Post by: reagansquad on December 15, 2013, 02:26:57 PM
I've seen:
-4 shootable elk
-5 HUGE white tails
-a very nice looks 3x4 mule deer
-tons and tons of does and small bucks
In 2 years of hunting, I've spent ~3 weeks deer/elk hunting in western washington.
I've seen:
-Nothing.
What in the actual F? :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:
I think I just might quit hunting out here.
Post by: furiouzgeorge on December 15, 2013, 02:28:58 PM
Post by: DoubleJ on December 15, 2013, 02:35:30 PM
Post by: bobcat on December 15, 2013, 02:37:15 PM
I saw more deer in people's yards. But in the woods almost nothing. It's about to the point that blacktails are an endangered species. Seriously, I wonder if they need to shut the hunting season down for a couple years. :dunno:
Post by: snowpack on December 15, 2013, 02:37:22 PM
Post by: reagansquad on December 15, 2013, 02:47:47 PM
Post by: billythekidrock on December 15, 2013, 03:28:38 PM
Post by: jason stevens on December 15, 2013, 03:36:10 PM
Post by: bullcanyon on December 15, 2013, 03:40:09 PM
Post by: YoterHunter on December 15, 2013, 03:43:54 PM
Post by: Taco280AI on December 15, 2013, 03:59:23 PM
Post by: janttihunter on December 15, 2013, 04:13:14 PM
I grew up hunting whitetails in New England, all I can say is Blacktails are tough..I feel like besides the few guys who grew up here and know areas really well allot of it is chance..it's an animal that has no patterns, lives in impossible terrain, and deals with cougars on a daily basis so is always on high alert. I rarely see them where I expect to or where my scouting leads me.
Post by: snowpack on December 15, 2013, 04:19:15 PM
I heard WDFW is looking for lots of volunteers for a fawn mortality study to start in the spring to see if they can determine the reason for the decline. Think they are focusing on areas that get sprayed with chemicals like herbicides/pesticides, thinking it is resulting in low reproduction/survival of deer.
Post by: dinker on December 15, 2013, 04:38:24 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on December 15, 2013, 05:01:56 PM
Hope the darn cats don't get them. :bash:
Post by: Ice monkey on December 15, 2013, 05:08:02 PM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk (http://tapatalk.com/m?id=1)
Post by: Evoac05 on December 15, 2013, 05:29:20 PM
I have been seeing two everyday in my lower pasture! :chuckle:
Hope the darn cats don't get them. :bash:
I'd be more than happy to get one of them before a cat does. :tup: I've been looking to get my first deer.
Post by: Swannytheswan on December 15, 2013, 05:34:17 PM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on December 15, 2013, 05:35:55 PM
I have been seeing two everyday in my lower pasture! :chuckle:
Hope the darn cats don't get them. :bash:
I'd be more than happy to get one of them before a cat does. :tup: I've been looking to get my first deer.
Pretty sure they are yearlings, mom I think got hit by a car late spring.
They let me get close quite often on my walks, I would but the deer in my area are getting hit pretty hard by be cats. Sorry
Post by: RadSav on December 15, 2013, 05:51:33 PM
Predation does have a large effect on the numbers. Take Winston for instance. Used to be deer everywhere in there and not many better places on earth for them to feed, but deer numbers have dropped and predator numbers have increased. There were a good number of cougars killed in there almost ten years ago and the numbers do seem to be on the rise. But this year the coyote population is off the chart!
If the westside were wide open and covered in wheat fields you'd probably have much better feelings about how many deer are there compared to the east side. Blacktail just have a much smaller doe family unit size and with feed nearly everywhere there is very little congregation. I also think the newer hybrid trees most timber companies are growing has a large effect on what we now see too. These trees grow so fast by the time the feed reaches it's pinnacle in a clearcut the new trees are near impossible to glass from anywhere but the highest perch. Then just a few years later they have choked out the good feed and deer must move on.
The 2013 buck thread was quite impressive this year. I don't ever remember seeing so many good blacktails posted.
Post by: Evoac05 on December 15, 2013, 06:39:35 PM
I have been seeing two everyday in my lower pasture! :chuckle:
Hope the darn cats don't get them. :bash:
I'd be more than happy to get one of them before a cat does. :tup: I've been looking to get my first deer.
Pretty sure they are yearlings, mom I think got hit by a car late spring.
They let me get close quite often on my walks, I would but the deer in my area are getting hit pretty hard by be cats. Sorry
No problem, I understand Boss .300 winmag.
I think I'm done with hunting the west side, at least until I get my first deer (doe or buck, I'm not picky). After 4 years hunting the west side during both modern and archery without seeing anything I'm pretty much done with this side of the state. The only time I saw a deer while hunting was during modern and it was 3-4 doe and of course not legal to shoot. :bash:
I put out 4 cams this summer and moved a couple around getting a lot of activity, but nothing came out while I was in my stand. Moved my stand to another area with lots of sign and still no deer. I have to say blacktail deer are awesome at playing hide and seek, boy can they hide.
Post by: RB on December 15, 2013, 07:10:50 PM
Post by: furiouzgeorge on December 15, 2013, 07:17:28 PM
Post by: reagansquad on December 15, 2013, 09:34:12 PM
Sounds like we need to organize a HuntWa coyote / couger purge! Pick an area we want to see deer population rise and sink our teeth in!
I vote for 448, but there's a cap on the number of Cougs that can be harvested from most GMUs (if I'm reading it right...)
Post by: shoot-em-dead on December 15, 2013, 09:59:06 PM
I have been seeing two everyday in my lower pasture! :chuckle:
Hope the darn cats don't get them. :bash:
I'd be more than happy to get one of them before a cat does. :tup: I've been looking to get my first deer.
Pretty sure they are yearlings, mom I think got hit by a car late spring.
They let me get close quite often on my walks, I would but the deer in my area are getting hit pretty hard by be cats. Sorry
No problem, I understand Boss .300 winmag.
I think I'm done with hunting the west side, at least until I get my first deer (doe or buck, I'm not picky). After 4 years hunting the west side during both modern and archery without seeing anything I'm pretty much done with this side of the state. The only time I saw a deer while hunting was during modern and it was 3-4 doe and of course not legal to shoot. :bash:
I put out 4 cams this summer and moved a couple around getting a lot of activity, but nothing came out while I was in my stand. Moved my stand to another area with lots of sign and still no deer. I have to say blacktail deer are awesome at playing hide and seek, boy can they hide.
I wouldn't waste time in a stand. I have shot blacktails with modern, muzzy, and bow and they have all been where I least expect them to be. All of them were while I was moving. I have had them spook from 10 ft away and I never knew they were there. These blacktails are just odd. Very, very odd. Get out there and move around and your odds should go up.
Post by: bobcat on December 15, 2013, 10:00:33 PM
It is true that there were some nice blacktail bucks taken this year. But is that more due to the fact that there are so few younger bucks out there?
Post by: shoot-em-dead on December 15, 2013, 10:03:14 PM
This talk about blacktails being tough to hunt- yes that is true, because of the brush, the terrain, and the fact that they're nocturnal most of the time. But it's more than that. I believe there are so few blacktails that it's like finding a needle in a haystack. It didn't used to be like this. Back in the 80's I could go for a drive in the summer and seeing 50 deer in just a couple hours would be nothing. Now I'd be lucky to see five.
It is true that there were some nice blacktail bucks taken this year. But is that more due to the fact that there are so few younger bucks out there?
Or your just getting older and need a better prescription for your eyes. :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:
Post by: bobcat on December 15, 2013, 10:08:44 PM
This talk about blacktails being tough to hunt- yes that is true, because of the brush, the terrain, and the fact that they're nocturnal most of the time. But it's more than that. I believe there are so few blacktails that it's like finding a needle in a haystack. It didn't used to be like this. Back in the 80's I could go for a drive in the summer and seeing 50 deer in just a couple hours would be nothing. Now I'd be lucky to see five.
It is true that there were some nice blacktail bucks taken this year. But is that more due to the fact that there are so few younger bucks out there?
Or your just getting older and need a better prescription for your eyes. :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:
Maybe! But I just got new glasses. And I have way better binoculars than I did back then. In the 80's you could just drive logging roads and the deer were everywhere.
Post by: DoubleJ on December 15, 2013, 10:09:30 PM
Sounds like we need to organize a HuntWa coyote / couger purge! Pick an area we want to see deer population rise and sink our teeth in!
I vote for 448, but there's a cap on the number of Cougs that can be harvested from most GMUs (if I'm reading it right...)
