Crowds during modern?

[funkster]

We hunt around SW washington and we hunt the archery season,this year my dad pulled the multi season elk and deer tag! We already hunted early archery and early muzzle (17 days into it )and he still has both tags. I have heard that the gates are closed during the week on wey.co land? If so,we are used to biking way back during archery and prefer it this way by far. My other question is how many hunters do you see 7+ miles back during modern? We see no more than a hand full during archery. We know the units well so we are not asking for "YOUR SPOT" just never been during modern,any info would help. Thanks in advance!

[Lightning_Rider]

theres always people in the walk-ins, but if ur willing to go in 5-7 miles then i don't think you'll see too many people...depending on where u go of course.

[ser300wsm]

 I agree the farther in you are willing to go the better. Dont like crowds at all.

[funkster]

At the more popular gates about how many rigs do you see on a daily basis?

I agree the farther in you are willing to go the better. Dont like crowds at all.

;

Miles are just numbers to us,we logged 188 on bikes and about 20 on foot during early bow.

[6packdad]

You will see a lot less rigs parked at the gates then you would see driving around on a open road. It varies at each gate, Ive seen as many as ten rigs parked at some and none parked at others up on the Oly Penninsula.

[nontypical176]

Wey Co. gates were not closed last year during modern rifle.  Sometimes they leave part of a unit closed, sometimes just a small area.......You never can tell with Wey Co.  There probably won't be a very big walk in area and you will definently see people there.   Don't get too discouraged, its not my favorite way to hunt (crowded), but there is lots of game to be taken. 

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

They used to keep all of them closed during the week. Now i think they keep them open but use the dot system and some people don't know how to follow the dot system.

[Hunter Dug]

Have fun in the pumpkin patch, I have drawn the multi season tags in the past, am an archery hunter and also like to walk.  I will never put in for the multi tag again due to the ridiculous amount of people that hunt with guns.  Weyerhauser gates in the st. helens tree farm ar closes right now but like said earlier who knows call the hotline, tomorrow afternoon and see if they updated the message for the deer season opener.           1-866-636-6531   oh yeah good luck with that gun thing.

[jstone]

Its like when the fishing is hot on the puyallup river. People every where side by side.... Or up the orting valley this time of year... PUMPKINS EVERYWHERE

[funkster]

Thanks for all the feed back! I guess my number one concern is safety. We where on a nice bull the last 4 days of archery and I think he would still be in the general area and he is haunting my dreams My dad is 62(very good shape) and we are just trying to make the best of the multi season tag. I have never hunted modern and he hasn't been in over 30 years, just trying to get a feel of what to expect so we can see if we even want to give it a go.

[Charlie]

funkster, I would go for it myself. If you were just hunting the road for seven miles that would be a mistake but you will have all kinds of opportunities to jump off on a skidder or game trail. I think at seven miles the odds are in your favor to get into some good hunting. When it is all said and done you don't want to have any regrets when you look back. The multi season may not come your way again. 

[funkster]

Yeah I feel the same way,I am trying to convince my dad(one with tag)! I feel we have a big advantage being archers and  we just finished up the archery season down there and hunted the toutle muzzle season with an antlerless tag(my dad was lucky this year). We where on elk everyday in both season and I feel that nice 6x6 would be in the same timber patch that he was in archery. It's just being unfamiliar with the whole modern firearm season in general. I might be able to convince my wife and my mom to let us go for a 2 or 3 day hunt.

[ser300wsm]

Sorry it took so long to get back with you . Gates : it all depends my brother in law and i have hunted there a few times & just a lot of people. We tried different times but it never seemed to mater. I would go if i were you. A lot of the people will be just driving around, not all of them though. My brother in law & i will be hunting the toutle area as he has a permit for a cow. Good luck to ya !!!

[krout81]

I agree on the coast during archery I rarely come accross hunters deep in the woods, however if you stay close to the roads during any season don't be suprised to see rigs all day.  I didnt get to hunt sept last year because I was deployed so I took my vacation in nov and tried rifle hunting for the first time in WA.  Went to the same places I went during sept and didn't see a soul in the woods.  The roads were over flowing with hunters.  So GO DEEP should be the plan of the day.

[Little Fish]

I'm an archery hunter as well, but do hang around with some friends who hunt modern firearm. The place they hunt in SW WA has a lot of people hunting it. In fact I think all the places in SW do. In my experience the gates are always open so there is not much opportunity to walk or bike in behind a closed gate.

If I were to hunt modern firearm season I would be inclined to sit on out of the way clearcuts starting before light and sit them again until the sun goes down. I always read..."hunt first and last light", but am surprised how many people bail out early during the evening hunt or even skip it altogether. The rest of my time I'd spend in the timber or busting brush.