Hunting Chelan, WA

[jony770]

Hey all, relatively new hunter in WA state. I've done some hunting in the Methow valley area but come October it becomes a zoo with hunters. This year I was interested in GMU 242, Alta, and 243, Manson, on the east side of Lake Chelan. There are some rough forest service roads that head up into the mountains with access trails that head out into more secluded terrain. My thoughts were to park somewhere along the road and hike out a mile or two to really try to get away from the crowds. I've heard through the grapevine though that this area is very difficult to hunt and the chances of success are slim. Googling hasn't been super helpful, so I was hoping someone with experience in the area might be able to give some advice. Thanks!

 

[slvrslngr]

It’s some big, rough country. There are some nice deer in there but densities are low, you’ll definitely earn your buck if you get one. Sure beats hunting a pumpkin patch though. If you haven’t done it yet, take the ferry to Stehekin, it’ll give you a good idea of what you’re getting yourself into.

 

[Tmcgarrigle]

That Methow Valley pumpkin patch is out of control. It is a gorgeous area but my god it is not worth the traffic.

 

[Bear7771]

Not really any great spots right now in the state. There are some great deer but you may hunt a week and not see a deer at all. Gonna be a long time before the herds rebound

 

[Silveroddo]

I don't know about the east side but we hunted the west side a few years ago, not sure how comparable the terrain is but I think harvest success for both hovers around 20%. I've never seen anything like it. The amount of work guys are willing to put in for mediocre mule deer hunting is unreal. My observation is that based on the season dates you're hunting resident deer in low density areas. If you get early snow in the high country you might get deer pushed out of high elevations toward the end of season, however it seems to me the season dates are not designed for that to happen.

 

[jony770]

Yeah the Methow is insane, you get into traffic jams on some of the forest service roads. And I’m not too familiar with the west side hunting, I know it can be good around Longview but I’m just not familiar enough with black tail hunting to give it a go. I was planning on trying to spend about 5 days in the backcountry around Chelan but I’d hate to put in the effort to not even see a deer. Any tips on best practices for the area? My thoughts were to find a high point and let my glass do most of the work. The other option is to head to the N.E. corner of the state and try for white tails during the rut, but my school schedule at that point might not be as accommodating.

 

[Bear7771]

Do both. Hunt a big Muley and be patient, then go fill a tag on a whitetail in late season

 

[mavinwa2]

Last 2 seasons, hunt friends that I know got snowed out during rifle general buck season hunting Chelan, Slide ridge & Sawtooth areas. One got his 4wd with chains on all 4's stuck and had to winch out....3x !!
Once he hit some lower elevation, he was good. But he mentioned "pucker factor" was high.

They ended up joining me in the Methow but not anywhere near Winthrop. But I don't hunt the "pumpkin patch" areas....and it's public land where I go in deep backcountry.

 

[jony770]

Yikes! That's also something I was thinking about, from studying topo maps it looks like the elevation is pretty high in the chelan back country. Combined with eastern Washington temperatures in October I don't doubt there could be some significant late October snowfall, which to be honest I likely wouldn't be prepared for with my current gear set up. I've also been thinking about a similar approach, trying to hike deep into the methow. 90%+ of folks hunting that area are road hunters, I don't think it would take much effort, maybe just a mile or two of hiking, to get away from the majority of the crowds.

And I'd love to try my hand at the November hunt as well, but I'll be in my 4th year of medical school around that time and interviewing for residency starting in November; busy times! If I can pull it off though I'd love to.

 

[actionshooter]

I know the area you are talking about very well and was my go-to area for a long time and I know the trail heads you are talking about... what the other guys here are saying is right on, not many deer and its fairly difficult country.... My 2nd year up there (15+ years ago) I killed a stud and it went downhill from there. I held on to that area way to long out of love for the country, but the reality is there are better spots.

 

[Huntnnw]

Id expect snow in the high country at anytime in those mountains and can start in september. Some great bucks have been killed the last 2 seasons due to snow dumping up high early.

 

[dirtytough]

Not really any great spots right now in the state. There are some great deer but you may hunt a week and not see a deer at all. Gonna be a long time before the herds rebound

I hate to be pessimistic but I don’t see the herds rebounding. Unlimited tags, predators, less and less habitat, etc.

Nothing really going their way. Sad because I’ve seen some nice deer there.

 

[Uglyoutdoors]

not much deer in that area anymore.

 

[jony770]

Just curious, what exactly happened in that area that brought the populations down so badly? I know the 2015 harvest in the state was insane and coupled with a few bad winters following that, but was that really enough to damage the herds so badly? Have the recent fires in the twisp contributed as well?

 

[Britt-dog]

The things mentioned previously compounded by predation. Huge lion population, along with bears and wolves.

 

[Aginor]

You can jump over to the Hunting Washington forum for all sorts of details. There are plenty of people who bemoan the good ole days of the Methow on there. If you want to help do something about it, get a cougar and bear tag and go help

 

[Tikka300wsm]

I wouldn’t expect to get away from people being only a mile or two off the road. It’s a zoo just as much as the methow valley.

 

[jony770]

That's surprising, I've heard WA hunters are more likely to put in the work to hike in beyond the roads than a lot of other states but didn't realize it would be that. What a shame, seems like this really just isn't a great state for mule deer in general. I wonder if it has to do with the massive influx of folks that have moved here in recent years as well.

 

[jimmy33]

That's surprising, I've heard WA hunters are more likely to put in the work to hike in beyond the roads than a lot of other states but didn't realize it would be that. What a shame, seems like this really just isn't a great state for mule deer in general. I wonder if it has to do with the massive influx of folks that have moved here in recent years as well.

Nobody in their right mind would move here. This place is a miserable place to call home. I cant wait to get out of here.


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[Aginor]

Nobody in their right mind would move here. This place is a miserable place to call home. I cant wait to get out of here.


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I disagree. Everything about this state is pretty much the best in the US except the people, which are among the worst. Unfortunately, it’s those people who are ruining everything.