Palouse Tag-anyone draw it?

[Sagedawg]

 Just curious.


  Sage

[Gutpile]

Thats the one I got. Hope the theory has worked on this. I'm thinking we'll see some dandies down there. Before they closed it for general late buck it was a slaughter. Big guys were few and far in between unless you've got land with light pressure. I can't wait!!! Late season has always produced well for me down there.

[Sagedawg]

 Ya lucky dog!!!  Your right about the slaughter going on down there.  Where abouts you hunt Colfax or more south?

  Sage

[buckmaster_wa]

Last year Three of my buddies drew that tag and I took them onto some property that my uncle owns. We saw Six big bucks and a ton of average Four pointers. One of my buddies missed two big bucks and finally filled his tag with a decent four point, the other two guys also shot four pointers. I have hunted down there for about ten years and since it went to late season permits the amount of mature bucks has really jumped up.

[gramps]

My brother drew one...may have to pick someone's brain about this area later.  I have hunted north of there, but not in this draw area.

[Gutpile]

Ya lucky dog!!!  Your right about the slaughter going on down there.  Where abouts you hunt Colfax or more south?

Near Colfax, got some permission along the palouse river.

My brother drew one...may have to pick someone's brain about this area later.  I have hunted north of there, but not in this draw area.

It's all private so you better start looking for land to hunt. Farmers like you to wait for harvest to finish and they're starting now. Don't wait till the last minute. It's getting very hard to find land but there's still good spots. Go to the WDFW website, they've got the ranches that give permission on the go-hunt map thingy.

Make sure you have the blue card on the ask permission lands. They will slam you without it.

[gramps]

Thanks.
I hunted along the Palouse river in the '60's while at WSU, but that spot is or was leased last time I was by there..10 yrs ago.  Plan to make several trips to look around.

[rjm5]

My buddy also drew the tag. There is alot of good area over there its just a matter of getting on some. A couple years ago he got a whitetail that scored around 140 over there. I agree with gutpile don't go over and talk to the farmers now there really busy right now. One of our family friends has 3000 acres over there and they just started cutting. Its gonna be awfully hard to get access on the river you got a remember most farm boys hunt or their friends and family do. With that all said theres lots of good area over there if you put the time in. Good luck. 

[GEARHEAD]

i think nearly half the people that apply get drawn for that hunt, still a little too much, and that damn late hunt is still nearly 3 weeks, should only be one, just my opinion. biggest problem is road hunters and trespassers. actually to get permission, now would not be a bad time to ask. load up the pick truck, and trade a weekend of hard work for a weekend of hunting. farmers are tired of hunters wanting something for nothing. ya see three guys breaking their backs and killing themselves humpin' hay, ask ta help.

[Gutpile]

Now is not a good time to go out driving that unit looking for land to hunt. First off they aint buckin hay. They're working sunup to sundown driving $500,000 combines I guarantee you wont be driving that for them. I know for a fact they don't like being bothered during the harvest, or during sunday breakfast. They also don't like 10 pm or 5 am phone calls the day before or on opening day.

Second of all, the land I refer to is set up through the WDFW and the landowners have to let at least some folks hunt to be on the program. All you gotta do is ask and get the cards, The sings on the prop have there number. It's as easy as that.

Thirdly, many landowners havent put the signs out yet nor do they even have the cards from WDFW to give you. Trust me I've hunted down in 139 for 30 years.

Now you can go drive around aimlessly knocking on doors but that'd be a huge waste of time. You may score and score big but I doubt it.

[buckmaster_wa]

One more tip that you should know if you are going to try and get permission is, Wear some W.S.U clothing. Thats right if you are a dawg fan then you better try and hide it because I have hunted there for a few years now and 99% of those farmers are die hard couger fans.

P.S. GO COUGS.

[Gutpile]

  You got that right!   

