Republic area bucks

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Dmanmastertracker

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We missed this season, 1st time in many years. Anyone do any good over there? Last year took 3X3 off the Rattlesnake.
 
Rattled in some booner whities, and only saw one monster muley. Camera safari only. Many connected though. The fog was a real pisser towards the River way.
 
Hey Bone, wanted to say nice pics you posted, go me drooling. Know what you mean about the fog, seems like the few times I was able to get out this season it was either fog, or bluebird skies. Great to hear of the animals over there, wife and I drove all through there in late October looking at property to buy and it was eerily quiet in the woods -1st weekend after the season. That place has broke my heart a couple times. three years ago I missed two different huge five points ( one 27-30") on back to back days and went home early I was so pissed. One of them was laying on an open hillside in the rocks right until I almost tripped over him. Oh well, live and learn. Have you noticed more mulies, less whities over there lately?
 
Now youre talking my stompin grounds! Both, mulies and whities have really made a comeback over there. My #1 hunting buddy lives on the San Poil and is seeing more big bucks than ever before. He is seeing nice milies moving closer to the low lands where the whities have been the dominant deer. I was supposed to be over ther right now hunting late archery whities, but this is the first time in about 10-12 years that I havent made it over to hunt. They are really moving right now. I have friends that hunt over there during modern season and get fed up with the crowds and the lack of deer. Oh, what a difference a few weeks and a little ways off of the road can make.
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Eric
 
Eric, just curious...how is that your stompin grounds? Says your from Rainier. Isn't that in Southwest Wa.?
 
I have spent so much time there over the past 20+ years, that I practically consider it a second home. I am in the process of buying a cabin and a chunk of property from my buddy and will probably retire over there. I have scoured every piece or those hills from Republic south to the rez border.
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Eric
 
Good to meet you Bear, ditto - we also live on Westside and have hunted Republic area for 20+. I can remember back after winter '96 when it was tough to find a deer at all. -I don't feel bad about spilling the beans that the deer have come back over there. Like you say, you and I have spent a lot of time scouring that country and if someone else can do 20yrs worth of homework in one season -more power to them. We range from Republic down to the Res. too, but I've hunted over to Mt. Washington, North of Curlew and just accross the line too. We got our first bear over there too, three years ago -250lb. That's another critter you seem to see a lot more of now.
 
I am seeing fewer whitetails, and more mulies the last two years. I was thinking that the black tongue thing was making a dent in the whities, and the mulies are taking advantage of it. Agreeing with polarbear that they are also coming into the lowlands more. Hopefully there will be room on your front porch polarbear for another diehard deer finatic when you retire.
 
Likewise Dmanmastertracker! I have spent my share of time on Mt. Washington. It isnt that big, but it produces nice bucks every year. I helped a local kid drag a 28" 4x4 off of the backside of Snow Peak one year and came out in that dip between there and Mt. WA. Our group has taken a ton of nice bucks off of Mt WA., Snow Peak, Edds, Barnaby and Fire. I took a dandy 5x5, 27" mulie off of the saddle between Fire and Granite. Unfortunately, I havent been able to make it over for mulies in quite a while. It has been late archery whities for me. My best is a 168 7/8 whitie that I stuck somewhere in the Brown Mt. area. (not to be too specific) Haahaaaa... We have hunted up Lambert Creek, Trout Creek, up to Vulcan Mt. and all the way over towards Colville and Tiger. It is really bumming me out that I am not going to make it over this year!!!! I will, however make it over to hunt sheds after the first of the year.

