Who's going to Vail Tree Farm on opening day?

[gasman]

I quit hunting there about 8 years ago. That is a mad house and most the der tha comeout of there are small bucks, spikes and 2 points. The bigger bucks don't come out untill late season and the amout of people that are in there is insane. It wasn't bad wen you camp in there and did not have to be herded through one gate.

[Hunterman]

I quit hunting there about 8 years ago. That is a mad house and most the der tha comeout of there are small bucks, spikes and 2 points. The bigger bucks don't come out untill late season and the amout of people that are in there is insane. It wasn't bad wen you camp in there and did not have to be herded through one gate.

   When a person could camp in there,,I killed some real nice deer..Now I'll hunt dang near any place,,but Vail

Hunterman(Tony)

[gasman]

I quit hunting there about 8 years ago. That is a mad house and most the der tha comeout of there are small bucks, spikes and 2 points. The bigger bucks don't come out untill late season and the amout of people that are in there is insane. It wasn't bad wen you camp in there and did not have to be herded through one gate.

   When a person could camp in there,,I killed some real nice deer..Now I'll hunt dang near any place,,but Vail

Hunterman(Tony)

My sentiments  exactly......

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

Ya my idea of hunting is peace and quite hiking a walk in not seeing hundreds of hunters.  If thats what your into then have at er cause Im not.  Its a joke up there bunch of road hunters that kill and thing with atleast a legal nub. 

[deerslyr]

Ive hunted it the last 10 years and cant say I had the same experience as most. Theres so much land up there to get up away from people, you can get to alder lake to the steam plant to morton. Nearly everyone road hunts up there, hints why there are so many spikes and 2 points shot, the only ones that are dumb enough to stand next to the road. I find that awesome because no one gets out of there truck and you have the timber to your self. There was only one time I was up there and didnt see a deer that I can remember.

[Yelm hunter]

If you look at previous years photos of deer taken at the check station... You will see a mighty nice 6x4 BlackTail - (200lbs) that I took up there during the first week of modern firearm a few years ago. However it was over at the end of Sorensen Road (baldhills rd) if you know were that is at. I tried posting pics but it won't let me. But I will try to get pics of him up here. I had a full head mount done at Rainier Taxi. and boy did Zach do a nice job on him...

[MAVsled]

if eastern WA muley season doesn't produce for me, its always November late season to Vail.
i've hunted this area many years, predominantly in late rifle season, taken a couple bucks. And in that time, passed on several spikes or small two points, only to watch another hunter(s) take them.

3 years ago, I took a small 2 point. Parked my truck on the push out and waited an hour for just before shooting light. After daylight, I had been watching the buck from my stand 120 yards away for nearly an hour. The buck was 20 yards from the reprod line & safety when another hunter suddenly walked right up to where I was sitting and stood next to me!!
It only took seconds for him to see the small buck. He moved to remove his rifle from his pack's scabbard. By the time he pulled his rifle off his pack, my one shot had the buck down. And he still looked at the buck through his scope.
I wasn't going to sit there and watch him shoot that buck,  so I punched my tag. At least it was a Sunday, last day of late rifle season and the little buck took up some freezer & dinner table space.
The other hunter just looked at me, never said a word and stomped off.

With the deer population in Vail; I wonder what kind of buck hunt Vail would be producing in the future if it was 2 or even 3 point minimum in this area. Let the young bucks grow for a year or two and perhaps more trophy blacktail opportunity would prevail.
but, so no one gets too upset: keep the youth special tags as is.
its nice to see pics of those young smiling faces and their does, spikes and two points. Makes me think back to my first blacktail buck as a youth, a nice spike.

[PolarBear]

Vail has some great genetics.  If it were shut down for 5 years. went to 3 pt or better or was limited access by permit, we would see some B&C bucks come out of there every year.
A couple of the Weyco guys that I know find a brush choked drainage away from the main roads, hike in to a spot and sit for hours and wait for the bucks to be pushed into them.

[deerslyr]

  I completely agree with this PB. All of the guys I hunted wanted to see the same thing happen, or have it at least go to a 2 point minimum. The only problem is the deer herd has been decling quite a bit over the last few years due to the cat and bear pop.

[PolarBear]

Yep, I would love to see it happen, I live 3 minutes away from the main gate.

[Yelm hunter]

Big Cat crossed the road in front of me last night just after the maingate around 1am... I came back by later about 4 hours later and the news paper delivery car said he just seen the cat cross back in front of him?? I've shot at 2 cats last year and missed cause they were running but got a bear year before last  just down the road from the checkpoint. Sorry no pics!

[340bill]

hunted there a couple times with a friend and his dad, many years ago in my teens. thought about going this opener. but having second thoughts after reading the posts
 

[PolarBear]

If you avoid road hunting and glassing the same clearcuts as everyone els, get out and quietly into the timber you will see deer and not just those dinks that show up at the check station with anywhere from 5-18 bullet holes in them.

[heavy hauler]

i saw last year that weyerhauser had a big chunk blocked off in between the 150 and the 130. i dont know if that was for employees to hunt and camp or what

[Stilly bay]

I have never had the pleasure of hunting in vail for modern, I have always done archery... until this year. I am a little apprehensive to say the least.

do they leave the gate open just for the weekend or is it open weekdays also? what time do they usually open the gate?