilities in your area.

From what I've seen in success photos posted here, there's a lot of big bucks east of I-5 as well.

[Tmaughan]

Thank you for all the info. It really helps. I will have to give all these ideas a look.

[spin05]

Trillium forest just south of the base is your best bet