Bone.. You better believe that there will be plenty of room on the old porch for you! Hell, the way the deer population is going, we might be able to shoot a nice buck off of the porch! But we will have to save that for when we are too old and decreped to hike or sit in a treestand. Haahaaaa....,
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Eric
 
God, I'm in the presence of blood brothers. Just found this web-site, glad I did. Have a funny story about Mt. Washington. Took my young cousin Justin on his first hunt and we were driving up Hall Creek towards the 150 and we see a 6 point whitetail driving a motor scooter in front of us. Not really, some old codger shot a mammoth whitetail and grinning ear to ear he's blazing down the road with the whitey in the back seat, hilarious. I wondered about Snow, looks good from Mt. Washington, never ventured over there. I just know I saw 38 deer on Washington one evening when the snow started flying, most deer I've seen anywhere. Really, to be truthful though. We don't venture East of 21 much at all. I won't be more specific, but I'm sure Bear knows where. I also agree with Bone, when I retire, that's where Sandy and I'll be. -cheers
 
Those are just cool words to hear. hall,barnaby, white, eds,boulder, etc.... One hell of a place to be with a camera.
 
I imagine, I'm jealous. Sheep, Coco, Swan, Stormking, Cornell.... Did get a new HP digital, hope to take some snaps myself scouting next year. Wife is professional photographer too. I'll have some posts soon... Just need pointers on how to do it??
 
You boys are going to love this! My buddy that lives in Republic, called me on Saturday to tell me what had been killing deer along the San Poil. He was out feeding his horses and noticed 4 critters running up the San Poil on his property. They were wolves!!! It was the first time that he had seen wolves in the area. He definately knows what he is talking about. He was a trapper in Wa. and Alaska for many years. He said that some of the local ranchers are keeping a sharp eye out for them. That is the last thing we need over there messing with the deer, elk and moose herds!!!
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Eric
 
that doesn't surprise me, it was only a matter of time. We saw a wolf about 10 years ago hunting east of Loomis up close to the pasayten line.

where we hunt in montana and wyoming, they are now running all over the place. wolves are just glorified dogs, what do people think when they introduce 200 breeding pairs?? They are going to do what boy an girl dogs do best.....make lots of puppies. Republic is right in the middle of the corridor between the north cascades and northern idaho, it is just a matter of time before they are all over north-central to north eastern WA.

They have gotten so bold in places in WY, that they live basically right in town. They are at the top of the predator list, so nothing, but man, will be able to control their populations. Wolf re-introdcution, without a corresponding ability to have a hunting season on them, is a disaster waiting to happen with deer and elk herds. A drive through yellowstone these days confirms how effective wolves are on controlling elk herds. You now see many more bison than elk in yellowstone.
 
While I'd like to see a wolf in the wild MG's right, I heard Montana may open a season very soon on them. My grandfather saw a wolf around 20 years ago in the North Cascades also, near the Chewuch. That's the last thing they need in Colville hunting zone. Grizzlies are an omnivore and I can see keeping them in a few select areas, they fight really shy of people when given the chance. Wolves in any number in the Republic area could reduce the hunting to zilch and would impact livestock too. Cougar numbers have gone up in that area too, in recent years. Wildlife probably knows about them, family friends of ours who were biologists in this State have told us of Grizzlies and wolves that were in surprising places.
 
A few years back, I ran into a government trapper in the Mt. Adams Wilderness. He was telling me that there were more than a dozen wolves there and he had been sent there to kill them all. At that time, he had already killed 9 of them. I ran into him in Randle a couple of days later and he showed me pics of some of them. Pretty impressive that he could pull that many out of an area that big in less than a couple of weeks. I am sure that the locals in Ferry County will be able to find a solution to this problem. Just remember the 3 r's! Shoot, shovel and shut the hell up!
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Eric
 
I have also heard of rumors of wolves east of Yakima in some of the wilderness area's; the rumour I heard was that people from the dept would go up in these areas an either use recordings of howling wolves or do it themselves to elicit a response. They did this to guage what, if any, the population was.

Sounds kind of hokey to me, but it came from a credible source. My guess is that they are probably fairly widespread in WA by now, but in very small numbers. The whole wolf issue is so hot that I am sure that govt people who know they are around are not broadcasting it.

I have no issue with the wolves being around, you just have to put a season on them to control them. I am sure it would be a popular hunt. Montana is going to have a wolf hunt, but it has been WW3 getting it done with the feds. WY, to my knowledge, is still in WW3 with the feds because they want to classify them as "big game animals", which I guess would give them a wider range of manangment possiblitites.

I think the main problem right now in the states where the have re-intoduced them is getting the feds to buy off on enough of a wolf harvest to keep their numbers in check. It is an issue that will have to be monitored very closely by big game hunters in this state, a relatively few amount of wolves can do a lot of damage in a very short time.
 
I can confirm that in a very prominent mule deer drainage near Twisp this October me and my brother saw tracks of wolves, heard them and saw exactly ZERO deer while glassing over some of the most impressive mule deer habitat I have ever seen. My relatives actually saw the wolves (2) around 3 years earlier at a close distance in the same spot.
 
My brother and I saw three wolves in the Chiwawa unit about 15 years ago. No doubt they're in Washington, and their numbers are only going to increase.
 
What about Grizz. sign/ seen near Repub.?? I know of one just accross the line over near Bonaparte. Also ran headlong in to a real trophy bull moose. and have seen elk sign just off the Res.
 
You guys know my wolf story from this fall up in Twisp. Also lots of them in the Selkirks which is a rock skip away from Republic. The moose I got two years ago had a huge tear in his rear hamstring from where wolves tried to bring him down. It was nasty. Heard them the first morning I was there and saw more wolf sign than I would have liked to have seen. I doubt there is much for that caribou herd over there now. Too many predators.
 
Was that in the Salmo? I've been over that far once, but that is some thick country. I have heard that if you hike in to the Salmo a ways you can find some muleys. Also some huge bears in Republic area. Biggest documented bear anyone??? We've seen some over there I would guess over 500lbs.
 
You bet that there are big bears over there. My buddy shot a 450 lb boar off of his porch 2 years ago. It was standing in his carport with its head in a bag of dog food. He cracked the door open and put a .250 savage round right behind its ear. My buddy also has has several moose out behind his round pen. They usually come around a couple of times a year. We watched as 3 Colville tribal members shot 2 bull moose out of the marsh on the Hall Creek side of Barnaby Buttes. We werent too happy, but could do nothing.
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Eric
 
I should know this, but I'll ask anyway, the tribe is allowed to harvest moose?? Tell me that's not the case...
 
Let me re-phrase my last question, I sent it too hasty. What I meant to say was, please tell me the tribes don't have unlimited (or virtually unrestricted) harvest on moose off Res.? My gut tells me I know the answer.
 
I dont know for sure. We turned them in the the WDFW and they told us that they would inform the tribal council but it was doubtful that anything would be done about it. It is enough to make a guy want to puke!
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Eric
 
I hear ya, where we usually camp over there, the game officer came by and said two weeks earlier a Colville pick up drove through with 11 deer in the back and a platoon of guys in the back with rifles shooting any deer they saw. I believe their posession limit is 6 deer per person and their season is six months long, or close too it off Res. Same goes with fishing, as someone who has enough Blackfoot in them to have tribal rights (but I don't), -will tribal harvests ever be kept at levels that are truly for sustenance only on not for commercial sale.. as originally intended. I know my two person family could live almost the entire year on two good sized deer.
 
Yep, I've seen it also! They are allowed 6 deer per every member of the tribe, no matter the age. A 6 month old is allowed 6 deer. We have seen trucks in Republic with deer stacked in the back like cord wood. Every time that I head over there, 2 particular places on the rez at Keller, has always got deer hanging in the yard or fresh heads thrown up on the roof of their wood sheds to taunt hunters that are driving by. I'm sure that Bone knows thich places that I am refering to.
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Eric
 
Wonder where the meat goes??? The other thing about that particular reservation is that you read in here and hear about from other members the fantastic hunting permitted by Apaches and Navaho, etc.. The Colvilles not only should exercise better harvest practices, they should also return the favor to society and allow some special permit hunting on their land, the largest reservation in the State. I know they do allow some fishing, that's great, all the more reason they should allow hunting permits too. I know one of the three nicest bucks I've seen over there, I saw driving through the Res. and a TON of bear.
 
there are a couple of more issues that cause serious problems with mule deer in this state that some of you are talking about. WA has a serious poaching problem mainly because of its large population base. It is a problem that I believe is worse here than in other less populated states. Large mule deer on the winter range, or anywhere else for that matter, have a much higher probablity of running into a human around here.

