Drew Chiwawa late tag

[Ridgerunner]

I'm sure we will get an update when there is one, given today is the last day of season I'm thinking it will be coming soon.

[teanawayslayer]

I'm sure we will get an update when there is one, given today is the last day of season I'm thinking it will be coming soon.

it’s the day after. Must not have gone as planned.

[Pathfinder101]

I'm sure we will get an update when there is one, given today is the last day of season I'm thinking it will be coming soon.

it’s the day after. Must not have gone as planned.

...or it's butcherin' day 

[Magnum_Willys]

So good they don't want to share..... ?  Or one of those dry years nothing moved down

[builtfordtough]

My brother had the tag this yr.  I was in idaho elk hunting when the storm hit wa state.  I wasn't able to go up and help him until last Thursday.  Thousands of tracks in the snow headed down and out into the Entiat I thought.   Roads were so bad we had to do alot of hiking.  I wasn't taking my diesel even with chains on most of those roads.  Didn't see as much deer cuz we couldn't cover as much ground as the sxs's, quads and other drivers better than me. We made it happen on the 19th but never did see the BIG ones we were after.

[nwalpineguide]

I'm sure we will get an update when there is one, given today is the last day of season I'm thinking it will be coming soon.

Here is my tail tucked between my legs report:

Favorable hunting conditions happened for the first three or 4 days days of this hunt which I treated as scouting. Then, the weather went to hell with that early season snowstorm on the 4th or 5th of November. Just the way it was. It wasn't so much the snow that fell. More the ice that formed after 9 hours of rain fell after the snow event ended. Snow was only 11 inches or so in the valley floor. A tad deeper as elevation was gained.

The temperature drop after the rain ended pretty much ended my ability to reach the areas I'm intimately familiar with. I was able to drive to within within 1/2 mile or so of one of my cameras and hiked to it. I captured video of 2 decent bucks doing circuits of the area searching for does. This, at the site I killed my buck last year.

It was a weird late hunt. Going into it I had every expectation of killing an exceptional buck despite wolves, fire, smoke and unseasonably warm fall temps. Nobody (the locals) that I keep in touch with over there had done well during the October hunt. NOBODY! It would appear the same held true for this permit hunt. But I don't really know as I only talked with and ran into one other permit holder.

Regarding the weather transition; Autumn lasted two weeks in the Chiwawa valley and old man winter arrived the morning of November 4th with 11 inches of snow on the ground at my place. Prior to the snow falling all the roads I utilize to access my tree stands (5) and ground blinds (2) were just fine. On the 5th of November they quickly deteriorated when it rained for 9 hours between the 5th and 6th. Then, the "elk hunters" pounded the roads down to compact snow and ice. This as the temps dropped and all that rained on snow froze! When I left our Chiwawa home last Saturday morning it was 11F and I had nearly run my '22 Toyota Tacoma off the roads multiple times.  I had help, lots of it from friends with better vehicles than mine but no matter the assistance, the roads were treacherous and NEVER improved!

Over 18 days of hunting ( I took a couple of days off due to a damn virus I caught Halloween day) I saw 3 legal bucks I could have killed; two small fork horns and one small 3 point. All were stupid love-sick and I could have hit them over the head with a ball-peen hammer. I NEVER saw a good mature buck other than on one of my videos. The type I would have preferred to kill. Just plain didn't. So it goes. No excuses. That's peculiar given the weather, time of year (rut) and knowledge of bucks in that region.

A good friend of mine gave me a ride on his snowmobile up to Maverick Saddle one day. This, about the 15th or so. There was no other way to get there. Period. The truck my buddy has is a RAM1500 with very good tires on it. That vehicle only got us to the site called "Deer Camp" on the maps. From "Deer Camp" we took the sled up to Maverick Saddle. BOY-HOWDY had the mass migration occurred up there. I have never seen such a mass exodus, as revealed in the snow, of so many deer. Sure, I knew that area was a pinch point for migrating deer but to actually see the deer trails in the snow was humbling. Unfortunately I think I missed the pass through of animals that had occurred a few days earlier. Most passing on to Sugarloaf and Chumstick mountains as well elsewhere (during the nights?). I saw not a single solitary deer the remainder of the day, which I hunted on two legs back down to "Deer Camp." Odd. Very odd.

I learned allot that day and will keep it in in my wheelhouse of knowledge for the future. The most salient feature being that when those deer move, they MOVE. It doesn't take much snow to get 'em clearing outta there; so TIMING is everything. Period.

[boneaddict]

Thank you for following up.   I’m sorry it probably didn’t pan out how you envisioned it. 

[nwalpineguide]

Thank you for following up.   I’m sorry it probably didn’t pan out how you envisioned it.

You are most welcome boneaddict. Thank you.

Attached is a couple of high country images captured from the Entiat Divide.

The JOY in this trip was what I learned.

[7mmfan]

You gave it hell. Nothing can be done about the hand that nature deals. All you can do is your best. I'm sure in hindsight there are things you would do differently now that it's over, but like you said, the joy is in what you learned. Hopefully you are able to draw the tag again in a reasonable amount of time and apply that knowledge.

[LDennis24]

Sorry your hunt didn't turn out the way you hoped for! Like you said, alot of knowledge gained will hopefully help you out in the future.

