Post by: cem3434 on November 07, 2021, 12:13:21 PM
We have been scouting and hunting since Friday and seen exactly 3 whitetail does so far on a piece of private land that we have access to. The public and FFTH areas I have hunted in the past seem to be voided if deer altogether, so just filling a tag seems like it will be a challenge. Time to try and find a different area for the afternoon/evening hunt where I can hopefully help my wife harvest her first whitetail. I think we might try some other FFTH areas that I haven't hunted before over the next couple of days and hopefully just get lucky.
Hopefully others are having better luck than we are so far. Be safe and shoot straight!
Post by: elkboy on November 07, 2021, 12:20:12 PM
Find as much cover as you can, set up inside cover or from a vantage point with a bit of a view into areas inside some degree of shrub or tree cover. Be patient- bucks will be moving. A little bit of grunting here and there may help.
Post by: buglebuster on November 07, 2021, 01:27:57 PM
Post by: jrebel on November 07, 2021, 01:29:41 PM
Sucks to hear as they had a good number of deer the last few years.
Post by: Ridgerunner on November 07, 2021, 03:04:23 PM
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Post by: chukarchaser on November 07, 2021, 05:41:08 PM
Post by: typi314 on November 07, 2021, 10:22:58 PM
https://privatelands.wdfw.wa.gov/private_lands/hunt/70/
Post by: ljsommer on November 09, 2021, 07:12:32 AM
Post by: MoscowRidgeHunter on November 09, 2021, 08:18:03 AM
Post by: ljsommer on November 09, 2021, 09:05:37 AM
What couldn’t you secure? Thinking of heading up there for a day or two next week.
I have no access to private and tried to secure a couple hunt by reservations and wasn't able to (one reservation available? seriously?) and I am coming from Tacoma so it's a journey. Honestly I shouldn't have put in for the hunt, or any other special hunt for that matter, without knowing 100% where I could go to hunt it. Dumb mistake, won't make it again.
Post by: Jimmer on November 09, 2021, 09:44:30 AM
Or how about and suck it up and come over and hunt public land? The “private” lands with reservations get the piss knocked out of them just like public. West siders that draw a permit on the east side expect to harvest a deer, the Palouse tag is not as easy as you think, but you can put on your big boy pants, come over and give it your best. A couple buddies and I know public and private property very well and do extremely well because we put in our time. I drew this year, they didn’t…. Sorry you’re crying about that you did draw.. wowWhat couldn’t you secure? Thinking of heading up there for a day or two next week.
I have no access to private and tried to secure a couple hunt by reservations and wasn't able to (one reservation available? seriously?) and I am coming from Tacoma so it's a journey. Honestly I shouldn't have put in for the hunt, or any other special hunt for that matter, without knowing 100% where I could go to hunt it. Dumb mistake, won't make it again.
Post by: ljsommer on November 09, 2021, 09:50:46 AM
Or how about and suck it up and come over and hunt public land? The “private” lands with reservations get the piss knocked out of them just like public. West siders that draw a permit on the east side expect to harvest a deer, the Palouse tag is not as easy as you think, but you can put on your big boy pants, come over and give it your best.What couldn’t you secure? Thinking of heading up there for a day or two next week.
I have no access to private and tried to secure a couple hunt by reservations and wasn't able to (one reservation available? seriously?) and I am coming from Tacoma so it's a journey. Honestly I shouldn't have put in for the hunt, or any other special hunt for that matter, without knowing 100% where I could go to hunt it. Dumb mistake, won't make it again.
Hey friend, be kind. Gas is over $4.00/gal and I need to make a choice between rifle hunting locally or driving over for what I hoped would be a banger hunt - my first lottery draw for modern deer. When I realized my (egregious) error by putting in for a hunt that had little to no access, I did my best to see if I could balance it out against just hunting locally. As a single dad with limited time and resources, I have to make wise choices on the topic, as do many others.
That's me putting on my big-boy pants. I'll certainly give it my best.
Post by: Karl Blanchard on November 09, 2021, 09:53:42 AM
no shame in that man. Its called life and it happens. Live and learn.Or how about and suck it up and come over and hunt public land? The “private” lands with reservations get the piss knocked out of them just like public. West siders that draw a permit on the east side expect to harvest a deer, the Palouse tag is not as easy as you think, but you can put on your big boy pants, come over and give it your best.What couldn’t you secure? Thinking of heading up there for a day or two next week.
I have no access to private and tried to secure a couple hunt by reservations and wasn't able to (one reservation available? seriously?) and I am coming from Tacoma so it's a journey. Honestly I shouldn't have put in for the hunt, or any other special hunt for that matter, without knowing 100% where I could go to hunt it. Dumb mistake, won't make it again.
Hey friend, be kind. Gas is over $4.00/gal and I need to make a choice between rifle hunting locally or driving over for what I hoped would be a banger hunt - my first lottery draw for modern deer. When I realized my (egregious) error by putting in for a hunt that had little to no access, I did my best to see if I could balance it out against just hunting locally. As a single dad with limited time and resources, I have to make wise choices on the topic, as do many others.
That's me putting on my big-boy pants. I'll certainly give it my best.
Post by: 7mmfan on November 09, 2021, 10:03:29 AM
no shame in that man. Its called life and it happens. Live and learn.Or how about and suck it up and come over and hunt public land? The “private” lands with reservations get the piss knocked out of them just like public. West siders that draw a permit on the east side expect to harvest a deer, the Palouse tag is not as easy as you think, but you can put on your big boy pants, come over and give it your best.What couldn’t you secure? Thinking of heading up there for a day or two next week.
I have no access to private and tried to secure a couple hunt by reservations and wasn't able to (one reservation available? seriously?) and I am coming from Tacoma so it's a journey. Honestly I shouldn't have put in for the hunt, or any other special hunt for that matter, without knowing 100% where I could go to hunt it. Dumb mistake, won't make it again.
Hey friend, be kind. Gas is over $4.00/gal and I need to make a choice between rifle hunting locally or driving over for what I hoped would be a banger hunt - my first lottery draw for modern deer. When I realized my (egregious) error by putting in for a hunt that had little to no access, I did my best to see if I could balance it out against just hunting locally. As a single dad with limited time and resources, I have to make wise choices on the topic, as do many others.
That's me putting on my big-boy pants. I'll certainly give it my best.
That's for sure Lars. You make the choice that's right for you. A lot of east side guys just get feisty when a tag goes to a west side guy that doesn't use it.
Note: Don't hesitate to apply for hunts that you don't know. I do every year. I do try to make sure they are in areas that have ample public land though :chuckle: You have better chance of filling your tag on a late blacktail an hour from your house than driving over there and giving it your best.
Post by: ljsommer on November 09, 2021, 10:05:50 AM
no shame in that man. Its called life and it happens. Live and learn.Or how about and suck it up and come over and hunt public land? The “private” lands with reservations get the piss knocked out of them just like public. West siders that draw a permit on the east side expect to harvest a deer, the Palouse tag is not as easy as you think, but you can put on your big boy pants, come over and give it your best.What couldn’t you secure? Thinking of heading up there for a day or two next week.
I have no access to private and tried to secure a couple hunt by reservations and wasn't able to (one reservation available? seriously?) and I am coming from Tacoma so it's a journey. Honestly I shouldn't have put in for the hunt, or any other special hunt for that matter, without knowing 100% where I could go to hunt it. Dumb mistake, won't make it again.
Hey friend, be kind. Gas is over $4.00/gal and I need to make a choice between rifle hunting locally or driving over for what I hoped would be a banger hunt - my first lottery draw for modern deer. When I realized my (egregious) error by putting in for a hunt that had little to no access, I did my best to see if I could balance it out against just hunting locally. As a single dad with limited time and resources, I have to make wise choices on the topic, as do many others.
That's me putting on my big-boy pants. I'll certainly give it my best.
