who's all hunting the klickitat this year?

[firehawk87]

Anyone out there that has been hunting the klickitat for a while now. I was wondering how the deer population compares today as it did in the past. I will be hunting early archery on the grayback 388 this year.

[bowhiker]

I don't know what it was like in the past, but I've seen lots of deer there this year. I spent sometime there turkey hunting this past spring and I liked what I saw. I plan to try it next month and see how much pressure those deer get.

[Wazukie]

I know that there is a lot of private property in the greyback area.  I live in the west Klick and I can tell you that numbers are down where I hunt.

[carpsniperg2]

Numbers are a 1/3 of what they were 5-10 years ago. I have hunted the unit since age 9 and lived in it mt whole life. I am in 382 but about 1/2 mile from 388 so I am a resident of both LOL. To big of cat population and predators around.

[BENCHLEG]

you are spot on carpsniper,  too many cats.

[firehawk87]

Well that sucks!!! So there are a lot of cats and bear there???

[carpsniperg2]

There is a pretty high bear and cat population in both 388 and 382. Are they around every tree no. Cats cover a lot of ground and will move a lot of deer or elk out of a area. We never had them on our ranch until about 4 years ago when they really started to show up. When a adult cat averages 70 deer a year, it can really put a hurting on the populations. Bears are hard on dawns during the first few months but after that bears don't take many. It's the cats and yotes that slaughter them.

[jrebel]

The in laws live in Goldendale and say the cat population is way to healthy.  They still have plenty of deer on their property and have really successful hunts, but could always be better if we killed some cats.

Maybe we need a cat hunting party in that area and thin the herd?

[Jerbear]

I live in 388 next to the wildlife area.  Not even close to the numbers there were when we moved her 21 years ago.  The cats are just too numerouse, with the game dept blessing.  The numbers have really tumbled in the last 5 years

[BENCHLEG]

i have hunted the area from 1980, to the present and the early 80s were much better with the winter kill than they are now.  the cats have to go. the lack of management hasn't helped either.     im sure you local boys can remember when you could see winter wheat growing on the wildlife ground. now its  up too you.