2025 blacktail rut thread

[trophyhunt]

I feel like I'm alone at this now...    Brought the sxs to check out a bunch of area today... Was going to hunt the morning and check my cams at the secret spot but there were 2 rigs at the gate... So we cruised 71 miles today... Saw one blue grouse on the road... Not many areas that you can't drive... Did find a skid road that's not heavily driven... Walked it for a little and saw a bear I could've shot... On the small side... (IMHO I think bear season should go till December 31st) Also found five rubs from this year... Can't make it back out till Tuesday so I think I'll go there and bring some cams in case I find a spot... Spend the day in that area and check out some other roads...

am I the only one who is curious where you can run a quad or side by side anywhere in western wa?

[brew]

I feel like I'm alone at this now...    Brought the sxs to check out a bunch of area today... Was going to hunt the morning and check my cams at the secret spot but there were 2 rigs at the gate... So we cruised 71 miles today... Saw one blue grouse on the road... Not many areas that you can't drive... Did find a skid road that's not heavily driven... Walked it for a little and saw a bear I could've shot... On the small side... (IMHO I think bear season should go till December 31st) Also found five rubs from this year... Can't make it back out till Tuesday so I think I'll go there and bring some cams in case I find a spot... Spend the day in that area and check out some other roads...

am I the only one who is curious where you can run a quad or side by side anywhere in western wa?

most trails in Capitol Forest are quad friendly.  It's been a minute but we used to hunt National Forest south of Randle and a lot of ORV trails there

[Kingofthemountain83]

I feel like I'm alone at this now...    Brought the sxs to check out a bunch of area today... Was going to hunt the morning and check my cams at the secret spot but there were 2 rigs at the gate... So we cruised 71 miles today... Saw one blue grouse on the road... Not many areas that you can't drive... Did find a skid road that's not heavily driven... Walked it for a little and saw a bear I could've shot... On the small side... (IMHO I think bear season should go till December 31st) Also found five rubs from this year... Can't make it back out till Tuesday so I think I'll go there and bring some cams in case I find a spot... Spend the day in that area and check out some other roads...

am I the only one who is curious where you can run a quad or side by side anywhere in western wa?

 Several area's I go Capitol Forest, Elbe Hills, Tahoma State Forest, Tahuya State Forest, Skate Creek, pretty much all state forest... Federal lands they need to be "highway legal"... Like today I was in Gifford Pinchot... Talked to group of dirt bikes and quads that weren't highway legal... (no quads are highway legal, dirt bikes can be) They have been riding there for years never seen the FS... Our sxs is almost highway legal... Needs turn signals... Not worried about it though... Saw a big group of sxs yesterday... All looked legal but hard to say... Saw some wheelers there to that weren't legal... But legal in Elbe, Skate Creek, Tahuya... Just got to do some research... All in all it seems like nobody cares and it's not enforced often...

[Cylvertip]

Mt Baker/ Snoqualmie NF  is allowing street legal quads and side by sides.  At least off of Mt Loop they are allowed. 

[Kingofthemountain83]

Mt Baker/ Snoqualmie NF  is allowing street legal quads and side by sides.  At least off of Mt Loop they are allowed.

Yeah NF has crazy rules to each NF... This summer we were in GP by Mt. Adams and stopped at the ranger station in Trout Lake and got a map of the roads legal for ORV use... None of them connected... So technically you had to drive to legal road, unload, drive road to end of legal and back to load up, drive to next legal road repeat... There were people driving sxs all over... She said they're years behind in making an actual ORV route... But one is in the works...

[addicted1]

From memory and talking with law enforcement, NF follows federal highway laws for all Forest Service Roads. So your vehicle or transportation needs to be legal for use on a federal highway… unless the roads or trails are marked as ORV. For the Mt.Baker-Snoqualmie the only option is Evan’s Creek to my knowledge. And, that is still open but basically inaccessible for most people due to the Fairfax bridge closure. Not sure about the other west side NF options.

[trophyhunt]

My grizz 700 quad is street legal, got the plate years ago.  Thanks for the info though!

[blackveltbowhunter]

Most weyco permit areas have a sxs permit option as well.

[Kingofthemountain83]

Most weyco permit areas have a sxs permit option as well.

I've been looking into that for next year to have better blackie hunting if I don't tag out for mule deer... I had really good places in Mason but moved to Puyallup and the areas I've found in 654, 667, 510 seem to have really low deer numbers... No consistency in seeing deer, or elk, in these areas... Not even on the cams... According to the WDFW that would be correct...   

[Kingofthemountain83]

 I was the first person to the secret spot this am... Checked the cams, only two deer since the 26th both at night, a nice 6x bull at night, a decent bear day lighted and made a night appearance, and 9 different people... Pulled cams... Really appreciate the people hunting here... Nobody messed with the cams... I'm going to do some research and possibly head south... Think the deer population is quite low here... 

[Kingofthemountain83]

Finally made it back out today... Wasn't able to go south... Went to a gated road I haven't walked in 20 years just to check it out... Blue bird day... Walking up the road about 815A I see a big buck, antlers shining in the sun going uphill from right to left, between to big firs... Well over 300 yards... Way out of range for me... I grunt loud, bleat as loud as I could... Not even a look, pause, or turn of an ear... It's windy up where he is in a 5 year old reprod... He was on a mission... Never got a good look at him with the binocs but if I saw what I think I saw he's a very big buck... I made a lot sets rattling, grunting, and bleating... Didn't see anything rest of day... Walked the whole road system and saw a lot of tracks made since the rain let up... Didn't set any cams... Kinda late now but this place is worth further inspection... Running out of time... 

[Crunchy]

I was up at first light.  Saw 4 does. One was a group of two and the others were singles.  No bucks around.  Saw some fresh buck rubs.