what do you think about the lewis river unit?

[addicted2hunting]

I am planning an early archery hunt for next year and researching some places to start scouting in the off season. I am new to elk hunting, do you guys have anything to say about that unit?

[Wazukie]

Write(spelling?) Meadow area is where I'd go.

[addicted2hunting]

Meadow area? like GMU? is my spelling wrong?

[Wazukie]

No, not your spelling but mine.  it is a meadow up toward Spencer meadow and that area.  I used to do a lot of archery elk hunting up there and last time I was there, a couple years ago, there was syill plenty of animals around.

[RadSav]

I spent a lot of time up there scouting and getting to know the area well.  Season opener came and I left before the end of the first day.  Bowhunters were crawling out of the timber every where I went.  Camps set up right in the middle of the best areas I scouted.  There were some good bulls in there and a fair number of elk.  But, combat bowhunting is not my thing.  Getting away from the crowds is the reason I started bowhunting in the first place.  You don't get much of a choice in late archery than to hunt the crowds, but early season you should be able to bugle a bull without 10 other guys coming in.

I'm sure if I had spent more time I could have found a bull or two outside the range most bowhunters were willing to walk.  But, I think there are areas easier and with more animals.  That's just one mans opinion though.  Good luck to you.  Hope you find a spot you can enjoy yourself in.  And tag the big one as well.

[addicted2hunting]

spencer meadow, not sure of what unit that is in?

[kentrek]

Bowhunters were crawling out of the timber every where I went.  Camps set up right in the middle of the best areas I scouted.  There were some good bulls in there and a fair number of elk.  But, combat bowhunting is not my thing.  Getting away from the crowds is the reason I started bowhunting in the first place.  You don't get much of a choice in late archery than to hunt the crowds, but early season you should be able to bugle a bull without 10 other guys coming in.

 

[addicted2hunting]

I spent a lot of time up there scouting and getting to know the area well.  Season opener came and I left before the end of the first day.  Bowhunters were crawling out of the timber every where I went.  Camps set up right in the middle of the best areas I scouted.  There were some good bulls in there and a fair number of elk.  But, combat bowhunting is not my thing.  Getting away from the crowds is the reason I started bowhunting in the first place.  You don't get much of a choice in late archery than to hunt the crowds, but early season you should be able to bugle a bull without 10 other guys coming in.

I'm sure if I had spent more time I could have found a bull or two outside the range most bowhunters were willing to walk.  But, I think there are areas easier and with more animals.  That's just one mans opinion though.  Good luck to you.  Hope you find a spot you can enjoy yourself in.  And tag the big one as well.

Could a guy hike far enough early season to not be in the combat hunting scene?

[Bshiftbc]

Wright meadow and Spencer meadow are in the Lewis. Never hunted there tho.

[addicted2hunting]

Wright meadow and Spencer meadow are in the Lewis. Never hunted there tho.

Oh ok, gotcha!

[addicted2hunting]

I spent a lot of time up there scouting and getting to know the area well.  Season opener came and I left before the end of the first day.  Bowhunters were crawling out of the timber every where I went.  Camps set up right in the middle of the best areas I scouted.  There were some good bulls in there and a fair number of elk.  But, combat bowhunting is not my thing.  Getting away from the crowds is the reason I started bowhunting in the first place.  You don't get much of a choice in late archery than to hunt the crowds, but early season you should be able to bugle a bull without 10 other guys coming in.

I'm sure if I had spent more time I could have found a bull or two outside the range most bowhunters were willing to walk.  But, I think there are areas easier and with more animals.  That's just one mans opinion though.  Good luck to you.  Hope you find a spot you can enjoy yourself in.  And tag the big one as well.

Could a guy hike far enough early season to not be in the combat hunting scene?

problem with that is you wont know till season starts..ive put im some hard miles in only to find huge camps an loads of people

your not gona find a place where no one knows about,if it looks good than expect company

brush bulls on timber land get over looked alot more than high country meadow bulls

also use the search box to help narrow down where not to go

I see, I like the eastside areas like naches but they dont give you the chance to get a big bull.