No quota in Mason County and we just had a sighting on Tuesday.
Post by: snowpack on December 15, 2013, 10:19:37 PM
In the 80's you could (in most places) drive a lot more miles of logging roads and be driving through more and bigger clearcuts. Plus the hound hunters were still operating. Now, it's pretty much just the tribes running dogs...and I usually see the most deer near the reservations (with the exception of town deer).This talk about blacktails being tough to hunt- yes that is true, because of the brush, the terrain, and the fact that they're nocturnal most of the time. But it's more than that. I believe there are so few blacktails that it's like finding a needle in a haystack. It didn't used to be like this. Back in the 80's I could go for a drive in the summer and seeing 50 deer in just a couple hours would be nothing. Now I'd be lucky to see five.
It is true that there were some nice blacktail bucks taken this year. But is that more due to the fact that there are so few younger bucks out there?
Or your just getting older and need a better prescription for your eyes. :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle:
Maybe! But I just got new glasses. And I have way better binoculars than I did back then. In the 80's you could just drive logging roads and the deer were everywhere.
Post by: deerslyr on December 15, 2013, 10:53:38 PM
Post by: furiouzgeorge on December 16, 2013, 05:06:40 AM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on December 16, 2013, 05:15:11 AM
Post by: bullcanyon on December 16, 2013, 08:57:41 AM
Post by: hntrspud on December 16, 2013, 11:31:17 AM
Have three spots for sure that need cats taken care of. All private, but also a ridiculous amount of coyote. One spot has 2 or 3 cats. 2 for sure. Looking for help on those cats I am.
Post by: furiouzgeorge on December 16, 2013, 12:05:36 PM
Post by: reagansquad on December 16, 2013, 12:37:08 PM
:yeah:
Have three spots for sure that need cats taken care of. All private, but also a ridiculous amount of coyote. One spot has 2 or 3 cats. 2 for sure. Looking for help on those cats I am.
Yeah where?
Post by: Buckmark on December 16, 2013, 12:39:59 PM
Post by: WSU on December 16, 2013, 12:41:03 PM
Post by: Mike450r on December 16, 2013, 12:49:52 PM
Post by: Special T on December 16, 2013, 12:53:19 PM
Post by: bobcat on December 16, 2013, 12:56:38 PM
Not that there weren't any does, because my hunting partners did see does while we were hunting together. Four does if I remember correctly.
So that makes four does, three bucks. I'd sure like to be seeing a whole lot more does!
Post by: montana archer on December 16, 2013, 01:06:28 PM
Post by: MTMule on December 16, 2013, 01:12:04 PM
There are not a lot of deer in western washington when compared to other areas where there are lots of deer. It's very simple.
Post by: Tbar on December 16, 2013, 01:18:02 PM
Post by: Coastal_native on December 16, 2013, 01:41:45 PM
Been saying this for years. We need some major changes on the west side to help the herds rebound. Been a steady decline since 96. Hmmm what happened in 96? Who'd of thought Hound hunting was so important?
I've been spending some volunteer time with our wildlife bio out here looking at cougar predation (deer and elk). We all know how good they are at killing, but it really puts it into perspective when you get to see almost every kill over the course of a year from several different cats as well as their home ranges. Last July one adult female killed three elk calves, within 500 yds of each other, in a span of about 3 days, all from the same herd of elk. The same female has killed 3 adult deer from the same clearcut in the last 6 months. With multiple westside tribes documenting cougar predation, I hope it leads to some depredation hunts.
Post by: bobcat on December 16, 2013, 01:50:53 PM
And it could be closer to 10%.
Post by: headshot5 on December 16, 2013, 02:16:04 PM
Post by: bullcanyon on December 16, 2013, 02:17:03 PM
There may be a few areas in Western Washington with decent Blacktail populations but they are not in Lewis County.
One of my best friends is a big Blacktail killing machine and he could of killed 2 small bucks this year. He don't hunt from his truck. He covered more ground this year seeing less deer than any year prior. If he isn't finding them than we have an issue.
Post by: deltaops on December 16, 2013, 04:53:23 PM
I have been out scouting and have seen lots of sign from 653, 654, and over in Mason County. This next year I will be deep in the forest to test a theory I have. I shot a 2 point, tracked it for some time, bumped it and it ended up down a hill on a road and some one pulled up and loaded it up and took off. :bash: It sucked but it is what it is I guess.
