This summer when I opened the WDFW web site to see if I had drawn any special tags, my first feeling was a panic attack.
Here I had drawn a Mtn Goat tag, a Moose tag and a Master Hunter Pumice Plains Elk tag. I paced backed and forth at work talking about it, the ladies at work thought I had gone crazy, until I got them on board that these are once in a lifetime tags.
I knew I had only 12 vacation days and my work does not easily allow for taking extra time off.
I took a calendar and started marking down dates and staggering days off with weekends.
I started planning scouting trips. As Mtn Goat came first I made that my priority, and this was the animal I wanted most.
My wife was easy to get on board and bless her, she supported me through this.
Actionshooter (Steve B) from this Hunting WA site bought in on scouting with me and we did several scouting trips for goats.
I had another friend (Steve S) tied into the thought of going with on the moose hunt and also helping me scout access into the Pumice Plains at Mount St Helens. This was scouting at a distance, as you cannot walk into the Pumice Plains area with out a permit.
In networking through another friend, I was able to hook up with two hunters in the Selkirk’s area to show me the area and scout on an August weekend.
I set a plan to archery hunt the Mountain Goats the first two weeks, then start rifle hunting after that, taking three days off.
I started scouting and reviewing the topo's as soon as I drew the tag. In talking to actionshooter we figured we put on about 40 + miles of scouting on foot. I have many miles of driving the unit Naches / Corral Pass.
Seen goats every time out. Finding a Billy was what I was hoping for. One day we counted as high as 37 goats off of different peaks.
I hunted the first weekend with archery. I stocked in on two Billies. I was to dang excited to be in proper hunt mode. I walked to the edge where I saw the goats and they were not there. Stalking around I realize now that I was probably only 40 yards above them. I ended up spooking them and they started moving. Trying to get around, I got 90 yards from them, but got busted and they went up and over the rock cliffs. I can not believe what they can climb.
I thought all was lost, but the next day they were back and bedded down, out of archery range. With the loose rock and no easy access; we decided it was best to come back when rifle season opened. On Monday I was there to hunt the goats and they were there. I had a 40-yard window in the trees to take the 210-yard shot, and the larger Billy stopped just before he entered the woods. After shooting him, he went 60 yards. The other Billy just went back to feeding. My Billy did get up once more and I had to shoot him again. The rest of the day was spent getting him back to camp and home.
Now that I had my Mtn Goat I needed to prepare for the Moose hunt the first week of October; and to scout for elk, that hunt was October 18th through the 24th. As I had saved a day from goat hunting, so I decided to take this whole week off.
The first week in October; we went to the Selkirk’s to hunt the Bull Moose I saw in August. Once there I found the Forest Service with controlled burning in the drainage I planned to hunt.
Moving to other area’s we seen sign and heard one moose, but no luck in seeing moose. We left after five days of hunting. I planned to come back in November…. or maybe October if I get my Pumice Plains Elk right away.
For the Pumice Plains hunt I invited my hunt’n buddy Jay from Minnesota to join my son (Justin) and me. On the Pumice Plains there is no pack stock or carts allowed, so getting an Elk out was on your back.
When we got to the Pumice Plains, the West end was fogged in, so we went to the East end. I had scouted this East end the weekend prior and had saw a herd of 10 bulls all at least 5x5, with one much taller that the rest.
When we got there part of the group of elk was still there, with the bigger one.
We dropped down into the Pumice Plains, four miles from the trailhead. Once about 500 yards from where the elk were, fog rolled in; we had to wait it out. After about 15 minutes, it started to clear again and we moved forward. My son saw two of the elk first and we moved into position on a hummock. (Hummock is a big hill spit out by St. Helens when it blew.)
The distance to the elk was 400 yards, I wanted to get closer, so we went to the next Hummock. The elk knew something was up and they had moved also. There was one more hummock between the elk and us, so we moved quickly to it. The bull I wanted was at 270 yards. My son and I agreed on the one I should take. I went to make the shot and…click.
The second shot went better with a bullet in the chamber, the hit made it home, but I shot the elk once more to put it down were it was. I had my elk by 11 AM the first morning.
The work started then to get the meat and cap out, taking us the next two days, back up the ridge and 4 miles back to the truck.
Monday morning we tended to the elk meat and then took the rest of the week to go after the moose.
I had sent out several private Emails to hunters on this Hunting Washington web site, and all were helpful providing ideas where to hunt. I had another friend call and gave me the name of another buddy that hunted the Selkirk’s years back for moose. He provided me with in-site as well.
We hunted for several days with out seeing moose, some good sign in some areas, and no sign in other areas. We just were not seeing animals of any kind. I decided to get behind a gated area and stay there all day. I saw one cow moose in the morning, we had a stare down at 25 yards. I could not find a bull with her. Walking the roads the rest of the day; it stared to rain and snow in the late afternoon. Then about 5:45PM I found a bull in the re-prod. It was 100 yards out…. three shots later I had my moose. Three trips later it was in the truck.
I must say scouting, map research and contacts really paid off in filling these tags. I thank those that helped.
Once home and the meat in the freezer my wife says, “Now you just need to fill your deer tag”. Isn’t she sweet?
