Whidbey Island Public Deer Hunting / Trillium Forrest

[Axistails]

Decided to go for a shotgun tag this year rather than bow, as I'm pretty sure I'll only be hunting on public land. I have hunted the base but haven't seen a trace, but seen some does walking in front of the gates 

Has anyone hunted the Trillium Forrest or Kettles Trails on the Island? I am planning to hunt there but have no clue if it's worth spending 5 days of leave walking around.

[h20hunter]

Yes. Not successfully.  My idea would be get on early, way early. Get a position set up with your back to a tree and look for shooting lanes. Don't move. Hunters will push the deer and you may get a shot almost like a deer drive. Be 100% sure of your target and shoot both eyes open.... this can be very dangerous and shooting another hunter is unforgivable.

[fishnfur]

If you're stationed at NAS - I'd take Thurs/Fri off.  Burn two days of leave, maybe three (using Wed. too).  Check in from leave on Friday night before midnight and hunt the weekend without using more leave.  Saturday and Sunday should be the best hunting days, so there's no use in getting charged leave just to hunt on a weekend that you'd normally have off.  If your command is going to give you a watch during the weekend, then you have to take it all as leave.

Just for giggles, check with MWR or other operation that handles hunting on base.  That acreage across the street, due south of NAS and West of the HWY that is all willows, alder, and some conifer thicket looked like great BT territory to me, even before I hunted.  I still remember it.  I'm not sure if it is accessible.  Only the base can help you with that.  I'd go there before competing with a ton of other hunters down south.  I wish I could help you with Trillium Forest, but I have no knowledge of that whatsoever.  There's some forest on the beach from the base down to the golf course that might be open too.  I never saw a deer in there, but I'd bet big money that there is. 

Good luck!
CAPT G.

[Boss .300 winmag]

If you're stationed at NAS - I'd take Thurs/Fri off.  Burn two days of leave, maybe three (using Wed. too).  Check in from leave on Friday night before midnight and hunt the weekend without using more leave.  Saturday and Sunday should be the best hunting days, so there's no use in getting charged leave just to hunt on a weekend that you'd normally have off.  If your command is going to give you a watch during the weekend, then you have to take it all as leave.

Just for giggles, check with MWR or other operation that handles hunting on base.  That acreage across the street, due south of NAS and West of the HWY that is all willows, alder, and some conifer thicket looked like great BT territory to me, even before I hunted.  I still remember it.  I'm not sure if it is accessible.  Only the base can help you with that.  I'd go there before competing with a ton of other hunters down south.  I wish I could help you with Trillium Forest, but I have no knowledge of that whatsoever.  There's some forest on the beach from the base down to the golf course that might be open too.  I never saw a deer in there, but I'd bet big money that there is. 

Good luck!
CAPT G.

That area is the old dump, hunting has never been allowed in there. And yes there is deer in there.🤣

Back in the early 90’s the east end of the seaplane base archery hunting was allowed, don’t know about now since it’s up to the current base COs discretion.

[fishnfur]

Dang!  killing a trash fed deer kind of defeats the purpose. 
  I'd heard that too about the archery.  It's worth asking, though if the OP isn't a bowhunter, then that would have to wait till next season after some practice. 
    There's always north and off the islands to Stillaguamish, Sauk, North Sound, or catch the ferry out of Keystone to Port Townsend and head for Olympic or Coyle, though the latter is mostly private (from memory).  Guemes Island just north of Anacortes, 10 minute ferry ride has a small chunk of DNR land that might be open.  I wouldn't bet heavily on that since DNR seems to be passing off these small parcel public lands to local communities to administer (which often means no hunting allowed). 

[spin05]

I use to work with a guy that hunted kettle trails and go a few. This was bout 15 years ago. I will tell you he never shot anything in there until the 4 day late buck season.