lack of deer

[akirkland]

I have hunted every day except one to since the opener of late archery. From Ft. Lewis to the Winston to the Toutle (I have a any bull archery tag...and that's another story) and all over Lewis County. I have seen elk but not one single friggin deer! WTH?!?!? Am I the only one?

[Humptulips]

Nope, I hunted hard every day of modern elk in North Grays Harbor. I saw one deer and this is in the middle of the rut. Deer hunted the Wynoochee unit mostly and saw very few deer, in fact the fewest deer ever. Every hunter I talked to told me a similar story. I saw loads of cougar sign though and killed one cougar.
It goes down hill every year since they stopped hound hunting. Not sure what I will do next year.

[jwroberts]

i am right there with ya

[SI Eagle]

If you are looking for deer those are the wrong units. There haven't been many deer in there for years. 

[OEFvet1986]

I hunted 653 for a week with my buddy and we only saw 2 dead does (poached). We hunted all week there and did not see one deer, I saw 3 rabbits and that was all. It was very depressing. Also i would like to add we heard a cougar one night we were camping up high. Pretty creepy when your taking a piss in the dark and hear one for the first time in your life.

[DBHAWTHORNE]

I have been seeing a ton of deer...and even a handful of P&Y class animals...just not the ones I want.

[buck man]

I have been seeing a ton of deer...and even a handful of P&Y class animals...just not the ones I want.

[bearpaw]

I hunted 653 for a week with my buddy and we only saw 2 dead does (poached). We hunted all week there and did not see one deer, I saw 3 rabbits and that was all. It was very depressing. Also i would like to add we heard a cougar one night we were camping up high. Pretty creepy when your taking a piss in the dark and hear one for the first time in your life.

Did it scare the Piss out of you... 

[kglacken]

havent seen many deer either but we watched a dandy buck bed down tonight on a piece of property I hunt. Going back at first light to find him. Chances are slim but hey, you wont know if they are there unless you look 

[Houndhunter]

Most areas I think have taken a big hit, just not as many deer. I know a few places that are heavy logging areas that I can find quite a few deer, but my remote spots are dead . Ever since they stopped logging national forest and hound,baiting, and trapping were outlawed the have just disappeared. The only reason I still hunt national forest is that I know the genetics are there

[DBHAWTHORNE]

"stopped logging national forest" I see logging happening all over the national forest. I believe they actually have an annual requirement of board feet they have to sell.

[elklover]

Same here with me............

[akirkland]

If you are looking for deer those are the wrong units. There haven't been many deer in there for years.

        I was elk hunting in the Winston and Toutle. Not expecting to trip over dear but when you spend as much time in those units as I have, you kind of expect to see at least a doe. Now Lewis county and Ft Lewis?!?! I don't understand 

[singleshot12]

I hunted 653 for a week with my buddy and we only saw 2 dead does (poached).

Lots of poaching sign in all the westside units I've tried hunting the last couple years, so bad to where i'm done with deer hunting 

[bullcanyon]

That hair slip has hit them as well. There has been enough logging around mineral to keep the deer happy if there were any.  Cougars and poaching haven't helped. I couldnt be more disappointed in our deer numbers. And from the lack of changes the wdfw don't care and probably won't until they see a drop in sales of licenses.  We need apr and no doe hunts for a few years. Maybe even no late hunts for a few years. But nope. We are going to increase the multi tags so we can add pressure to a depleted herd. common sense can't be taught...........

[blacktaill]

Worst year i have ever had. We hunt 621 and pull nice deer every year. This year we saw no bucks and 4 does!! Some of our problems are two years ago they started opening the gats and that has made all the deer go nocternal! Looking for a new area!

[XJcoug13]

I hunt the 648, Hiked in behind a closed gate the second weekend of deer season and shot a buck in pouring down rain, 2 hours later my uncle shot his buck. Another guy in our hunting party shot his deer the next weekend just 15 minutes after daylight. Theres still deer...This is my first buck in 2 years so I was saying the same thing.."WHeres all the deer?"

[JimmyHoffa]

Worst year i have ever had. We hunt 621 and pull nice deer every year. This year we saw no bucks and 4 does!! Some of our problems are two years ago they started opening the gats and that has made all the deer go nocternal! Looking for a new area!

