Unit 248 Big Bend

[Fish4Fun]

Not looking for a honey hole if there are in this unit, just looking for some info about the deer numbers. Also, how much of the unit is private and how friendly are the land owners.

[jackelope]

you can go to wdfw website, go to the hunting category, then go to the gohunt feature. get to the point where the map is up there and there is a tool bar along the top. click queries, then harvest data, and you can enter whatever details you want to know for.
i did mule deer by antlers for all weapons in unit 248 and this is what i came up with:
http://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/gispublic/apps/gohunt/gohuntJSP/huntStatisticsQuery.jsp?selYear=2006&selSpecies=DEER+%28MULE+DEER%29&selReportType=ANTLER%28GENERAL%29&selWeaponType=ALL+METHODS&selReportingUnitType=GMU&showresults=1&selReportingUnit=248

[jackelope]

you can also see public versus private land on the maps there also. it takes  a little fiddling around but you'll figure it out. it can be a neat scouting tool.

[old school]

 90% private and not very friendly.

[finnman]

There is a reason their not friendly........they are protecting something

[sagerat]

It can be a really frustrating unit, it's tough to get permission on GOOD ground. If you can it's a good area for mediocre bucks. Not much decent public ground and what there is gets hammered like usual.

[jackelope]

it seems like a fairly large number of legal bucks coming out of there, especially if it's mostly private and tough to get access to. where do all the deer come from?

[finnman]

There are some porkers in that unit, its a tough job finding ground but it is out there. One of the taxidermists I have used has a brother that took a 29 inch 3 point in that unit, and he has taken some other good bucks as well but it is confrontational hunting, small pieces of public land that private property owners don't want people on! Saw one of the biggest 2 points I have ever seen in that unit, 24 inch wide with good mass......

[Fish4Fun]

Thanks for all the tips and pointers to the area. Guess if the girlfriend and I want to hunt it we need to do a fair amount of home work with the maps to find the state lands.

[slouch]

it it is confrontational hunting, small pieces of public land that private property owners don't want people on!

Is this the norm for most of Washington?  How exactly is it confrontational?  Do hunters get harassed on the way back to their trucks?

[sagerat]

Lots of bucks ARE killed there every fall. Lots of people have access to prime land there. I use to hunt there, now I rarely do. I've had a few confrontations with landowners, nothing too serious. They just want to make sure you stay on the public areas and since those areas are so small most people can't navigate them accurately. This makes for pissed off landowners! Good luck if you try it.

[yelp]

PM sent...

[Fish4Fun]

Thanks, just sent you an e-mail

Jim

[old school]

 TRy the Hunt Farm on Pearl Hill they have deer and charge to hunt. sorry no phone#

[sagerat]

I wouldn't pay to hunt that quality of bucks.