Skookumchuck Youth Buck Tag (GMU 667)

[slim9300]

I could use a little help from the HuntWA crew. My little sister is 10 years old and drew this tag with three points along with a second deer tag in another Westside unit (she has her mom's luck). =) Kahlen loves hunting more than anything (just ask her) and I would love to see her get her first blacktail buck. Last year she was lucky enough to kill her first elk (a cow) and a nice Whitetail buck in a Central WA special permit unit.

I have a decent idea where to start since I live close to the unit and have bowhunted there a few times myself. But I know I have a lot to learn. I have a great little honey hole that's about 2 miles behind a locked gate (they are all locked during archery season), but I normally only see it full of does. I worry that finding a buck is going to be much harder than finding does.

I feel like that opening weekend (6th & 7th) will be her best chance to kill a buck when the Vail Tree Farm opens up their gate for youth hunters. The problem I have is lack of experience in this area. The only scouting I will be able to do is on my bicycle and you can get a long ways back!

Sadly Kahlen's time to hunt the Skookumchuck will be very limited, as she will only be able to hunt that entire first weekend and maybe take a day or two off during the week. She is already going to to miss school the entire week before the season so she can go on an elk hunt. Lucky kid, I know.

I would suspect there are some dandies in the unit considering the lack of hunting pressure in that first week, but for the record, she will be shooting the first legal buck. Any help would be greatly appreciated and I will post pics of her smiling face if she's lucky enough to kill anything.

You can PM me if you are more comfortable with that.

Thanks!
Conlan

Here's a pic of last years buck. She shot it at 40 yards spot and stalk and I was watching the whole thing over her shoulder. It was honestly the greatest moment of my hunting career.




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[doyourtime89]

My son drew this tag too.  He drew an any deer tag in there about 4 years ago and that was our first time ever in there.  He wanted to shot a buck so we were going to hold out as long as he could, but after passing on a lot of does he finally decided to take what ever he could get a shot at and it was only mid day on the opening day.  But I guess after seeing so many deer he could shoot (all does) it was getting to him.  The next group we were able to get in on had a spike so he took that.  When we check out at the gate the game warden said we were like about the 9th or 10th to check out and all were bucks to that point.  But with out being able to get in there we will just have to play it by ear.  So I am like you too, if anyone had any info and/or tips on the area it would be much appreciated.  Good luck to you guys.  If you see a gray Toyota Tundra 4 door, thats us....say hi.

[toothfangclaw]

I don't remember, does the fort Lewis land just west of yelm part if the skook?

I've seen a lot of guys hit the high road. Personally I take the low road. Start in the timber and work into the clear cuts. I know of one spot to check out in the farm. I'll try to get you coordinates, its a place where my buddy got a nice 4x5 a couple years back.

[Alan K]

It's a fun tag to have, I drew it two or three times before I was too old. 

If she's willing to take the first buck she sees then you guys should have no problem.  I'd try to talk her into holding out for a two point or better on Saturday, and then any buck on Sunday if she wants.  Hopefully they have security at the gate to only allow vehicles with hunters in.  You should be into plenty of deer if they keep people just going in there to scout out.

Good luck! 

[nontypical176]

Fun tag to draw for the kiddos, there are a lot of small bucks for the taking and plenty of does, but the bigger bucks like most places are harder to find.  We seen 6 small spikes one day in there with a ton of rigs driving around during general season last year.  If its like the general season only 1 gate will be opened with a line of rigs waiting to get in, but there are good hunting spots throughout the entire tree farm and its big with great looking clearcuts all around.   I have heard of several cougars that have been shot on that first weakend of the youth hunt, so bring a cougar tag and good luck.

[slim9300]

Fun tag to draw for the kiddos, there are a lot of small bucks for the taking and plenty of does, but the bigger bucks like most places are harder to find.  We seen 6 small spikes one day in there with a ton of rigs driving around during general season last year.  If its like the general season only 1 gate will be opened with a line of rigs waiting to get in, but there are good hunting spots throughout the entire tree farm and its big with great looking clearcuts all around.   I have heard of several cougars that have been shot on that first weakend of the youth hunt, so bring a cougar tag and good luck.

Yep. She will have her cougar tag.

There are 20 youth buck tags and 40 youth doe tags. I am really hoping they shut down access to those coming to scout. If they do, it will be ideal conditions for the kids.


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[slim9300]

It's a fun tag to have, I drew it two or three times before I was too old. 

If she's willing to take the first buck she sees then you guys should have no problem.  I'd try to talk her into holding out for a two point or better on Saturday, and then any buck on Sunday if she wants.  Hopefully they have security at the gate to only allow vehicles with hunters in.  You should be into plenty of deer if they keep people just going in there to scout out.

Good luck! 

Thanks for the intel! I might be able to make a phone call to check on that. My hunting partner has a fellow officer that has the side job of being security for the tree farm.


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[bucklucky]

I will send you a PM.

[slim9300]

I will send you a PM.

Thanks Charlie! I didn't even realize that you lived in Skookumchuck. I thought you we're up in Bellingham area for some odd reason.


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[slim9300]

My son drew this tag too.  He drew an any deer tag in there about 4 years ago and that was our first time ever in there.  He wanted to shot a buck so we were going to hold out as long as he could, but after passing on a lot of does he finally decided to take what ever he could get a shot at and it was only mid day on the opening day.  But I guess after seeing so many deer he could shoot (all does) it was getting to him.  The next group we were able to get in on had a spike so he took that.  When we check out at the gate the game warden said we were like about the 9th or 10th to check out and all were bucks to that point.  But with out being able to get in there we will just have to play it by ear.  So I am like you too, if anyone had any info and/or tips on the area it would be much appreciated.  Good luck to you guys.  If you see a gray Toyota Tundra 4 door, thats us....say hi.

Good luck! I'll keep an eye out for your truck.


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[bucklucky]

I will send you a PM.

Thanks Charlie! I didn't even realize that you lived in Skookumchuck. I thought you we're up in Bellingham area for some odd reason.


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Heck no man , good ol' skookumchuck valley . Last house on the right .

[slim9300]

I will send you a PM.

Thanks Charlie! I didn't even realize that you lived in Skookumchuck. I thought you we're up in Bellingham area for some odd reason.


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Heck no man , good ol' skookumchuck valley . Last house on the right .

I couldn't live up there either! I think you just became my new taxidermist. I brought my blacktail buck to Alden on December 7th for an antler mount and also gave him the cape. I still don't have my horns back!

Alden did get my Sept. bull back pretty quickly but he's not hurting for work by any means. You need some more work for next year?


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[doyourtime89]

Fun tag to draw for the kiddos, there are a lot of small bucks for the taking and plenty of does, but the bigger bucks like most places are harder to find.  We seen 6 small spikes one day in there with a ton of rigs driving around during general season last year.  If its like the general season only 1 gate will be opened with a line of rigs waiting to get in, but there are good hunting spots throughout the entire tree farm and its big with great looking clearcuts all around.   I have heard of several cougars that have been shot on that first weakend of the youth hunt, so bring a cougar tag and good luck.

Yep. She will have her cougar tag.

There are 20 youth buck tags and 40 youth doe tags. I am really hoping they shut down access to those coming to scout. If they do, it will be ideal conditions for the kids.


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I know when my son had this tag a few years ago they only opened one gate to the tree farm and they had someone there checking to make sure you had the youth tag or they weren't letting you in.  So it should just be the ones with the tags in there hunting.  When we were in there we never seen another person except one time we seen a truck miles off in the distance on a clear cut way way away from us.  So it should be a good hunt all the way around. 

[slim9300]

Fun tag to draw for the kiddos, there are a lot of small bucks for the taking and plenty of does, but the bigger bucks like most places are harder to find.  We seen 6 small spikes one day in there with a ton of rigs driving around during general season last year.  If its like the general season only 1 gate will be opened with a line of rigs waiting to get in, but there are good hunting spots throughout the entire tree farm and its big with great looking clearcuts all around.   I have heard of several cougars that have been shot on that first weakend of the youth hunt, so bring a cougar tag and good luck.

Yep. She will have her cougar tag.

There are 20 youth buck tags and 40 youth doe tags. I am really hoping they shut down access to those coming to scout. If they do, it will be ideal conditions for the kids.


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I know when my son had this tag a few years ago they only opened one gate to the tree farm and they had someone there checking to make sure you had the youth tag or they weren't letting you in.  So it should just be the ones with the tags in there hunting.  When we were in there we never seen another person except one time we seen a truck miles off in the distance on a clear cut way way away from us.  So it should be a good hunt all the way around.

That's great to hear!


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[slim9300]

Well Kahlen got a letter in the mail yesterday from WA Fish and Wildlife. Apparently they just NOW realized that they had the season dates incorrectly listed for the first week of her youth buck hunt. Idiots. They changed the dates to Sept. 29th through October 5th. That officially screws her out of her tag since she will be in NM on an elk hunt with our dad during that time. The whole thing is upsetting to me since I was going to be taking her out and I was the one that broke the news to her about drawing the tag. I want to thank all of you for your help and especially Charlie for his generous offer. Maybe with some luck she will draw the tag next year. The only "positive" news is that she will have the ability to turn in her tag and retain her points.


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