whatcom county noob

[tip]

Hey guys, I'm new to this site...I already introduced myself officially in the intro thread.  This site is awesome, wish I knew about it sooner.

Anyway, I recently moved to Bellingham and I would like to see if I could find some help finding some good areas to hunt around here.  Just maybe a point in the right direction?  I'm pretty new to hunting, this will be my 3rd season. 

My group hunts the elk heights area for deer and elk - has been for a million years - and according to them it was a good area 10 years or so ago but I haven't hardly seen an animal, let alone get a shot in 3 hard seasons.  No one in the group has harvested anything since 2001, but we do hunt hard, we stay for 12 days in the late season. Well to make a long story short they are still going there just becuase they are stubborn and they know it so well.... so now that I moved up here to Whatcom County I told them I wouldnt be able to make it down there this year.

So yeah, 3 years and no filled tags.  Which is fine, I know I have to put in my time, and I really enjoy being in the woods anyway.  Can anyone offer me some advice, or words of encouragement?  I've talked to some people around here and I've heard some good things about Sumas Mt, Slide mt and Church mt.  I know I have a late start too but thats the way things go I guess.  I'm probably just gonna pick one and drive up early this Sat morning.  Thanks fellas!

[strutnrut1984]

i would try stewart mt. just east of bellingham ive seen some dandy bucks in the y rd. area. sumas mt. ive seen a few deer. slide mt. is where i hunt mostly for bear. never have seen much for deer up there. church mt. holds some nice deer. but is not open in late season when it was they used to kill some nice ones up there around the snow line. the closer to town if u can get permission the more deer u will see . some nice ones in the smith rd, area too . but again hard to get permission to hunt but being a bowhunter u might get some positive answers. just knock on some doors.    good luck strut

[tip]

thanks for the advice strut, I'm gonna check out stewart then - its closer to my house!  I talked to some guys at Dave's in Lynden and they said dont go up without a side arm cause of all the bear and cougar.  That got me excited, I'll have to do bear and cougar next year...  I'll let you know how I do

[alecvg]

Just scout and explore, there are good spots out here, you just have to put your work in, and eventually you will find a good spot, get away from the road.  Good luck!

[SSG Brower]

i hunted all those areas and have been the horses getting them ready for Idaho elk this year mostly on stewart and going from Mt. Baker HWY up to Excelsior.  i've seen some real nice rubs up on the south end of stewart that look like last years rubs.  goo luck

[Vo2max]

New to hunting b-ham myself and would like some company hunting Sumas or Stewart. Perhaps we could meet and see about hunting together. Let me know.

Erik DeRoche

[SSG Brower]

no problem talking about different areas to go.  there's plenty of area around here to hunt (for locals).

[tip]

Erik D.  - Yeah, that sounds good to me, I wouldn't mind the company either.  Are you familiar either Sumas or Stewart?

Brower  - any info you could share would be great, but I'm not expecting you to tell me your spots, trust me.  Just trying to find some public areas to start exploring without trespassing or pissing people off.



So I spent most of the morning and afternoon driving around like a moron along Mt baker highway looking for some ways up to Sumas Mt. and Stewart. I don't know a thing about this area so I went off off the DNR maps I found online. 

All the roads that I tried either weren't there or had gates with no tresspassing signs.  I drove up Y road after work last night to try to find an access or logging road - couldn't find anything but no tresspassing signs and gates.  I thought the power line road was state/county land?  Found the head to one trail off of Y road with about 4 horse trailers parked there and a bunch of cars, so maybe I'll hike that out tomorrow morning just to see where it goes - gotta get back before the hawks game though

Pat

[SSG Brower]

for sumas mt. you can hit from both sides.  the paradise valley road from the south pass road or from the right before the church on the left by north fork brewery.  there is also the either the hilliard or mitchell rd from the south end.  regardless they all tie in one way or another.  send me an e-mail and we can exchange numbers and hook-up.