A lot of east side guys just get feisty when a tag goes to a west side guy that doesn't use it.
I completely understand and respect that, and will be more mindful in the future. Didn't mean to upset anybody.
Post by: Jimmer on November 09, 2021, 10:07:17 AM
Post by: ljsommer on November 09, 2021, 10:12:04 AM
“Little to no access”? Really dove into your search
Correct, as classified on https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/publications/02254/wdfw02254.pdf - quoting: "Private lands; access is extremely limited. If you cannot secure access to private lands, do not apply for these hunts"
As I've said, it was a dumb mistake I won't repeat. Didn't mean to spoil your morning over it.
Post by: 7mmfan on November 09, 2021, 10:46:45 AM
“Little to no access”? Really dove into your search
I think it's time to drop it.
Post by: Sundance on November 09, 2021, 11:00:26 AM
Post by: ljsommer on November 09, 2021, 11:02:12 AM
I'll throw myself to wolves here. Proud westsider who applied for and drew the Late Palouse tag. Heading out Friday and will be hunting until Tuesday. I've been on the phone with area biologists for the past month picking their brains and calling hunters I know who have more experience with the area. Spent countless hours on OnX dropping pins and scoping out areas to hunt. Called landowners for access and sent some letters. Made my "realistic expectations" for the hunt and am looking forward to having a great time with friends and hunting a new area/terrain. I may end up eating the tag and heading back to the westside for late archery or late muzzleloader (multiseason tag). It's going to be a blast and I don't give a rip what anyone else thinks of it. Best part of hunting public lands is whether it's in the Olympics, Cascades, or the Palouse tag area I have the same opportunity as everyone else. I get to grind in my style of hunting and am thankful I'm not stuck behind the desk I'm sitting at now.
Awesome! Looking forward to hearing a trip report. Good luck!
Post by: Rutnbuxnbulls on November 09, 2021, 11:44:38 AM
Post by: KP-Skagit on November 09, 2021, 01:03:18 PM
I'll throw myself to wolves here. Proud westsider who applied for and drew the Late Palouse tag. Heading out Friday and will be hunting until Tuesday. I've been on the phone with area biologists for the past month picking their brains and calling hunters I know who have more experience with the area. Spent countless hours on OnX dropping pins and scoping out areas to hunt. Called landowners for access and sent some letters. Made my "realistic expectations" for the hunt and am looking forward to having a great time with friends and hunting a new area/terrain. I may end up eating the tag and heading back to the westside for late archery or late muzzleloader (multiseason tag). It's going to be a blast and I don't give a rip what anyone else thinks of it. Best part of hunting public lands is whether it's in the Olympics, Cascades, or the Palouse tag area I have the same opportunity as everyone else. I get to grind in my style of hunting and am thankful I'm not stuck behind the desk I'm sitting at now.
Out of curiosity did you have luck with hunt by written permission land? While I was going to school in Pullman we did a lot of outreach trying to get permission places. Phone calls, letters, offered fresh salmon and crab for access. The only time we ever got permission we were charged for it, told we would have the area to ourselves, just to find a couple dozen other rigs there on opening day. We did get some private access on some land that was not part of the WDFW program. All in all, just made me view "hunt by written permission" as "Closed". Could be landowners didn't like college kids, maybe had bad experiences in the past.
That said, we found success in our time there, hunting the FFTH pumpkin patches.
Post by: Sundance on November 09, 2021, 01:51:06 PM
Post by: KP-Skagit on November 09, 2021, 03:05:31 PM
I lived in Pullman and worked in Moscow while my wife finished college about ten years ago. I experienced much of the same as you described in that area for gaining access. I have focused my efforts on public lands with year-round flowing water access and targeting landowners with land-locked state lands. So far my success at gaining "trespass permission", i.e. permission to cut though private to hunt public land has been 50/50. I have some people I need to go meet with in person who I talked with over the phone. I'm chalking this tag up to an experience and an adventure, I want to take a mature buck and will gladly eat the tag and go home for the late season. I've zeroed in on some specific parcels and GMU's but I'm never opposed to picking up and driving 100 miles to another area. Two years ago I hunted 5 GMU's for elk in 7 days to get on a good bull, it was the most fun I've ever had archery elk hunting.
