Grayback Late Hunt Success Rate

[bobcat]

Does anybody know why the success rate for the Grayback late buck hunt was only 18% in 2007? The two years prior it was right around 60%.

The unit went from a 2 point minimum to a 3 point minimum for both the general season and the permit hunt in 2006. So I would have expected a drop in the success rate in 2006, but that didn't happen. In 2005 it was 57%, in 2006 it was 63%. The general season did go from 25% in 2005 to 12% in 2006.

But why did the success rate for the late hunt drop drastically from 63% in '06 to 18% in '07? I'm assuming it was due to a lack of deer, but since my brother and I will be hunting that late season this year, I'm hoping it was only due to a lack of weather?

I have emailed a biologist the same question and hopefully I will get a reply sometime next week, but until then I thought I'd see if anybody on here had any ideas?

[robodad]

Weather plays a huge factor in this unit, if you see bad weather you will see big bucks no doubt, The later you can hunt there the better off you will be !!!

[Bigshooter]

Have a buddy who's uncle lives in goldendale and he said the weather didn't come till the last of November.  If you get weather you will have a very, very good hunt.  If you don't get weather until the season starts I would hunt close to the Indian reservation, some big bucks come out of the res. when the snow comes.  If there has been a lot of snow early I would hunt around soda springs and the wildlife area.  Also there was an early snow storm up high in the unit the last weekend of the general season, and I know of a couple nice bucks that were kill in that little bit of snow.  Hope for snow and you will have fun.

[Opportunist]

I would put money on weather related. You've got a good tag and it is weather dependant to get the bucks down out of the Simcoes and out of the Indian res.

Stats are always scewed, especially hunts with low tag numbers (less than 20). You don't know how many guys are *censored*ting on the harvest record, how many guys actually hunted or just drove around, or guys that hunt that area in the general and tagged out before the permit hunt. You can get some Indian killing on the deer winter range in the spring, but they do that *censored* every year so I wouldn't say that would make as big a factor for that one season. I would just look at the last 5 year average like you did and call it good. Hell the hard part is over you drew the tag. Good luck on the hunt can't wait to see the pics!

[rewent12003]

i used to hunt the gray back area, around glenwood- mt adams highway area, the only reason i can think of is the rise of landowners and logging in the area. and the area being really dry might have alot to do with it.