Muley Reports Chelan and Okanogan Counties

[grade-creek-rd]

heavyhorned..."couldn't ask for more"....how about hunting with your brother and nephew...? Looking forward to next fall already...but first, coyotes!!!!

Grade

[bucksnort]

Our camp was 5/5 last week. Okanogan. Lots of bucks in bunches and fighting mad all of them.

[bigmacc]

Sounds like the doe kicked loose out of the mountains.   THat migration was something to behold in the past.

Amen bone, this weather would have produced at least 100 per day in a few of the more popular routes and in another week or two 2-300 a day, even hitting this early. We went into a couple of those routes up north(you know where) and seen very dismal numbers coming through, maybe 10 per day between 5 of us spread through 2 different routes. I don't count pet deer, town deer or deer on private that are there pretty much all year, throwing all those out we seen 78 deer between 5 of us over 9 days, the numbers were flat a## horrible but we knew it was coming, 2 of us didn't even buy deer tags, we were very fortunate and ended up with 2 bucks and 2 bears, with this weather 15 years ago we would have tagged out in those areas we were in with 5 real dandies and would have seen 6-700. We were in a foot of snow all week with temps in the teens-20,s most of the time. Wolf tracks galore in areas I have not seen them before. We seen the "UCAR" vehicles going up and down the north end of the valley all week,, ran into signs in 3 different areas that warned of letting your dogs off leash because traps were in the area and are set to attract canines, the signs said collaring operations were in effect, areas we seen them in were up around Ramsey, up towards 30 mile and up around the old Game Mgr,s place. Herd howling one day while out up the Chewuch. Talked with a fella we know that works for a state agency(won't mention the one), he came to camp and said pretty much what most of us knew, the predator populations are exploding and he sees no relief on the horizon. He said something that made a little sense but also kind of leaves you scratching your head, he said more deer were down lower this year because of cats, they followed them up in the spring and some deer came down earlier to escape(august, sept and some even earlier), some cats followed so more deer were being seen earlier but more cats were being seen earlier also, he said during the summer and early fall lots of cat sightings, with a few who were being shot through the top of peoples porches and decks. He said these deer and this herd is under so much pressure year round from predators its even messing with migrations because deer are trying to find sanctuary. He has asked me to come over and take him into one of the migration routes my family knows of in 10 days and asked if I would be available the week prior to thanksgiving also, I said yes. He knows the route(IMHO one of the top 3 in the valley) but we know of another artery that actually funnels into it and is more concentrated, we have journals showing as of 17 years ago we were counting 300-500 per day over a 4 day span come through, those numbers have dwindled to 20-30 per day over the last 17 years, I will post what we see. Did have some buddies over in the Okanogan valley, 1 camp 6 for 6 and another 3 for 5, all were nice bucks with 4 of them being monsters, not the same issues over the hill like there is in the Methow, at least not yet and not nearly as bad.

[archerykraze]

Started in the high country but ran into a bunch of snow and not a lot of sign till dropping lower out of snow level. Ended up moving to Methow area and hiking a few miles/ridges off the roads. Managed to find 3 legal bucks but all in the spotter 400,500 and 800 yards away and unable to close the distance to under 300 yards before they exited to thick timber (only practice to 300 yards) seen 5 two points, one large group of does with a spike and a fair amount of  does and yearlings. Most does were alone or in pairs but not a lot of large groups. Looking to late archery season but had a great time being in the backcountry and seeing some deer activity. Not as good as years past and definitely have to put some miles on the boots to find em. Only got 4 days hunting in.

[bigmacc]

Just got off the phone with an old friend, he, his son and 2 grandsons hunted Twisp/Carlton turf for the first 4 days, slim pickens and drove over into an area in the Okanogan Valley and by Friday were full, two 4 by 4,s a 4 by 5 and a big 3 by 3, he said the 3 by 3 was huge, 26 inch spread and went 240lbs field dressed. The Okanogan Valley seems to have produced at least for the 3 camps I know.

[bearhunter99]

Other than my youngest getting her first deer (nice little 3x3) we didn't see much of anything in Chelan County.  Not really worse than the last couple of years but with this weather we should have been seeing more.  Heard three wolves were sighted just to the south of Cashmere.....

