Big Game Hunting > Deer Hunting
Central Washington Deer Population
Karl Blanchard:
--- Quote from: OutHouse on March 12, 2025, 12:51:33 PM ---It was not a positive experience to talk to a guy who showed me old pictures of herds of deer outside Naches and west of Tieton. :(
--- End quote ---
I grew up running feral up Chinook pass. The amount of deer prior to the winter of 1996 was impressive. I can vividly remember hiking with my grandpa in the spring and the volume of winter kill was absolutely staggering. They have just never rebounded after that. Pretty sad.
boneaddict:
Eastman and his family had some great footage of some monsters up by the observatory years ago. There were some real whoppers back then. Manastash ridge, Chinook, all amazing bucks.
OutHouse:
--- Quote from: Karl Blanchard on March 14, 2025, 07:49:36 AM ---
--- Quote from: OutHouse on March 12, 2025, 12:51:33 PM ---It was not a positive experience to talk to a guy who showed me old pictures of herds of deer outside Naches and west of Tieton. :(
--- End quote ---
I grew up running feral up Chinook pass. The amount of deer prior to the winter of 1996 was impressive. I can vividly remember hiking with my grandpa in the spring and the volume of winter kill was absolutely staggering. They have just never rebounded after that. Pretty sad.
--- End quote ---
96 was a heck of winter, eh? I was about 10 and remember missing school for two weeks around here. Another guy I knew who has since passed told me that mule deer hunting was great up Hwy 12 up to White Pass, 410 as well obviously. I think he was referencing before the 1990s.
The guy who taught me how/where to find morels said they would scope out bucks west of Tieton in the early season and "pick" the buck they wanted to get in the fall and usually they would get them. Crazy how much it has changed.
Stein:
Dang, 96 must have been bad as I remember it over in Montana. It snowed a bunch then dropped to -48 and the power went out. Only time school was ever cancelled due to weather kindergarten through college.
Wingin it:
The season after the ‘96 winter kill we found carcasses all over. I remember cutting a set of tracks and thinking that may be the only deer left. As others have said, the herd has never recovered. Seeing 50 plus deer a day was normal before that winter.
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