Capital State Forest

[blakeman]

Next fall I will probably be moving to the westside for my student teaching.  I'm a college student.  So driving back and forth to the eastside hunt every weekend is gonna be quite the challenge, so instead I was looking at places to hunt near where I will be.  I have been looking over capital state forest and was just curious as to the success anyone has had there? or how the population of deer is in this area?

[Curly]

It's great if you don't mind killing spikes and you don't mind buying the Discover Pass.

There are some big bucks there too, just that they get very smart with the pressure there, but they can be found.

[ICEMAN]

Well, lets look at DNR's description of the land and see if you want to hunt there...;

Capitol State Forest

Conveniently located just 5 miles from Olympia, Capitol State Forest is a popular place for a variety of recreation opportunities. Open to the public since 1955, campers, hikers, hunters, horseback riders, mountain bikes, and off-road vehicle (ORV) riders all play here. Whether spending a week in a campsite, an hour picking mushrooms, or taking an afternoon drive for the scenic views, an estimated 800,000 people visit the forest each year.

Capitol Forest is divided into two parts to prevent conflicts between motorized and non-motorized recreation. Motorized recreation, such as ORVs, is allowed on the northern half, and horseback riding is limited to the south. Mountain bikers and hikers use both halves of the forest, with some trails limited to hikers only.

Trails are open year-round for hikers and mountain bikers. Trails for motorized vehicles and horseback riders are open from May through November, along with the forest campgrounds. Trail closures during the winter help DNR protect forest soils and streams that are important for fish habitat.

NOTE: Capitol State Forest is a working forest with active timber harvests occuring throughout the year. Some trails and roads may be closed temporarily. Before you head out to the forest, check the status of the roads and trails.



My notes; 30 years ago, this was a great place to hunt. Today, since much of private timberland in the state is gated, nearly a million people a year instead come to the CF in an attempt to be alone in nature.

The Capitol forest is over run with people. Are there deer there? Sure, some. Does the area get hammered. Absolutely.

If I was younger, I would hit some private timberland and get behind gates and away from all the users noted above. 

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

I hunt cf all the time see deer and grouse and a black bear year before last I hunt away from most others and only see the occasional dirt bike crossing or other hunters lots of them.  The Regs said it was closed this year for lat archery. Do maybe my multi tag will pay off

[Martinhunter]

Capital forest is not a bad area to hunt, except for having to purchase a darn discover pass now. There are definitly some big bucks in there if you can get way away from the roads you'll find them. My brother has 2 monster blacktails on his wall that both came from capital forest and the one he shot in '04 is a 4x5 with a really cool drop tine, buitifull deer. If you want I can pm you a really good area thats actually one of the better spots around..

[kglacken]

I hunt cf all the time see deer and grouse and a black bear year before last I hunt away from most others and only see the occasional dirt bike crossing or other hunters lots of them.  The Regs said it was closed this year for lat archery. Do maybe my multi tag will pay off

Where did you hear it was closed for late archery???
One of my favorite places for a last chance at sticking a deer

[Martinhunter]

Regs are not even out yet!

[bobcat]

It is open for "any deer" during the late archery season in 2012, 2013, and 2014, according to this:

(Capitol Forest is GMU 663)

[kglacken]

Thanks Bobcat 

[DIYARCHERYJUNKIE]

Thanks bobcat.  Its the same in the regs.  I won't be there I'm finding a muley out east in sept.  but it's not bad at all cool area its where I grew up.

[sirmissalot]

I've seen a few nice deer taken in capital forest, 2 years ago my friend missed a nice one... 4 times. The area gets a lot of pressure but there are quite a few deer there and if you put in your time you could fill your tag if you're not too picky. I have heard they plan on logging a lot of it, thats a good thing, thats the worst part of captial forest is the lack of good clearcuts and feed... in my opinion at least

[bowtech721]

I've seen a few nice deer taken in capital forest, 2 years ago my friend missed a nice one... 4 times. The area gets a lot of pressure but there are quite a few deer there and if you put in your time you could fill your tag if you're not too picky. I have heard they plan on logging a lot of it, thats a good thing, thats the worst part of captial forest is the lack of good clearcuts and feed... in my opinion at least

Capital forest is my backyard and yes theyve logged the heck out of it for good or bad... and yes you could fill your tag there but dont plan on being along during any weapon season

[FLIZZ]

If you want to see 500,000,000,000 hunters on your hunt, go there. if not, find yourself a nice little gate somewhere in Mason, OR Thurston county and sneak around the bush

[LEN]

Well I've hunted Capitol forest for 40 years and there are alot of deer there still. But you need to get off your dead butt and got where not many go. There are lots of road hunters and I mean lots. But even the walkins stay on the dang road DUH. Get into a nice caon and still hunt 400 to 500 yards away from road and there will be deer.
OH and get quiet rain gear you will need it!!

LEN

[bafister69]

Pretty decent hunting today 6 deer not to many hunters and I filled my tag.