Pasayten Wilderness

spotnstalkID · Mar 8, 2005

Just curious if any of you guys ever get up into the Pasayten wilderness for the early high buck hunts in Washington. I have been in there one time about 3 years ago and as good as the country looked, didn't come out with any success. Maybe I was just in the wrong part of the area, we went in from the Robinson Creek trailhead about 8-10 miles in. We saw plenty of animals, deer and bear, but the quality of nice bucks was not what we hoped. It is a hunt that I would like to do again but just wondering if it is worth it. Have any of you had any success, know of much success in that area. Not looking to get any hints on where to go, just wondering if it is a hunt worth taking a week's vacation to go in for or what your opinions are.

Jaxon

ridgerunner · Mar 8, 2005

If its your only hunt of the year the answer to your question is no. There are some good spots it does take time and effort to learn how to hunt the high country though. There are guys here who have hunted the Pasayten during the high hunt perhaps they'll chip in, I haven't hunted it but have hunted other wilderness areas. It can be great one year, terrible the next, depends mainly on the weather and pressure in any given area.

spotnstalkID · Mar 8, 2005

That is kind of what I figured. It was the first high country hunt I had ever been on and have been wanting to go back. I assume there must be some nice bucks roaming that area considering the area it is in, but we just didn't happen to run into any that trip. Thanks for your input ridgerunner. I am actually in Idaho now but am planning a trip back up there in a year or two to hunt with my father. If anybody has any advice that would be helpful on how to hunt it, it would be much appreciated.

Jaxon

Mule_Deer_Crazy · Mar 9, 2005

My dad and I went in one year and had a good time, but didn't know it well enough to make it work. A case of the proverbial "If we'd only known then what we know now."

It's a tough hunt and requires much more knowledge and investment than your average hunt (to be successful). The deer seemed to be in very specific areas and very scattered. On top of that the country is so big if you aren't in a good spot it's pretty tough to just jump over a couple canyons and hunt new territory.

But then again, I like to do something new every year and broaden my horizons. There are some big bucks that come out of that country to winter, so obviously they're somewhere up there during the season. I'm with Ridgerunner though, a guy's going to have to invest a lot more energy into figuring it out and being consistently successful hunting up there.

boneaddict · Mar 11, 2005

If you love to be in the mountains and just love to hunt to hunt, its probably worth it. If you think you are guaranteed a good shot at a decent buck, I'd save my vacation. There are good years back there and there are very dry years. My Dad packs for an outfitter that hunts back there, and my brother used to pack for the other main outfitter back there. Generally more bears are killed than deer. Much of the lower areas that used to be easier access for those without stock also burned this last year. It will be many years before this is huntable again. That said, if I'm not hunting something else at that time of year, you will find me back there just because its another oppurtunity to be in the mountains.

spotnstalkID · Mar 16, 2005

Thanks for the responses. Honestly, if I am going to head back up there into that terrain again, it would be for a couple reasons. 1) to get back up in the area and do some hunting with my dad. 2) I would like to go back into that country because it seemed like there were quite a few bears in there and I would imagine there must a few with some size to them (and my dad would rather take a nice bear than a nice deer any day) and 3) because I love that country up there. I grew up in Washington and I usually hunted that part of the state for deer but only made it up into the Pasayten that one time. I would love to go back just because it was such amazing country. Like I said, dad would like to take a nice bear and I know there a few in there, it just seems that it would have to hold some nice deer as well, and that is what I would be after. With the deer that migrate down into the valley, they must be in that country during that early hunt in September. I am just thinking of planning a trip up there in '06 to hunt with my dad. He will, like always, want to hunt bear whereas I would be after deer. Just thought this area might be the place to try so I am just trying to gather as much info on it as I can. Thanks for the responces already and any more that have any knowledge of that area, your's are more than welcome.

Thanks again!
Jaxon

boneaddict · Mar 16, 2005

The Pasayten is an incredible place. One of my best summers was as a firefighter, and I spent the whole summer hopping from one drainage to the next back there. It was incredible flying all over it in a helicopter. I saw so much country that had awesome potential. If a person had some time to get in there away from the main access points, it could be a dream hunt. I remember being woke up by a deer licking the salt off of my face one morning. I was just too tired to care.