Do you have the Buck Tag or the QT?
Post by: Sundance on November 09, 2021, 03:26:34 PM
Post by: KP-Skagit on November 09, 2021, 04:01:18 PM
Post by: andersonjk4 on November 09, 2021, 04:11:52 PM
I drew both the Buck-Palouse tag and the Quality-Steptoe tag. Returned them both. EHD ravaged both areas I hunt (127 and 139). Saved my points the chase them again some other day.
Post by: KFhunter on November 09, 2021, 06:52:13 PM
“Little to no access”? Really dove into your search
I think it's time to drop it.
It is time to drop it.
Look,
It is super frustrating, just look at spring bear tag threads.
You've every right to put in for every tag you want, but outta respect for those that have put in year over year, scouted, gained access and put in the time....outta respect for them... do your level best to do that tag justice, whatever tag it may be.
I think the op has taken enough knocks over this and has been very respectful, if I had info I would share it and help fill that tag because he's taken the knocks so well.
Good luck
Post by: jackelope on November 09, 2021, 06:59:49 PM
Or how about and suck it up and come over and hunt public land? The “private” lands with reservations get the piss knocked out of them just like public. West siders that draw a permit on the east side expect to harvest a deer, the Palouse tag is not as easy as you think, but you can put on your big boy pants, come over and give it your best. A couple buddies and I know public and private property very well and do extremely well because we put in our time. I drew this year, they didn’t…. Sorry you’re crying about that you did draw.. wowWhat couldn’t you secure? Thinking of heading up there for a day or two next week.
I have no access to private and tried to secure a couple hunt by reservations and wasn't able to (one reservation available? seriously?) and I am coming from Tacoma so it's a journey. Honestly I shouldn't have put in for the hunt, or any other special hunt for that matter, without knowing 100% where I could go to hunt it. Dumb mistake, won't make it again.
Time to throttle back a little, @Jimmer
Maybe familiarize yourself with the forum rules. Here's a link if needed, but they start with "Forum Rules & Policies
This forum is intended to be a family friendly and helpful venue for hunters, fishers, trappers, and other sportsmen...." and go on from there.
Here's the whole thing:
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,163263.0.html
Post by: KFhunter on November 09, 2021, 07:00:07 PM
Post by: Jimmer on November 09, 2021, 08:19:33 PM
Apologies if anyone got their feelings hurt, my bad.Or how about and suck it up and come over and hunt public land? The “private” lands with reservations get the piss knocked out of them just like public. West siders that draw a permit on the east side expect to harvest a deer, the Palouse tag is not as easy as you think, but you can put on your big boy pants, come over and give it your best. A couple buddies and I know public and private property very well and do extremely well because we put in our time. I drew this year, they didn’t…. Sorry you’re crying about that you did draw.. wowWhat couldn’t you secure? Thinking of heading up there for a day or two next week.
I have no access to private and tried to secure a couple hunt by reservations and wasn't able to (one reservation available? seriously?) and I am coming from Tacoma so it's a journey. Honestly I shouldn't have put in for the hunt, or any other special hunt for that matter, without knowing 100% where I could go to hunt it. Dumb mistake, won't make it again.
Time to throttle back a little, @Jimmer
Maybe familiarize yourself with the forum rules. Here's a link if needed, but they start with "Forum Rules & Policies
This forum is intended to be a family friendly and helpful venue for hunters, fishers, trappers, and other sportsmen...." and go on from there.
Here's the whole thing:
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,163263.0.html
Post by: huntnnw on November 09, 2021, 09:34:23 PM
Post by: BAR C3 on November 09, 2021, 09:41:12 PM
with all of this EHD hitting palouse hard Id be willing to bet WDFW does not a single thing to help the deer recover. 1 would be to eliminate next years late tag permits or cut them way down. It only took them 4 years to do something this year about the EHD outbreak 4 years ago. Always a day late and dollar short.This started in 2017 in some areas of this hunt and nothing has changed!