I know we have them around and I am certain we have more than we think, but I do not have the facts to back it up so this is just my guess. After some scouting and some well placed cams next spring through summer should give me some kind of results. Good or bad, we will see.
Post by: DoubleJ on December 16, 2013, 06:10:29 PM
Post by: furiouzgeorge on December 16, 2013, 09:01:53 PM
Post by: Special T on December 17, 2013, 07:46:56 AM
Sorry but not doing it right isn't the problem in the east side of the 667 unit. Lived here my whole life and have seen a steady decline since 96. I worked for the local timber company in high school picking up shredded tires off the road. So we had keys to the gates. We would drive the road after school most nights seeing 35+ deer in an hour and 12 to 15 bucks. You show me anywhere in Western wa where that is possible on a daily basis. Not just the one perfect weather day of the year that coincides with the rut. I know several guys with Vail keys that would see 30+ deer a day and maybe 2 bucks.
There may be a few areas in Western Washington with decent Blacktail populations but they are not in Lewis County.
One of my best friends is a big Blacktail killing machine and he could of killed 2 small bucks this year. He don't hunt from his truck. He covered more ground this year seeing less deer than any year prior. If he isn't finding them than we have an issue.
I don't doubt there are LESS deer. What i am saying is that if you go hunting and are seeing NOTHING its likely your actions and tactics are not right for black-tails in our current situation. I don't claim to be a hunting god, but i have seen more animals of all kinds when i slowed my hunting way down and focused on certain kinds of terrain. :twocents:
Post by: 7t9cobra on December 17, 2013, 01:10:46 PM
Post by: deadwoodbuck on December 17, 2013, 03:05:01 PM
Post by: fordpowerforever on December 17, 2013, 03:27:15 PM
Ive been hunting blacktails exclusively for the last 18 years in gmus 601,602,603,607,612 and 615.
We use to log everything right into the creek draws, no rmz area for them to hide in and no place to sneak out as easy, we also use to slash burn our units which got rid of all the brush so the units were much easier to see into and the feed was much much better sooner. I know the cats have definately hurt the population and locked gates have slowed people down a lot. I hunt behind locked gates mostly. covering up to 15 miles a day on foot on logging roads, you can spend all day in the timber and brush holes looking for an elusive blacktail but thats not my cup of tea. I like to cover ground, i do alot of glassing better dont spend hours in the same spot. I average 6-12 deer a day usually at least a buck or two. The bucks out here arent as big as the more inland bucks. Most of my deer have been shot under 100 yards. I have a saying that goes well with blacktails, "you cant find them if you aint looking." In my opinion you cant pattern blacktails, especially in brushy country where its hard to see them. I say cover ground and keep your head on a swivel. Blacktails are spook and shoot not so much spot and stalk.
Post by: REHJWA on December 18, 2013, 11:34:11 PM
there is more factors in play then people are thinking about....
Ive been hunting blacktails exclusively for the last 18 years in gmus 601,602,603,607,612 and 615.
We use to log everything right into the creek draws, no rmz area for them to hide in and no place to sneak out as easy, we also use to slash burn our units which got rid of all the brush so the units were much easier to see into and the feed was much much better sooner. I know the cats have definately hurt the population and locked gates have slowed people down a lot. I hunt behind locked gates mostly. covering up to 15 miles a day on foot on logging roads, you can spend all day in the timber and brush holes looking for an elusive blacktail but thats not my cup of tea. I like to cover ground, i do alot of glassing better dont spend hours in the same spot. I average 6-12 deer a day usually at least a buck or two. The bucks out here arent as big as the more inland bucks. Most of my deer have been shot under 100 yards. I have a saying that goes well with blacktails, "you cant find them if you aint looking." In my opinion you cant pattern blacktails, especially in brushy country where its hard to see them. I say cover ground and keep your head on a swivel. Blacktails are spook and shoot not so much spot and stalk.
Post by: Evoac05 on December 19, 2013, 04:37:44 PM
Post by: FLIZZ on December 19, 2013, 07:40:52 PM
Post by: STIKNSTRINGBOW on December 19, 2013, 08:00:31 PM
Post by: jason4429 on December 19, 2013, 08:35:09 PM
Post by: SWHUNTER on December 19, 2013, 08:51:42 PM
Post by: npaull on December 19, 2013, 08:54:36 PM
Quote
I believe cougars are very hard on deer populations in certain areas. We definitely need to harvest as many as possible.
Yeah, I agree... Like in the Route 2 corridor. Used to be way more deer up there; I'm pretty sure cougars have been keeping them down.
I'm not an anti-predator psycho like some, but I definitely think there should be hound hunts for cougar.
Post by: fordpowerforever on December 19, 2013, 10:22:47 PM
:yeah: unless you can get trail cam pictures coving ground is the best way to find core areas. Then it is bump and shot.there is more factors in play then people are thinking about....
Ive been hunting blacktails exclusively for the last 18 years in gmus 601,602,603,607,612 and 615.
We use to log everything right into the creek draws, no rmz area for them to hide in and no place to sneak out as easy, we also use to slash burn our units which got rid of all the brush so the units were much easier to see into and the feed was much much better sooner. I know the cats have definately hurt the population and locked gates have slowed people down a lot. I hunt behind locked gates mostly. covering up to 15 miles a day on foot on logging roads, you can spend all day in the timber and brush holes looking for an elusive blacktail but thats not my cup of tea. I like to cover ground, i do alot of glassing better dont spend hours in the same spot. I average 6-12 deer a day usually at least a buck or two. The bucks out here arent as big as the more inland bucks. Most of my deer have been shot under 100 yards. I have a saying that goes well with blacktails, "you cant find them if you aint looking." In my opinion you cant pattern blacktails, especially in brushy country where its hard to see them. I say cover ground and keep your head on a swivel. Blacktails are spook and shoot not so much spot and stalk.
Post by: splitshot on December 19, 2013, 10:38:13 PM
Post by: The scout on December 20, 2013, 09:22:36 AM
Post by: deltaops on December 20, 2013, 09:24:04 AM
I bet if anyone still was holding an archery tag they could go outside in this fresh snow and walk down a deer by the end of the day here in Western WA....
Makes me wish I would have never sold my Bow a few years back! :bash:
Next year will be different for sure. Getting back in to Archery. :tup:
Post by: D-Rock425 on December 20, 2013, 09:24:24 AM
I bet if anyone still was holding an archery tag they could go outside in this fresh snow and walk down a deer by the end of the day here in Western WA....problem is I'm stuck at work :bash:
Post by: h20hunter on December 20, 2013, 09:26:09 AM
Post by: D-Rock425 on December 20, 2013, 09:27:59 AM
Post by: MountainWalk on December 20, 2013, 11:35:39 AM
Post by: netcoyote on December 20, 2013, 12:01:21 PM
ALL OF US. Seriously, Everyone needs to dedicate more time to predator hunting in the off season. I never really have done the predator thing, but after this season I'm doing it. I'm sick of struggling to find a deer, even whilst practicing disciplined BT tactics. Summer is even more depressing not seeing the tons of deer feeding on the side of country roads like I remember in the 90's. Easier said than done to kill cats I know, but we're all capable of dusting a yote here and there. IT'S GO TIME.
This quote caught my attention. Yesterday I was out doing some scouting in 654 which had some light dusting of snow. Saw a few tracks but overwhelming number of coyote tracks. I started thinking more about why it seemed that there seemed to be so little game in the area. I have been in there in the summer and have heard packs of 'yotes howling even in the daytime. Never have done any coyote hunting up till now but I think I made up my mind as of yesterday to make this a priority.
So question: Have any of you guys focused on trying to reduce yotes in an area and then seen results in more game? I know it's hard to see immediate results but just wondered if anyone has tried this. Maybe I need to start a separate thread for this.
Post by: snowpack on December 20, 2013, 12:03:15 PM
there is more factors in play then people are thinking about....For 601, 602, part of 603, 607, 612 and 615 the bios, WDFW and tribe, say they think there is a big decline in blacktails, they think hair loss did a lot of it. Made the deer too vulnerable to the predators. When I check the tribe regs for those units it says in bold caps--to not shoot does.
Ive been hunting blacktails exclusively for the last 18 years in gmus 601,602,603,607,612 and 615.
