Late Muzzle Loader - Wind River

[burnettd]

Hello Everyone

Switching back to the west side this year for late muzzleloader in the wind river unit.  Been up scouting and found a spot to camp west of Trout Lake around the ice caves.  During my scouting days did not see a single elk, most of the sign appeared up higher (Cristo Ridge). 

I have heard the lava flow can be good as well however it appears to be all thick hairy timber.  Anyone with some experince in this area care to share?

I have been told snow is the key to push the elk out of the lewis river (indian heavens area) and that success rate can be high if the weather is right.

Tired of chasing elk for miles on the east side to settle for a spike.

Thanks

Doug

[bigbeamhunter]

 are you going to be around trout lake

[stlhdr1]

The weather is everything for this hunt.  The more snow the merrier!!

Keith

[huntnphool]

  Welcome to the site Doug

[Chesapeake]

There are some smaller local herds that stay in the area all year, but for the most part its dependant on snow. The Oaklahoma basin will always have some elk to chase, as well as Huckleberry and the Cristo ridge on over towards Carr road. South prairi will aslo hold an elk or two if you know where to look, but realy you need snow to push them down and when it does it will get crowded quick. The lava flow is also a place a guy could get an elk if he knew where to be and when to be there. If you dont know it and dont have someone to show you, your time would be best spent other places. Its some rugged land. There are pockets up there where a guy can pretty well count on finding a decent bull, problem is they are places where that bull will run circles around you and live to tell about it.

If your camping up at Peterson prairi (sounds like thats where your talking) you wont be alone in any way shape or form. You will probably need to set camp up a week or two early to get a decent spot. Also if its a good snow year you will probably need to move your camp toward the end of the season. Also they claim to close the roads up there on a given date tot he snow machines, but no one realy pays much attention unless the staters start handing out tickets.

[burnettd]

We have three spots picked out and plan to set up camp 5-6 days before the Elk opener.  None of the spots are in a campground or snow park.  But they all are off the 141 (GMU boundary line) and I did check the weather and is has been snowing the last few days.

We will be in wall tents with two wood stoves, the snow would have to get pretty deep to chase us out....

Thanks for the information and good luck to everyone!

[Chesapeake]

The 141 turns into the 24 at the county line, so maybe your planning to camp off the 24, but if your not up past the pavement you should be fine for snow. The hunters usualy keep the roads beat down pretty well. If there isnt snow, or not enough to push them down then concentrate on the steeper country, the ridges, buttes, ect... Its also kind of good around natural bridges and the other lava mogal areas if people arent driving all the snowmachine trails constantly.

In the snow I find tracks and run them down hoping to catch them before they cross a road and someone else hops the tracks in front of me. We've killed alot of elk up around south prairie.

If you have afew rigs and some older guys that like to drive its great to have someone drop you off on the circle jerk and then hunt down into Oaklahoma and have them pick you up on the bottom.

[burnettd]

Thanks for the info.....

Ya we have a couple of old guys who can't get out like they use to..... Not sure where the circle jerk is but one hunt I plan to try is dropping off Cristo down towards Oklahoma and get picked up below. 

The natural bridges area appears to have some nice flat areas.  I have heard that the 24 (GMU Border) gets a lot of traffic.

Have you tried the west klickatat side?

We plan to camp on the 041 off the 24.  I think the pavement ends near there.

Hopefully we don't get so much snow we have to move.  Once our Tents are up usually we can wether a lot of snow.

Thanks again for the information.

[Tegantunadog]

I have been up there looking around for the same season.  I saw 8 Cows and 2 Bulls about a Mile Hike Up from the FR 6801 past the Pacific Crest Trail. Only problem is they winded me and took off at a full run right into the Lava Bed. That was on Oct 15th too. Who knows where they are now. Just hope for Snow!!!!   

[Chesapeake]

The circle jerk is the road/roads that circle the Oaklahoma bowl. Its a local name I guess. It sounds like the hunt your thinking of is from the circle jerk on down, or maybe the 050 down toward Moss Creek.