Haven’t seen a whitetail in my area since then and tags have not been modified.
As with the moose populations, tags are still at same quotas. Guess they will wait till they are all gone!
That’s what they did with the Mountain Caribou herd we had in Northeast Washington. Waited till there was a few left the wolves didn’t kill and re-located them.
Our game department is just getting those funds for tags and permits to go into the general fund to support our socialist state we live in!
Post by: D-Rock425 on November 10, 2021, 09:38:34 AM
Post by: ljsommer on November 10, 2021, 09:40:44 AM
Post by: buckfvr on November 10, 2021, 10:39:54 AM
with all of this EHD hitting palouse hard Id be willing to bet WDFW does not a single thing to help the deer recover. 1 would be to eliminate next years late tag permits or cut them way down. It only took them 4 years to do something this year about the EHD outbreak 4 years ago. Always a day late and dollar short.
Ya know, help can be administered in many different ways. One easy way to do it without taking away "opportunity to hunt", is to restrict what can be killed. Ya I know, the ever unpopular AP restrictions. They work, dont have to apply to youths, but if we want to keep our opportunity to hunt, we should be happy to hunt but be selective in our kills. Keep in mind, a good deal of wt can be 4pt at 18 months old. I think we need to go to a 3pt rule for wt and mules, 3pts, NOT COUNTING BROW TINES, since that is probably the biggest complaint, not being able to see them. Lets be open to entertaining ideas because change is going to happen, it just has to....wdfw cant continue the dumb down and lying they do so well.
Post by: ljsommer on November 10, 2021, 12:01:11 PM
Post by: buckfvr on November 10, 2021, 12:04:23 PM
Post by: bobcat on November 10, 2021, 12:25:13 PM
Post by: jrebel on November 10, 2021, 12:27:51 PM
Post by: salt n sage90 on November 10, 2021, 12:54:57 PM
Post by: ljsommer on November 10, 2021, 12:56:08 PM
I shot a buck outside pullman in October that was covered in ticks, but none of them were attached.
Somehow that actually sounds grosser to me - imagining them just crawling all over the place while you process the deer! Gross! My (single) blacktail had a bunch but they were all attached and quite large.
Post by: andersonjk4 on November 10, 2021, 03:35:34 PM
I shot a buck outside pullman in October that was covered in ticks, but none of them were attached.
The deer over here commonly have Deer Ked or Deer Lice (Lipoptena depressa) during the fall and winter. The little bugs kind of look like ticks, but are a little bigger, only have 6 legs, have softer bodies and have wings depending on life stage. I don't know that I have ever seen a tick on any of the 100+ Palouse whitetails I have been involved with gutting, skinning, and processing.
Post by: steeleywhopper on November 10, 2021, 04:16:24 PM
I shot a buck outside pullman in October that was covered in ticks, but none of them were attached.
The deer over here commonly have Deer Ked or Deer Lice (Lipoptena depressa) during the fall and winter. The little bugs kind of look like ticks, but are a little bigger, only have 6 legs, have softer bodies and have wings depending on life stage. I don't know that I have ever seen a tick on any of the 100+ Palouse whitetails I have been involved with gutting, skinning, and processing.
I think that these bugs are what a majority of hunters think are ticks.
Post by: Rutnbuxnbulls on November 10, 2021, 06:15:46 PM
Post by: KP-Skagit on November 10, 2021, 06:18:24 PM
Post by: salt n sage90 on November 11, 2021, 03:54:13 PM
I shot a buck outside pullman in October that was covered in ticks, but none of them were attached.
The deer over here commonly have Deer Ked or Deer Lice (Lipoptena depressa) during the fall and winter. The little bugs kind of look like ticks, but are a little bigger, only have 6 legs, have softer bodies and have wings depending on life stage. I don't know that I have ever seen a tick on any of the 100+ Palouse whitetails I have been involved with gutting, skinning, and processing.
