collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season  (Read 6697 times)

Offline milldozer

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Hunter
  • ***
  • Join Date: Jan 2014
  • Posts: 178
Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« on: December 11, 2014, 08:32:41 PM »
I've been on the site for about a year now, but this will be my first post.  I had been hunting weyco land with my dad forever with intermittent success, but in light of the new permit requirements this year we decided to branch out and try something new. 

We hunted in Lewis River, primarily between 4000' and 5000'.  New to the area and with only a few short summer scouting trips in we were more or less going in blind.  We hunted hard from Nov. 1 - 9, covered a lot of ground, and learned a lot about the area, but unfortunately, only saw a handful of cows.  My question to you all is:  Do you believe the 4000'-5000' range is too high/low?  Did the lack of snow keep them up higher?  I'm sure there are elk way outside that range on both sides, but just curious what others have experienced that time of year and if we were in the ballpark.

Despite not seeing any bulls, it was a great trip and I really enjoyed getting into some new and different country.  I've really enjoyed this site over the last year and hope to be contributing more in the future.

Offline elksnout

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Feb 2009
  • Posts: 1278
  • Location: Washougal, Wash
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #1 on: December 11, 2014, 09:14:21 PM »
I'd say the results of your hunt were fairly typical of that unit. With the reduction of logging the past decade or better there just isn't as many elk as there once was. Having said that, the Lewis River is one of my favorites but I haven't hunted it for quite some time now. Been thinking of going back. Not for the elk but for the scenery. Mostly the upper Lewis drainage. There's elk there of course but your'e right on about covering ground and lots of it. I do not feel that elevation has much to do with it. You would be surprised how much snow those elk can tolerate before they move down. Find the feed. The unit also sees it fair share of hunting pressure and I'm not surprised that more will follow such as you and your dad have with the access fees. Scout more this spring/summer. It takes years to really learn a new area. I think that is really the key. Be careful of camping too high for when the snow really starts to dump.
Can't we all just get along?

Offline Magnum_Willys

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Nov 2009
  • Posts: 5437
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2014, 09:43:31 PM »
Congrats you saw some !  Welcome to public hunting in SW WA !  There not much Higher than 5000' so you weren't too low for sure.  If you weren't buckin snow you weren't too high.  Your results are what I would expect first year or so until you find a couple honey holes where you mite find a raghorn if you are lucky.......

Offline jeffitz

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Scout
  • ****
  • Join Date: Oct 2011
  • Posts: 326
  • Location: SW WA
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2014, 05:45:26 PM »
Elevation definitely not that important and for sure it takes awhile to learn a new area,find a spot that has elk and learn it well,dont jump around too much.Lewis unit has some good areas,hard part is stayin with it all season,lots of bulls get killed the last day of season when many hunters have already given up!
If you're gonna be dumb,you gotta be tough.

Offline Eli346

  • Eli
  • Past Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2009
  • Posts: 2293
  • Location: Shelton
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #4 on: December 13, 2014, 11:02:36 AM »
During modern rifle I really don't care if I see any cows or not. By the time modern comes around the elk have been well educated in hunter pressure. I'm looking for fresh sign and singles or doubles in the tracks. The bulls don't seem to hang around the cows when the pressure starts in most of the areas I hunt; all public ground in SW WA. Work steep and deep and keep near the drainages as I seem to run into lone bulls bedded down near the bottoms of the small creek drainages. It does take years to learn new areas but GoogleEarth has helped me a bunch narrow down where the best places are to start. Keep scouting and good luck!

Offline logger

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2007
  • Posts: 1138
  • Location: troutlake wa.
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #5 on: December 13, 2014, 05:05:12 PM »
We worked all over the lewis river all summer, I was amazed at the lack of elk we saw, we were over the 25 road everyday, up the 93,curly cr. all over, most elk we saw were low elavation, even them were few and far between.
go ahead on er.

