Washington Deer

WAsharpstick · Jul 11, 2006

I was just thinking about deer moving on to there winter range and how they migrate and I started thinking about the Columbia river that runs through the state. Do deer swim across the river just for the heck of it or do they need to be pressured to cross? I have seen deer crossing small rivers but nothing as large as the Columbia anyone have any thoughts????

ironhead · Jul 11, 2006

I have seen them cross above West Bar and head for the Palisades. I have also seen them cross up by Wells dam.

Dmanmastertracker · Jul 11, 2006

The deer don't migrate annually accross the river, they take the path of least resistance like everyone else.. That being said, they do cross on occasion and do drown on occasion, particularly during the rut. Locked bucks and worn out bucks have been found many times washed up. The Columbia, where it runs north/ south up to the Winthrop area has also helped to prevent the whitetail from moving further west, though it is likely whitetail will eventually cross over along the BC border area someday north of the Columbia, -say some biologists.

ridgerunner · Jul 11, 2006

The whitetails have already crossed the river and are moving into traditional mule deer areas. It is only a matter of time before you begin seeing them in large numbers. a good friend of mine took a very mature whitetail 5 years ago on a slide ridge november permit hunt way up the entiat river. Too bad really.

Dmanmastertracker · Jul 11, 2006

We saw one being chased by a muley west of winthrop last year and they ran right by us, couldn't get a photo but the muley wouldn't stop chasing the whitetail at all. The majority of those whiteys are actually coming south from interior BC and the north side of the Columbia -The Columbia is much easier for them to cross near the border, than say the Vantage area. It is too bad, that shows a need for more whitey permits and/or longer seasons in traditional areas to prevent expansion. Muleys are hit hard enough by loss of range.

slider · Jul 11, 2006

Yes, As said Deer do cross the Columbia BUT they are few and far between!!! Most deer Migrate to the river and stop short of it.
I saw a 120 Class Whitetail in the Entiat two years ago and also talked to a guy that had seen a 160 class Whitetail!!! He and his Dad were trying to sneek in on two Big Mulies(late Archery Hunt in the Rut mid November)that were working some does and this HUGE Whitetail came running in and chased BOTH big Mulies out and took over the 8 or 10 Mulie Does!!!
I asked him if he tried to sneak in on the Whitetail and he said no.I said was the wind wrong? And he said no my tag is for a Mule Deer Buck? I said your tag is for ANY Buck? He said well he talked it over with his dad and they think it's Mule Deer Buck only and his Dad had drove downtown to ask someone!!!
I talked to the same guy the next day and that same big Whitetail walked right past his DAD!!!I said did he get it!!! He said no you can't shoot a Whitetail!!!He said his dad had asked at the store and they told him NO.I couldn't believe it!!!
They did not know ahead of time that they could harvest ANY Buck!!!Whitetail,Mulie or Blacktail.
I talked to a Warden later in the week about the Whitetail's in the Entiat and he told me the First reported sighting was in 1958!!!He said if they havn't taken over by now the State doesn't think they will!!! Good Luck

polarbear · Jul 11, 2006

We use to see whitetails in the Teanaway Valley over 20 years ago. One of the farmers told us that somone had brought some in from Idaho and transplanted them. He also said that the locals were trying to kill them all off.
Life is too short to be lazy or settle for mediocrity!
Eric

WAsharpstick · Jul 11, 2006

LAST EDITED ON Jul-11-06 AT 09:53PM (MST)[p]I HATE WHITETAILS
I would never waste a late season permit on a whitie unless he was gunna go 190. Not worth wasting all those points. I might be tempted if he was trying to breed a muley doe though gotta protect those genes .

