Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: Night goat on November 15, 2018, 09:23:51 AM

Title: Stehekin
Post by: Night goat on November 15, 2018, 09:23:51 AM: Thinking about going up to Stehekin for next years muzzleloader season...

Never been up there, might go up there in the spring and poke around and scout it out, wouldnt mind hearing skme stories about that area
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: mburrows on November 15, 2018, 10:00:36 AM: Steeeeeeep, rough country but beautiful.
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: grade-creek-rd on November 15, 2018, 02:29:21 PM: be sure to stay out of the National Park and private lands in the valley...but everywhere is is super...super steep that is!

Grade

PS. be sure to check with NPS on restrictions if you plan on using their shuttle as well as the Lady of the Lake if planning on using them to get up lake...if you're taking your own boat then be sure it can handle remote rough waters. Plan accordingly for each trip up there! Oh, and for the muzzy season, watch for rattlesnakes! But there are lots of bears to chase if you don't find a buck.
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: Night goat on November 15, 2018, 05:03:30 PM: Bears and snakes....the two things i hate dealing with the most...
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: boneaddict on November 15, 2018, 05:05:34 PM: There are snakes there where you’d never imagine there being rattlers. It’s crazy
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: heavyhorned on November 16, 2018, 09:39:20 AM: stehekin has a lot of people who frown at hunters. you will also have a lot of hikers there traveling the pct or any of the other trails there too. you can be let off along the lake at stops like moore point, prince creek and the lake shore trail. if you have your own boat you can also stay along the lake at the designated boat and camp spots like big creek, domkey falls, and many more.
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: Night goat on November 16, 2018, 09:48:33 AM: Quote from: heavyhorned on November 16, 2018, 09:39:20 AM
stehekin has a lot of people who frown at hunters. you will also have a lot of hikers there traveling the pct or any of the other trails there too. you can be let off along the lake at stops like moore point, prince creek and the lake shore trail. if you have your own boat you can also stay along the lake at the designated boat and camp spots like big creek, domkey falls, and many more.

I have a boat, but, I dont think my ford ranger would tow a 30 foot sailboat over north cascades or fit thru the tunnels on stevens pass :chuckle:

Yeah theres a reason why I was considering making it a muzzleloader hunt, the spiteful looks tend to ease the more traditional the weapon looks... Seriously noticed even duck hunting, the looks are different with my side by side 20 gauge vs my big black benelli nova
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: heavyhorned on November 16, 2018, 10:29:44 AM: i have a friend who bow hunts up there every year. his family cabin has been there for 65 years. he tells me every year that at least one of the locals gives him a ear full about hunting deer in the valley. don't get me wrong though. he gets really nice bucks every year just about and hunts on public land doing so. if you go into the store i believe they still have some photos on the wall of deer and other animals they named as pets in years past. there was a doe that would walk on the deck of the resturant and look for hand outs. anyways yes you ranger might have a issue towing that big of a boat over the pass. you could come over I=90 to Blewett then up 97 to avoid tunnels. muzzy season will be hard too. its usually warm and the deer even up there either hang in yards or buckner orchard or live way up high and don't move around much. last week of sept and first week of oct temps are still mid 60's during the day and 40's at night.i always thought boating into refrigerator harbor and hiking up would be a great hunt but that burned pretty intensely a few years back. we do still see mnt goats in that area coming down for water or going over to mineral rock. i have heard of some people even taking there boats up along the shore glassing for deer and then when spotted hiking up after them. i have seen lots of deer along the lake at all times of the year. but thats when i worked the the lady of the lake and it was more for the tourist to look at than for us dropping off hunters.
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: Night goat on November 16, 2018, 01:29:55 PM: Sounds challenging. Was thinking of getting up I to the high country w a muzzy but... Sounds like a workout
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 16, 2018, 01:48:35 PM: Here’s a good read.👍
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: Night goat on November 16, 2018, 05:02:03 PM: Quote from: Boss .300 winmag on November 16, 2018, 01:48:35 PM
Here’s a good read.👍

Where what who?
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 16, 2018, 06:47:07 PM: Quote from: Night goat on November 16, 2018, 05:02:03 PM
Quote from: Boss .300 winmag on November 16, 2018, 01:48:35 PM
Here’s a good read.👍

Where what who?

