Wolves?

[shedyoda]

Noticed that quite a few guy/gals are from WA/ID/B.C. and was curious what experience you've had with wolves + their impact on certain hunting areas. Was in the high country Friday thru Sunday near Twisp area in WA. Backpacked in to a place where I saw 10-15 legal bucks a few weeks ago. It got about 4-5 inches of snow about two weeks ago and has since melted off. All day Saturday and half of Sunday glassed some of the best deer habitat I've ever seen. Did not see a dam deer :BLEEP: It was actually an eerie feeing. Saturday night was camped at a pass at about 7000 ft. and right after dark I could hear the wolves holwing somewhat close. Did see wolf tracks on the trail. Has anyone had any experiences with this? It wasn't a small area, I was glassing and hunting miles of country. Didn't see another hunter all day, which seemed odd. If they clear an area of game how long does it take for them to move back in. Can't see the wolves sticking around if the deer are gone and I mean they were gone! No sh$!, tracks, sign, anything. Any info would be helpful, I would love to hunt this area again. There has been some big bucks taken here in the past. Just tough to go back without seeing a dam deer |oo

thanks Shedyoda.

 

[BigHornRam]

Shedyoda,

Have you ever had wolf on an oak plank? It's a good recipe, you should try it sometime.

 

[shedyoda]

Have you ever had wolf on an oak plank?  It's a good recipe, you should try it sometime.[/QUOTE]

No, seems it may be a little tough to chew. I have had salmon on a cedar shake, that's good. If they keep running the deer off I might have to try it sometime. Never thought I'd have a hunt ruined from fuggin wild dogs!

 

[BCBOY]

Shedyoda,
Chances are the piece of high country you were hunting experience a phenomenon called "Migration".

Wolves are very common in many of my muley hidey holes. The deer don't seem to be pushed around by them. Rather when the wolves are hunting hard, the deer are really skittish. Not much different than what you would experience in an area with tons of human hunting pressure. One year I had wolves move in to an area I had a doe draw. I got skunked on the doe that year. Not because I never saw one, but because every deer I saw didn't give me the chance to get a "No Horn Count" on the flatheads.
In several of my moose areas, when the wolves are hunting hard, you'll find the moose only being pushed out of one drainage, to the next one over and then back again.

 

[raybow 1]

Shedyoda:
The tracks and howling you heard wasn't from wolves, it was from cyotees. They get relatively big in the area you described ( up to 80 pounds I've seen). Believe it or not, the deer are still in this area you described but are tucked in about one third of the way up from the bottom of the basin. The trail may not have had anyone on it for a couple of days or so but it does get hit hard the first few days of season which drives the deer into heavier cover. It is too open for them toward the top of the ridge and they are using the trees for sanctuary this time in the season. Great feeding stations are found at the bottom of the drainage where it is a bit more open because of the starting of the headwaters of the river. They will be low in the mornings and work their way up to their bedding area in an hour or two. They will get back up and move around between the hours of 10:00 and 12:00. The snow you are talking about isn't or wasn't sufficient enough to push em anywhere let alone into the migration. You will need a minimum of 12 to 16 inches on up (and freezing weather) for the migration in this area. If you travel 8 or 10 miles in on that trail you will find the deer to be more in their natural state due to little or no hunting pressure. I only know of one person that hunts that area. There are not as many deer in this drainage but there are some real slabs. The lack of deer also is attributed to the fact that there was a big tom working this area just a week before hunting season. If you go back and hunt this drainage again try and send one person through the bottom whle another stays higher on a vantage point. The wind carries up the ridge in the morning and will funnel some of the deer up. You will need to hunt those benches that are below the trail. There are four main benches. The deer are there.

 

[shedyoda]

thanks BCBOY, was waiting for your reply. New you've had to have some experience with this. Quized my brother-in-law who lives in WA. now, but grew up and is from the Cranbrook area in B.C. and has also grew up hunting all over Eastern B.C. He made similar comments you made. "Migration" obviously was my first thought, that's actually why I hunt that area this time of year there are large numbers of deer on the move. Although it had only snowed once about 3 weeks ago and when I was there last week there was no sign of snow and was 60 some degrees. One early snow definetly didn't move all the deer. I believe it was a combination of both. In areas where bigger Muley bucks migrate from the high country how much snow do you think it takes to get them on the move? Obviously they will need does in a few weeks so that is also a factor but, I think some of those bigger bucks will hang in some bad weather as long as there is enough feed to scratch and does to mount.