We use to log everything right into the creek draws, no rmz area for them to hide in and no place to sneak out as easy, we also use to slash burn our units which got rid of all the brush so the units were much easier to see into and the feed was much much better sooner. I know the cats have definately hurt the population and locked gates have slowed people down a lot. I hunt behind locked gates mostly. covering up to 15 miles a day on foot on logging roads, you can spend all day in the timber and brush holes looking for an elusive blacktail but thats not my cup of tea. I like to cover ground, i do alot of glassing better dont spend hours in the same spot. I average 6-12 deer a day usually at least a buck or two. The bucks out here arent as big as the more inland bucks. Most of my deer have been shot under 100 yards. I have a saying that goes well with blacktails, "you cant find them if you aint looking." In my opinion you cant pattern blacktails, especially in brushy country where its hard to see them. I say cover ground and keep your head on a swivel. Blacktails are spook and shoot not so much spot and stalk.
Post by: MountainWalk on December 20, 2013, 12:25:24 PM
Post by: fordpowerforever on December 20, 2013, 12:30:06 PM
there is more factors in play then people are thinking about....For 601, 602, part of 603, 607, 612 and 615 the bios, WDFW and tribe, say they think there is a big decline in blacktails, they think hair loss did a lot of it. Made the deer too vulnerable to the predators. When I check the tribe regs for those units it says in bold caps--to not shoot does.
Ive been hunting blacktails exclusively for the last 18 years in gmus 601,602,603,607,612 and 615.
We use to log everything right into the creek draws, no rmz area for them to hide in and no place to sneak out as easy, we also use to slash burn our units which got rid of all the brush so the units were much easier to see into and the feed was much much better sooner. I know the cats have definately hurt the population and locked gates have slowed people down a lot. I hunt behind locked gates mostly. covering up to 15 miles a day on foot on logging roads, you can spend all day in the timber and brush holes looking for an elusive blacktail but thats not my cup of tea. I like to cover ground, i do alot of glassing better dont spend hours in the same spot. I average 6-12 deer a day usually at least a buck or two. The bucks out here arent as big as the more inland bucks. Most of my deer have been shot under 100 yards. I have a saying that goes well with blacktails, "you cant find them if you aint looking." In my opinion you cant pattern blacktails, especially in brushy country where its hard to see them. I say cover ground and keep your head on a swivel. Blacktails are spook and shoot not so much spot and stalk.
i didnt think hair loss was that bad here, seen very few with it in my time, the tribe isnt very hard on the deer around here anyways, most dont waste time with a doe, if they want meet there is plenty of cows for them...
Post by: fordpowerforever on December 20, 2013, 02:43:25 PM
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1191.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fz477%2Ffordpowerforever000%2FMDGC0022_zps95c9b492.jpg&hash=4980eaf3f6126abefa40c03d8799225cbd125159) (http://s1191.photobucket.com/user/fordpowerforever000/media/MDGC0022_zps95c9b492.jpg.html)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi1191.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fz477%2Ffordpowerforever000%2FMDGC0025_zps2592dfb7.jpg&hash=628ad2f25c5192386a760760297a6a1c935a5451) (http://s1191.photobucket.com/user/fordpowerforever000/media/MDGC0025_zps2592dfb7.jpg.html)
Post by: snowpack on December 20, 2013, 03:00:35 PM
Post by: REHJWA on December 20, 2013, 03:29:04 PM
I bet if anyone still was holding an archery tag they could go outside in this fresh snow and walk down a deer by the end of the day here in Western WA....I posted this on the Supposed to Snow Tonight thread. But more Coyote tracks then deer tracks in the snow. :o
Post by: haus on December 28, 2013, 10:25:41 PM
I've been hunting in 633 for the first time the past couple days and saw drastic differences in deer density/activity both days, how a cut is managed has a big impact on how many blacktails it will hold imho. A chunk of reprod I hunted yesterday (green diamond) had more blacktail sign in it than I've seen in years. The several I hunted today (GD, DNR) had a decent amount of sign but not nearly as much as I saw yesterday in the first cut. Difference between the two areas, from what I could tell was how much chem had been put down. You can tell by how much feed there is; if the cuts mostly reprod, salal, and grass...they probably chem'd the hell out of it. Maybe that first cut they got lazy with the chem or forgot to hit it :dunno:
Needless to say I'm going back to the first cut tomorrow, where the feeds abundant and the BT's are there to eat it.