Sorry, thought I added the link.

https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,178074.270.html

It’s a sheep hunt but we saw deer ever day, you could squeak out a buck I bet.
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: grade-creek-rd on November 17, 2018, 10:04:17 AM: Loki's sheep hunt is nowhere near Stehekin (you can drive the south shore road and look at the hillside across the lake where he killed the ram)...and you think there are a few snakes in Stehekin in Sept, go where Loki's got his ram (Mitchell Creek from the lake)...you honestly can't go more than 50 yards and step on a rattlesnake in Sept. Its a south facing slope with lots of rocks.

Grade
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: Night goat on November 19, 2018, 10:59:30 AM: So..... As a synopsis, stehekin is hot, steep, snakey, and has bunny huggin locals with limited areas, unless you get back on the trails and is more of a hiking and tourist hole...

Spot on or?
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: gasman on November 19, 2018, 12:04:58 PM: Good thread, I myself have thought about hunting the Lake from a boat during MF season but wondered how crowded it would be :dunno:
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: Night goat on November 19, 2018, 01:58:01 PM: Quote from: gasman on November 19, 2018, 12:04:58 PM
Good thread, I myself have thought about hunting the Lake from a boat during MF season but wondered how crowded it would be :dunno:

Kinda my sentiments.... Go where the people arent

It would be perfect if i could somehow get my sailboat over there, but thats a major task by any means to deal with that makes it unrealistic... 30 foot long, 44 foot mast, 16 high on a trailer with mast removed (which requires a crane and crew) and once its on the trailer its an oversize load that needs a pilot truck...

Could always get a rental boat, put a wall tent on one of those pontoon party barges

Too bad you cant hunt deer Alaskan style.... Anchor up and pick em off the beach from the comfort of the back deck of the boat....maybe dump some apples on the beach and kerpow!
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: grade-creek-rd on November 19, 2018, 03:05:08 PM: Well...actually as long as the motor is off you can shoot from a boat, and Stehekin is NOT the same as hunting along the shoreline of the lake...the lake is 55 miles long with at least the last 30 in national forest. Stehikin is the small community that is a jumping off spot for trail hikers and NPS workers/visitors. So your assumptions about Stehekin are correct, but as for hunting along the lake, that's a different story...north shore (south facing slopes) is steep with lots of snakes, very few deer down low, and the south shore (north facing slopes) is rocky cliffs and lots of bears but fewer snakes! But keep in mind that there are a lot of small private parcels along the lake and most docks are private, and those that are public now require a use permit (Until Nov. 1st...or maybe it's Oct. 1st...either way, check with the Lake Chelan Ranger Dist). Oh, and if you are thinking about just anchoring up or tying off to shore, keep in mind that there are places along the shoreline that are 1,000 ft deep, yes, 1,000 ft...(look around the shoreline along Point No Point or Falls creek...sheer cliffs down 1,000 below the water line.

Basically, there is a reason why very few people do this hunt...and it's not because people haven't thought of it or tried it.

Lastly, you don't need a boat, the lady of the Lake will transport you and drop you off at any location you like (they have a gang plank you can use on the bow, yes, the water along the shoreline is that deep, they can put that boat within 6 feet of the shore and not touch bottom in places). but they are getting stricter on guns, and dead animals on the boat...be sure to give them a call. If you try and rent a boat keep in mind that most rentals are stopped after Labor Day and even if you could find a place to rent you a boat most don't allow you to go past the Narrows...which will put you about 35 miles from Stehekin.

Grade

PS. Good luck and keep us posted!
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: Night goat on November 19, 2018, 03:31:48 PM: So.......from my travels in Alaska, this sounds very similar to hunting parts of southeast and prince william sound.... Ive haad a 104 foot bering sea boat 20 foot from shore and in 90 foot of water, 30 foot away was over 1200ft deep, pair that with steep terrain...

Never been up that part of the lake, always heard storiws from grandpa about hiking rainy pass and taking the boat down the lake which is kinda why I wanna check it out, maybe bear hunting...
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: grade-creek-rd on November 19, 2018, 06:22:38 PM: It's good bear hunting...just remember in August temps are in the 90's...which is one reason why deer are scarce along the lake as they are at the ridge tops, 6000 ft up! Rainy pass is very wet, and dense (and inside the NP)...I think you'll find the south shore more like SE Alaska as it's dense but the north shore is pretty open since it's south facing slopes...a good bear hunt is up Prince Creek. Good FS dock and campground and a good trail to the top in case you want to scout for deer as well.

Good luck and keep us posted!

Grade
Title: Re: Stehekin
Post by: jstone on November 19, 2018, 07:14:02 PM: Snakes at Donke lake area to. What about bears?