Winston Unit

[Alan K]

Winston is to elk as Vail is to deer.  If you're willing to go into those deep dark holes, there's no problem having a great hunt.  All the traffic condenses them in those 'safe' spots.  That said, the elk in Winston go farther than any other elk I've jumped on the west side without stopping!  If it's the afternoon and you didn't get a crack at a bull the first time you jump them you might not catch up before dark! 

[kentrek]

How much state land is there in the Winston?

not much..but there are plenty of oppertunities for disabled,youth,and senior folks looking to keep it close to the truck out 19 mile.not to mention the summer hunts they have now..which completly @!#%'s up my summer blacktails..but thats a different topic


also when weyco "thinks" the animals are over populated(when they start hurting there golden trees) they want to thin it out a bit. they dont care if its legal or not and the best way to thin a herd is def not legal so they keep the gates open..all night long..this is what i think hapend to the winston.. could be(hopefully am) wrong but thats my thoughts

[HntnFsh]

Furbearer365,

Locking gates is selfish.Dont care how you try to justify it. Do you really think it cuts down on poaching,garbage, and vandalism. Hell no it doesnt.It just moves it to a more accessable area. Get out and look around.You will see it.

So you want to concentrate more people in a smaller area,with less opportunity to see animals.While your fortunate enough to be able to hike back in for miles to be on your own. There are a lot of people that arent able to do that type of hiking.But dont qualify for a disabled permit. Naw,thats not selfish. Heck,its easy for you to say.There is plenty of state land to go drive around on.Not in this area. But there are plenty of places to hike into that will give you what you are looking for if you want to put out the effort to find them. And you have the choice of whether you want to do it behind a locked gate or not.

How do you think all those people that volunteer their time with Eyes in the Woods,or the land access coalition would feel after working so hard with the Timber companies to get us more access.And people like you help to get it shut down again.

People like you really need to reassess what you want. You want to lock out a huge user group to benefit a few.Who do you want to lock out next? Those that cant afford an access permit. Thats already happening. Those that cant afford to buy 1000s of acres of land. Like happened up in the high lakes area. Yep that happened too.Those that dont get a key to the gate because they dont work for the timber comany.Thats happening too!.I'm sure ther are other examples too.

Yep,lock her up.That way only those in good health and prime shape or with a valid disabled permit can hunt it. Seems pretty selfish to me.

Ive lived in and hunted the Winston all my life.Over 50 years. The elk are doing great.(well maybe till this year)Thats why its such a popular unit. If your looking for a reason that herds in the Winston could be on the decline.Look no further than the WDFW permit system. If I remember correctly they gave out 720 cow tags for the Toledo and Winston units. And I havent even looked at this years permits. Look at when a lot of those permits were valid. Yep,the cows were pregnant. So you lose next years calf because a pregnant cow is shot. Or maybe it doesnt get pregnant or aborts because its stressed so bad from being hunted for 5 months in a row.  Now thats a hell of a hit.

Ive never once said that locked gates dont make for better hunting. But it only makes for better hunting for those that are physically able to do it.That excludes a huge amount of people. Sounds selfish to me.

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

Lock all the gates make people actually hunt. Doesn't sound selfish to me.

[funkster]

Locking gates is selfish.Dont care how you try to justify it. Do you really think it cuts down on poaching,garbage, and vandalism.

You really have not given a solid reason for how locking the gates is selfish besides the elderly and children. In my opinion the elderly and children make up a very small amount of hunters. Like I said, my dad is 65 and we ride bikes behind gates 10+ miles a day one way, and he loves it. He knows that he is not going to be able to do this forever. So we are planning for the future and doing some homework in other units. Units like Lewis river holds lots of elk and you can drive around all day and even camp if you wish I can tell you after a few days he was looking for a gate to ride behind to get away from all the road hunters.

As far as poaching,garbage and vandalism goes come on, are you going to hike in to dump that truck load of  trash? Are you going to hike in 5+ miles to vandalize a skidder?  Are you going to hike in and poach an elk and pack it out? Every tree farm I have been to has been some of the cleanest forestland I have stepped my foot on.

Let's keep those gates closed and stop CHASING elk and start HUNTING them

[furbearer365]

Right on funkster. 

Hntnfsh is a typical person that wants everything and is willing to give nothing.  Sounds like a great plan you have there.  If open gates doesnt add more poaching, vandalism, and garbage, why on earth would weyco go out of there way and spend money to hire the local county police as their own security.  They are not in locked up areas looking for guys that are walking around and hunting.  I said it before and will say it again, when i am of the age that i can not longer hike to hunt, then i will adapt to what my options are.  You wont see me sitting back knowing that locked gates improve hunting and still arguing just to keep myself out in the woods.  I want what is good for hunting and the animals we hunt.  Hell, i would love for the Entiat or Dayton to be over the counter during the rut but you cant have areas like those without a little give.  I grew up learning that a little hard work goes a long way and have made a living working for what i got, and hunting is no different.  I WILL ALWAYS ENDORSE LOCKED GATES AND BE THANKFUL THAT OUR TIMBER COMPANIES EVEN LET US ON TO HUNT.  I AM FOR THE ANIMALS, AND A GOOD QUALITY OF HUNTING, FOR YEARS TO COME AND WILL ALWAYS BE.