 

[shedyoda]

Thanks for the advice Raybow, although don't think were talking about the same area. I was being general when I said Twisp area, it wasn't at the end of the Twisp River road or the Mazama drainage if that's what you where thinking. I wasn't just hunting one drainage it was several that I was at the headwaters. 7000ft. for a "pass" is about as high as you'll get in most areas of the Cascades unless your on an actual mountain or peak. That put me at the headwaters of quite a few drainages. I Have hunted coyotes and grew up where coyotes are plentiful. Not trying to be argumentative but I definitely know the difference between a coyote yelping and a wolf howling, theres no mistaking the two. If you ever get a chance to here it you'll understand what I'm saying...never had the sound of a coyote make the hair on my neck standup.

 

[raybow 1]

shedyoda:
I didn't think they had wolves in that part of the state. Did they import some into this area? It sounds like we may be talking about different areas.

 

[shedyoda]

Talking about North Central Washington in the Methow Valley and surrounding. There has always been a certain amount of wolves in this area especially in the Pasayten region. Really close to the Canadian border where wolves are abundant enough where you can actually either buy or get drawn hunt them. They are still endangered here although in the last 10-15 years groups have implemented them in certain areas trying to get them to come back in some of there natural enviroments. I have some relatives who hunt this area and have actually seen a couple of them a few years ago. I really didn't believe them either until last Saturday night.

 

[BCBOY]

Shedyoda,
To tell ya the truth, most big bucks bail out of the alpine within the first 2 weeks of Sept around here. Some years there isn't any signifcant snow until mid to late Oct yet there are no deer in the highcountry. My theory is has alot to do with frost. Frost kills out that lush alpine veg so the bucks drop in elevation to chase it as long as it lasts. Many times that puts them in the thick mid-high elevation timber in the Rhodo jungles. They normally stay in that stuff until the snow is over belly deep.
This year has really been odd around here. No big bucks in the alpine even in the summer. Due to all the rain we had, the bucks chose to all stay low. Growth on the veg this year has been incredible. The bucks didn't need to go anywhere, and just stayed low all year. Will make for a great late season as I won't have to wait for the snow to push them low.

 

[tufferthandug]

Yoda

I headed into one of my fav. spots at the beginning of Sept. and had the similar situation with wolves. The deer had moved but the moose had stayed. I had two packs calling but I couldn't call them into view.
The deer are back now but I dought the wolves aren't too far behind. I've noticed around here the animals do a huge circle of an area. They always come back though..
As for eating them, Blahh. After skinning em your lunch will be on the ground beside it, and you won't feel like eating.

 

[BigHornRam]

Dug,

You haven't tried my recipe. First marinate your wolf meat for 2 days. Then pound with a meat hammer for 30 minutes per side. Place meat on oak plank and slow cook on low heat for 2 days. Take out of oven, through away the meat and eat the oak plank. Enjoy!

 

[tufferthandug]

BHR, No oak but I do have Cedar!!

Thanks for the Recipe!
AWoooooooooo

 

[shedyoda]

BCBOY, I agree. Just got back from another deer hunt on Friday in a different area of course but still what would be considered high country. Just wanted to get away from all the hunting pressure and liked the thought of hunting in 2-3 inches of snow. Well didn't see much for deer or tracks nonetheless. The were some bigger bucks I know that where shot down lower. The in-between theory where the vegetation is good and will hold up till belly deep explains a lot for me. The good part about that is you don't have to go so high after the early September hunts are over. Although there is something about killing bucks in the high country that's fascinating, think thats why I keep going back even if I've been skunked the week before. Thanks for the input sure will put a different perspective on my hunting next year. Sure is tough to kill one of those big boys in that thick stuff. They sure won't be seen if they don't want to. Guess that's why it's called huntin not shooting.

thanks Yoda.