Yep.  I as well as most I talked to in 621 said the same.  There was a lot of pressure in there this year, but most thought the weather was keeping them nocturnal for the first 10 days or so of the season.  Fewest number of deer I've seen in there.  I did hear that lots of bear and bobcat were shot in 621 and 624 this year.  Also seen more cougar and poached deer in 621 than in years past.  But for the westside OP units I saw more deer than have ever seen over there.

[OEFvet1986]

I hunted 653 for a week with my buddy and we only saw 2 dead does (poached). We hunted all week there and did not see one deer, I saw 3 rabbits and that was all. It was very depressing. Also i would like to add we heard a cougar one night we were camping up high. Pretty creepy when your taking a piss in the dark and hear one for the first time in your life.

Did it scare the Piss out of you... 

Yes it scared it out of me, the really bad part was i only had one boot on. So i had to quickly hop back to my tent and grab the rifle.

[OEFvet1986]

I think this means i have to kill alot more coyotes, maybe that will help the deer population. But probably not considering once the deer repopulate the mucks will probably poach them.

[PlateauNDN]

I think this means i have to kill alot more coyotes, maybe that will help the deer population. But probably not considering once the deer repopulate the mucks will probably poach them.

Maybe, if the population rebounds maybe they'll leave the east side alone for a while and go back across the mountains.

[Armadillo]

I saw 4 does today, they were all up high around 2k ft.

[sirmissalot]

If you are looking for deer those are the wrong units. There haven't been many deer in there for years.

 

Areas with a lot of elk there are not a lot of deer. I saw several deer sunday when I was going up to check trail cameras, one of them a dandy buck (blacktails) he was bedded in a clear cut enjoying the weather, he finally got up from his bed when I was within about 30 yards.

Are you glassing a lot? My experience this time of year is the deer (including bucks) are bedded in clear cuts resting from the last few months of being chased around by hunters and chasing eachother during the rut. They are tough to spot this time of year but they are there 

[ouchfoss]

It does seem like deer numbers have consistently gone down around here (638 and 642 to be specific). Although there has been some poaching going on locally, I would think the predator numbers would have a big effect on deer numbers as well. There was a mommy cougar with 2 kittens that killed several elk from a local herd and who knows how many deer. I was told the momma was killed around this time of year last year but by then, the kittens were already big enough to take care of themselves. I have heard from several people this year that have seen cats in the same area of 642 that the momma was killed. Plus Humptulips killed a cat in Wynoochie so that just tells you how many cats there actually are out there. Seems like every year there is that many more sightings and that many more killed. Not a good trend in my opinion. 
I went down hunting in Winston creek this last weekend and saw several fresh cat tracks in different areas over the weekend. I wouldnt mind if they allowed hound hunting to get the cat numbers down to alot lower numbers.

[44 Flattop]

I remember vividly about 15 years ago I saw 42 blacktail bucks during season and ended up taking an awful nice once.  My hunting buddy the same year, we didn't have a chance to hunt togather, after season ended asked me if I had killed one.  I told him about it and about seeing all the bucks that season.  He was stunned as he and his two boys saw 2 does all season long and they hunt the same basic area that I do. 

Next year I saw one doe and one little buck, which I killed.  My hunting buddy killed a dandy, one of a couple dozen or so that he saw. 

This year I saw 3 bucks, period.  That doesn't mean there aren't any does anymore...

[jason4429]

I remember vividly about 15 years ago I saw 42 blacktail bucks during season and ended up taking an awful nice once.  My hunting buddy the same year, we didn't have a chance to hunt togather, after season ended asked me if I had killed one.  I told him about it and about seeing all the bucks that season.  He was stunned as he and his two boys saw 2 does all season long and they hunt the same basic area that I do. 

Next year I saw one doe and one little buck, which I killed.  My hunting buddy killed a dandy, one of a couple dozen or so that he saw. 

This year I saw 3 bucks, period.  That doesn't mean there aren't any does anymore...

[SkookumHntr]

-I hunt 667 and that aint the wrong unit! I hunted saturday, sunday of late buck and 4 days in the general season and didnt see a deer! We have some major MAJOR Lion problems! My bud did slick one lion off and I know of three more that were seen! WDFW better make some changes around here real quick!