[HntnFsh]

 Wow Furbearer, I had no idea you even know who I am. Sure didnt think I knew you!

 I find it amazing that you can make such broad remarks about a person you dont even know. Your speculation says a lot about you. And I'm not impressed. If your going to throw out comments about a persons character. You should actually know what your talking about. Not bad mouth them because they dont agree with you.

You have no idea how many hours Ive put into planting trees in the mudflow to help the habitat. You have no idea how many days Ive spent picking up huge piles of garbage on timber company property to help improve the image of so called hunters. You dont have any idea how many days Ive spent helping fix farmers fences that have been trashed by elk. You have no idea how many people I have mentored while hunting. Trying to help them become good ethical hunters. You have no idea how many people,how many days,how much fuel, Ive spent showing people hunting areas trying to help improve their chances at filling their tag. You dont have a clue how many letters Ive written or phone calls Ive made to WDFW or our politicians. All on my own dime. And that is just from this aspect of our lives. You just dont have a clue! Dont make remarks about people you know nothing about!

As I said. I dont think open gates changes the amount of poaching,garbage,and vandalism. IT CHANGES WHERE IT HAPPENS AT. Just because its not happening out in the woods where you have walked into doesnt mean its not happening. It means its happening somewhere else. The people that do that kind of crap will do it wherever they have the opportunity. You seem to have missed that point in my last post.

The only hunting that is improved by locked gates is for those that are able to hike into those areas. I can see that perspective.

It sure doesnt improve the hunting for those that arent able to hike in though does it? In fact it diminishes their hunting opportunity. I can see that too. And thats what I'm getting at. But you and a couple others are blind to it.

 I am not the type of person that worries about what benefits me. I worry about what benefits everybody. Sure some locked gates are good. But I get sick of hearing the remark. Lock it up.Lock it up. It is selfish because you are taking opportunity from others. Others that may have put a lot more into these resources than you have. And if they havent.that shouldnt matter either.

There is more than 1 perspective on most things.Just because you dont see it doesnt mean it doesnt exist.

[HntnFsh]

How much state land is there in the Winston?

not much..but there are plenty of oppertunities for disabled,youth,and senior folks looking to keep it close to the truck out 19 mile.not to mention the summer hunts they have now..which completly @!#%'s up my summer blacktails..but thats a different topic


also when weyco "thinks" the animals are over populated(when they start hurting there golden trees) they want to thin it out a bit. they dont care if its legal or not and the best way to thin a herd is def not legal so they keep the gates open..all night long..this is what i think hapend to the winston.. could be(hopefully am) wrong but thats my thoughts

Ya,but your missing the point.19 mile is in the Winston. These guys are saying lock it up. There goes that opportunity. When they get pushed out of there where do they go next. and on and on.

[funkster]

HntnFsh, have you ever hunted early archery(gates always closed if land is open at all) and late season archery(gates always open) in the same year? If so, did you see any differance in the elk numbers you saw from early archery to late archery? Did you see any difference in their behavior?

On a side note, I do agree with what you stated about the special permits and January tags in that area.

[kglacken]

Lock em. Even for retrieval.  Leaves to many variables when you see someone driving around when noone else can.  I have been passed by countless guys with gate keys and they just use multiple excuses as to why they are there.  Weyco doesnt owe us anything and i would rather the hunting be good no matter how much harder i have to work to get it out.  My greatest memories will always be me and my dad packing my first bull out on our backs for hours.  Believe my, when i am old enough that i cant do it anymore, i will hang it up to the next generation and not use age a crutch to endorse bad hunting.

I think thats a crazy remark. What does age have to do with bad hunting.Who do you want locked out next.The disabled.Because surely you dont want to use that excuse to endorse bad hunting. Oh and of course we need to lock out our young kids.Because they are too young to be able to get out and hike their asses off and pack elk all day.So we will need to wait a few more years until they can hunt with us. Some of you people really need to watch what you wish for.You might end up regretting it. Well,unless your so selfish that you dont care about others that love to get out and hunt too.

My dads 81 years old. Has hunted all his life.Got me started hunting. He doesant get arounf too good anymore.Last year he broke his femur.Could barely get out of the truck. But he still wanted to go hunting. Maybe you should be the one that tells him."Stay home you crippled old *censored*.Its time to hang it up"But I told him."I'll be there at 6 am to take you road hunting"

Oh,and we were into elk everyday we went out. He didnt get to kill one.But I could have shot a few for him. He has a disabled card.And we didnt spoil anybody elses hunt. But he had a great time.So did I. Sure hope my son or grandson is able to do the same for me when I get older. But then again the selfish people might have me locked out by then.

This attitude just pisses me off everytime it comes up. Guess anybody that cant hike,and pack all day should buy a Nintendo or something and play hunting games.

Well said. Thats what it is all about. I know I want some road access when I get too old to ride around. When I was 12 I broke my ankle playing basketball and was going to miss the deer season, but my dad said "hey lets still go out and ride around, glass the cuts and see what happens." On the last day of late buck, I smoked my first deer. I am thankful for the opportunity the road hunting allowed me.