[ThePascoKid]

That written permission program is a joke there are several in the area that I hunt ML deer and for the last 5 years I have contacted these same landowners and always get the run around, (call back at such in such a time, or my boys handling all the hunting now, or I gave all the cards away etc, etc, etc.) and I call early in the year, late in the year, mid morning, late afternoon never at times I wouldn't want to be called. They have a million excuses I think basically what happens is they give the cards to family and friends and get free no hunting signs from the WDFW on our dime.  I do love the Feel Free To Hunt program.  Unfortunately there is very little in the area the Palouse tag is in and what's there gets hit hard by regular season deer and bird hunters.  I was lucky when I went to scool at wazzu I had a work study job for a rancher and got permission to hunt his property.  Amen to the Huskies comment, THEY DO NOT LIKE THEM!  GO COUGS!!!!!

[Gutpile]

   Your right sage, it's frustrating. I've run into that a lot. Then the ones who do allow people to hunt allow EVERYBODY to hunt and the land is over run. I've never hunted the "feel free" stuff for deer assuming it'd be too crowded but I do hit it for birds if we have a good hatch or for coyotes.

[rjm5]

Gutpile good call on visiting the farmers, not a good time now and you can't help. Normally we don't head over to visit our buddy till about mid to late september and were just going over there to visit. Wear a coug hat might score you some points.

[GEARHEAD]

they don't buck hay huh. so just what do you think they are feeding their cattle with. they aren't buying that stuff, they cut their own, as i do. in two weeks i'll be bucking hay for our 100 head, along with several other outfits in the area (gmu127) while i'm happy with the draw for the late buck now, there is still alot of pressure legal and illegal. i spend half my hours hunting, chasing trespassers and posting the usual signs. alot of us are tired of the damage to fences and trespassing, even hunters driving in the fields, chasing down animals with their trucks. our outfit is trying to work with wdfw to place decoy deer at the usual drive by hotspots in our area , but with little success. seems the state just wants to visit butcher shops rather than patrol the field. it's abit frustrating and that is why permission is rarely handed out. even when it is, it's usualy abused. as i stated earlier, if ya want to hunt, then ya gotta clean dishes, so to speak.

[Gutpile]

Most of the land on the program in 139 I'm refering to are wheat and / or CRP. Not hay / cattle. I'm not generalizing EVERY RANCH. I'm talking about the land on the ask to hunt program.

I'm also refering to the fact that EVERY WHEAT FARMER IN WHITMAN I'VE TALKED TO ASKS, "PLEASE DON"T COME DOWN DURING HARVEST".

Just trying to save a guy a tank of gas and a wasted day.

[GEARHEAD]

Sorry gut, just had to get my bi-annual vent "on",  i admit, more of a vent than informational, sorry.

[buckmaster_wa]

Another tip when hunting over there is to walk the (eyebrows). These are small hill sides that are to steep for the farmers to cut so they end up growing  tall wild wheat and trees and shrubs etc.etc.etc. Anyhow the deer love to run and hide in these areas. A few years ago on opening day, I talked to a few guys on the gravel road on my way  into where I hunt and they said " I have been driving this road back and fourth all day and havent seen but a few does, theres nothing left alive around here" Typical road hunters. I then hiked out to five different eyebrows and jumped eight different legal bucks. I didnt shoot any of them because I was wanting to get a particular muley that was in the area. Also there are a ton of young bucks there every year so try and hold off for the mature ones. The good thing about that late tag is the fact that they are chasing does around and are a lot dumber.

P.S  when hunting the eyebrows make sure you walk the top edges so that you get a lot of time for a shot.

[MHWASH]

Very good advice, Buckmaster. Also don't over look the "Feel free to Hunt", especialy if it surronded by crop land. If you find a large parcel 30 or more acres of it, hunt it like you would for birds. Those bucks will let you get awfuly close before they jump up and take off. Another good stratagy is to get to the top of a hill before daylight and wait for the other hunters to run deer in.

  The late buck hunt is still over hunted. The big bucks are making a slow comeback.  It will a couple of years before I start putting in for the hunt.