Spoiler alert, ended with a bowl of tag soup. There's only a handful of public lands to hunt on Whidbey, tried two of them, put in just shy of 30 miles on the boots over 3 days. I spooked a couple of does, each time while being lazy and walking from one place to the next, a lapse in mental fortitude on my part. Lesson learned, hunt your way back out as diligently as you hunted your way in. Putting in the time, creeping off trail in the few micro clearings I could find or sitting and waiting near the few beds I found, it can be done. It was my first time up there, so it was a half scout half hunt sorta trip. Knowing what I know now, if hell freezes over and I have to go back to Whidbey, patience will pay off. It is unlikely I willingly make that trip again though and will use this as motivation to properly plan next years trips.
Driving around, you see deer in peoples yards grazing and it definitely is disheartening. I saw plenty of deer grazing in open fields, however they were all private. You win this year Whidbey.
