Washington State

[dirtytough]

Yes you can. Bear opens in August. That is the one thing hunters should take advantage of in Washington. Tons of bears there.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

Used to be able to. My guess is it hasn't changed with bear numbers increasing.

Haha, yea that is why they closed the spring bear season


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[jimh406]

Haha, yea that is why they closed the spring bear season

Had nothing to do with the population.

No Washington Spring Black Bear Hunt In 2022 - Northwest Public Broadcasting

The Fish and Wildlife Commission narrowly rejected a 2022 spring black bear hunt Read Hunters won’t get a chance to hunt for black bears in Washington this spring. The Washington […]

www.nwpb.org

However, conservationists argued orphaning cubs during a spring season would be inevitable. Conservationists also said a spring black bear hunt unfairly targets bears that are emerging from hibernation.

 

[Andrew12gauge]

Had nothing to do with the population.

No Washington Spring Black Bear Hunt In 2022 - Northwest Public Broadcasting

The Fish and Wildlife Commission narrowly rejected a 2022 spring black bear hunt Read Hunters won’t get a chance to hunt for black bears in Washington this spring. The Washington […]

www.nwpb.org

However, conservationists argued orphaning cubs during a spring season would be inevitable. Conservationists also said a spring black bear hunt unfairly targets bears that are emerging from hibernation.

Oh I fully understand I’m just saying the fact that the bear population is exploding doesn’t mean WDFW won’t close down and or shorten seasons


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[Newtosavage]

Can't help you on the WA deer but congrats on getting out of Texas.

 

[Bachto]

The high buck hunt is a good place to start to cut your teeth on hunting mulies here. Get in good shape though because they are wilderness hunts and not easy to say the least.

Buy a bear tag as well, the more of those we can kill the better.

 

[carsonmcdonald]

Lifetime WA resident and these are my personal opinions:
Lots of public land and mule deer hunting opportunities on the east slope of the cascades. If you can hunt with something other than a modern rifle you will have a more enjoyable experience by virtue of less people. Modern season is a flood of orange concentrated on or within a mile or two of gravel road. Still, bucks get shot. Big mountain country burns a lot, but if you are flexible on your hunting area it can be worked around and provide good opportunity in future years. Lots of guys shoot the first 3 point they see, unfortunately. The high buck hunt is as good of a time to go for a hike as any, but there are lots of hikers in September. The late whitetail season is a pretty good time of year to be in the woods and a fun hunt. Drawing a quality deer tag is a 10+ year game at least, quality Elk tags turning into once in a lifetime... + Bear hunting, + predator hunting, + bird hunting.
Biggest issue w/ WA is the demographic split between West side and East side, and unfortunately it is the west side that makes the decisions.

 

[lonedave]

I’ve lived in Washington my whole life (64+ years) and have seen all the ups and more current downs. Just to let you know, there are still deer in Washington. They aren’t always big and they’re not as plentiful as in years past, but if you spend time searching you can still find them. These are all from the last 6 seasons, all on public property, though a couple require access through private with permission.

2017


2018


2019


2021


2022

 

[Bryanb0224]

I’ve lived in Washington my whole life (64+ years) and have seen all the ups and more current downs. Just to let you know, there are still deer in Washington. They aren’t always big and they’re not as plentiful as in years past, but if you spend time searching you can still find them. These are all from the last 6 seasons, all on public property, though a couple require access through private with permission.

2017
View attachment 490936

2018
View attachment 490937

2019
View attachment 490938

2021
View attachment 490939

2022View attachment 490940

Love the pics, also like the terrain looks kinda like where I live in the Tricites for say!!! Thank you for the heads up I am really looking forwards to chasing mulies in WA


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[AlpineBeard]

Wa has become a primo destination for predator hunting. The states department of fish and game has been very good about ensuring predator populations for years to come. Please enjoy the bear and cougar hunting especially!

 

[ianpadron]

I learned to hunt mule deer in the high-country of WA state.

I now live and hunt in MT, have hunted ID 4 of the past 5 seasons, and have spent a bunch of time in WY scouting for future hunts once I draw.

All that to say, there are pockets in WA that rival any basin I've been in, ANYWHERE, both in terms of number and quality of deer. They aren't close to roads, and most of them are a mile or two from the nearest trail...but they definitely exist.

My recommendation would be to hunt the high buck areas, but during modern firearm season. You won't see another hunter (I didn't in 6 years) and will figure out pretty quick that the big boys stay up top for a lot longer than most seem to think. The high hunt is ridiculously fun, and the scenery that time of year in the Cascades is without question the best in the lower 48...but you'll have competition in a lot of spots that are ghost towns come October.

Since you're in the tri-cities, I'd plan on spending every free weekend you've got in the various Cascade Wilderness Areas and connecting the dots. Lot of doom and gloom from guys that grew up during the WA state hey-days, and I'm sure the hunting isn't what it used to be...but holy cow, I can't imagine how good it used to be given how good it still is in the right areas.

Find the nastiest, steepest, deadfall infested trail...hike in a few miles, and climb up a ridge into the alpine...you'll have a lot of fun. And of course, plan on being in the best shape of your life, there are places in the Cascades that make Central Idaho feel like the Great Plains.

 

[ianpadron]

Yes you can. Bear opens in August. That is the one thing hunters should take advantage of in Washington. Tons of bears there.

