Swakane

[Matth]

Nice bucks Rainier.

[scoutdog346]

R u talking about tibbits?

Game dept screwed Swakane up when they opened it up for Does a few years ago. Its been on a slow decline for Mature bucks for years and now more hunters every year

They closed it for shooting does a few years ago.

I know.

I had a spot I only saw one guy there in 6 years. Usually see 10 to 20 bucks a day there. The year they opened up for Does I saw 2 guys there. The next year Does went to permit. All the guys hunting Does the year before were back hunting bucks and I saw 6 guys in that spot. Its never been the same.

It kind of reminds me back in the 80's when they gave out hundreds of Doe tags in Blewett, for multiple years in a row. It has never recovered from that. Killed most of all the local Derer. Our Game Dept manages people not animals

Buy I digress because we all know that

[zwickeyman]

No Sir

[Rainier10]

Reviving the old swakane pink hat thread. Last year I had an entiat archery tag so I didn’t hunt swakane or have a chance at the hat.

This year I was back and tagged out on day two. Unfortunately it didn’t hold up and my buddy shot a bigger buck on day four. Second place again.

11 years of competition
1 year no winner tag soup for everyone

last year I tagged out in the entiat and didn't hunt swakane

That leaves 9 years that I have been competing

2 wins and 6 second places (one of those second places i actually had the big deer but gave the hat to a kid that had shot his first deer)

The only year I didn’t get first or second was the year my daughter got a buck, couldn’t bring myself to knock her out of the top spot.

The deer hunting isn’t anything like it used to be but we keep going back because of the tradition. It’s just what we do in November.

[boneaddict]

Tradition is fun!

Yeah, keep telling yourself that about your daughter.   

This year was a good year for the Swak.   I really do despise those roads. 

[Rainier10]

The roads were pretty bad this year. We had to replace a right side front drive axle on one of the trucks in camp.

I’m not sure if the roads are really getting worse or I’m just getting old. I’m guessing getting old is a bigger factor because the hills seem steeper as well.

[NOCK NOCK]

When I saw your pic of ATL, my first thought was your hat competition. 

Congrats on the buck 

[eliandsky]

General season we had 12 bucks in a bachelor group. We took two. By weekends end i don’t think there was a legal buck left in that group. Bigger deer are around. Have see 1/2 a dozen above 155-160 We’ll see what y’all missed as things start to drop.


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[blackveltbowhunter]

Great buck Ranier.

[jstone]

Nice job. I was around this year, saw a couple whoppers in the Swakane. Only hunted 2.5 days. Have to save my time for Arizona.

[scoutdog346]

I haven't hunted it for about 8 years but Tibbits mt used to hold bucks.  I got 2 small 4x5s up there archery.  What's the hunting like on tibbits now a days???

[pianoman9701]

Beautiful buck, Rainier. 

[Rainier10]

I haven't hunted it for about 8 years but Tibbits mt used to hold bucks.  I got 2 small 4x5s up there archery.  What's the hunting like on tibbits now a days???

Not sure where tibbits is but I can say the hunting all over that unit is significantly worse than it was 8 years ago. The only reason we still go is that my wife’s family has been doing it since the late seventies. There are way better units to hunt than this one but they don’t have the same history.

[Rainier10]

Beautiful buck, Rainier. 

Thanks Pman. Always thrilled when I can get one with my bow. It’s certainly getting tougher the older I get. At 51 the hills seem to have gotten steeper and the roads getting there seem worse as well. Pretty sure the only change is I’m just older and complain more, same steep hills and treacherous roads.