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Author Topic: general season stories  (Read 9370 times)

Offline Rob Allen

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #30 on: November 07, 2017, 07:20:40 PM »
I brought home dinner out pf 578 yesterdsy...

5 lbs of the seasons last chantarells.

Lots of elk tracks on the state  and private forest lands but there are soo many people that they are high tailing it to thr refuge..
Saw one kid fill a cow tag but that's  it. Lots of people spending lots  of gas money. Very few people walking.. as soon as you start  walking  behind s gate and feel you are in a good  spot, there is another road.

This area needs lots more gates
Yet while we were still sinners Christ died for us.

Offline Humptulips

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #31 on: November 07, 2017, 10:11:56 PM »
I guess I have not run out of hunting luck yet. I got one Sunday.
Sorry no Pictures. It is not a very impressive set of horns anyway, a 6x2 but you would laugh if you saw them. Barely legal so no bragging but I thought you might enjoy the story.

I had hunted all day Saturday and saw nothing but brush on what I thought was pretty flat ground but at the end of the day my knees were killing me. I had planned to go up on the hill Sunday but the knees changed that. Saturday morning they were as stiff as stove pipes but I put on a couple ace bandages, popped a couple pills and away I went.

I went down to the Fish hatchery and crossed the creek on the dam. There is a small tributary runs in right there and I was going to hunt up the right side of it until I came to some leased ground, cross the creek and hunt back down to the car. Flat country and about 90 year old hemlock timber. Brushy in spots but open on the bench above the creek. It was raining so not much chance of seeing tracks. Tough to track in that country anyway.

I came in sight of the clearing that is the leased area. I was on Forest Service land. I crossed the creek and it was much brushier on that side. About 6 foot high salal brush with and assortment of huckleberry and vine maple. I had worked my way north of the creek quite a way trying to find some good going when up jumps this bull about 200 feet from me. That is a long shot in there.

After fiddling with my scope covers for what seemed an eternity I got my gun on him. I probably should not have done it but I took a head shot and normally when you do that the animal is either dead or gone. In this case he turned and took off when I shot.
Krap! I just missed more then likely the only bull I will see this year.
 
I ran up to where he had been as fast as I could go. Did I mention my knees were killing me? No tracks that I could see. I was hoping there were more elk so I might have a chance at tracking them but as it turned out he was all alone.

I walked down somewhat of a trail where he had gone for about a 100 feet and there he is, pointed straight away from me with his head down and about 30 feet away.
In retrospect he looked sick but it did not register at the time. He presented absolutely no shot. I watched him for what seemed like forever but in reality probably only 30 seconds or so. He would swing his head from side to side a little but never enough to take another shot at his head.

Then his head comes up and I try a shot over his back to the back of his head. Boom and down he goes. No pat on the back for a good shot though. I just clipped the top of the hump at his shoulders. It turned out no spinal damage but the shock of getting a couple of those bones that stick up broke paralyzed him at least temporarily.

I walked up and he was flailing around more vigorously as time went by. I think he would have gotten up eventually but I gave him a finishing shot to the back of the head.

On inspection my first shot had hit him right on the bridge of the nose halfway between the eyes and nose. From the angle it should have went under his brain. Lot of bone there though. I still am blown away that I could hit the elk there and not at least knock him down. He never even seemed to flinch. I shoot a 300 WSM by the way.

The reason the elk was alone is likely because he was a cripple. It looked like he had broke his left front foreleg some time ago. It was healed but pulled up and the joints were stiff.. He could not use it and his shoulder muscles were atrophied from not being used. There was a little discharge from his foreleg but I whacked it off at the elbow and everything above seemed fine.

The pack out was a little disconcerting because I was only about 300 yards from a road but had to pack it about a mile because I could not access the road.
I hung it and skinned it Sunday and because I am not to smart ended up packing the front half out that day getting out about dark. I think I might have mentioned my knees are killing me.  :( I started a little late Monday and had the last of it in the pickup at about 2:30.
Bruce Vandervort

Offline E35alex

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #32 on: November 08, 2017, 05:39:21 AM »
Congrats on the bull! great story
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Offline DavidM

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #33 on: November 12, 2017, 11:21:57 AM »
Hunted the Colockum area up near the reserve near Colockum road. We saw a lot of Elk, big groups and not just in the mornings. There were big groups out all day. The problem was not very many true spikes. I saw only 5 total either hanging in camps or being hauled out. We saw a lot of 1x2 bulls and I mean a lot of them. I spent a few days during the Deer season up there and saw a lot of bigger Bulls 5 point or better. There was a big 7x7 bull taken at Dairy springs up there in Sept. by a hunter with the Governors tag. It was cool seeing all the big Bulls this year. We can't hunt them but seeing them up there again is very cool. I have been hunting there for 40 years and there were more Elk up on top near the reserve than I have seen in a long time. That being said the state needs help to figure out the true Spike thing it's not working for the hunter any more.