Agreed.

Best bear hunting on the planet! Couple years back a buddy and I glassed 16 bears in a day around 7k feet in the North Cascades...epic.

 

[DAOutfitters208]

Love the pics, also like the terrain looks kinda like where I live in the Tricites for say!!! Thank you for the heads up I am really looking forwards to chasing mulies in WA


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There are Mule deer around the Tri Cities. The Columbia river breaks is a good area to sniff around.

 

[Silveroddo]

If I’m not mistaken there’s a limited entry draw opportunity around the potholes north of you. I never looked into it extensively but it’s probably something to be aware of.
Look into late season Archery.
Guys in Washington are willing to put in an impressive effort on pretty mediocre/sub par deer hunting. If you ever gave those guys a decent population to hunt, they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves.
Look up harvest statistics and try and put yourself in the areas where guys are killing stuff. 10% is 10%, one in ten guys is killing something.

 

[Bryanb0224]

The high buck hunt is a good place to start to cut your teeth on hunting mulies here. Get in good shape though because they are wilderness hunts and not easy to say the least.

Buy a bear tag as well, the more of those we can kill the better.

I was thinking about hunting Lake Chelan wilderness for archery season and buying a bear tag as well figured I could get in there prior to the modern season have you ever been up that way? What are your thoughts on hunting archery in that area if you have any?


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[Bryanb0224]

I learned to hunt mule deer in the high-country of WA state.

I now live and hunt in MT, have hunted ID 4 of the past 5 seasons, and have spent a bunch of time in WY scouting for future hunts once I draw.

All that to say, there are pockets in WA that rival any basin I've been in, ANYWHERE, both in terms of number and quality of deer. They aren't close to roads, and most of them are a mile or two from the nearest trail...but they definitely exist.

My recommendation would be to hunt the high buck areas, but during modern firearm season. You won't see another hunter (I didn't in 6 years) and will figure out pretty quick that the big boys stay up top for a lot longer than most seem to think. The high hunt is ridiculously fun, and the scenery that time of year in the Cascades is without question the best in the lower 48...but you'll have competition in a lot of spots that are ghost towns come October.

Since you're in the tri-cities, I'd plan on spending every free weekend you've got in the various Cascade Wilderness Areas and connecting the dots. Lot of doom and gloom from guys that grew up during the WA state hey-days, and I'm sure the hunting isn't what it used to be...but holy cow, I can't imagine how good it used to be given how good it still is in the right areas.

Find the nastiest, steepest, deadfall infested trail...hike in a few miles, and climb up a ridge into the alpine...you'll have a lot of fun. And of course, plan on being in the best shape of your life, there are places in the Cascades that make Central Idaho feel like the Great Plains.

I was actually thinking about hunting the Lake Chelan wilderness area prior to to the high buck obviously with archery equipment and have a bear tag on hand as well. Figured I would try with a bow I I 2023 and then see about getting up in the area during modern. What are your thoughts on hunting archery up there? I haven’t seen much deer around my area at all but really haven’t got high and glassed but plan on doing a lot of that here pretty quick with the new year.


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[croben]

Are you able to bear hunt during archery season as well? I have never bear hunted but looking forward to it very much!

Fall bear opens August 1st and runs through the middle of November. You can hunt bear with rifle, bow, or muzzle loader. We always have our bear tags when we’re hunting elk or deer just in case.

High buck hunts are great! You get to see some amazing country and will generally be in cooler weather, even seeing snow in September.

Personally, I’ve had the most success hunting whitetail from a tree stand, so that might be more up your alley with your experience.

You will come to realize quickly this state has done an extremely poor job of managing predators. We are spending more time out of state at this point, which sucks but it’s reality.

Good luck though man! Enjoy!

 

[ianpadron]

I was actually thinking about hunting the Lake Chelan wilderness area prior to to the high buck obviously with archery equipment and have a bear tag on hand as well. Figured I would try with a bow I I 2023 and then see about getting up in the area during modern. What are your thoughts on hunting archery up there? I haven’t seen much deer around my area at all but really haven’t got high and glassed but plan on doing a lot of that here pretty quick with the new year.


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Do it. Figure out water ahead of time.

 

[Justin.Medcalf]

I was actually thinking about hunting the Lake Chelan wilderness area prior to to the high buck obviously with archery equipment and have a bear tag on hand as well. Figured I would try with a bow I I 2023 and then see about getting up in the area during modern. What are your thoughts on hunting archery up there? I haven’t seen much deer around my area at all but really haven’t got high and glassed but plan on doing a lot of that here pretty quick with the new year.


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Found this dead head not too far from the Tri cities, I was chasing two bucks that made him look small. You don’t need to travel far to find good bucks just have patients and hunt hard to access areas.

 

[NikTheHick]

Thanks for the replies… and I was actually looking at that high buck hunt and read that they basically spell it out for you on the locations.. I haven’t picked up a rifle in years mostly bow hunt ! I would imagine the terrain would make it a little harder on the bow hunting side of the house but does sound fun!


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I just moved from WA, did the high buck hunt for years. It is a tough hunt, be prepared for the full range of weather. Been snowed on more times than not, stuck in the tent for days with HEAVY rain. Pick up a black bear tag if you do High Buck in the central Cascades, always saw WAY more black bear than mule deer.