My brother had the tag this yr.  I was in idaho elk hunting when the storm hit wa state.  I wasn't able to go up and help him until last Thursday.  Thousands of tracks in the snow headed down and out into the Entiat I thought.   Roads were so bad we had to do alot of hiking.  I wasn't taking my diesel even with chains on most of those roads.  Didn't see as much deer cuz we couldn't cover as much ground as the sxs's, quads and other drivers better than me. We made it happen on the 19th but never did see the BIG ones we were after.

Success pics of your brothers buck? 

[builtfordtough]

I'll have to ask my bro for permission first. Pretty sure he will say no.

[Falcon]

Holy smokes.  You did that tag justice. Sometimes mother nature pulls a card that you can't beat, no matter how hard you try. If you long hunt long enough, we all run into that from time to time.
The pics reveal some of the most beautiful country i have ever seen.   

Love your good attitude.
All the best during the holiday season

Bryan

[Igor]

A good friend of mine gave me a ride on his snowmobile up to Maverick Saddle one day. This, about the 15th or so. There was no other way to get there. Period. The truck my buddy has is a RAM1500 with very good tires on it. That vehicle only got us to the site called "Deer Camp" on the maps. From "Deer Camp" we took the sled up to Maverick Saddle. BOY-HOWDY had the mass migration occurred up there. I have never seen such a mass exodus, as revealed in the snow, of so many deer. Sure, I knew that area was a pinch point for migrating deer but to actually see the deer trails in the snow was humbling. Unfortunately I think I missed the pass through of animals that had occurred a few days earlier. Most passing on to Sugarloaf and Chumstick mountains as well elsewhere (during the nights?). I saw not a single solitary deer the remainder of the day, which I hunted on two legs back down to "Deer Camp." Odd. Very odd.

I learned allot that day and will keep it in in my wheelhouse of knowledge for the future. The most salient feature being that when those deer move, they MOVE. It doesn't take much snow to get 'em clearing outta there; so TIMING is everything. Period.

We used to hunt the Chiwawa unit years ago, between Maverick Saddle and Sugarloaf.  When the general season used to run into November, we experienced the migration quite a few times.  And you are right, when the deer go through there on their way down to Entiat, it is a sight to see.  And it does seem to be over in just a matter of a few days.

When it gets snowy and icy, the drive from the Saddle down to Deer Camp is a white-knuckler, for sure.  One year I shot a very nice 5x5 right at the Saddle, and I was pretty sure that we were going to spend the entire winter right there.......snowed in.

Glad you survived all of the rain and snow and ice, and made it home safely.

[nwalpineguide]

A good friend of mine gave me a ride on his snowmobile up to Maverick Saddle one day. This, about the 15th or so. There was no other way to get there. Period. The truck my buddy has is a RAM1500 with very good tires on it. That vehicle only got us to the site called "Deer Camp" on the maps. From "Deer Camp" we took the sled up to Maverick Saddle. BOY-HOWDY had the mass migration occurred up there. I have never seen such a mass exodus, as revealed in the snow, of so many deer. Sure, I knew that area was a pinch point for migrating deer but to actually see the deer trails in the snow was humbling. Unfortunately I think I missed the pass through of animals that had occurred a few days earlier. Most passing on to Sugarloaf and Chumstick mountains as well elsewhere (during the nights?). I saw not a single solitary deer the remainder of the day, which I hunted on two legs back down to "Deer Camp." Odd. Very odd.

I learned allot that day and will keep it in in my wheelhouse of knowledge for the future. The most salient feature being that when those deer move, they MOVE. It doesn't take much snow to get 'em clearing outta there; so TIMING is everything. Period.

We used to hunt the Chiwawa unit years ago, between Maverick Saddle and Sugarloaf.  When the general season used to run into November, we experienced the migration quite a few times.  And you are right, when the deer go through there on their way down to Entiat, it is a sight to see.  And it does seem to be over in just a matter of a few days.

When it gets snowy and icy, the drive from the Saddle down to Deer Camp is a white-knuckler, for sure.  One year I shot a very nice 5x5 right at the Saddle, and I was pretty sure that we were going to spend the entire winter right there.......snowed in.

Glad you survived all of the rain and snow and ice, and made it home safely.

Thanks for the support Falcon and Igor.

White Knuckle driving is an understatement. Sure, I could have chained up every morning and taken them off early afternoon, then put them back on again each late afternoon, then taken them off again each evening... ad infinitum. I realize now that studded snow tires, tires with the snow peak emblem are in my future.

Attached is a couple of images: one from the "Maverick Saddle" area I captured early in the morning looking over sea of clouds (fog really) up the Chiwawa towards Glacier Peak and Clark Mountain. And another of the closure sign at Tall Timbers ranch on the White River.

Unfortunately the White River closure made it impossible to visit and hunt a LARGE swath of country that I had experienced earlier in August (the Clark Mountain high route; Boulder to Thunder Creek and out the now non existent White River trail). At age 60 this trip about killed me! But it didn't. One knee isn't quite the same anymore. So the price of admission was worth it!

Moreover, the Chikamin Creek closure (Minnow Ridge fire) was also in effect. As well; the Little Wenatchee drainage. Looking at the positive side, this bodes well in future for those magnificent bucks living back in those places that were not harassed by hunters. All those animals have to worry about now are old man winter, a couple of wolves and cougar.

Gross non sequitur Igor: 366 SPS (LE) Mountain Home AFB, Idaho 1982-1985 with two tours to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (AWACS Support).

[Igor]

Gross non sequitur Igor: 366 SPS (LE) Mountain Home AFB, Idaho 1982-1985 with two tours to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (AWACS Support).