Winter of 1996

[Cougeyes]

What does everyone remember about the deer hunting following this winter, I know we got a lot of snow, more than this year where I'm from.  I do not think I got a deer that year and actually dont remember seeing many.  How did everyone else fair, was there a significant lack of deer that year, (Deer season 1997), or did they manage and did you see a fair amount?

[Ridgerunner]

Herd numbers were way down and with it were hunter numbers.  The numbers just dropped off like over 50% if I remember right. Success rates were near all time lows, I'm sure the WDFW website has something like that.  I talked to a guy on Saturday pretty high up in the WDFW and he didn't think there was going to be much of a change in permit levels this year.

[boneaddict]

I got my deer, but the herd was hurt bad, and from what I see is going to take a big hit again this year.  Winter ranges in the entiat and Methow aren't as bad as some of the other areas.  From what I have seen, those areas aren't as bad as 96.  The NE corner, republic area is trounced.  Devastating the muleys and even hitting the whities pretty good.  Some of the blues seems like it might be hammered but then again some of it doesn't look too bad.  West slope is obviously trounced up high, I don't know what your winter ranges look like.  It sounds like St Helens is taking it pretty hard.

[Dslayer]

That was in my Teanaway Period 89-97-I shot a 4 x 4 in the Hardscrabble Ck. Basin during the High Hunt. I spend a lot of time hiking in the Umptanum during the winter and saw a considerable number of dead deer.   What I seem to remember that year is that after heavy snow fell early that right about this time of year was a long cold spell and the snow froze over hard.  It hasn't gotten that bad yet and the recent warmth has opened up some more ground and it looks like it's going to go that way weatherwise for a week at least which hopefully get a little green up going and a 'rebound' westward into some of country that has a lot of feed left.

[ICEMAN]

It sounds like St Helens is taking it pretty hard.

If "where" the elk are wintering is any indications, I saw tons in Winston this morning. I just about burried my rig trying to get up higher, had to turn back. Saw alot of elk down "low" today. Nice racks too.  I would love to get back in a bit more for a better look. I backed off the herds I was watching to give them a break. No stampede today......

[SHANE(WA)]

numbers were way down, but did get a deer, just hunted around the spokane area where the snow wasnt that much of an issue, we hunted up near kettle falls during that and they got nothing but snow and no ice.

[Dman]

 I would use the word "devastated" where we hunted in the NE corner. We didn't even bother going over the following year, but two years later, I saw four does the entire week, when normally I would see over a couple dozen deer in a week. Not until about 2000 did I really start seeing a good number of deer again.

[boneaddict]

I think devastating would describe this winter up there this year as well.  Think of it this way.  If its hard on moose, what do you think it will do to whities and mulies

[GoldTip]

I hunted mainly the low lying area's with bow that year around Spokane, and took a good 4x4 whitey.  Didn't seem to affect the population of the urban deer at all, despite still lots of snow down low that year.  The MT spokane elk herd was not hurt that I could see either, three of us took three bulls, spikes and a raghorn.  Some of my elk area's in Idaho and Montana were practically completely destroyed.  I have heard they are starting to get pretty good the last couple falls for elk, but I left and found new area's.  I imagine those same area's will be hard hit again this year.

[dbllunger]

Back when we hunted WT's in Stevens County.  We saw crazy amounts of bucks every day 20+.  Only killed three out of six in camp.  19" inside 5x5 (First buck), 16" inside 6x5 (First WT), and a dink 3xblob (can't control himself).  Everyone could have easily tagged out in one day, but three of us were looking for a good buck.  Quality was way down for many years after, plus guys stayed around and hunted the area who normally would be gone in a day.  Basically the snow allowed some poor hunters to realize the number of bucks in the area.  Area is still screwed compare to what it used to hold.    

[gunner]

hello everybody!!!  Has anyone been over to the colockum area?  And if so, how much snow and how are the deer and elk herds doing?  Been trying to make it over there but so far every time I tried, I-90 has been closed.

[boneaddict]

Its not bad.  Most of the snow is dumping in the cascades.  Theres still plenty, but the lower clockum doesn't have much.  Heck the top of Ryegrass is almost bare and had 55degree temps this last Saturday.

[SHANE(WA)]

stevens county deer numbers were excellent the last 4 years with alot of 3 1/2 and older bucks, nothing to see 100 bucks a night scouting in the summer around deer park and clayton.Not this year they will take a big hit on the older age class deer

[muleracks]

Don't really know what's happening up north but south of Lake Chelan the deer and elk have had a reasonably good winter.  It looks like we are going to make it to spring with no really cold weather.  The snow has been in the normal range with very little snow south of Entiat.  It looks like Central and Southern Washington has survived another winter.