Anyone hunt Manastash for deer??

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

I drew the observatory for elk.  Im heading over in a few weeks to scout.  Just curious what the deer population is like?? Im gonna be over there around oct 20th to scout/deer hunt hopefully I can find a buck too.  Just curious what you guys may think.

[bobcat]

It's terrible for deer. Check the harvest report.

[vandeman17]

It's terrible for deer. Check the harvest report.

We see a decent amount of deer where we go over the course of the season but it is an absolute zoo in there during general firearm season. The few legal bucks that are in there get shot up pretty quick and what you are left with is alot of spikes and fork horns.

[halflife65]

I shot a 3 point in the Manastash last year on the third day of archery season.  I was actually scouting for elk.  Not good for deer - I'd seen two does early in the day and the buck I  got laying down mid-day.  Although I got a buck there last year it isn't where I would choose to go.

Like I said, I was mainly scouting for elk and had my bow because deer was open.  I'd walked in (although primarily looking for elk, I was still trying), but it wasn't anything like one of my normal deer hunts (long way from the road, tough country, etc.)

[jeepasaurusrex]

The only time I have ever seen some good bucks in there was during Elk season in the early 80s.

[vandeman17]

Manastash is a pretty big area so it also depends on where you are going. I have went miles without even seeing a deer track or one pile of poop then crest another ridge and find a decent amount of sign. Like the others have said, its not a great deer area but you could happen to stumble upon a legal buck if you are lucky . 

[Dmanmastertracker]

 Hunted there the couple years I lived in Ellensburg, there are some monster's in there, but they seem to avoid being harvested, many slip down on to private lands once the early season's open up and pretty much stay there all winter.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I hunted up there for 20 years, there are more legal (3pt+) deer showing up now.
Although I hunt Archery, and a couple years ago I didn't see a deer for the whole 2 weeks, my friends had multiple opportunities last year....

[woodswalker]

its hit or miss...been hunting it since the late 1970s...USED to produce pretty well...but its kind of a zoo of late, like the last DECADE.  Lots of roads now closed, lots of hunters on the ones still open...bozos included....so if you get more than an hour's hike off the mainline AND off the 4wd and Single track trails...THEN you will do OK.  Just be aware that getting a buck out of the steep and deeps can be a chore.

[bobcat]

I like to have a decent chance of success. I suppose it would be a good idea to hunt it for deer if you were going to hunt elk there anyway. Just call it a scouting trip because that's about all it would be. Success rates from last year: 

rifle:  8.1%
archery:  1.3%
muzzleloader:  8.5%

Days per kill:

rifle:  53.0
archery:  482
muzzleloader:  53.7

[ribka]

I hike a a lot in the area,. See a few does and some smaller bucks. Tough area to hunt and it gets hammered during modern firearms.

[Pathfinder101]

Saw a dead one in there once... little 2x2 piled up in a draw.  Probably shot for a 3 point and left   That's the only evidence I have seen of deer in Manastash, but I have only hunted there once...

[jeepasaurusrex]

We used to hunt along Shellrock. We used to camp where Whiskey Canyon road came down and hit the North Fork road. When they went to the green dot system in there, we basically stopped hunting in there. I have lots of memory's of my early childhood over there. This was taken just off 1069 canyon in 1982. I was 9yrs old. I still have that Jeep. 

[coachcw]

It's a good late hunt if you draw . during archery I'd stay high, I've killed five or six deer during archery season . our camp ussaully kills on or two . there's a few good bucks there but don't get your hopes up.

[cem3434]

I shot deer in that unit on opening day for 7 years in a row, including a 170" 5x5.  My uncle missed a 200"+ monster in this unit 4 years ago and that was the last quality buck that we seen.  Then over the last 3 or 4 years, the hair slip disease hit them hard.  The last time I hunted there 2 years ago, I didnt see more than a couple deer in 4 days of hunting. You might bump into a buck or two, but I wouldnt get my hopes up.