The 050 heads up off the 66 and will put you up on Huckleberry. From there you could drop down if you were energetic but its real steep and more of a deer area.

Off the 24 there is a little road that leaves the 24, swings in toward the natural bridges, and then comes out at the main 4 way of the 66/60/86? maybe 8620?. I dont have a map in front of me. Anyway, the elk will cross the 24 where that road is and wander back into the natural bridges. The loop swings out maybe 200 yards from the 24 at the most. If in the morning in good snow people have run the 24 or you arent the first rig, take that loop and get on the tracks in front of the guys who will jump on them at the 24. If there are no tracks jump off that road about the middle and wander out into the natural bridges area. There is a good pocket of timber there that has proven very productive.

The last few years we've hunted pretty exclusively in West Klickitat over toward Glenwood. We still wander over to South prairie for a day or two each year.

When we camped over in Wind River we would camp on the 050 (buck creek) down by Oaklahoma, or camp on the 050 that is up off the 66 closer to South prairie. We never liked the crowds and constant parade of rigs on the Trout lake side. It was always nicer to drive up the 66 looking for tracks than to try and be the first rig on the 24 in the morning.

Off the same 4 way (its realy a 6 way) there is another skid road that wanders out throught the lava mogals and hits the 110 or something. Its a good road to take.

[burnettd]

The other two spots I have scouted is king mnt and draper springs....  Saw some sign not a lot and it looked old.  However we have some friends that hunt that area during modern rifle and usually do pretty good.

Being this is our first year it will be a definite learning process.

Thanks

[Chesapeake]

We camp off the 4000 over by Draper springs. It will be a very large (16x32) army tent with a white tarp over the entire operation, and maybe a camper parked by it. If you happen by and we are in camp stop on in.

[burnettd]

Sounds good

we will have two wall tents put together 18 ft. x 50 ft., two wood stoves one exhausts out the side the other out the top

plus a utility trailer. New Ford F150, Dodge cummings and a 1970's vintage Ford (brown).  Feel free to stop in and have a drink.

My name is Doug, and there will be Steve, Tim and Tim in camp as well.

Thanks

[Skyvalhunter]

OK great my 3 buddies and myself will be there. Hope you cook lots of food as we work up a good appetite!!

[burnettd]

Skyvalhunter are you part of chesapeake's camp?

[Skyvalhunter]

Born and bread and how about yourself?

[Chesapeake]

No he isnt!!

In our camp we usualy have myself (Rick), and another Rick, Greg, Travis, John, and a few other straglers. We are usualy traveling in a green/grey Dodge diesel 4 door wth RAL Const. on the side. You'll likely see the rig parked at various gates around the area during daylight hours. In camp we usualy have few toyota's parked, and maybe a cherokee or an older F150. Swing on in if you see us.

[shag]

If I'm over there I'll stop by for a beverage.!!

[Fishnclifff]

We hunted all the named areas during modern rifle season, didn't see 1 single elk.
We camp over by 4 corners in sioxson and hunt all over.

[1bowhunter1]

Sounds like a party!!  I'll bring my sleeping bag....lol!!

[Dry creek]

fishn you need to get of the road and hit the brush. my brother past on 3 Branch bulls opening day.

[Chesapeake]

We hunted all the named areas during modern rifle season, didn't see 1 single elk.
We camp over by 4 corners in sioxson and hunt all over.

I dont know you man, but it sounds like you need to slow down while hunting. Huntin "all over" isnt an effective method. You need to settle on an area and learn it inside out, and learn how and when elk utilize that area. In my mind there is no way to effectively hunt all the named areas in a 10 day season. I've bean hunting elk in this particular area of Washington for 12 years, and I draw on my 2 fathers combined experience of some 40+ years in this area. All this time in the woods and I still only realy know a few small sections of the mentioned areas.

I can honestly tell you that there is no less than 3 local herds (I call them herds, but WDFW considers them all part of one herd) that stay year round in the mentioned areas. Given a few days I have pretty well always bean able to locate atleast one of these herds. Now closing the deal with a smoke pole is a different story. But I will say that in the last 8 years my hunting party of 5 has killed 13 elk in those areas with muzzle loaders. I myself have killed 4 elk in the mentioned areas in the last 8 seasons with a muzzle loader.

