Called about Returned Alta Buck Permit

[7mmfan]

So I got the call from WDFW today, that someone had turned in an Alta WT Buck permit, and I was next in line. I haven't accepted it yet, I'm trying to tie up some loose ends beforehand.

I have some experience in the unit, but not a lot. Mainly up Libby Creek, a small amount of exploration up Gold Creek. Hunted the ground in between a little. Hoping for a little guidance on timing and advice on tactics. I've heard the WT rut fires a little later than Mule Deer, so maybe the later half of the season is better? Planned on looking for rub lines and doing some rattling. Hunting as close to the creek bottoms and private as I can get away with.

I'd hoped to have a summer to scout and hang cameras before I got one of these tags, but obviously that's not an option now. So any advice anyone wants to share would be appreciated.

[RobinHoodlum]

Hey 7mm,

Limited experience with with whitetails in the area, but know the unit a bit from past tag draw and upland hunting. I believe their distribution is confined to the bottom lands and this hunt is likely a combo of.lining up private property permissions and hunting the bit of fringe public close to private. It's great to get a windfall hunt opportunity like this, but I'd be carious about burning a lot of points here.

Again, there are folks out there that are probably much more informed on this. Good luck!

[7mmfan]

Hey 7mm,

Limited experience with with whitetails in the area, but know the unit a bit from past tag draw and upland hunting. I believe their distribution is confined to the bottom lands and this hunt is likely a combo of.lining up private property permissions and hunting the bit of fringe public close to private. It's great to get a windfall hunt opportunity like this, but I'd be carious about burning a lot of points here.

Again, there are folks out there that are probably much more informed on this. Good luck!

Thanks for the response. I figured I'd be hunting private fringes as much as I can. I've seen some WT on the state land up Libby Creek.

I'll also be camping, probably heading over on the 2nd to scope the ground out some and ID a good longterm camp spot.

[greenhead_killer]

Someone had the pogue(?) tag and turned this in. Maybe hit them up and see if they might be willing to share info🤷🏻‍♂️. There’s a thread on it from earlier today I think

[greenhead_killer]

Was the perrygin they got and turned this tag back in. Xforce. Thread is in deer section

[7mmfan]

Was the perrygin they got and turned this tag back in. Xforce. Thread is in deer section

Thanks, yeah I reached out to him already. Serendipitous timing for sure.

[buglebuster]

This is my worst fear, getting the call after be already filled my tag during general season.

[Limhangerslayer]

I would check into how bad blue tongue hit the area.  You may find out that’s why they turned it in

[7mmfan]

I would check into how bad blue tongue hit the area.  You may find out that’s why they turned it in

This was brought up by another guy as well. It's something that I need to check on. Short of trying to get ahold of the biologist, does anyone have any feet on the ground observations from the general season?

[trophyhunt]

Someone should be getting called about a westside rifle cow tag soon, turned the wife’s in on Monday.

[Gentrys]

If it was me, a big determing factor would be how many points I had.  If you've only got a few points, then burn em and do this hunt.

[KP-Skagit]

I would check into how bad blue tongue hit the area.  You may find out that’s why they turned it in

This was brought up by another guy as well. It's something that I need to check on. Short of trying to get ahold of the biologist, does anyone have any feet on the ground observations from the general season?

Didn't get down to Alta this year but Gardner Chewuch and Pearrygin had normal numbers of whitetail with their range spreading out and getting higher in the hills. I imagine the river and significant creeks provides water for most the whitetail which if I understand bt should help a ton. I have seen whitetail low on the squaw creek drainage but up on the hillsides in the rocks.

I have had the gardener buck tag a couple times and have always focused on the later part of the season. My cams are most active with daytime bucks late November into early December. Last year I had that tag and saw a lot of whitetail in the twisp river drainage though its hard to find land to hunt.

[knighttime25]

This was brought up by another guy as well. It's something that I need to check on. Short of trying to get ahold of the biologist, does anyone have any feet on the ground observations from the general season?
[/quote]

I was in Alta quite a bit during the general season. I would accept the tag if it was me. We saw plenty of whitetail during the general season, especially driving in and out. It will only get better as we get into November 

[7mmfan]

I accepted the tag. I'm going to try and head over on Sunday this weekend to do a little lay of the land scouting, and then probably be back there to hunt starting the 8th. I'm excited now! Never killed a whitetail.

