Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Deer Hunting => Topic started by: rock on October 02, 2010, 11:50:58 AM

Title: south west washington
Post by: rock on October 02, 2010, 11:50:58 AM: The year after this i wanna hunt in washington and the GMU's that are best for me to get too are: 554, 568, 572, 564, 574, 560.
in 572 is where my grandparents live by canyon crick area but i have heard harvest have been down since 2008 winter. 564 is battle ground and i here its pretty much private but it is any deer. the others i dont know too much about the others so any help on any of the gmu's i listed apreciated. i will be hunting during the general firearms.
thanks
Title: Re: south west washington
Post by: Kain on October 02, 2010, 12:56:36 PM: Plenty of deer in 564 and 568. 564 is mostly private and no rifles. 568 has some state land over near Larch Correctional Center. It is pretty crowded but does have animals. 572 used to be great for deer and elk but numbers are way down because there is very little logging anymore. Also, the roads are garbage and the terrain is STEEEEEEEEP! :chuckle: Good luck.
Title: Re: south west washington
Post by: dscubame on October 02, 2010, 02:08:26 PM: I did not look up the GMU but hunting off that road that leads to the minimum security prison right out of Vancouver WA has produced. One year I was hunting so close to the prison I could here the prisoners and noise in general. Blacktail and Wet, Wet, Wet. This experience was a shotgun hunt. Also on the way out that evening the game department had a 4 point set in your headlights at a bend in the road set up for poachers. We stuck around for a show but that is another story. In that story a couple lost there truck, trailer, and four wheelers however. That 4 point is forever known as STUFFY.
Title: Re: south west washington
Post by: longstevo on October 02, 2010, 02:19:46 PM: All of those GMUs have produced game in the past for a lot of people. And there may be a lot of game out there still. I've never seen any, but I don't hunt up there. I've got other places.

Living in Vancouver, I know that the areas to the north, east and south of the correctional area are VERY popular for hunting, quads, outdoor rec and the such because of their close proximity to the Vancouver area.

568 is the Washougal area, if I remember off the top of my head, which includes the area around Stevenson. Good area. Always lots of sign.
572 is the Sioxon (sp?) around the Canyon Creek area. Like Kain said, its STEEP!! There's some logging around the 54 road that takes you to Carson, but otherwise its the deep, dark woods.
564 is Battle Ground. Wouldn't waste my time.
574 is the Wind River unit. That's a good area, but I haven't spent a lot of time around there because I've always had another place that I frequent a ton.
Title: Re: south west washington
Post by: longstevo on October 02, 2010, 02:22:08 PM: Another situation you will run into is that the general season brings everyone and their brother out into the woods. Especially all those GMUs you mentioned because they're all centrally located to big centers of population (mostly Vancouver, though).

The forest service roads turn into highways.

One evening I was hunting with my wife in the 574 unit and we were on the top of a ridgeline looking into a basin, and saw no less than six sets of headlights in various places in the distance. It was kind of neat, but still. That's a ton of hunting pressure.
Title: Re: south west washington
Post by: Kain on October 02, 2010, 03:00:55 PM: Over by Larch the road does get very crowded but most side roads are gated so just find one without a vehicle and walk in.
Title: Re: south west washington
Post by: rock on October 02, 2010, 03:47:01 PM: yes if you go back on 54 i know that it gets flat towards the end of the road. and when i was at wind river i saw a elk bull and a group of cows when i was fishing. but i will be hunting deer not elk.