They are there. In a week I'm going to go make my best effort at killing one of them.



 

[Fishnclifff]

AHH GEE. I feel all warm and fuzzy now.
Lets see. There is a spike with eye guards in the black creek herd.
There was a 4 point up on the old handicap road, but he is gone somewhere else.
There was a herd in the Grassy Knoll wrea, but they headed down to private lands.

My wife and I put about 4 - 6 miles on our boots every weekend. There is so much pressure that the elk are scattered, and I think the bad winter has them spooked.
I didn't reveal my secrets but I didn't have any luck.

I've taken my share of elk in the years. I am pretty secure in my methods. I appreciate seeing new stuff too.

Thanks for the kind words and advice.

[Chesapeake]

Glad you feel warm and fuzzy!

The places you just mentioned are pretty well the oposite direction from 4 corners than South prarie. Thats alot of area to cover.

No need to feel offended, I was just trying to give you a little advice and tell you that people do have success in that area.

Your the one that jumped into the middle of the conversation with the negative comment.





 

[Fishnclifff]

Wsn't a negative comment, just a note to say how we did.

Guess I'll just read and not write anymore.

Good luck all

[blacktail luv]

Don't like to be a bus-kill but that area is going to be crowded as hell and not many elk.  I have lived here(white salmon) my whole life and you are better of hunting the east side probably. I know a lot of guys that muzzle hunt and not many that ever fill there tags on the late hunt.  Pray for snow, it will be your only hope, try to cut fresh tracks.  Good luck

[Tegantunadog]

Any Reports coming from Wind river or Klickitat
Thinking of heading there on Turkey Day

[Dansk]

Any Reports coming from Wind river or Klickitat
Thinking of heading there on Turkey Day

My party has been down there for awhile for both the Deer and Elk muzzleloader seasons.  Unfortunately there's no snow yet.... so it's slow going.    I might join them later and go down for the weekend, but if it doesn't snow I think I might hit 503 in December and notch my 'put the christmas lights up for the kids' tag this weekend.... and maybe kill a nice Boone and Crockett Noble Fir.

Snow is key in the Wind... unless you know it very well or have spent time scouting the local herds.

[Chesapeake]

Back from West Kilickitat. There wasnt any snow to speak of so the hunting was a little slow. We got into elk pretty much everyday but they were in the thick stuff and neer imposible to get a clean shot at. I spent the weak feeling for the archery guys. I was inside 30 yards of elk 6 times and wasnt able to make it happen. You cant spend much time inside 30 on elk before the gig is up and they blow out.

We ended the season up there with one bull for 5 hunters. We had one hunter shoot a log and a tree. No one else even pulled the trigger except for a few grouse. We still have 15 days in a few other units, and one of the guys hase a late season cow tag that we've had great success with, so the fat lady hasnt bellowed yet.

This season wasnt the best for quality, but it was the best for quality since 1996. My father in law got a very nice 4x6 the first sunday of the season.




I almost forgot to mention. Nobody from the board stopped by our camp, atleast not while we were there.

[Dansk]

Wow - congrats!  That's a decent bull chesapeake- glad to hear someone had success.

My buddy and I didn't go down this year.  His dad was down there Friday and talked to a few of the camps around and on the way to 4 corners area of the Wind.... usually something hanging in a few camps by 11/28... but not a thing this year. 

None of the old-timers had seen anything let alone taken any animals.

That's great that you were into 'em every day- at least it kept it exciting!

[Chesapeake]

Yeah we didnt see anything hanging in any camps but ours and the camps we know had no luck. Only saw one other elk in a truck. Everyone we talked to had the same story "no elk".

We were furtunate in that we turkey, deer, elk, and fish the general area so we are in the woods alot and when we realized the "plan A" migrators werent going to show we switched to the "plan B" locals. This kept us into the elk, but after the shooting started sunday they quickly retreated to the thick and nasty and we struggled to make it work.

Now its on to "Plan C"!