Offline lilshootergirl

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #34 on: November 13, 2017, 04:04:10 PM »
Why is it we hunt spike elk in washington, unless you hit the lottery?, and other states allow branch bull? I would think the branch bulls would breed its off spring? Or maybe there's not enough bull for everyone? Just wondering!
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Offline runamuk

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #35 on: November 13, 2017, 04:17:55 PM »
Actually you hunt 3 point or better in western WA it's only eastern that has spike rules.  Deer are the exact reverse east side we hunt 3 or better west side you can hunt spike on up in most areas.

Its,about money people pay a lot of money into the draw game hoping to "buy" a chance at an east side bull.

Offline SureThing

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #36 on: November 13, 2017, 09:21:34 PM »
Before when it was any bull on the east side there were only a handful of bulls killed and most were rag horns at best. Since they went to the permit draw the herd has diversity and you at least get to see the big bulls if you don’t hit ghe lottery.
If you do hit the lottery, you get a chance at a true quality bull and a hunt worth remembering. I think it is one of the best things the WDFW has done. If you don’t like hunting for spikes only then hunt a unit that allows you to shoot any bull.

Offline Naches Sportsman

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #37 on: November 13, 2017, 09:27:26 PM »
I am not going to go into detail, but I sure hope the guy who pointed a rifle at and darn near shot a local  tells his story here.

He doesn't deserve to be hunting nor deserves to own a gun with a shoot anything that moves mindset.

Offline Duckhunter14

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #38 on: November 16, 2017, 09:46:48 AM »
Before when it was any bull on the east side there were only a handful of bulls killed and most were rag horns at best. Since they went to the permit draw the herd has diversity and you at least get to see the big bulls if you don’t hit the lottery.
If you do hit the lottery, you get a chance at a true quality bull and a hunt worth remembering. I think it is one of the best things the WDFW has done. If you don’t like hunting for spikes only then hunt a unit that allows you to shoot any bull.

 :tup: its called management. Talk to anyone who hunted the units managed for big bulls now, 20-30 years ago and they'll point to a couple dinky raghorn racks and say that was a huge success back then. The herds are healthy and as mentioned if you don't want quality or to wait out the draw system then go hunt an any bull unit or travel out of state.
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Offline Buzz2401

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #39 on: November 16, 2017, 10:41:12 AM »
I like the way the elk seasons are set up now.  It sucked when it was any bull back in the day.  Ya it can sometimes feel impossible to shoot a spike but it wasn't much different back when it was any bull.  At least now we have about same odds and then a chance to have a really good permit hunt if your number is drawn.  Open it up to any bull or even 3 point min on eastside and first year or two will be really good then it will be right back to same old crappy hunting. 

Offline Stein

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #40 on: November 16, 2017, 10:47:43 AM »
Why is it we hunt spike elk in washington, unless you hit the lottery?, and other states allow branch bull? I would think the branch bulls would breed its off spring? Or maybe there's not enough bull for everyone? Just wondering!

In other states, they either have more bulls, less hunters or both.  It's simply a numbers game, WA has a ton of hunters and a modest herd so there just won't be as many opportunities as some other states.

Offline Skyvalhunter

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #41 on: November 16, 2017, 11:10:34 AM »
Modest? well I am glad you are being modest about your modest statement.
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Offline heavyhorned

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #42 on: November 17, 2017, 02:11:54 PM »
Why is it we hunt spike elk in washington, unless you hit the lottery?, and other states allow branch bull? I would think the branch bulls would breed its off spring? Or maybe there's not enough bull for everyone? Just wondering!

In other states, they either have more bulls, less hunters or both.  It's simply a numbers game, WA has a ton of hunters and a modest herd so there just won't be as many opportunities as some other states.
[/quote
so why don't they allow elk to disperse into other areas. i hear of elk going into areas and the next year they list the unit and say any elk. why not let them expand and maybe become larger herds. it seems Washington state only wants the herds to stay in just certain areas. we have two very small herds and ever since it was noticed by game dept they list it as any elk. funny to see 100 orange suits looking over a area for 5 elk.

Offline Woodchuck

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #43 on: November 17, 2017, 02:19:42 PM »
We camped in the snow, ate some good food, had a nice warm tent, had a good time with good friends, only destroyed one tent.
Saw very few elk, I squeezed the trigger 0 times.
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Offline ASienkiewich

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Re: general season stories
« Reply #44 on: November 17, 2017, 03:59:24 PM »
Hunted all but 3 days of the season here on the west side. Couldn’t do it without my dad(right) and brother (left). Great time camping and getting after it day after day. Hard work pays off!


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