In addition, WA has a high number of indian reservations for a state this size and this has caused problems. I am not so familiar with other rez', but the Yakama indians are allowed to take whatever the want and are allowed to not only hunt on the rez, but also their "usual and accustomed" areas, which comprises a huge area surrounding the rez. Which means that they can definitely hunt anytime they want to on public lands, and while it hasn't been tested in court yet, it probably means that they can come on private land to hunt!

The DOW had made unit 342 a total draw unit quite a number of years ago, it is great mule deer habitat, but is relatively open. The quality of mule deer increased dramatically and it was a great success. But, very quietly, 2 years ago, the returned it back to a general hunt. No press releases, no explanation. From what I understand, the reason they did this was because there was huge amounts of indian hunting going on in this unit, there were reports after reports of truck loads of mature bucks being shot and hauled out of there. So, the DOW finally got sick of it and returned it to a general season. Unit 342 is out of the rez, but falls into the "usual and accustomed" hunting grounds. Now that the quality of the bucks has gone down, the indian hunting has decreased dramatically. What is strange is that almost every indian reservation I drive through in this state or another state, you very rarely see many deer or elk. Indian reservations in this state have great deer and elk habitat, they are large areas, and the number of people that can hunt them (enrolled indians) is very small, why the small number of animals?

The other issue in this state is one of predators. We live in a state that politically will not tolerate predator controls. Coyotes, lions, and now wolves have a strong political lobby behind them. This is a political problem in all western states, but especially WA. One of the major causes of the systemic mule deer decline in the Western US is the coyote populations. Most game dept's will not even touch this issue and prefer the argument to center on habitat. But, there are vast areas in the West that have been exactly the same for the last 50 years. No condos, do development, just plain old cattle ranches forever. But, it is much harder to control coyotes today than it was 20 years ago. Wolves and lions can cause havoc with adult deer and elk, but coyotes will devastate the fawns because they know when the does are about to drop them. That is why in many areas you see such poor fawn recruitment now. If you travel to areas in Montana and Wy and talk to the ranchers and people there, they will tell you how they have witnessed first hand how devasting coyotes can be to just born fawns.

There was a study done I belive in AZ about a year ago where they were able to take mule deer in a given area, a portion of the area was fenced off, and coyotes were kept out, other than that, everything was the same. The mule deer population in the predator free area had the fawn recruitments jump dramatically, more closer to historical norms. But, in the open area, the fawn recruitment was low and the overall population dropped. Apparantly, the results were so dramatic, that even the biologists where amazed.

You have to be very careful about what you read as a sportsmen on what is causing the mule deer declines in the West. It is much easier politically to say that overdevelopment, drought, habitat loss is causing these decliens. But, it is politically not possible for a game dept to come out with program for widespread coyote control. All you ever hear about is habitat loss, but there are millions of acres of land in montana and wyoming that are exactly the same as they always have been, but the mule deer declines are happening even in the good habitat areas.

Habitat is important, but there is more going on then just that.

So, those are three issues that WA faces that are problematic and they are having an impact on our deer herds. Unfortunately, there is little that can be done. We are stuck with our large population base, and the $$ just aren't there for extra wardens. Politically, this state will always lean more towards the PETA people than us sportsmen, so I don't see predator control, let alone someday having sanctioned wolfhunts being doable. And, indians are a sovereign people on sovereign lands and the courts have upheld their rights to hunt and fish even off of the rez, so not much we can do there.
 

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