Anderson,
These were ticks. My veterinarian father was there. I know the bugs you're talking about though and they are tick like.
Post by: andersonjk4 on November 11, 2021, 04:50:50 PM
I shot a buck outside pullman in October that was covered in ticks, but none of them were attached.
The deer over here commonly have Deer Ked or Deer Lice (Lipoptena depressa) during the fall and winter. The little bugs kind of look like ticks, but are a little bigger, only have 6 legs, have softer bodies and have wings depending on life stage. I don't know that I have ever seen a tick on any of the 100+ Palouse whitetails I have been involved with gutting, skinning, and processing.
Anderson,
These were ticks. My veterinarian father was there. I know the bugs you're talking about though and they are tick like.
Didn't intend to say that what you saw weren't ticks, just putting out the info because I think a lot of people think the lice are ticks. Very interesting about all the ticks you found on the deer. Was it toward the Snake River from Pullman?
Post by: buckfvr on November 11, 2021, 05:08:29 PM
Post by: salt n sage90 on November 12, 2021, 07:52:15 AM
I shot a buck outside pullman in October that was covered in ticks, but none of them were attached.
The deer over here commonly have Deer Ked or Deer Lice (Lipoptena depressa) during the fall and winter. The little bugs kind of look like ticks, but are a little bigger, only have 6 legs, have softer bodies and have wings depending on life stage. I don't know that I have ever seen a tick on any of the 100+ Palouse whitetails I have been involved with gutting, skinning, and processing.
Anderson,
These were ticks. My veterinarian father was there. I know the bugs you're talking about though and they are tick like.
Didn't intend to say that what you saw weren't ticks, just putting out the info because I think a lot of people think the lice are ticks. Very interesting about all the ticks you found on the deer. Was it toward the Snake River from Pullman?
youre all good. It was just outside colfax. We are extra sure they were ticks because we brought some home and they latched onto my dog ha.
BTW my dad just connected on a little WT this morning with this same tag,
Post by: ljsommer on November 12, 2021, 09:59:54 PM
Post by: andersonjk4 on November 13, 2021, 06:35:43 AM
Post by: Britt-dog on November 13, 2021, 12:26:46 PM
Post by: Bob33 on November 13, 2021, 12:59:40 PM
Post by: huntnnw on November 14, 2021, 10:31:01 PM
with all of this EHD hitting palouse hard Id be willing to bet WDFW does not a single thing to help the deer recover. 1 would be to eliminate next years late tag permits or cut them way down. It only took them 4 years to do something this year about the EHD outbreak 4 years ago. Always a day late and dollar short.
Ya know, help can be administered in many different ways. One easy way to do it without taking away "opportunity to hunt", is to restrict what can be killed. Ya I know, the ever unpopular AP restrictions. They work, dont have to apply to youths, but if we want to keep our opportunity to hunt, we should be happy to hunt but be selective in our kills. Keep in mind, a good deal of wt can be 4pt at 18 months old. I think we need to go to a 3pt rule for wt and mules, 3pts, NOT COUNTING BROW TINES, since that is probably the biggest complaint, not being able to see them. Lets be open to entertaining ideas because change is going to happen, it just has to....wdfw cant continue the dumb down and lying they do so well.
there's been a 3pt restriction on the palouse for 30 years or more. I emailed wdfw a bunch about the state of our deer herd in 2017-2020 several farmers also wrote concerns and 4 years later there was Bio out counting deer :rolleyes: this season they cut doe harvest, but the effects of that die off in 2017 had been all but gone we had a huge population of 1-3 yr old bucks.
Post by: salt n sage90 on November 15, 2021, 07:39:31 AM
Post by: Broomd on November 15, 2021, 09:28:08 AM
We all love to pursue deer, and no dis meant to successful hunters, but with BT at some point the resource needs a break.
Post by: Spuddieselwwu on November 15, 2021, 10:00:01 AM
Post by: salt n sage90 on November 15, 2021, 11:34:11 AM
Surprised they even had a season this year, honestly.
