Post by: Axistails on October 23, 2020, 02:47:49 PM
Has anyone hunted the Trillium Forrest or Kettles Trails on the Island? I am planning to hunt there but have no clue if it's worth spending 5 days of leave walking around.
Post by: h20hunter on October 23, 2020, 02:51:54 PM
Post by: fishnfur on October 23, 2020, 06:22:44 PM
Just for giggles, check with MWR or other operation that handles hunting on base. That acreage across the street, due south of NAS and West of the HWY that is all willows, alder, and some conifer thicket looked like great BT territory to me, even before I hunted. I still remember it. I'm not sure if it is accessible. Only the base can help you with that. I'd go there before competing with a ton of other hunters down south. I wish I could help you with Trillium Forest, but I have no knowledge of that whatsoever. There's some forest on the beach from the base down to the golf course that might be open too. I never saw a deer in there, but I'd bet big money that there is.
Good luck!
CAPT G.
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on October 24, 2020, 06:53:53 AM
If you're stationed at NAS - I'd take Thurs/Fri off. Burn two days of leave, maybe three (using Wed. too). Check in from leave on Friday night before midnight and hunt the weekend without using more leave. Saturday and Sunday should be the best hunting days, so there's no use in getting charged leave just to hunt on a weekend that you'd normally have off. If your command is going to give you a watch during the weekend, then you have to take it all as leave.
Just for giggles, check with MWR or other operation that handles hunting on base. That acreage across the street, due south of NAS and West of the HWY that is all willows, alder, and some conifer thicket looked like great BT territory to me, even before I hunted. I still remember it. I'm not sure if it is accessible. Only the base can help you with that. I'd go there before competing with a ton of other hunters down south. I wish I could help you with Trillium Forest, but I have no knowledge of that whatsoever. There's some forest on the beach from the base down to the golf course that might be open too. I never saw a deer in there, but I'd bet big money that there is.
Good luck!
CAPT G.
That area is the old dump, hunting has never been allowed in there. And yes there is deer in there.🤣
Back in the early 90’s the east end of the seaplane base archery hunting was allowed, don’t know about now since it’s up to the current base COs discretion.
Post by: fishnfur on October 24, 2020, 06:49:28 PM
I'd heard that too about the archery. It's worth asking, though if the OP isn't a bowhunter, then that would have to wait till next season after some practice.
There's always north and off the islands to Stillaguamish, Sauk, North Sound, or catch the ferry out of Keystone to Port Townsend and head for Olympic or Coyle, though the latter is mostly private (from memory). Guemes Island just north of Anacortes, 10 minute ferry ride has a small chunk of DNR land that might be open. I wouldn't bet heavily on that since DNR seems to be passing off these small parcel public lands to local communities to administer (which often means no hunting allowed).
Post by: spin05 on October 26, 2020, 12:00:47 AM