First Year for Winthrop

[upriver]

I hunted Winthrop one rifle season and that was about it for me. My daughter hunted so I put down my bow to go hunt the same as her. What a mistake. It was a pumpkin patch.  I saw a nice 4 pt. shot on private land that my daughter and I had seen that morning on the same private land. A game warden was out with the guy so I think he got his. I also ran across a huge 2 pt that was left for dead since it was ina 3 pt area.

I go there sometimes with my bow but it's a different enviroment. Less people and very few get out and cover much beyond the roads.
 

[grizzlyadams]

Ya ya.....you all need to stick to methow and entiat. There's tons of deer in there. Go get em. Just stay away from 328 ok. There's absolutely no deer there. He he......that's why I wont be there either. So You can all go there as well. Just don't go to 133...no deer there either. That's why I wont be there...so you can all go there too. Just don't go to 121.......no deer there either. That's why I wont be there. So you can all go there. Just don't go were I'm going!!!!! Figured out where that is yet?

[Skinnyman]

They close a lot of the roads now (years ago they didn't used to). But there are A LOT of hunters on the roads that are open and hunters hiking around the close in areas. If you want to avoid the pumpkin patch hike in to hunt each day. Statistically 80% of hunters are found within 1 mile of the road. Use your legs, not the wheels of your car and it gets much better.

[muleyhunter]

Hope you can run fast!!!!!!! When a legal buck steps out there is a group of hunters shooting at the same buck. It's a race to see who can get there first to put a tag on it. Hope you have fun. It's a frickin zoo over there 

[WDFW-SUX]

I've seen more than afew fistfights over 2pts with an eye guard!  Its crazy in the valley. How bout the midnight shooting over at perrygin lake cant beat that!!

Cant wait till the opener bush light 40 packs in my camp!!

[rickomatic]

I used to hunt that area for over 30 years. My father in law introuduced me to hunting and that area in the early 70's. He'd been hunting it since just after WWII, when you needed to pack in on horses.
Remember when they opened it up for "any deer" for youths a few years back? Had some guy shoot a 2 pt. for his cousin or something on an open hillside, just to the left and above where my son was. There was no way they couldn't see my kid there. That same year we were just coming out of the treeline onto an open hillside when we heard bullets zinging over us. We hit the deck and rolled behind a tree for that one. The next year, I was watching a draw about 200 yards up from a forest service road when I hear shots coming from behind me. A little doe ran right past me not 10 yards away. Fortunately I was backed up to a rock and sitting down. I gingerly crept over the hill so see a bunch of "adults" parked on the road with their rifles pointed in my general direction. I haven't been back since. Too many people doing too many stupid things. Like i said, I'd been going there for over 30 years, and it's only gotten worse within the last 10.
All 3 of those incidents happened on the Perrygin side of Bowen, within 500 yards of the old wdfw office and farm for those of you who know the area.
We now hunt the open sage and scablands around Quincy.

[rickomatic]

Do the deer even do that migration thing anymore?  I thought we ended that a few years back with consistent over harvest / mega winter kill Dunno

As stated earlier, I used to hunt that area. I started hunting the Blue Buck Mtn/Cougar Lake/Campbell Lake/Perrygin Ridge area in the early 70's with my father in law. He told me stories from the 60's of watching herds of "100's" of mule deer tracking across  Bowen Mtn. (lower Blue Buck Mtn.) migrating through. I took a nice migratory 4 pt. there in the late 70'. Problem is, that those were the days when the general season ran through the 1st week of November. We don't even get close to a time when the migratory mulies come into that area. Go to Winthrop in the mid winter time, and you'll see the migratory deer. Not earlier than that though.

[Skinnyman]

Do the deer even do that migration thing anymore?  I thought we ended that a few years back with consistent over harvest / mega winter kill Dunno

As stated earlier, I used to hunt that area. I started hunting the Blue Buck Mtn/Cougar Lake/Campbell Lake/Perrygin Ridge area in the early 70's with my father in law. He told me stories from the 60's of watching herds of "100's" of mule deer tracking across  Bowen Mtn. (lower Blue Buck Mtn.) migrating through. I took a nice migratory 4 pt. there in the late 70'. Problem is, that those were the days when the general season ran through the 1st week of November. We don't even get close to a time when the migratory mulies come into that area. Go to Winthrop in the mid winter time, and you'll see the migratory deer. Not earlier than that though.

Agreed, it is usually just the resident deer that you get a crack at for general season. The migratory deer dont start moving down off the mountains until there is lots of snow that pushes them down to find food. I have yet to see cold enough weather/enough snow to push them down early enough to hit the general season.

[WDFW-SUX]

I think the clown show is part of the allure.


I saw a guy taking a dump in the middle of a major Rd last year...Why?? who knows...but it shure was funny

Been shot at? yup 2x..

Had someone shoot at a deer after you did? yup.

I could go on all day...

[methowman]

The madness around Winthrop ends by Monday or Tuesday after the opener, most of the rookie hunters leave Sunday afternoon. Saturday at dawn on opening day you can expect to see the hillsides covered in orange dots, shots flying everywhere. The deer are scattered in the thick stuff after the war zone on Saturday. Get up high & off the main roads to get away from the crowd & have a chance at a nice buck.

[alecvg]

   I am going in for opening weekend, leaving sunday, and coming back again EARLY wendsday morning.  Camp is five miles in, so we rarely see other hunters.