We all love to pursue deer, and no dis meant to successful hunters, but with BT at some point the resource needs a break.
Broomd,
I agree with you. On these years where areas are stricken by disease, perhaps it is better to just refund points or not have a drawing. Though once you give up an opportunity it may not come back in this state. If water is the issue with these diseases, couldn't WSU figure out some sort of cheap water tank system with aeration that prohibits the growth of the midges. This way there are more water sources that spread the deer out a bit more in low water times. Sounds like a great thesis project.
Post by: Broomd on November 15, 2021, 01:05:42 PM
Surprised they even had a season this year, honestly.
We all love to pursue deer, and no dis meant to successful hunters, but with BT at some point the resource needs a break.
Broomd,
I agree with you. On these years where areas are stricken by disease, perhaps it is better to just refund points or not have a drawing. Though once you give up an opportunity it may not come back in this state. If water is the issue with these diseases, couldn't WSU figure out some sort of cheap water tank system with aeration that prohibits the growth of the midges. This way there are more water sources that spread the deer out a bit more in low water times. Sounds like a great thesis project.
Excellent consideration...maybe someone out there is thinking about this.
Post by: elkboy on November 15, 2021, 01:10:01 PM
Surprised they even had a season this year, honestly.
We all love to pursue deer, and no dis meant to successful hunters, but with BT at some point the resource needs a break.
Broomd,
I agree with you. On these years where areas are stricken by disease, perhaps it is better to just refund points or not have a drawing. Though once you give up an opportunity it may not come back in this state. If water is the issue with these diseases, couldn't WSU figure out some sort of cheap water tank system with aeration that prohibits the growth of the midges. This way there are more water sources that spread the deer out a bit more in low water times. Sounds like a great thesis project.
Excellent consideration...maybe someone out there is thinking about this.
I tried to start a discussion on this, but dealing with it as a landscape-scale issue... didn't seem to elicit much interest.
https://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,265747.0.html
Post by: ljsommer on November 20, 2021, 05:09:42 AM
Day one hunted ag fields and watched a river bottom for movement. Covered ground and glassed a lot. Still hunted a game trail and ran into a very curious doe. End of the evening a different doe showed up right before dark, with the tiniest spike I've ever seen about 10 minutes behind her. Cold and clear but very little movement.
Day two I hiked up into some forested hill country to hunt some cuts. The weather was mid 30's and spitting snow with a trace of snow on the ground. On the way in saw a doe and fawn crossing a trail and then later bumped 4 more doe bedded on a cut slope just below me. I set up camp and hunted till dark but no deer movement to speak of. Snow started coming in and on my hike back to camp I noticed bobcat tracks following mine to my evening glassing spot, which was neat.
Day three was cold and very wet. Overnight more snow had rolled in and dropped a couple more inches but then turned to freezing rain, which soaked everything I had. Optics were difficult to use, and it became very hard to stay warm. Still, conditions felt perfect for deer movement and the tracks in the snow told a story that there were plenty of deer in the area (bucks included) but there was zero daytime movement.
I packed up and headed back to the truck and drove home late in the day, and am awake now typing this about to head out for blacktail. Overall the hunt was fun and it's beautiful country, and I'd love to see what this tag is like at peak whitetail numbers. Still, there were definitely deer where I was at and I am sure a better hunter could've capitalized.
So, question: I've never hunted whitetail before but I've seen plenty of blacktail rut movement, and I was under the impression this tag was a whitetail rut tag. Is it just a numbers thing or was this indicative of what a whitetail rut looks like? The movement patterns I was seeing (mostly nocturnal movement, or at the very least hints of crepuscular) didn't feel "rutty" to me.
Post by: Caseknife on November 20, 2021, 07:19:26 AM
Post by: nwwanderer on November 20, 2021, 07:45:43 AM
Post by: andersonjk4 on November 20, 2021, 08:44:46 AM
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Post by: ljsommer on November 28, 2021, 10:29:39 PM