Results of special permit drawing available online

The results of the big game special permit drawings are now available online. Go to: http://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/permits/ and click on "Check your special permit drawing results."

You will be required to enter your Wild ID number, name and birth date before viewing the results.

My hunt group was successful in a few drawings. Three of us, as a group, pulled in an antlerless elk for hunt 2220, which includes Game Management Units 328 and 329. This is a good area and should be a good hunt.

Our hunt group of five also drew a second deer tag for hunt 1414, which is GMU 133 around Davenport. I have hunted the hills in 133 and know some people in the area, so this should also be a good hunt.

I also drew a 65-years-or-older tag for the GMU 242 near Pateros and Alta Lake State Park. Don't know this area very well, so will need to do some scouting before the season.

All three of these hunts are for antlerless animals, which is just fine with me. I still have my regular deer tag, which will be used to hunt a buck. This regular tag can also be used in the old-guy, or old-gal, hunt, but it can only be used once; for a buck, during the regular season, or for an antlerless animal.

The regular season is Oct. 17 through 27. The season for the second deer and other antlerless deer hunt has the same dates.

So just doing a little thinking out loud and preplanning, here is what I imagine happening.

Deer hunt

My hunting party will meet at deer camp and hunt bucks for at least one day.

We will then head north to GMU 133 and hunt antlerless animals for a day. We have permission to hunt several properties in the area. Next we may hunt in the morning for bucks and head north for antlerless in the late morning and early afternoon.

If there are no bucks to be found around hunting camp, we may head to GMU 242 for an antlerless animal.

Reloading

Our group is working on getting a rifle reloading bench set up. We just need to gather all of our supplies in one place. We have the place, so we just need to get the supplies to the spot and take inventory.

Next the reloading will begin. Bill Witt and I reloaded many rounds 20 years ago, but became busy with other duties and stopped. Now Bill is retired and so am I. It's time to reload again.

Reloading is just one part of the equation. We will next need to take the reloaded rounds to the shooting range for testing. A round will be "worked up" for each rifle.

It will be interesting for me to see if the same reload used in the .30-06 years ago still works as well today as it did then.

Other rifles include a .243, .303 British and a .270 and these are just my rifles. Bill has several, plus Bill Green is a part of this group and he has some different calibers, too.

Time spent with friends at the reloading bench and at the range should result in a fine round for each rifle, plus practice for the hunting season.

Secure permission to hunt now

Now is the time for hunters to secure permission to hunt private lands. Even though I know many of the 133 landowners well, I will make a trip to the area for a visit. Plus, there may be other landowners to visit who may allow my party to hunt.

However, I don't know landowners in the Alta Lake State Park area. It will be important to visit the area and knock on doors. One great place to meet landowners is the morning coffee club. It is common to find landowners visiting over coffee, at 6 or 7 a.m. in a favorite restaurant.

I've used this avenue to secure permission by simply asking the group if any of them knew a place to hunt. Once a landowner approached the table where our hunting group of four was sitting and asked if we were looking for a place to hunt.

But now is the time to begin searching for the land and permission, not the day before the season opens.

Perhaps the four-month waiting period will pass quickly, without too much fretting.