[KopperBuck]

Lock em. Even for retrieval.  Leaves to many variables when you see someone driving around when noone else can.  I have been passed by countless guys with gate keys and they just use multiple excuses as to why they are there.  Weyco doesnt owe us anything and i would rather the hunting be good no matter how much harder i have to work to get it out.  My greatest memories will always be me and my dad packing my first bull out on our backs for hours.  Believe my, when i am old enough that i cant do it anymore, i will hang it up to the next generation and not use age a crutch to endorse bad hunting.

I think thats a crazy remark. What does age have to do with bad hunting.Who do you want locked out next.The disabled.Because surely you dont want to use that excuse to endorse bad hunting. Oh and of course we need to lock out our young kids.Because they are too young to be able to get out and hike their asses off and pack elk all day.So we will need to wait a few more years until they can hunt with us. Some of you people really need to watch what you wish for.You might end up regretting it. Well,unless your so selfish that you dont care about others that love to get out and hunt too.

My dads 81 years old. Has hunted all his life.Got me started hunting. He doesant get arounf too good anymore.Last year he broke his femur.Could barely get out of the truck. But he still wanted to go hunting. Maybe you should be the one that tells him."Stay home you crippled old *censored*.Its time to hang it up"But I told him."I'll be there at 6 am to take you road hunting"

Oh,and we were into elk everyday we went out. He didnt get to kill one.But I could have shot a few for him. He has a disabled card.And we didnt spoil anybody elses hunt. But he had a great time.So did I. Sure hope my son or grandson is able to do the same for me when I get older. But then again the selfish people might have me locked out by then.

This attitude just pisses me off everytime it comes up. Guess anybody that cant hike,and pack all day should buy a Nintendo or something and play hunting games.

Well said. Thats what it is all about. I know I want some road access when I get too old to ride around. When I was 12 I broke my ankle playing basketball and was going to miss the deer season, but my dad said "hey lets still go out and ride around, glass the cuts and see what happens." On the last day of late buck, I smoked my first deer. I am thankful for the opportunity the road hunting allowed me.

I don't hunt there, but I guess I'm missing the point. The land is private right?

[kentrek]

How much state land is there in the Winston?

not much..but there are plenty of oppertunities for disabled,youth,and senior folks looking to keep it close to the truck out 19 mile.not to mention the summer hunts they have now..which completly @!#%'s up my summer blacktails..but thats a different topic


also when weyco "thinks" the animals are over populated(when they start hurting there golden trees) they want to thin it out a bit. they dont care if its legal or not and the best way to thin a herd is def not legal so they keep the gates open..all night long..this is what i think hapend to the winston.. could be(hopefully am) wrong but thats my thoughts

Ya,but your missing the point.19 mile is in the Winston. These guys are saying lock it up. There goes that opportunity. When they get pushed out of there where do they go next. and on and on.

are we not talking about the winston ? most likly the berma(800 country) that they have left open the last few years ?

that 19 mile has lots of both road hunting and walk in. diferent units have different styles of hunting. if your not much of a hiker and dont like what is offered than go hunt up behind rosevalley or the other drive in spots.luckly you are still alowed to hunt what ever legal unit you would like.

i have spent about 4 months in the berma a year for the last six years and its gone down hill since they opend the gates. i can even show you my pics of the age class of deer go down.. i use to have no problem seeing 40 deer a day but like i said befor my last jont out there was a goose egg. that place is too small to let peaple drive in. just my  and am not trying to offend any one by saying pleeeezz lock up the 800 COUNTRY.

[mpetersen]

Modern rifle elk (bull) harvest reports for the Winston for the last five years: 2007- 223, 2008-195, 2009-189, 2010-177 and a five year low 148 bulls taken last year with the gates wide open for the whole season ! If weyco opened the gates in hopes it would increase number of legal bulls taken they were mistaken. They need to lock em back up and maybe we can have some good years to come like back in 2007 (that was a year) ! Again, this is to increase the harvest of legal bulls, I guess weyco will do what they have to do when it comes to the great January cow slaughter.

[funkster]

mpetersen, yes 2007 was awesome! Elk every corner you went around, bulls screaming their heads off, the good old days..ha ha

I think we need to remember that most of the hunting ground in the winston is private property and Wey. co. runs their land how they deem appropriate. I enjoy hunting their land and will continue to do so as long as I hunt on the west side.

We all talk about the elderly,children and disabled. I feel for them, I really do. Like I said my Dad is 65, my son couldn't go with us for many years. The elderly,children and disabled have  A LOT of state land they can go to and travel road systems if they so choose. The state is taking down gates, timber companies are opening them for thousands to drive around all day long and then complain that the herd numbers are to high. Where does your average hunter have to go to get away from the road hunters? The place for those type of hunters are diminishing year by year.

[mpetersen]

I'm just trying to figure out weyco's reasoning, WDFW stats show more legal bulls put down prior to gates being open, security must have been busy keeping an eye on any machinery that might get vandalized, the amount of busch lite cans per landing went up considerably.