[MuleyMadness]

Keep going east past Stewart MT. I have hunted up there for years and ya have gotten bucks and bear up there but there are areas with far bigger deer and more of them if you keep going east. Get a good map and be willing to get behind the gates that are all now locked. Trust me when I say there some B&C blackies up there if you get into the meadow area

[tip]

brower - email sent

muleymadness - thanks for the info, I would like to check out all this area up here.  the only thing is that 418 looks closed for late season, unless you meant even more East.

So what are you guys recommending for good maps?  I know at REI or dave's you can pick up the individual sections which I might pick up, (I have the sections where I used to hunt and they were decent).  Is there something better and more updated that I can actually buy and not have to print out off my comp? 

and as for gates that are locked, what is the general rule?  I have no problem getting behind them, I just don't wanna get hasselled or whatever.  If there is no sign is it okay to go over?  Do you just cross it and ask questions later?  I'm just confused I guess

[alecvg]

brower - email sent

muleymadness - thanks for the info, I would like to check out all this area up here.  the only thing is that 418 looks closed for late season, unless you meant even more East.

So what are you guys recommending for good maps?  I know at REI or dave's you can pick up the individual sections which I might pick up, (I have the sections where I used to hunt and they were decent).  Is there something better and more updated that I can actually buy and not have to print out off my comp? 

and as for gates that are locked, what is the general rule?  I have no problem getting behind them, I just don't wanna get hasselled or whatever.  If there is no sign is it okay to go over?  Do you just cross it and ask questions later?  I'm just confused I guess

Just figure out if the land is public, and if it is, just bike or hike behind the gate.  For late season you have to hunt 407, which sucks because most of 407 is clear cuts, stupid WDFW won't reopen 418 for late season.  They should have it as permit only imo. 

[konrad]

Howdy! I live in the South Lake Whatcom area, Glenhaven Lakes. Been practicing allot. Never actually been hunting in Whatcom County or with a bow.

Sounds like fun though. I was told by the land manager at Sierra Pacific (in writing) that all of their land is open for hunting; however, there is no camping nor fires. The areas I found were behind locked gates. When I asked about other areas (specific locations) they were not forthcoming.

I haven't done any scouting yet but I'm thinking maybe next year.

[tip]

konrad - where is the Sierra Pacific land that you got permission to hunt on?  Is it the Canyon Lake area?

also what do you guys use for maps?  and how do you find out who owns what?

[go4itlab]

I think part of that is the public forest, area access is from private forest(can't remember who owns it)been a few years since i worked for the DNR. DNR quad maps are good.

[konrad]

The land I found was West of Acme and HWY 9.
GMU #407, West of the South Fork of the Nooksack River (cross the iron bridge). There is only one road and it dead ends. The property is west of the road and it looks like a gravel "parking lot" at the entrance probably for log trucks.

I never hiked it but I have intentions of buying topo maps and doing some armchair scouting first.

God Speed

[Buckoholic]

Go to sudden Valley!!!!! Just kidding if you go there it will make you sick looking at the Monster Blacktails bedded down against peoples houses!!! Around mt baker is good or even travel a lil south around alger mt is good too!!!

[tip]

haha yeah I have been to sudden valley a bunch and I've seen deer EVERY freakin' time. 

go4itlab - thanks for the tip on the DNR quad maps, i'm ordering one.  also found this free map of state owned land:
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/eng_rms_mpl_7_med.pdf
it almost looks like the area around Sudden Valley is state owned!


konrad - I'd like to check out that area you were talking about.  If you're going south on 9, how far past the bridge do you go?


Anyway so after work today I went out driving trying to find a way up to the South side of Mt Stewart...drove along Park Rd, then took a left on Highway 9.  According to the maps I'm looking at, it shows just north of the Park Rd intersection on 9 is the entrance to "Wickersham Truck Trail" - going west up to Stewart.  Found it gated with about 10 no trespassing and private property signs.  I ended up turning around and went back on Park Dr going West, went past the little store and the train tracks on Blue Canyon Road until it got to gravel.  Didn't keep going because it was getting late by then, but I saw a Y in the road that went uphill - had a gate but no signs and no houses around.  Looked promising so I may try hiking it out. 

[Buckoholic]

try up cub creek too!!! its not to far from park rd off hwy 9 across from the little bar!! may have gate closed but opens alot during hunting season!!!