Your Biggest Chelan/Okanogan County Muleys

[hunter_sean08]

Now that the regs are out and we're all trying to decide what tags to pick, I'm starting to get pretty stoked for the 2011 deer season. Every year I hope I'll get drawn for the late season modern firearm Chiwawa tag. I know it's going to take several years, so all I can do is sit and wait. In the meantime, if anyone has any of their favorite Chiwawa, Entiat, Swakane, Alta, or Okanogan late season pics of their bucks to share, I'd like a little reminder of why I'm waiting for one of those tags!

[Deep Forks]

There are know deer left in the Chiwawa Unit.  Only a few spikes, stunted two points and a few skinny does.  All the elk that moved in from the Westside ran the few that were left out.    

[400out]

I'm sorry Hunter but this could very well be a lost cause  Maybe search through this section and you will find all that you need 

[Skyvalhunter]

Your better off to just search thru the different pictures. You probably wont find alot of big buck pictures in your coveted Chiwawa tag. Alot more people hunt the Entiat and I think overall there have been more tags given out thru the years and people like to go up there just to look at the bucks even if they don't have a tag. Besides all the Chiwawa bucks went into the Entiat to find some loving!!

[hunter_sean08]

I beg to differ. I've had pretty good success in the Chiwawa Unit in the last few years. I know other people have to have had success in those units! The 1st pic is my most recent 2010 buck that's with the taxidermist. The 2nd pic is of my first muley buck 3pt. killed in 2004. The 3 bucks in the third picture were all killed within 24 hours of each other by my hunting party of 4 in 2004. The 4th pic is of my 2009 buck, and the 5th pic is of my grandpa's masher from 2004. All of these bucks were killed within a mile of each other in the Chiwawa Unit.

[6x6in6]

Well, no wonder there is no deer left in the Chiwawa.
You guys got the last of them.   

[Deep Forks]

Least it happened to some nice guy's and you wern't even in the burn.  Those boys looked pretty happy.  I wondered who took the last good bucks out of there.  

[hunter_sean08]

What you have to do in a unit like the Chiwawa, is find a spot that has a lot of deer traffic (migratory and resident deer). It should also produce bucks. I'd say that 70% of hunters in units like the Chiwawa or the Entiat hope to come across Mr. 3pt while driving around on the numerous forest service roads in the area. While luck can come to your side, I wouldn't count on it. GMU 245 (Chiwawa) has a lot of thick brush, whether it be slide alder, buckbrush, or viney maples. This vegetation provides a ton of cover for the big boys, so you really just have to find a spot with peepholes and some open country where they'll come out to feed. Another issue with all of the roads is that they take you into some steep country that is incredibly difficult to hunt. Looking over some of the edges up near the Sugarloaf lookout will take some of the air out of your lungs, especially when there's snow on the road. There are also just way too many yahoos and weekend warrior hunters that cover the roads, so find some country that is closed off to that crowd (get out of your vehicle and hike) and be prepared for some hard work. Be patient and do a lot of glassing. It's worth it in the long run.

One more thing to remember about hunting these units is the weather. If it's going to be crystal clear with cold mornings and a relatively warm afternoon, hunt the morning hours and evening hours extensively. Those deer will literally feed all night and head straight for their beds as soon as the sun comes over the horizon. I've seen many deer disappear into the brush/timberline just an hour into the hunt. If you get some rain or some substantial cloud cover, they'll be out for a little while longer, but with their winter coats building up, don't expect them to be standing out in the open at noon on a sunny day. Obviously the main difference maker between a highly successful season overall in a unit like the Chiwawa and a poor season is winter weather. I'm not the expert on the migration, but heavy snow will push deer out of the high country and that's what any hunter hopes for. The last time I witnessed any sort of heavy migratory activity in the general season was in 2004, when there was a considerable amount of snow already beginning to fall by the second weekend, and my party ended up taking 3 bucks in 24 hours. I haven't witnessed anything like it since, though we've had our success taking what would appear to be resident bucks. That's why I'm trying to draw one of those tags. I know where the bucks are, and I know there will be more of them during the migration/rut in November.

[6x6in6]

Hey hunter.  You really didn't need to go out of your way to post that.  It's not like it's any big secret.

WE ARE JUST JOKING WITH YOU!!!!

Or maybe not.   

[hunter_sean08]

Hey hunter.  You really didn't need to go out of your way to post that.  It's not like it's any big secret.

WE ARE JUST JOKING WITH YOU!!!!

Or maybe not.   

Joke taken haha. I know a lot of hunters get fed up with some of those units. It's not easy hunting by any means. I threatened to go elsewhere for years. I'm just saying there are still deer to be found in places like the Chiwawa. And to Deep Forks, we need some more burns!

[hunter_sean08]

Here's one more pic. This is my uncle's 2010 buck, also from GMU 245.

[Skyvalhunter]

Well congrats on some nice deer!! Looks like you know what your doing and where to go in the unit. You will find out that over time some times its best if mums the word. Just keep doing what your doing and good luck with that late permit as there is only 2,420 other people hoping to draw too. You may think more burns are needed but you don't want too many of those Maple Creek fires as the next thing you know the whole valley is burned!!

[Button Nubbs]

There are some dandys in the chiwawa, but I personally have seen a decline in the deer population and an increase in the hunter population in the past couple years. Maybe its just me

[hunter_sean08]

Yeah I'd have to agree Button Nubbs. Without wildfires, and with a few heavy winters in the last 5-7 years, deer numbers have gone down.

[Cougeyes]

Well congrats on some nice deer!! Looks like you know what your doing and where to go in the unit. You will find out that over time some times its best if mums the word. Just keep doing what your doing and good luck with that late permit as there is only 2,420 other people hoping to draw too. You may think more burns are needed but you don't want too many of those Maple Creek fires as the next thing you know the whole valley is burned!!

It's actually 1,580 but who's keeping track.....I plan on being one of the ones drawing that tag this year with 13 points.