2025 Washington Fall Season: A Year of Grinding, Growth, and Gratitude
There’s something about the East slope of the Cascade Range in Washington State that I will always hold dear. Not just for their beauty, but the effort that is laid out each season starting in June and running through October. Scouting season, fall bear season, mule deer season, you wait all year and then it comes and goes so quickly.
The 2025 fall season in Washington State was exceptional. Hard work, failure, sweat, grind and gratitude.
A season that started in the heat of summer and ended in a snow covered tent in the Cascades. It was filled with challenges, lessons learned, family hunts, and overall just an unforgettable chunk of months.
Summer: The Work Starts Early
Long before seasons open, the work begins. We have made a tradition of camping for Fathers Day Weekend; this also serves as our first true scouting trip of the year. Typically running up into a past haunt, and then exploring some new spots. I love scouting this time of year, the mountain is alive with flowers, fawns and very mellow deer. You can still cut snow and look at sign and movement, all around Muley’s in the Cascades are just now getting close to where they summer and live till mid fall, I take full advantage of this time to maximize on finding corridors, trails, and pockets of deer.
June & July are the heavier scouting months for us, with fall bear kicking off in August. Running cameras, glassing drainages and basins, looking to relocate bucks of years past, looking for new hidey holes, it’s the best time of year and most importantly gives you the confidence you need in the fall to know these monarchs are still on the mountain… This time of year lays the foundation for everything to come.
Bear Season: A Test of Patience & Suffering
When August rolled around, our focus shifted to chasing black bears in the Cascades.
And to be honest, it was an ass kicker. With a later opening date for our typical zones, we had to hunt the first 2 weeks of season in new country. The opener looked promising, glassing up 2 bears on opening morning but that did not last. Feed was inconsistent, patterns were off. Bears seemed to have all they needed in the timber, with no need to expose themselves in open country.
We put in the time. Early mornings, long evenings behind the glass, miles of ridges and drainages hiked. All in all, over 20 days were spent in the mountains chasing bears with zero luck. Hunting with my kids. Hunting with my wife. Hunting solo. But no punched tags. This can be a suck fest, but at the end of the day, just being out there chasing bears in wild country is a blessing in itself, cliché yes but very true.
Transition to Mule Deer: My Favorite Time of Year
As September rolled in, bears were still on the mind, but I had a multi-season tag this year meaning I could hunt all 3 weapon seasons. On our last hunt of August, my wife glassed up a pretty solid buck in the high country, he was in an area that was stalkable with a bow. I made the solo trip over for a 3-day archery muley hunt / bear hunt. Forest fires had the smoke rolling, it was hot, overall, just brutal conditions to glass deer or find deer. I still hunted the country we located that buck in, but he was nowhere to be found, no fresh sign, he was certainly close but I could not turn him up. After spending a few days at it solo, I had to get back to work and spend some time with the family prior to October.
October in Washington means modern rifle season for mule deer. Chasing a mature mule deer buck during rifle season is one of the most challenging hunts there is. They are not up much out of timber during October, they know the game and they know their home range. It’s an awesome time trying to capture a glimpse of a brute. My wife and I had 8 days packed in the mountains to get it done. We committed fully, then the weather hit. A full-blown blizzard rolled through, leaving about 18 inches of snow and very gusty winds. Cold mornings, snow-covered ridges, tough visibility, all of what makes a good mountain muley hunt.
Day after day, we glassed, moved, adapted, and kept spirits high. Finally on day 7, Shelby’s first buck became a reality. My wife Shelby got her opportunity and made it count. Her first buck, a beautiful mature mule deer. A moment that made every hard day worth it. There are no words for that moment and being with her.
On our final day, we had to pack up this afternoon to get home to our kids, food was gone, this was it. We got to our glassing position in the dark optimistic of what may come. As the sun rose, we were not turning up any bucks, that’s when my wife looked deep down the drainage and spotted a buck on the move. That was it, we made our move to get closer and see what kind of buck this was. Still-hunting through timber, slow and focused, I got my opportunity. A mature heavy buck at 70 yards, He could not smell me but he saw my movement and alerted to my position, I slowly rested behind my rifle and touched it off. My best Washington mule deer to date. A moment that felt truly earned.
This season wasn’t defined by filled tags. It was defined by effort, family, time in the mountains, and persistence. And finally, capitalizing when it mattered most. The 2025 Washington season gave us everything: challenge, growth, gratitude and a full freezer.