[Turner89]

I hunt 448. This year i was thinking the that deer #s were down there also (at least in my small area of 448). I wasnt having a lot of luck with my cameras compared to previous years.  Most of that was because of camera failure, but i still felt like I should have had more buck action on my pics.
    I take the last week off for blacktail evry year, and this year aside  from a couple spikes i didnt see alot of deer, untill the last 3 days of mod season.  Than it was back to normal (for my area). Ended up shooting nice 4x4 on halloween. I think weather was stange this year. Been out scouting every weekend since , and been seeing deer.

     

[SkookumHntr]

I remember vividly about 15 years ago I saw 42 blacktail bucks during season and ended up taking an awful nice once.  My hunting buddy the same year, we didn't have a chance to hunt togather, after season ended asked me if I had killed one.  I told him about it and about seeing all the bucks that season.  He was stunned as he and his two boys saw 2 does all season long and they hunt the same basic area that I do. 

Next year I saw one doe and one little buck, which I killed.  My hunting buddy killed a dandy, one of a couple dozen or so that he saw. 

This year I saw 3 bucks, period.  That doesn't mean there aren't any does anymore...

-I live in the middle of my unit and tromp around pretty much every weekend and its pretty odvious the deer numbers have been falling for a few years now! In 667 that is..

[Muskrat]

I was at Cabelas in Lacey in September. The WDFW was there in force They had on display a beautiful 4x4 pickup that was towing a large trailer. Inside the trailer was a display that was named "WDFW Wall of Shame". This wall had numerous trophy deer antlers hanging. It also had mounts of every wild animal in the state, including wolves. According to the Game Warden on duty, every one of the mounts on display were confiscated from poachers. The 4x4 pickup mentioned above, was also confiscated from a poacher. There is little doubt that poachers, judging by the trophy antlers, have taken innumerable animals out of the herds. Especially troubling is the lost of the genetics of these animals. More troubling is the fact that many of these trophies were confiscated from taxidermist shops where no proof of legality could be found. Attached picture does not really do justice to the display, but does point out the enormous problem that exist with poachers. If you have never seen the entire display, you will be appalled at the enormity of the problem. Muskrat

[Sitka_Blacktail]

It does seem like deer numbers have consistently gone down around here (638 and 642 to be specific).

Bigger problem in 642 is access to good hunting lands now that Rayonier has closed all their land and made it lease hunting only.  They seem to own the biggest chunk of 642. 638 has never been a great deer area. There are deer there and some dandies, but it is more of an elk unit.  648, now that's a different story.

[ouchfoss]

It does seem like deer numbers have consistently gone down around here (638 and 642 to be specific).

Bigger problem in 642 is access to good hunting lands now that Rayonier has closed all their land and made it lease hunting only.  They seem to own the biggest chunk of 642. 638 has never been a great deer area. There are deer there and some dandies, but it is more of an elk unit.  648, now that's a different story.

Its been a while since I looked at Rayoniers website but I wasnt aware that any of 642 was leased. Around here the only leases I can think of are the southern chunk of 638. ( I'll have to look at it here in a minute). I does suck that they decided to close that off to the public though. It use to be one of my most favorite and successful spots to deer hunt which is probably the reasoning they put it up for lease. The 7950 road use to be one of those areas where you looked forward to the first rainy day in September because you knew you could drive out there and the deer would be everywhere behind every tree and down every spur. I miss those days.

[Sitka_Blacktail]

Yah, I miss those days too. Back in the late 80's the 5200 line was awesome hunting. (Near Failor Lake) It's all 25 year old reprod now. But over on the Copalis Crossing side there are good units for deer and they are all gated and have "lease hunting only" signs. There's one road north of Humptulips you can go in on, but it gets hit pretty hard by poachers from what I've heard. A friend of mine works on a logging road crew and he said he saw all the signs of that.

The Bernard Creek area is now gated, but you can walk or bike in. But I went in on my bike last year and what did I run into? A guy who obviously had a key and was driving all over in there. I guessed it was one of the loggers working in the area. And yes he was hunting. Had a gun and was wearing his orange vest.

But yah, go on the Rayonier website and you can see all the area that they closed off to public hunting.