Handcock deer

[big wood]

Anybody heard what the harvest was during rifle season. I am guessing it is horrible

[NOCK NOCK]

Are you “punching” the deer or chooting them with a rifle? 

[brokentrail]

My boys and I filled 2 of 3 tags in Kapowsin, which is about normal for us.  Sometimes we go 3 for 3 but the one son was working most of the season and only hunted in November and a few of those hunts we're just an hour after school.

I hear a lot of folks complain about deer populations in there but I seem to have at least 1 or 2 opportunities a year to fill my tag.  Still works for me, when it doesn't I'll stop buying my permit.

[trophyhunt]

Went on Halloween and last day of season road hunting with my dad, saw zero deer. Saw 4 does and 1 spike all season.

[swanderek]

My dad used to work around there. That area gets hit hard at night and out of season.

[JBar]

Wife and I both punched our tags, with that said it was one of the toughest seasons as far as opportunity. I think weather timing had a lot to do with it

[elkh8me]

Gets tougher every year in there.

[Old Man Yager]

I saw spikes, and a couple barely legal 2pts.

[Crunchy]

I saw two 2 pts in about 30 minutes last week.  One was with two does.  The one with the does should be hanging right now if my muzzleloader could shoot straight.

[JBar]

Mine on the right from Halloween, found him in the reprod around 11am. My wife's on the left about an hour before dark working the timber edge on Oct 19th.

[Tbob]

I spent a lot of time in there this rifle season. Saw a bunch of deer. Lots of does and spikes but zero 2pt or better bucks the entire rifle season for me! Had a blast though.

[_DarkTimber_]

Seen one buck this year, he was big and also very fast


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[270]

Is that the general consensus, that deer hunting in kapowsin has gone down hill? Why? I just started buying the pass a couple years ago so I wouldn't know. I've only seen does, but I haven't hunted it that hard either for deer.

[highside74]

Is that the general consensus, that deer hunting in kapowsin has gone down hill? Why? I just started buying the pass a couple years ago so I wouldn't know. I've only seen does, but I haven't hunted it that hard either for deer.

Yes and many reasons.

Cougars
Bears
Coyotes
Bobcats
Hunters
Lots of elk
Clearcut spraying

None of the above make for good Blacktail habitat. All of the above are in abundance in Hancock Kapowsin and Eatonville.

[deerlick]

Lots of elk =few deer imo

[Crunchy]

There has always been a ton of elk in Hancock.  There is no lack of feed for the deer.  IMO it is a predator thing.  Once there is a good fresh snow you can see how many predators are out there.  Manly bobcat and coyote but Ive seen cougar track as well. 

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

I just snorted Rainier out my nose with that come in add. 

[257 Wby Mag]

You guys have been complaining for at least 10 years. Why do you continue to purchase the permit??  It's almost unbelievable...

[Bango skank]

You guys have been complaining for at least 10 years. Why do you continue to purchase the permit??  It's almost unbelievable...

So let me get this straight.  Youre saying that this area that everybody knows about, that is talked about publicly online, that fails to produce decent hunting year after year... this area might not be worth paying money to hunt??

[hunter399]

There logging practice,and overall forestry is to grow trees , not wildlife.Here in NE Wa they have bought up a lot of land and have clear cut and sprayed it all .You will find very little deer out there for many years.By the time forage grows back hunters , and predators have taken populations so low that now there land is a waste land for wildlife.You can step on any piece of state land and the hunting is better why is that?
Cause the state selectively logs it's land.Now I know those logs are money.But to leave 5-10 seed trees per acre is gonna speed up time between harvest it also creates shade for grasses and low level plants to rebound.

Now with that said I still hunt it here,its free as long as you follow the access rules,if I had to pay I would hunt elsewhere.

[Alan K]

There has always been a ton of elk in Hancock.  There is no lack of feed for the deer.  IMO it is a predator thing.  Once there is a good fresh snow you can see how many predators are out there.  Manly bobcat and coyote but Ive seen cougar track as well.

 

Bears are out of control in there, and there is crazy amount of predation on fawns. They're probably the biggest culprit to the lack of deer. In my opinion. Even with all of the elk there is no shortage of feed. I don't think it's possible for feed to be a population limiter on the west side with how fast stuff grows.

[Alan K]

There has always been a ton of elk in Hancock.  There is no lack of feed for the deer.  IMO it is a predator thing.  Once there is a good fresh snow you can see how many predators are out there.  Manly bobcat and coyote but Ive seen cougar track as well.

 

Bears are out of control in there, and there is a crazy amount of predation on fawns. They're probably the biggest culprit to the lack of deer. In my opinion. Even with all of the elk there is no shortage of feed. I don't think it's possible for feed to be a population limiter on the west side with how fast stuff grows.

[Alan K]

There has always been a ton of elk in Hancock.  There is no lack of feed for the deer.  IMO it is a predator thing.  Once there is a good fresh snow you can see how many predators are out there.  Manly bobcat and coyote but Ive seen cougar track as well.

 

Bears are out of control in there, and there is a crazy amount of predation on fawns. They're probably the biggest culprit to the lack of deer. In my opinion. Even with all of the elk there is no shortage of feed. I don't think it's possible for feed to be a population limiter on the west side with how fast stuff grows.

[Thehowler]

I do hope that the rule change for 2 point only in Kapowsin, and no Does, makes a difference in the population. First year of 2 point only rule I did see 2 spikes in the back of pickup trucks. One guy was showing his deer off to other hunters exiting the gate, until I told him about the rule change.