I guess that's why I am her on the MM site

WAmuleyHunter · Jul 11, 2006

saw one monster whitey last year in November up the entiat. Was told of another one in the same general area by an archery guy. I held sheds of a whitey out of Oklahoma gulch from the entiat that went over 165 net. it was a 5x5. and then a guy killed it the following year and it was in high 170's net!!! typical. So there are a few around. Hopefully those big muleys will keep them out of our prime muley range. Oh and about 3 years ago in one of our orchards had a whitetail doe with 3 whitetail fawns. stayed all winter long.

deerhuntr4885 · Jul 11, 2006

When I was working in East Wenatchee (about 1997) I got a call of a little two point muley on Hwy 28 at 9th Street. When I went to check it out it ran down to the river and swam across. I was talking to Wentchee PD and they sent an Officer to their side. The deer got out of the water, spotted them above him and turned and jumped back in. He swam all the way back to the East Wenatchee side. He laid down under a rock and I decided to leave him be.

Another time I was at a home and I saw a HUGE whitetail skull with rack attached. I asked the guy where he got it and he said I would not believe him if he told me. He finally told me he was coyote hunting up Nahahum Canyon in Cashmere and he found it back in the trees near the top of the canyon. He found it about 1989.

ridgerunner · Jul 12, 2006

I don't want the whitetails in muley country either, I hope guys take them any chance they get in places like the Entiat. sounds like there are big ones in there though.

golfguy0912 · Jul 12, 2006

back in either 02 or 03 i was up mud creek with my dad and had a few whitetail does running across the hillside, it was the first time i have seen them over here

trophyspike · Jul 12, 2006

My little brother drew a Palouse whitetail tag in units 127 - 142. Does anyone have any info on these units for whitetails? He would love to kill one of those bastards for you! Any info would be appreciated, Thanks

MichaelJ · Jul 12, 2006

I know that two buddies were up in the entiat area last year and saw a whitey that they guessed around 160" but he was running and I guess by the time they unslung their rifles he was in the trees and gone.

"What I could do, I was doing, and that was simply putting my butt on the line for my country, the country that I loved, so that all the protestors and the academics and the liberal intelligentsia back home could enjoy the right to protest against people like me, the hated middleclass." --Gary R. Smith, US Special Forces

Dmanmastertracker · Jul 13, 2006

I just couldn't get over how those muleys hated that whitetail doe. One after another, the muley does kept chasing the one whitetail doe near Winthrop. We watched for 15 minutes until the muleys chased the whitetail out of sight. And I've heard that whiteys are supposed to be more aggressive than muleys, not from what I've seen....

missinMT · Jul 13, 2006

Two years ago on a family outing on Banks Lake, I came roaring around Steamboat Rock, heading south. It was a Tuesday, so there was no one on the lake at that early hour. For those that know, this is the widest part of the lake and as I am running down the lake, I see what looks to be a log in the middle of the Lake. I slow down and sure enough, it is a nice 4-point muley, enjoying a swim across two miles of lake. If they will swim there, they should swim the big river.

polarbear · Jul 14, 2006

I saw one swim across on the lower Columbia near Cathlamet. I didnt stick around long enough to see if it made it across. I do know that they swim from the main land to and from the islands in the Columbia.
Eric

ironhead · Jul 14, 2006

Here are some pics of a doe swimming the Skykomish. She swam for about 400 yards down the river before she crossed.

WAsharpstick · Jul 14, 2006

great pics that water looks cold!!

Dmanmastertracker · Jul 14, 2006

P Bear, I make it down to Cathlamet every year too, that was most likely one of the Columbian Whitelails from Julia Butler Hanson NWR. They swim the channels between the islands a lot. I know Sitka Blacktail are great swimmers too. It's not that deer can't swim well, it's just that they are not likely to do so for any great distance just for the sake of it. -A rutt crazed buck in search of does might swim a great distance...

polarbear · Jul 14, 2006

I love looking at those Columbian Whities! There are a good number of them on Puget Island as well as some Roosies. When I still lived on Totten inlet, I use to see blacktails swim across the bay all the time, sometimes close to a mile. It was usually to get away from barking dogs.
Eric

WAsharpstick · Jul 14, 2006

I hunted in the Julia bend Henson last year and had some very close encounters with the columbian whities like 5 yards inside the preserve. The ones that I saw were beautiful they had a very silvery coats and were tiny in body size. You could tell that they are hunted as they were afraid of me. There were ones that slept in 8in of water and seemed reasonably happy. I know if they ever start a hunt I will be at the front of the permit application line.

boneaddict · Jul 14, 2006

I have seen both whitetails and muleys swim the Columbia around the mouth of the Spokane river, and Sandpoil towards Keller's Ferry. If you are not familiar with this region, the rivers are quite large here. Incidentally when they released the elk into Hellgate there, half of the herd swam the river, and now you have elk on the Spokane side. I have also discovered that they use the potholes out in the Desert unit as escape routes for predators. The largest buck I've seen out there was swimming, "escaping" me. Cool scene. There are plenty of whitetails up in Twisp and Winthrop. They have been there for years.

WAmuleyHunter · Jul 14, 2006

Yup fishing just a couple weeks ago on the potholes walleye fishing and here this splash thought somebody fell out of their boat. Nope just a little buck going for a little swim. Also seen them swim the Missouri in Montana. A couple lakes down in the Basin. and also the columbia up by turtle rock about rocky reach.

WACATHUNTER · Jul 14, 2006

I watched a little forky blacktail swim across the columbia at the Astoria Bridge. We followed to make sure that he would make it and ended up hitting the WA side right where several bank fisherman were fishing. He climbed up the bank and took a hour or so nap and then bolted.
WACAT

PAL · Jul 14, 2006

The Columbia,
>where it runs north/ south
>up to the Winthrop area
>has also helped to prevent
>the whitetail from moving further
>west, though it is likely
>whitetail will eventually cross over
>along the BC border area
>someday north of the Columbia,
>-say some biologists.

Where have you been? I grew up in the Northern Okanogan Valley (Tonasket/Loomis are) and we had lots of whitetail there since way back in the 70's. We noticed them moving way up the drainages and into the the higher elevations out of the valleys way back then... Those whities were crossing the columbia in eastern washington and heading west a long, long time ago...

fletch · Jul 14, 2006

I have seen deer swim to turtle island outside of wenatchee...in fact for a while when they had hay out there there was quite a herd with some nice bucks...my brother also has pics of a moose swimming in lake chelan yes a paddle horn...I wouldnt have believed him but saw the pics myself. I also saw 7 bucks crossing a pond in the desert unit once...nothing but noses and antlers...it does happen

lhrbull · Jul 15, 2006

there are whitetail deer out on hanford and they swim the columbia when the water is in drawdown so the salmon lay there eggs in the deep channels

Dmanmastertracker · Jul 15, 2006

Don't know what your point is PAL. I said "where the river runs north and south". I would assume since your well versed in the area you mentioned that you know the river runs east to west, south of the Okanogan? You left out the part of my quote that said whitetail are also coming accross the Columbia near the border where it is FAR easier to cross, yes I've been there. there are places on upper Roosevelt lake you can throw a stone accross. I'd like to see someone do that at Vantage? As for there being whitetail in the Hanford area, can you verify this through fish and game? I'm not discounting you, but I've not heard of any verified sightings south of I-90, west of the river.

Lowedog · Jul 15, 2006

Winthrop is a long ways from Vantage. The Methow Valley is full of whitetails. Has been for decades. They are also prolific in the Tonasket, Oroville area and have been for a long time. For some reason they haven't really moved south too much although they have been around the Wenatchee Valley for decades also they have really never increased in numbers.

Deer are amazing swimmers. I have seen them cross the Columbia in several places and it doesn't really seem too difficult to them. I also have seen them swim across Banks lake at Steamboat rock which is a long way across!

-Lowedog

Dmanmastertracker · Jul 17, 2006

Good thought Mark, a bio once told me that the blue tongue affecting whitetails gets worse the further south you go in the basin country, keeping them in check.
D