collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: Whidbey Island Public Deer Hunting / Trillium Forrest  (Read 1840 times)

Offline Axistails

  • Women's Board
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Pilgrim
  • *
  • Join Date: Oct 2019
  • Posts: 14
  • Location: Whidbey Island
  • Groups: USN, NRA, Central Whidbey Sportsman's Association
Whidbey Island Public Deer Hunting / Trillium Forrest
« on: October 23, 2020, 02:47:49 PM »
Decided to go for a shotgun tag this year rather than bow, as I'm pretty sure I'll only be hunting on public land. I have hunted the base but haven't seen a trace, but seen some does walking in front of the gates  :bash:

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.
“Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty… I have never in my life envied a human being who led an easy life. I have envied a great many people who led difficult lives and led them well.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

Offline h20hunter

  • Trade Count: (+16)
  • Legend
  • ******
  • Join Date: Jan 2010
  • Posts: 20873
  • Location: Lake Stevens
Re: Whidbey Island Public Deer Hunting / Trillium Forrest
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2020, 02:51:54 PM »
Yes. Not successfully.  My idea would be get on early, way early. Get a position set up with your back to a tree and look for shooting lanes. Don't move. Hunters will push the deer and you may get a shot almost like a deer drive. Be 100% sure of your target and shoot both eyes open.... this can be very dangerous and shooting another hunter is unforgivable.

Offline fishnfur

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2014
  • Posts: 3805
  • Location: longview
Re: Whidbey Island Public Deer Hunting / Trillium Forrest
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2020, 06:22:44 PM »
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.

“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”  - Will Rogers

Offline Boss .300 winmag

  • FLY NAVAL AVIATION
  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (+22)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2010
  • Posts: 17764
  • Location: Skagit Valley
  • How do you measure trying, you do, or you don’t.
Re: Whidbey Island Public Deer Hunting / Trillium Forrest
« Reply #3 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.
"Just because I like granola, and I have stretched my arms around a few trees, doesn't mean I'm a tree hugger!
Hi I'm 8156, our leader is Bearpaw.
YOU CANNOT REASON WITH A TIGER WHEN YOUR HEAD IS IN ITS MOUTH! Winston Churchill

Keep Calm And Duc/Ski Doo On!

Offline fishnfur

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2014
  • Posts: 3805
  • Location: longview
Re: Whidbey Island Public Deer Hunting / Trillium Forrest
« Reply #4 on: October 24, 2020, 06:49:28 PM »
Dang!  killing a trash fed deer kind of defeats the purpose.  >:(
  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). 
“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car.”  - Will Rogers

Offline spin05

  • Trade Count: (+2)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jul 2007
  • Posts: 1203
  • Location: Camano Island
Re: Whidbey Island Public Deer Hunting / Trillium Forrest
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2020, 12:00:47 AM »
I use to work with a guy that hunted kettle trails and go a few. This was bout 15 years ago. I will tell you he never shot anything in there until the 4 day late buck season.

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

Walked a cougar down by Rainier10
[Today at 08:43:32 AM]


Springer 2024 Columbia River by WSU
[Today at 08:31:10 AM]


Average by lhrbull
[Today at 07:31:56 AM]


Let’s see your best Washington buck by Pathfinder101
[Today at 07:22:11 AM]


CVA optima V2 LR tapped hole for front sight by Remdawg
[Today at 07:09:22 AM]


Bearpaw Season - Spring 2024 by duckmen1
[Today at 06:52:09 AM]


Which 12” boat trailer tires? by timberhunter
[Yesterday at 08:22:18 PM]


Lowest power 22 round? by JakeLand
[Yesterday at 08:06:13 PM]


1x scopes vs open sights by JakeLand
[Yesterday at 07:29:35 PM]


Long Beach Clamming Tides by Encore 280
[Yesterday at 05:16:00 PM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal