Are BT's known for swimming?

[Ranger91298]

Just curious if BT's are known for swimming at all to find a place of solitude? I have an idea for next hunting season but not sure if it would pay off; it would be about a 50-100 yard swim for them. Thanks for any imput....Scott

[jrebel]

They are great swimmers.  Islands are some of the best places to hunt if you have access and they are not private.  Remember there are laws about shooting over bodies of water...

[bowelkin]

In s e Alaska they swim alot.  100 yards is nothing for distance.

[Aneoakleaf]

I've seen them swimming the Columbia a couple times

[fishcrazy]

They swim out to the islands on Rifle lake as well and the islands on the Columbia. 


Kris

[lokidog]

They swim betwen the San Juan Islands.

[Magnum_Willys]

I've seen them swimming the Columbia a couple times

X2 - About a mile across in the area I've seen them crossing. 

[87Ford]

Watched one swim across the Stilly in front of my driftboat once..

[jeepasaurusrex]

We were fishing in Lake Shannon up by Concrete once. As we were running up the lake we saw what we thought was a log. As we got closer, it was a BT doe. She was way out in the middle and getting exhausted. We shut the motor off and drifted closer. We could tell she was close to being done. So we came up along side of her and Dad grabbed her around the neck. As soon as he grabbed her, she just relaxed and almost pulled Dad in. I fired up the boat and we motored to shore where she was not able to stand for awhile. We backed off the beach and watched from a distance as she slowly got her strength back and finally wobbled into the brush. She was about a 1/2 mile from shore when we picked her up. We had wondered if she was just trying to get to the other side of the lake or had been chased by a cougar or something.

We also have seen Elk swimming the Skagit up river between Concrete and Rockport.

[let.it.fly]

i have seen deer on allen island. its as couple miles north of deception pass. probly a mile swim from fidalgo island. could of swam but i have also seen yote poking around the shore of allen island so i duno. maybe someone dropped emm off out there. i would expect a yote to swim outthere. i also talked to a guy at the marina and he said he had seen them swimming around the jauns.

[Ranger91298]

Great, thanks everyone for your input I think I am gonna give it a try next season. And no worries no illegal shooting across the water...

[Sneaky]

I heard a story about a black bear that was chasing deer into the lake youngs reservoir and making them swim until tired so they were easier to catch

[washingtonmuley]

I have seen them swim across bays on kodiak island.

[bobcat]

What law is there that says you can't shoot over water   Never heard of that. Duck hunters shoot over water all the time.

[alecvg]

What law is there that says you can't shoot over water   Never heard of that. Duck hunters shoot over water all the time.

Ya, but shooting a rifle over water and a shotgun is a little different...

[Alchase]

A buddy of mine lived on Lake Samamish, they had pictures of four does swimming across the lake from east to west. They said they saw it quite often. I have seen them swim rivers a few times.

[elkaholic_74]

What law is there that says you can't shoot over water   Never heard of that. Duck hunters shoot over water all the time.

They are also shooting steel shot or tungsten

[bobcat]

What law is there that says you can't shoot over water   Never heard of that. Duck hunters shoot over water all the time.

They are also shooting steel shot or tungsten

Yes, but what law says you can't shoot over water? I would shoot a deer if it was on the other side of a river.

[bobcat]

OK, that's what I thought. There is no law against shooting over water. I don't know where some of these rumors come from....

[jrebel]

I was taught years ago (approx 24) in my hunter safety course that you are not allowed to shoot over "navigable" bodies of water unless hunting water fowl with a shotgun.  They compaired it to shooting over a roadway.  Maybe they were making reference to hunters ethics more than they were a "LAW".  I will do some research and get back to everyone if I find something on the matter.   

[Dmanmastertracker]

 Hell yes they can swim. We troll for them off Pt. Defiance, flasher/ squid w/ Cmere' Deer jelly on it....

[teal101]

What law is there that says you can't shoot over water   Never heard of that. Duck hunters shoot over water all the time.

They are also shooting steel shot or tungsten

An upland bird hunter using lead can shoot over water as well to kill a pheasant or quail.  Has nothing to do with it.

BS law.

[Jamieb]

Back when I was a teen, A freind and I were ancored up on the Chehalis just up river fron Cosy sturgen fishing. A 2pt buck that was swimming accross the river decided my 12' boat looked like a island and a good place to stop for a rest. He swam around us and to the other shore after I yelled at him.

[Curly]

Back in high school we used to hunt a pond where we built a duck blind on stilts.  One day while out duck hunting, a deer swam right thru the decoys and past the blind.  It was pretty cool.

[Dmanmastertracker]

 I looked everywhere, there is no mention of a no shooting over waterways that I can find in the State Code. Some States do have laws to that regard, mostly back east. As I recall the Makah's are using a .50 cal to shoot whales?

[madmack76]

i have a pic of a doe swimming across the chehalis i will find it and post it if i can figure it out

[lokidog]

Hell yes they can swim. We troll for them off Pt. Defiance, flasher/ squid w/ Cmere' Deer jelly on it....

       

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

One time a friend and I had anchored off the sandbar where the creek flows into Kapowsin and a deer jumped in the lake and swam out to us, swam around and went back to shore, I have some pictures here somewhere......

[carpsniperg2]

i have seen them swim but i don't think they love to all the ones i have seen in the water always look so pissed off