the Methow is even worse off than I thought

[Skyvalhunter]

I will agree with you there. I spent 5 days hiking, working on trails and riding motorcycles and saw 1 doe. There wasn't a lot of people out and very few in the higher elevations. Couldn't make it to sS Navarre TH with the snow from the Methow. Very little deer sign on my hikes, depressing on the cams. Who knows maybe they all went north as I certainly wasnt seeing them.  I am hoping to see this 15/100 buck to doe ratio the biologist was talking about.

[woodswalker]

I will agree with you there. I spent 5 days hiking, working on trails and riding motorcycles and saw 1 doe. There wasn't a lot of people out and very few in the higher elevations. Couldn't make it to sS Navarre TH with the snow from the Methow. Very little deer sign on my hikes, depressing on the cams. Who knows maybe they all went north as I certainly wasnt seeing them.  I am hoping to see this 15/100 buck to doe ratio the biologist was talking about.

He meant that there are 15 bucks and 100 does in the Methow.  Period. 

[Oh Mah]

Curious what the cougar and bear numbers are there,in years past it was a haven for both.Now with the wolves there are the bear and cougar numbers still high?

[Skyvalhunter]

I did see a small bull mose, plenty of moose droppings. One we of cub and sow tracks. In the area I was not any cougar sign which makes sense with lack of deer to feed on.

[bigmacc]

I will agree with you there. I spent 5 days hiking, working on trails and riding motorcycles and saw 1 doe. There wasn't a lot of people out and very few in the higher elevations. Couldn't make it to sS Navarre TH with the snow from the Methow. Very little deer sign on my hikes, depressing on the cams. Who knows maybe they all went north as I certainly wasnt seeing them.  I am hoping to see this 15/100 buck to doe ratio the biologist was talking about.

I wish you were right Skyvalhunter(about the deer being north) at least that would explain a few things but that is not the case at all. We went into some spring migration routes that lead into the Paysaten and a few that head into Canada, lots and lots of boot miles, used to look like "deer highways"25 years ago with all the sign heading back up, we seen a few deer here and there( 2 here, 1 there etc) and sign was few and far between, some of these routes are in the top 3 or 4 in the valley. These were some of the areas we were seeing wolf sign in where we had not seen it before, also, one of these areas is where we seen one of the bears, it was huge and we studied it for close to 20 minutes thinking it could have been a grizzly, we got to within about 150 yards of it and put a spotting scope on it, just a big blackie, around 250-300.

[bigmacc]

Forgot to mention that we found a bigboy up Yellowjacket, probably from last fall or winter, a 6 by something?( one side had been nawed on pretty good, at least a 4 on that side). Mostly bone, a little hide and hair left, partially buried with limbs and debris. A lot of mass, real thick antlers. He was a meal for something, cat I assume. In all my years roaming this valley I have just never seen this many sightings or this much sign of cats. I know wolves are on everyones minds (which they should be if you are a hunter) but this cougar thing is ridicules......just my and opinion.

[Oh Mah]

how big were the limbs?

[bigmacc]

how big were the limbs?

Maybe a foot to 2 feet long, hard to tell, it actually looked like the area had been worked over several times..

[NOCK NOCK]

@bigmacc   Any pictures of the cat kills, or other shots from your adventures?

[bigmacc]

@bigmacc   Any pictures of the cat kills, or other shots from your adventures?

No.

[HoofsandWings]

Take away the game and hunters go elsewhere, then the anti-hunters have scored a victory.

[NOCK NOCK]

@bigmacc   Any pictures of the cat kills, or other shots from your adventures?

No.

Bummer,I Enjoy checking out cat kill sites, Yes there are too many, but incredible creatures those cats are.

[bigmacc]

@bigmacc   Any pictures of the cat kills, or other shots from your adventures?

No.

Bummer,I Enjoy checking out cat kill sites, Yes there are too many, but incredible creatures those cats are.

Okie dokie....."those cats" just arnt my cup of tea....they are killing way to many deer and elk, especially in the last 25, just my opinion and my 

[2MANY]

Purdy sad but to be expected.

Obviously the lack of any hound hunting in this liberal pit of a state is the problem.

Meanwhile spandex sales are up.