What size to hold out for in the Swakane?

[DOUBLELUNG]

The best thing about snow is locating deer!  It's my experience bucks will show up in their traditional rut area snow or no snow!  As far as a 160" that's a good number, but keep in mind there's many young spindly buck that will go 160ish and some non-four-point toads that wont.  I would shoot the later any day!





   

That is good advice.  It is a realistic number, but to have a better than 50/50 shot at finding one, be prepared to hunt long and hard.  Justbecause they are in there, and there are few other hunters - it is not a cakewalk.

[HntnFsh]

Been watching this thread with great interest.I also have the late rifle tag.Hope some of you guys dont mind me shooting you a pm for some info.

HntnFsh

[Armadillo]

all depends where you are. I dont think the migration or snow factor is as big of a deal in the swakane as it used to be theres lots of places that hold decent amounts of good bucks all year around but as the weather cools down the deer tend to roam more and you see more while driving and such. Last year during early archery I saw as many as four shooter bucks in a single day which is about what i see during late archery, its like real estate, all depends on three things: location, location, location. Granted my current location to hunt comes from my family roaming all over the unit since the 1940s but I do believe snow does play a factor in the amount of deer seen whatever it may be (more migration, deer visibility, ect). From what ive witnessed I cant draw any conclusions that say snow is the only thing that brings big deer down from the mountains but i can say that snow makes it easier to see more deer and you dont have to go as far 

[bobcat]

I had the Entiat permit in '04, and when I talked to a biologist about it, he told me the deer migrate down November 1st, snow or no snow. The does go first but the bucks follow, since the rut is going on at that time. As far as what size to hold out for, as others have said, I personally wouldn't worry about what a buck might score. A young kid killed a buck in the Entiat in '04 that was a massive 3 point, with eye guards, very long tines, tall but not real wide. Great looking buck but I doubt it would score very high.

[Armadillo]

anything with a nice looking rack that is an amazing tag! just be sure to carry chains in your rig 

[buckreaper]

I keep reading on here to make sure and have chains for all four.  I do, but after traveling many roads in the unit since learning I got drawn, I'm not sure I'd want to travel some of them even fully chained-up.  I'll go wherever I can.  I'm going to make the best of this opportunity and leave it all out there.  Planning more scouting trips.  Still looking things over.

[jstone]

Yep chains are a must. with them on you should be OK, There where times when i thought that i could make it up a steep road without them. NOPE ended up going backwards. Stuffed it into a ditch. Not fun installing chains sideways in the road.

[boneaddict]

I really hate that backwards sliding feeling.   There aren't alot of guard rails up there either.