Skagit Elk

[Fishhunt223]

Anybody know where to go in the skagit area for a muzzleloader elk?  Is most of the area private?  I live in Ferndale so if anybody knows of any good areas and are interested in going this year let me know.
Travis

[X-Force]

  i dont know about that one... it is almost all private and the elk get hunted out of the area pretty fast. the area is so small that if anyone has a honey hole they would be hard pressed to give it up. i would look up property owners in the unit and maybe ring a few door bells. 

[Fishhunt223]

Yeah im gonna run down there this weekend and talk to some property owners.  Is there alot of hunting pressure on those elk?
Travis

[William B.]

It could pay off to knock on doors,got a call last sat. from my dad and brothers,they were fishing in Lyman when they saw 30 head and 7 bulls one real masher aparently.Called my brother inlaw he got on them but didnt connect .It is mostly private and hard to gain access.If I knew they were headed for the river then useing a boat to hunt the islands could be a option.Are the islands public well ,I could give some insight on that but Montana could be set up totally different,there they have three classes of a,b,& c.Class a is navigable for commercial use witch means the islands are public,class c means if you drop an ancor in the mud you trespassing and class b well thats a little grey, the land is private but below the high water level mark is accessable in fishing terms.My way of gaining this knowledge was not good.Any ways if you google that area you will see a lot of area in the bottoms the herd often leaves a few straglers down in there and is definatly a hunt option.

[roadhuntking]

I have lived here in Skagit county my whole life and have been hunting that unit for a while.  Is there elk, yes but it is for the most part all private or state parks.  Its kinda a funny deal, the land owners want the elk gone, but getting the permission to hunt on they're land is like pulling teeth a lot of the time.  So asking for permission is an absolute must, there are a lot of guys that hunt that unit and I have seen plenty of random dudes in the timber hunting a property that I have permission to hunt and they have no idea whose property they're on.  Almost all the elk harvested are by locals that know everyone, good luck and know your boundries, private and legal-public.

[Wea300mag]

There is one industrious archery hunter who has been advertising his elk removal services in the Skagit Valley Herald. It essentially says he is a responsible ethical bow hunter who will help the land owners by dispatching one of them for access to their property.

[roadhuntking]

I seen that, kinda got a kick out of it. But definetly not a bad idea.  I think people appreciate the personnel aproach but then again I found a few who didnt.  Kinda curious if his add worked out for him.

[DeerHarvester]

Its almost all private land.  The only reason its even open for elk hunting is for a damage hunt, good luck getting permission. 

[biggamehunter]

im still hunting this land, ive got a few buddies who filled their tags. like everyone is saying it is mostly private and you gotta be pretty lucky to catch them in the few spots that arent.

[jeepasaurusrex]

I know an area, but you have to take me with you.