Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: Chimmer10 on November 19, 2008, 05:02:16 PM

Title: Late Alta Draw
Post by: Chimmer10 on November 19, 2008, 05:02:16 PM: First I'd like to thank those on this board for all your help...Without the info, I don't think we would have had the time that we did. It was simply put, Amazing!!!

After, many ridges that seem to grow into the sky as you climb, sidehill, and sweat..... My brother knocked his down early in the last four days of our hunt, and season.

I tried to be more patient, and past on several good bucks that would have made my day. But I really wanted a high country buck, that would possible beat my personal best. After a great morning hunt, that included missing a chance on a real nice buck, just couldn't get up that dang slop fast enough. I was walking a road out, with about 1 hour left in the day and season.....Kinda bummed, but still hopefull knowing the season and time of day. I caught this guy staring at me at 163yrs slightly up hill. I slip off my pack, and used it as a rest, then took the shot in the prone position. Got him in the neck, and lodging in the shoulder.

Both these buck are personal best for myself and my brother.....I know theirs alot bigger, and I can't wait to get another chance at one.

(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi225.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fdd20%2FChimmer10%2FDeerseason08%2FDSC00120.jpg&hash=806a1e2773990e7690b6a4fed4126587bbbd138d)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi225.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fdd20%2FChimmer10%2FDeerseason08%2FDSC00127.jpg&hash=b158ba95fd121188ce1ffbaf4892bb7d3b42e755)
(https://hunting-washington.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi225.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fdd20%2FChimmer10%2FDeerseason08%2FDSC00125.jpg&hash=63a7f16f059571c80dcfadaea549ede9cc576d45)
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: Chimmer10 on November 19, 2008, 05:05:18 PM: sorry trying to figure this picture posting thing.......not the shapest marble in the bag. :bash:
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: jackelope on November 19, 2008, 09:00:49 PM: i think i got your post straightened out for you.

awesome bucks and congrats.
you found a few that bone missed.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: huntnphool on November 19, 2008, 09:04:53 PM: Well done.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: big_bucks on November 19, 2008, 09:22:12 PM: I'd say mission accomplished on an awesome mountain buck!
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: Dansk on November 19, 2008, 09:29:28 PM: Great bucks Chimmer!