[washelkhunter]

I spent a lot of time up there scouting and getting to know the area well.  Season opener came and I left before the end of the first day.  Bowhunters were crawling out of the timber every where I went.  Camps set up right in the middle of the best areas I scouted.  There were some good bulls in there and a fair number of elk.  But, combat bowhunting is not my thing.  Getting away from the crowds is the reason I started bowhunting in the first place.  You don't get much of a choice in late archery than to hunt the crowds, but early season you should be able to bugle a bull without 10 other guys coming in.

I'm sure if I had spent more time I could have found a bull or two outside the range most bowhunters were willing to walk.  But, I think there are areas easier and with more animals.  That's just one mans opinion though.  Good luck to you.  Hope you find a spot you can enjoy yourself in.  And tag the big one as well.

Could a guy hike far enough early season to not be in the combat hunting scene?

Vast areas of 560 experienced little to no pressure this past AR season and they hold large bulls and abundant cows. You must have setup on the edges of or in the treefarms where everyone expects to get an easy elk.

[buglebuster]

  i hunted there a few yesrs back and didnt see another hunter

[addicted2hunting]

wow, good to know.

[THINK_N_ELK]

One thing to remember about the Lewis River unit is that it is mostly National Forest land, and come September there is a llllaaaaarrrrrrrggggggeeeeeee amount of berry pickers .  If the berries are in, you can bet every berry field will have pickers in it.  And they like to make a ton of noise hoping to scare off any bears (as well as deer and elk) in the area.  These groups will set camps where ever they want, and leave more trash behind than a 40 yd. dumpster could hold.

[RadSav]

I was a good ways in.  Some what close to one of the previous mentioned areas.  Guess there were quite a few that saw the same nice bull I did when scouting   It is a big unit so I'm sure with more effort I could have found some land to myself.  But dang that area I was in was a complete zoo three years ago.  I'm happy to let you guys have at it

Vast areas of 560 experienced little to no pressure this past AR season and they hold large bulls and abundant cows. You must have setup on the edges of or in the treefarms where everyone expects to get an easy elk.

Didn't know people expect to find easy elk in the Lewis.  Would have taken me hours to find a tree farm from where I was at.  Probably closer to mountain goats than a tree farm.

[Wazukie]

It is a big unit for sure.  When I hunted the archery season up near where I mentioned, we would only see one or two other hunters.  Now if you hunt560 unit up out of Trout Lake, you will see a sea of other hunters for sure. But then again, there are elk there also. 

[elkoholic]

One thing to remember about the Lewis River unit is that it is mostly National Forest land, and come September there is a llllaaaaarrrrrrrggggggeeeeeee amount of berry pickers .  If the berries are in, you can bet every berry field will have pickers in it.  And they like to make a ton of noise hoping to scare off any bears (as well as deer and elk) in the area.  These groups will set camps where ever they want, and leave more trash behind than a 40 yd. dumpster could hold.

Berry pickers a can also work in your favor, I hunt around some large berry fields and have killed several nice deer within a few hundred yard's of pickers, I think the deer are used to hearing people so they are not as skiddish(sometimes)...

[addicted2hunting]

all good info, thanks guys.

[Sliverslinger]

I've hunted the Lewis River unit both with a rifle and also archery since I was 10 years old. Five years ago I made the switch to archery and I still hunt the Lewis River every early season (even when I had a Toutle tag). There are some absolutely monstrous bulls in there if you scout a lot and learn where they hide out. I will also say this, we backpack way, way back in every year and the last three years we have not seen a single other bowhunter. What we have seen is tons of elk, lots of bugling, and loads of sign. You just have to get away from the people and the crowds. We go down into some nasty holes or up around some high ridges far away from any roads. It's a great unit and one of my favorite places to spend time.