Offline elksnout

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Feb 2009
  • Posts: 1278
  • Location: Washougal, Wash
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #6 on: December 13, 2014, 08:22:39 PM »
We worked all over the lewis river all summer, I was amazed at the lack of elk we saw, we were over the 25 road everyday, up the 93,curly cr. all over, most elk we saw were low elavation, even them were few and far between.
                                                                                                               

Logger. Were they logging up the 93 road? Where abouts? Back in the day you had better have your CB on or risk changing out your skivvies...
Can't we all just get along?

Offline logger

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2007
  • Posts: 1138
  • Location: troutlake wa.
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #7 on: December 14, 2014, 03:14:00 AM »
We worked all over the lewis river all summer, I was amazed at the lack of elk we saw, we were over the 25 road everyday, up the 93,curly cr. all over, most elk we saw were low elavation, even them were few and far between.
                                                                                                               

Logger. Were they logging up the 93 road? Where abouts? Back in the day you had better have your CB on or risk changing out your skivvies...
yep, on the west end,pepper cr. the other end on the 90 is still pretty brushy
go ahead on er.

Offline milldozer

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Hunter
  • ***
  • Join Date: Jan 2014
  • Posts: 178
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #8 on: December 19, 2014, 12:08:36 PM »
Thanks for the replies all.  Saw a lot of fresh tracks, but no bulls in um.  Looking forward to getting back in there in the spring. 

Has anyone heard about nice bulls taken in the unit this season?  I've seen some great bulls up there in September, but November proved to be a different story.

Offline jeffitz

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Scout
  • ****
  • Join Date: Oct 2011
  • Posts: 326
  • Location: SW WA
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #9 on: December 19, 2014, 08:35:55 PM »
Several nice bull pics at Cougar Store from this season.no world records but seems like more 5pt or bigger bulls than raghorns this year judging by those pics,which is unusual
If you're gonna be dumb,you gotta be tough.

Offline gonehunter

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Pilgrim
  • *
  • Join Date: Dec 2014
  • Posts: 3
  • Location: wa jungles
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #10 on: December 22, 2014, 09:34:48 PM »
Hello, first post. Buddy's grampa pulled a 350 bull out of his honey hole couple years ago, on his way out he ran into even bigger bull. I finally got it out of my buddy after much quizzing where it was. I'll try to get some pics. There is some stomper hiding out in there. It's not too far from the roads you were explaining. Also, last year a friend of mine pulled out a 300" 5 point from the lewis. Not easy hunting though is why their big.

Offline BABackcountryBwhntr

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Scout
  • ****
  • Join Date: Oct 2013
  • Posts: 350
  • Location: SW Wa
  • Groups: NRA,CCA,RMEF,WSA,NFAA....
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #11 on: December 30, 2014, 12:41:54 PM »
killed my first archery bull in the lewis... that part of it is a killer area but you have to know how to get into it....

Offline towerboy74

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Pilgrim
  • *
  • Join Date: Sep 2013
  • Posts: 7
  • Location: puyallup
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #12 on: December 31, 2014, 11:02:48 AM »
Hunted up there last 2 years now lot of elk from my ventures got a nice 5x5 opening morning this year. always seem to find a few when I'm out there. but as they say gotta burn some boot leather, mine was a 2 mile pack-out.

Offline jpharcher

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Scout
  • ****
  • Join Date: Nov 2009
  • Posts: 331
  • "Aim Small, Miss Small!"
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #13 on: December 31, 2014, 03:08:15 PM »
This is a Lewis River Bull from this year

Offline addicted2hunting

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Sep 2012
  • Posts: 678
  • Location: alger, wa
  • Groups: DU, NAVHDA, HRC.
Re: Lewis River Modern Elk General Season
« Reply #14 on: December 31, 2014, 03:35:33 PM »
the unit is big. the elk are there just gotta find em.
"real dogs have beards"

 


* Advertisement

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal