105 Kelley Hill

[bearpaw]

That is cool but in regards to your other comment that would just mean the goverment was placing more restrictions on industry, something I thought everyone on this site was opposed to.

Brandon

I agree Brandon, private timberlands are no different than agricultural ground is to farmers. It is the agricultural ground of timber companies. While I don't like to see ground sprayed, I understand why the timber companies do it and respect their property rights.

I assumed that Jesse Jaymes was referring to the lands owned by Forest Capitol and Inland Paper which were sprayed after logging to kill anything that grows, then they plant preferred tree species to obtain better growth of their preferred tree specie.

I don't think that type of spraying is allowed on National Forest lands, please correct me Luvtohunt if I have that wrong.

[Jesse Jaymes]

I thought the question was about the Kelly Hill Unit?  I didn't think the unit description had it moved west into Ferry County all the way to Curlew?  Guess I learned something.

And I must have heard wrong and read wrong when I was informed that a helo was spraying herbicide for several days in the summer....aside from the many signs that read "Area treated with herbicide".

I will cop to not knowing exactly the land status of every acre within the Kelly Hill Unit, whether it's private or USFS, since all the timber lands come up as private.  And Inland is not technically supposed to be "public" although only 5 of us paid the access fee while others cut wood and pissed around during Modern Rifle.

Good luck with your search/scouting.  I did see a herd of 17 mulies in the KH unit this week.  Most I've seen in one herd in that unit.

[bearpaw]

Jesse, please don't get me wrong about the spraying, I don't like it either. But at the same time I think the timber companies have a right to spray to improve their crops. I think the signs you seen are the ones put up by the timber company. If you look closer next time you see one, you will see their name at the bottom of the notice.

Very glad to hear you saw a good group of muleys. Woody Meyers (a WDFW biologist) did a study on the muleys in Unit 105. What he learned by collaring wintering mule deer along the Columbia was that the vast majority (I think he said about 90%) migrate from the alpine mountain tops in British Columbia for the winter and return to BC in the summer. I thought that was really interesting but disappointing, no way to hunt them.

I hope you are shooting a few coyotes to turn in for the coyote derby.... 

[Jesse Jaymes]

Kinda funny you say that about the coyotes, as in my former life I was a HUGE predator caller.  I've tried a bit here and am not impressed.  Pretty much too chicken to knock-and-talk, even though I'd snowshoe or ski into the lands to call a bit, rather than sit behind someone's barn and blow the whistle or run a sled all over their fields.  The whole south end of the Wedge looks like it has dogs in it, but I know no landowners there.

I see coyotes, but most of those are on private lands also.  Really been trying to find some bobcats on a regular basis.  Found some sign while on XC skis the other day.  Had cougar tracks under me the whole time on the FS road, and the B'cat was only around for a few hundred hards.

I am pissed anyone sprays anything, but I understand your analogy of "farming".  It's their land.  I can't say anything about it.  Herbicide just doesn't sound good for deer anywhere.

And I did not grow up here, but do try and figure things out for myself, rather than regurgitate what everyone else says.  But I found a bachelor herd of mulie bucks last spring in Kelly Hill.  Bedded up on snow, so thinking late March, early April.  And one was going to be a Toad.  Was bedded away from the other bucks and his body dwarfed the others.  Big, saggy belly, wide eye spread, and he had decent buds at that time.

Never saw another mule deer in that area all summer and fall.  Will go back an look next month, but they vaporized somewhere.

I actually have a moose question for you Bearpaw

[bearpaw]

There's bocat throughout the unit north to south, east to west, just takes time to be in the right place at the right time as they move around a bit and may be a long ways from where you see tracks, keep calling here and there, sooner or later one will come in.

I'm not a fan of the spray either, but understand why they do it, and I wouldn't try to tell them what they can or can't do on their property. 

There are moose in the unit, get back into the clearcuts that are higher up on the forest and even some of the cuts on the timber company ground, and you will find them.

[Mr T]

The 105 unit looks pretty much like the westside. Alot of thick timber and cover to fairly open areas. Fairly rugged too. You have the Colville National Forest in that area. I've hunted there and it reminds me of the westside alot. It's not full of sage brush and open like what you might think. I think the best time to hunt there is the rut. I've seen some nice whitetails come out of there. You have Moose, Elk, Bear, Grizzly Bear and Deer in that unit.

   And wolves.  Buddy had a bear bust through a draw, cross in front of him and tear up a tree during turkey season.  It was followed by two wolves.  The wolves were jumping up the tree as high as they could until they finally took notice of my buddy.  They took off and the bear took off the opposite direction.  He was pretty jacked up when we met up later that morning over the entire event that unfolded before his eyes.

[CAMPMEAT]

Mr T,
I did forget wolves. I've seen them west of my house in the winter of '09.

[Mr T]

Mr T,
I did forget wolves. I've seen them west of my house in the winter of '09.

Pretty crazy.  Always figured they were around.  And how they were seen really makes a guy think twice about bow hunting in that area without a sidearm!!  Guess I will need to invest.  Anybody rent pistols for extended weekends?