One more testament to the great community of hunters on this forum willing to help each other out. Cheers to the veterans and seasoned ones with all the great advice- this is a great group. :tup:
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: steeleywhopper on November 19, 2008, 11:25:20 PM: If your happy thats all that counts. good job. I am wondering if you Alta tag guys were finding the deer up high or down low? I drew that tag in 03' and we hunted our butts off up high and found nothing. First day hunting down low and I got a bruiser. Just curious how this year was.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: X-Force on November 20, 2008, 12:34:43 AM: Congrats Chimmer. Great looking animals.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: Michelle_Nelson on November 20, 2008, 12:37:59 AM: Great looking pair of bucks. Congrats!
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: lemondog on November 20, 2008, 06:16:24 AM: Very nice bucks!
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: Skyvalhunter on November 20, 2008, 06:44:29 AM: Congrats to you and your brother on your bucks. Way to go!!
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: nw_bowhunter on November 20, 2008, 06:55:16 AM: Nice buck....congrats
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: PacificNWhunter on November 20, 2008, 07:02:27 AM: Nice bucks! congrats
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: Lil Bone on November 20, 2008, 07:47:31 AM: Nice bucks. My Dad said it was a hard year. You should be very happy with them.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: NW-Eric on November 20, 2008, 08:14:26 AM: congrats on two great bucks
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: Chimmer10 on November 20, 2008, 08:28:02 AM: Thanks guys it was a great time. Wish it wasn't over. Thanks for getting thangs figured out for me jackalope....Awesome!!!
We started up high, and got into a few deer, and one bachelor group of average bucks. Then we hit I'd say medium elevation areas and really started to see animals. We never got to the low country. The fog early on in the season was kind of a problem, but after that was over it started to pick up.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: skybusterbo on November 20, 2008, 09:22:31 AM: Nice bucks!!! My buddy drew the same tag. Very hard conditions this year. With the fog early and the damn wolves. He didn't see many deer. But he did put his tag on a real nice heavy 3pt. Our group, 5 of us, hunted the general season and only seen one legal buck. Worst year we have ever had. Wolves!!!! Lots of wolves. After three genrations of hunting there and years of great times, looks like were going to have to find another area to hunt.?
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: Chimmer10 on November 20, 2008, 06:23:27 PM: I really think I came across a solo wolf track, but that was it...I did hear allot of coyote. Congrats to your buddy, sounds like a good one. I usually hunting in the Garner Mt. unit, or Perygun(sp) unit, so this was some very new country for us. Kinda makes it even more special.
Anyway,
thanks.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: DeerHarvester on November 20, 2008, 06:27:56 PM: Cograds. Great deer and a great unit to hunt, just wish I could draw a late tag. :rockin:
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: boneaddict on November 22, 2008, 10:39:02 AM: There was a stray dog or "wild" one working the area you were probably hunting (I'd just assume not mentioning it on here) That is probably the track you saw. It was about twice the size of a coyote and about half the size of a wolf. The wolves summered in an area North of where you were. I didn't see any fresh and the game department claims they have moved over into the Chelan. I guess they also heard there was more deer in the Entiat.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: skybusterbo on November 22, 2008, 12:36:41 PM: Hey Bone, :) These were not dogs. I seen them. They were definitely wolves. My buddy was up last Monday,10th, and got to a place and set up for some grunting. He had 6 or 7 of them come in on him in the fog. He said they started howling, very loud. Then they made him and took off. He just about s@#t his paints. One of them only had 3 legs. :yike:
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: boneaddict on November 22, 2008, 02:05:19 PM: Darn.......
as for that 3 legged one, I'll shoot better next time. LOL JUST KIDDING!
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: SSG Brower on November 23, 2008, 05:25:27 AM: i know that they were wolves as well. i used to hunt out of War Creek camp ground and two years in a row saw the same black wolf with yellow eyes come down off the hill cross the twisp river road grab some chow left on the picnic tables and haul ass back across the road. the first year i saw him i thought maybe just someones dog from the camp ground but after seeing him personally up close, like within 10ft, i know it's a wolf. my friend called bull!@#$ on me and he went hunting with me the next year and two days into the hunt became a believer after we watched it go to the neighboring campsite raise it's leg, nose open the cooler. we were making noise to get it to go away but it crouched down and started belly crawling towards us. i grabbed my rifle and putting a bead on it when my buddy nailed in the forehead with a rock where it ran back across the twisp river rd, in front of some other hunters who just about wrecked breaking their necks looking at it.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: skybusterbo on November 23, 2008, 08:23:59 AM: The two I saw within 20 yards, were both jet black. When I saw the first one come up, I thought bear, then I realized, that's not a bear. I never heard them until they were right there. I put my rifle up very slowly. The wind was right so they never saw me. Thank goodness. Kinda scary. :yike: They were definitely on the hunt. Sniffing the ground like blood hounds as they went up the hill at a fast trot.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: SSG Brower on November 23, 2008, 10:02:30 AM: hey skybusterbo where did you see the wolves at?
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: big_bucks on November 23, 2008, 10:45:56 AM: I know that they're in there too - confirmed sightings over on Libby creek too. It would be nice if WDFW pulled their heads out of their asses and started managing that population. They're crushing the deer herd up there.

With our super lib political system there's very little help for us on the horizon. Get used to not seeing much in the Methow and Chelan areas.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: skybusterbo on November 23, 2008, 01:42:31 PM: Libby creek and Gold creek. We also talked to some guys that saw them up the Lookout Mt. rd.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: SSG Brower on November 23, 2008, 02:05:04 PM: WDFW has a link to the wolf reintergration that they started in 2006. if this year was bad for deer hunting, wait until the wolves start taking off. :bash:
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: big_bucks on November 23, 2008, 09:28:55 PM: Lookout and Libby aren't far apart. Hunted that area a lot and there wasn't much in there this year - nothing like it used to be. I used to see 6-8 shooter bucks a day up there - not dink 2 and 3's either.

Figure each wolf needs to kill a deer a week to survive and do the math. And we wonder why the numbers are down?
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: SSG Brower on November 24, 2008, 05:36:17 AM: what you don't know don't hurt you. ;)
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: Skyvalhunter on November 24, 2008, 06:00:25 AM: One can't just blame the low densities of Alta deer on wolves. There is the tough winter of last year and the cougars. I was just in there this weekend and saw a few bucks. I even went up high and with Fridays snow some deer were still up high. Lots of road hunting archery late permit hunters up there with no success.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: SSG Brower on November 24, 2008, 08:10:59 AM: ya that's true but it can't help either. :dunno:
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: boneaddict on December 06, 2008, 05:06:18 PM: I owe you guys a bit of an apology about the wolves. Apparantly they are back on Lookout. I hadn't seen any sign of them but the radio collars don't lie. I was all over that country and only found old sign. I guess I just missed them.
Title: Re: Late Alta Draw
Post by: big_bucks on December 09, 2008, 04:58:59 PM: They're up on war creek too