[WaltAlpine]

We were up high on the border of the chewuch and perrygin and heard ZERO shots in 7 days.
Few tracks except wolves and moose.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[zwickeyman]

3 days in the Chelan County high country

I saw 8 bucks w/ 7 legal and 6 of them past the ears. Only saw 3 does and 2 fawns which really has me concerned. Saw Cat, Wolf and Bear tracks. This area gets very little hunting pressure and numbers are dropping fast

[no.cen.wa]

Hunted high, Chewuck, Pasayten and Sinlahekin, very few deer tracks, many cougar, wolf and bear. Muzzy hunters got caught in snow up high, above 30 mile meadows, 3-4 feet of snow fell around sept 29th, had to have cat to get to them from Long Swamp CG, cost $2500 to get them out. snow was compacted up high, not bad on south slopes. No deer to speak of, saw more predator tracks than deer tracks, suppose some deer had moved down. National forest employee told cousin that predators are forcing deer to move down, no rest from predators 24-7. others in hunting party had cats following them till they stared hunting the cats.
Sad, don't know if herd can survive without high summer grazing areas.

[mitch184]

Hunted last 4 days in Chiwawa/Entiat/Chelan high country.  Plenty of tracks.  Definitely animals moving in the 5500'-5000' range and beginning to push down. Seeming to slow down more in the 4500-4000' area.  The snow following by warmups maybe causing it?

Didn't see any legal bucks besides some resident deer down low.

[RileyH]

Must have seen 20 road hunters a day in ONF, didn't see another soul off the road.

Lower deer numbers than last year.

[ganghis]

Spent 3 days camped back on a dry ridge in Winthrop area on the second weekend of modern... maybe saw 12 deer in that time, 3 bucks (2 2 points, 1 likely 2 point but was unable to confirm 100%).  The other 10 were 8 does and 2 fawns.  Was excited to follow some tracks in the snow but all tracks I found up high in were a day or two old and coming down...

[bigmacc]

Spent 3 days camped back on a dry ridge in Winthrop area on the second weekend of modern... maybe saw 12 deer in that time, 3 bucks (2 2 points, 1 likely 2 point but was unable to confirm 100%).  The other 10 were 8 does and 2 fawns.  Was excited to follow some tracks in the snow but all tracks I found up high in were a day or two old and coming down...

You seen some deer, which is a good thing, wish you, I and others were seeing more, we all should be seeing more, should be especially with the kind of weather that was hitting. Fact is there just isn't/wasnt that many deer in the high country, some say they are moving early to escape cats then are running into wolves at intermediate and lower elevations, they are being pursued 24/7.  It used to be said getting a deer was a bonus, its getting more and more that seeing deer is a bonus at least in the Methow. Cant tell you how many folks I have talked to that said they seen a few, heck some didn't see any(throw out the townies). Have a couple folks I know that had camps up in places that are in some traditionally excellent areas, they have been hunting the 2 different areas for over 45 years and know every draw, runway and hideaway within a 10 mile radius, they said the same, very few deer, one camp seen 16 over 8 days between 4 people, the other 10 miles to the north on one of the great ridges in the valley which is usually ground zero when weather hits and you could literaly set your watch for when the deer would start coming through, this year they seen 20 deer total between 7 folks over 10 days and tracks in the snow were few and far between in fact they said cat tracks and bear outnumbered the deer tracks, they heard wolves howling on the next ridge over for 4 nights in a row. My brother talked with one fella that showed him a cell phone picture of a wolf track in the snow that was wider and longer than the dollar bill he layed down next to it, it was huge. Like I said in another post, lots of wolf activity in the north part of the valley now, we seen the rigs and signs out and about warning to keep dogs on leash because of traps in the areas set to attract canines, all around the foothills around Winthrop and up into the Chewuch drainage, yep they are there(up north), they are spreading and they are populating, very sad for those of us that hunt but I'm sure a lot of the antis and yuppies that keep moving in are loving it.....sorry for the rant, its just sickening, just my opinion.

[hal]

we hunt on 60 private acres 5 miles northeast of Chesaw. Have for 10 years. We have mostly whitetail and that includes 4 large shooter bucks and 6 rag horns on camera. The snow came early(we are 4000') but melted just as quick. About 10f colder than normal with lows at 12f to 20f during the first week. The deer pop. is fine with a few mulies mixed in. This area is all private so the deer are not pushed hard. My son were drawn for a big buck tag during extended season. I shot a 6X6 the first day. Beautiful whitetail buck about 200#'s. Hung at Nile Valley @ 125#. The weather is close to normal now.

[Skyvalhunter]

Pics?