[7mmfan]

Ended up having a fairly short, good hunt. I secured private land access, but my first day hunting last Wednesday the 12th was comprised of just watching a ton of rutting Mule Deer. Don't get me wrong, it was awesome watching big bucks, and there was some big ones, but the amount of rutting and aggressive Mule Deer definitely made me feel like the WT just weren't going to be hanging out in that general area.

I knew of a spot not far away that I had seen WT in the past, and was also referred to me by another member here. I spent Wednesday evening sitting up high watching this thick bottom. It was more Mule Deer until right at dark I spotted a WT coming out of the brush on the far side of the bottom from me, about 300 yards away. It was too dark to even tell if it was a buck or doe at that point, but at least I knew there was WT in there.

I was right back in the same spot the next morning, in the rain. I saw nothing but a couple Mule Deer right up until about 8:00, including a really nice 3 point that was not happy I was sitting in his path and tried to run me out. He finally decided he was better off changing course and went by me at about 15'.

At 8:00 or so, on my umpteenth glassing circuit of the edges around the bottom, there was a WT doe standing out in the open. She stood still as a stature for nearly 30 minutes just turning her ears around listening before she shook off the rain and started browsing. She browsed for a few minutes and disappeared into the brush. I decided I wanted to get closer to where she had been so I could get a better view of that edge. It took me about 30 minutes to slowly drop to the treeline so I wasn't exposed on the open hillside, and worked across over to their side. I then gained most of my elevation back and found a good spot against some brush to settle in. I hadn't even sat down and I looked where that doe had been, now only about 200 yards away and there was movement.

A buck had moved into the opening and was crisscrossing it, clearly trying to pickup that does trail. I tried pretty hard to get on him with the gun, but he never stopped moving long enough for me to feel good about taking a shot. He eventually disappeared into the woods. I took that time to get settled in and get my shooting situation dialed. It was a steep hillside so I wouldn't be able to shoot prone. I slid my butt back and forth in the sandy soil digging out a good hole that I could really lock myself into, and got the rifle up on shooting sticks.

At 10:30, I heard some sticks break to my right, and started glassing along that brush line real hard. I was slowly scanning and picked up just the line of a deer's back in the thick brush. I stared at it for probably 5 minutes, questioning myself if it was what I thought it was, when it twitched it's tail and took a small step forward. It was a WT but I still couldn't tell if it was a buck or not. Over the next few minutes the deer slowly moved up the brushline until I was finally able to get a view of it's head and confirm it was a buck. It was not a big buck, but I was not going to be picky. He took another almost 10 minutes before he stepped into an opening that I felt comfortable sneaking a shot through.

He was slightly quartered away and a decently steep downhill shot. About 175 yards. I was anchored well and the gun was steady on him. I lined up my crosshairs with the offside leg trying to get the bullet to exist just behind the far leg. I knew I had aim midway up his chest to keep the bullet from exiting too low. I breathed in and exhaled and slowly squeezed the shot off. At the bang he jumped and started a head down semicircle run into the woods dragging that offside leg. He made it about 30 yards and tipped over. Buck down!

I gathered my things and started over towards him. I had to go around a thick patch of aspen, and just as I passed it, two WT does blew out and took off across the open hillside. Now I know why that buck was spending so much time hanging out right there. I got to about where he had been when I shot and came across the highly obvious blood trail. Ray Charles could have walked this one down. I walked up on my first Whitetail, laid out perfect in clean grass just inside the timber edge. I took a couple pictures and enjoyed a few minutes of silence with him while I ate my celebratory Snickers bar and then called my Dad and got him on his way.

The bullet had entered exactly mid-chest, and exited through the knee of the offside leg. I was off by just an a couple inches. It had taken out one lung and then split the heart almost in two. Luckily there was almost no bloodshot meat. I was able to cut the front quarter in two right at the knee and clean it all up right to the bullet channel. The 145 LRX had done it's job again.

I have a sense that the WT rut was just starting in that area and that over the next few days probably would have been pretty good hunting. But I had a wife at home with two young kids that had already endured me being gone for multiple weeks this fall so I wasn't going to be too awful picky. This guy checked all the boxes for me.