Tower Road area (GMU 520?)

[Clancy]

Hey I was wondering if anyone else on these boards hunts the tower road area just outside of Toutle. I have hunted there the past few years and taken 2 nice blacktails and have always seen a good amount of deer, but not this year. Kind of just vanished it seems like. My dad and I have seen a bit of cat tracks in the area so that could be part of the reason but I figured id ask and see if anyone else had this problem or if i just suck.

figure ill include a pic of last years bucks out of this area. My dads on the left and mine on the right.

[ELKBURGER]

I hunted lower in the coweeman this year and was dissapointed in the lack of deer we saw compared to last year. We hunted 568 for late buck and saw many more deer and some good bucks too. I'll savor the taste of tag soup for deer this year.

[LittleJohn]

My Dad has been logging off Tower Rd for the last few months. He was shocked at the lack of deer sightings. Even during the rut, coming and going in the dark they never saw much compared to years past.

[jackmaster]

thats seems to be the norm, i know the numbers seem to be down in stormking as well, and the elbe hills erea where i grew up huntn has hit an all time low in deer numbers and the big cat tracks are seeming to increase

[Arteman]

They had the area closed for walk-in hunting only for a while, was some of the best deer hunting down here for a guy that wanted to put in the work for a good mature buck, a lot of toads came out of there.  They opened it up for drive in the last two or three years, and well just like every other walk-in area that gets opened it got pounded hard by road hunters.  Still some nice bucks in there but nothing like it was, ruined now imo.

[MAVsled]

.....They opened it up for drive in the last two or three years, and well just like every other walk-in area that gets opened it got pounded hard by road hunters.....

"Opened up for drive in", would likely increase the ease of access to poachers; easy in, easy & quick out.

I believe there is alot more poaching going on in these tough economic times.
Last Jan-Feb I was scouting various areas of the Capitol Forest area. Great time of year to scout too.
Several times I encountered birds/ravens off the side of the road. Stop and get out, only to find what I thought: a gut piles that were within days to a week old. That time of year, it had to be poaching.

[big wood]

I agree with the poaching and cat populations being the problems. hand cock is going down too. maybe seen 0 - 4 deer a day and I was in there almost every day of the deer season. I live right there and have been going in there for years. the bt population is hurting!!!!

[mrmoskillz]

I hunted modern elk there this year and found a poached doe and fawn they took most of the meat.  I saw one little fork horn running down the power lines and a couple elk in the back of trucks.

[Clancy]

  They opened it up for drive in the last two or three years, and well just like every other walk-in area that gets opened it got pounded hard by road hunters.  Still some nice bucks in there but nothing like it was, ruined now imo.

yeah I think they opened it because a string of break ins along tower road. was broken glass at like every gate and our explorer got busted into as well. stole basically everything but the 2 lamiglas and a loomis fishing rods . But I think ill be spending my time else where next hunting season. was in the woods from first light to dark all 4 days of extended buck and glimpsed 1 deer.

thanks for the input guys!