Remember when

[Ridgeratt]

How many people remember when late buck opened up for deer yesterday and was open until the 2ND weekend of December?

[wadu1]

And general buck started the first of November.

[Alex4200]

I remember when you weren’t limited to one weapon type. Could go afield from September through most of December. Late archery was always a challenge but fun. If you shot a deer early, say opening of modern in October, you had really screwed up. Now you were designated driver, drop off and pickup guy. Spent some days road hunting for grouse on your way to pick someone up.

[MADMAX]

I remember when you weren’t limited to one weapon type. Could go afield from September through most of December. Late archery was always a challenge but fun. If you shot a deer early, say opening of modern in October, you had really screwed up. Now you were designated driver, drop off and pickup guy. Spent some days road hunting for grouse on your way to pick someone up.

I liked those days👍

[hunter399]

I remember when I could hunt cougar till January 1 ,now I do my cougar harvest report before deer season is over.

But seriously 😂

I remember in my teen ,bear baiting/hound hunting being cut.
It was a big deal in our house .

[CastleRocker]

Yeah, those WERE the days!  Everything up around The Mountain was still beautiful and great hunting/fishing/trapping.  No gates, or closed off areas for "habitat management", or just because they can charge for access. 

[dvolmer]

Back in the day before the Washington State Lib-Tards.

[String Bender]

That first week of December was always awesome. Seen some of the biggest bucks of my life during that week. I used to laugh about quality tags because I felt that week was a quality tag. Also miss the old Archery Stamp days. If you didn't get a deer with your rifle, you go get the archery stamp and hunt into December. Also miss the old either sex elk hunts. Seen some monster bulls during that hunt.

[MADMAX]

4 wheeler inbound 500 at the 7 mile marker
Find a pullout when that log truck was outbound at the 10 quickly or lose a mirror
Back in the day

[boneaddict]

There was a late Alta Archery unit, much like Swakane now I suppose.   I remember the snow was usually armpit deep to me, but my big brother was out there with his bow trying to get his buck.   I remember there were deer and bucks everywhere and no hunters.    It was just a matter of getting close enough.   I think of it every Thanksgiving.

[Ghost Hunter]

Had a December WT tag for the Sinlahekin when it had herds year-round.  Broke my wrist before season.  Still have the powder burned stocking cap I used as a mitten for my rest hand in a cast, hunting with my Ruger Blackhawk 41mag.  Took a WT buck out of a herd of mule deer.

[OutHouse]

I don’t think I’m old enough to remember these changes but I do remember what could only be described as herds of mule deer in 218/231 back in the 90s

[boneaddict]

I killed a couple whitetails back in the 80's in the Methow.   That was a big deal then.   Even the riverbottom had muleys then.   

[OutHouse]

I killed a couple whitetails back in the 80's in the Methow.   That was a big deal then.   Even the riverbottom had muleys then.

Was it back then (1980s) that the whites showed up? Rarely saw them in the 90s but now I see them as often as mule deer.

[boneaddict]

My oldest brother killed one about 1979 or 80.   That was when I first really noticed them.   I'm sure there were some around before then but yeah that was about the start of their expansion.   

[baldopepper]

Grew up in Utah.  First deer hunt in the mid fifties. Didn't ask people if they were going hunting, just asked where they were going hunting.  Biggest vacation week of the year, took years of seniority at many companies to get the deer hunt week off. Either sex otc tags, with many extra hunt tags available.  Problem was they just plain over hunted many herds. Paid a heavy price on the herds before they finally cracked down on the either sex and special.hunt tags.Way different now, draw only has pretty much done away with the big family tent camps you used to see, less hunters now even with the population tripled in the state.  Miss the excitement of the old days, and miss seeing the big herds you used to encounter.