Elk Season - How did everyone do?

[Little Fish]

Hey all....I am just curious how everyone did with elk this year. I personally had my worst season yet out of 8 years chasing elk with bow (I hunt Westside). My partner and I had one good opportunity to take a bull and a few times we heard/saw cows that we couldn't get on. Given the hot weather and earlier season it really only seemed like we had 4 or 5 days out of the season that were really good hunting days (as defined by hearing or seeing elk). I only heard 3 bugles the whole season and never had a single bull respond to a locator bugle. This compares to prior years when I've had anywhere from 3-10 bulls call back to me.

Where I am going with this is that I plan on writing WDFW and asking them to put our season back to where it was 3+ years ago. I recall years hunting when the season started approximately a full week later than this year (and last) and was open a full week later. The later the season, the greater the likelihood of cooler weather, the closer to the peak of the rut and the less likely the timber companies will close their land down. I know 1 letter isn't going to do much, but if other bow hunters shared my sentiments and we all sent letters it might make a difference.

LF

[spin05]

we hiked 3 miles into a wilderness area in the dark. Saw nothing ...heard nothing......saw no fresh sign

[270Shooter]

I had an eastside bull tag. Hunted ten out of the 13 days in the season. There was absolutely zero bugling until last Thursday the 12th. Basically the first week and a half of the season I deer hunted because the elk just would not talk or react to any calls. On the 2nd to last day of the season I called a big 6 point into 20 yards in some burned timber but I couldn't get a clean shot because of the slope of the hill and the brush, you would think hunting a burn would be easy but it was not. Eventually he busted me because he caught my wind. And last evening we finally got on another bull but couldn't get him to commit and eventually he moved off.

When I found out I drew this tag I knew it wouldn't be a slam dunk but I figured that I would have several opportunities at bulls and at least be able to kill a small bull. The heat just killed the hunting from 9 until almost 6 in the evening. I think I heard one bugle after 10 o clock and that was from a bull that I had been dogging all morning long. I believe that if the season started later and ran until the end of this week the outcome could be much different. Especially with this storm moving through. I only heard of three bulls killed in my unit out of nearly 30 tags. So I know i wasn't the only one struggling.

[wonder]

Heard some animals but could never get close to them.  Heard bulls bugling in the night, early in the morning, and even one at 10am but I'm not sure if that was a hunter or not?  Last few days got into our next hunt and someone starting shooting a high powered rifle.  That was fun.  I enjoyed time hunting (or as my wife and friends call it "hiking with a bow and arrow") with my son and hunting partners.  A day in the woods beats working any day!

My hunting partners had an opportunity the first few days but couldn't seal the deal.  I learned a new GMU a bit better and maybe late hunt will be more successful.  Gave a hand to a fellow hunter getting his first Elk out of the woods and chased a few grouse around.

[Button Nubbs]

It was great! We killed 2 bulls.

[washingtonmuley]

It was tough with the warm weather but I did manage to locate a bull and put an arrow in him. This was on the west side.

[blacktailcody]

Absolutely amazing. I had 2 crappy bow shots that would have been excellent rifle shots. Both bulls were called in. And my bro killed a big 5x6.

[returnofsid]

I spent 5 days, the first week hunting very hard, hiking many miles, without so much as fresh sign or hearing anything...

The last day of early archery season I bugled in a huge bull, he hung up at about 60 yards, so I went after him.  Closed the distance, missed a beautiful broadside shot by estimating the distance at 40 yards.  Later, having my son stand in the elk's tracks, me standing where I shot from, I ranged my son at 58 yards.  I had my range finder hanging on my neck the entire time...UGH!

[washingtonmuley]

Blacktail,
Is PA washington port angeles?

[Slimdog350]

This was my worst year in 7 years of archery elk hunting. Between the crowds, quads ( on Weyerhaeuser land) and loggers driving around looking at elk after work we couldn't get anything to fire up until Sunday. I called a bull into 40 yards but he busted out after catching the scent of 3 guys in the same drainage as us. It was frustrating, but it was land everybody could hunt. The thing that pissed me off the most was the fat guy on the quad. We told him it was walk in access only and he said " why are you guys mad at me, you chose to walk."  :bash:I said no I chose to follow the rules. I'm contemplating no longer hunting Washington. I saw more elk last year in Idaho than I did in 3 seasons here.

[CamoDup]

Great year for our camp on the eastside. Had 5 cows down in 5 days. We had 10 people hunting in our camp. Scouting paid off big time this year!

[Little Fish]

Thanks for the replies. Glad to hear the success stories. Other folks I talked to in my area reported similar results as I had. I'm going to write WDFW and assume if other archery guys think the season would be better if moved back they will do the same.

There are only so many hunting seasons I have in me to hunt as hard as I do now pushing 5-10 miles back each day and I hate to waste them hunting less than ideal conditions. Maybe its time to make Washington my backup hunt and try Idaho or Oregon as my primary hunt. It works for salmon fishing! The best salmon and bottom I fishing I experience all year is in Canada even though I still do some fishing locally.

[Rainier10]

It was awesome, two hours the first night to find them on the 5th, massive rain storm all night kept them bedded down all night so within 30 minutes the next morning I had my Colockum cow down.  My wife had to work and the kids had school so they came over the next day and got into 3 different spikes but just couldn't close the deal.  We had a blast and saw some nice bulls. I took my daughters into the woods and got them in the middle of all the action and bugling just for the experience of hearing and seeing it all.  They were awestruck at 8 and 11 years old.  Now we are just waiting on rifle season for my 11 year old and I promised to take her out with me deer hunting for the late season.  She is now big enough to handle the steep, deep and cold.  Best hunting partners in the world my wife and daughters.

[Rainier10]

Thanks for the replies. Glad to hear the success stories. Other folks I talked to in my area reported similar results as I had. I'm going to write WDFW and assume if other archery guys think the season would be better if moved back they will do the same.

There are only so many hunting seasons I have in me to hunt as hard as I do now pushing 5-10 miles back each day and I hate to waste them hunting less than ideal conditions. Maybe its time to make Washington my backup hunt and try Idaho or Oregon as my primary hunt. It works for salmon fishing! The best salmon and bottom I fishing I experience all year is in Canada even though I still do some fishing locally.

There you go, the season needs to go back to set dates, not floating, and be the 8th-20th or something like that.

[Sigmanu262]

Got my first archery bull!