Cow tag Dec 17-31 in Teanaway GMU 335--any tips?

[jmden]

How much snow over there now?

[littlemac]

Most all gone below 2500 roughly. Warm out too.

[teanawayslayer]

How much snow over there now?

snow is gone. Warmer than hell out!

[jmden]

Well...wish I could report success in terms of harvesting a cow or two, but no dice.  The 4 days I had to hunt went too quickly.  Not knowing the area that well or knowing what's happening exactly over there, I took what I learned here (lots of PMs...thanx) and did some Google Earth scouting. 

I elected to set up camp up at 29 Pines campground up the N. Fork of the Teanaway.  I think that my not have been a good idea.  A quick jaunt x the river and up the hill that afternoon 'til dark revealed a bit of snow, frozen everything and essentially zero sign, except what looked like one decent sized deer track--no fresh elk sign at all.

Next morning up at 5a to get up on a ridge about 3 miles S of camp but north of Lick Creek a drainage or two.  Darn fog...I tend to 'specialize' in long range shooting and fog does not allow that.  What I did find up this particular drainage from about 2800' on up was, again, next to zero ungulate sign, but lots of wolf tracks and a few human tracks in the little bit of snow.  After figuring I should probably try somewhere else, I hoofed it down a closed road thinking there are lots of wolf trax around here.  Part way down the road, I stopped for a couple of minutes.  I was in a very narrow valley at that point.  I then heard a sound like something moving (kind of a swishing sound) through underbrush angling just a bit from my 12 to my 230 or so though the bottom of the little ravine/valley.  Bigger than a small animal, but too small and wrong sounds for a deer or especially an elk.  Could not place it.  Sound stopped for 30 sec or so and I looked up the road from where I'd just come and locked eyes with a very healthy looking, good sized grey wolf at 50 yards max. I made sure my sidearm was handy and it ambled off away from me as I headed on down the road keeping a wary eye all around as I was not in a good location to see something coming from very far. The word decoy came to mind more than once given the characteristics of the location and the lack of stealth that wolf displayed. I'll not include anymore description of that encounter.

I have had numerous wolf encounters over the years, mostly on the west coast of Vancouver Island on many remote beaches while sea kayaking along the island and I know a wolf when I see one.  There, I've had more than one night with wolf tracks ringing the tent in the sand when we woke up in the morning.  There have been several well documented wolf attacks on sea kayakers on the island up there--even the sea kayaking guidebooks for up there talk about these.  Lotsa wolves up there.

I drove around to the main Teanaway and took off N into the now Teanaway Community Forest area.  Found an awesome long range spot and spotted/glassed with binocs and scope until shooting hours were over.  Went back down the hill and met my brother who'd had trouble finding me as he came over to hunt that afternoon.

Next day, we went back up into that area and spotted in the morning, still hunted in the day, and spotted in the evening.  At one point mid-day, we split up and at about 3300' my brother spooked a cow, but had zero time for a shot at it took off like a rocket.  They have got to be on edge after been hunted all fall and chased from birth to death all year long by wolves.

That was all we saw--one legal critter and were fortunate to see that given being in a new area where access is problematic.  On the way out in the dark this morning, my brother spotted some elk shape/color just off the road.  We turned around and as it got a bit more light, watched 14 bulls cross the road over the the Lookout Mtn. side of 970.  Looked like they may have come from Cle Elum Ridge, but who knows.  We hunted a different area about 4 hours this morning/afternoon and then briefly checked out another area on the way home to no avail.  Man, I hate eating cow tags, but that's the way it is sometimes.

[bobcat]

Sorry it didn't work out. I could definitely see that being a tough hunt, unless you have access to private property where the elk hang out. Otherwise it could be worse than trying to find a needle in a haystack.

[HHPro]

This year would have been the easiest year to get an elk without having private access in my opinion.Sorry you couldn't make it happen but the elk were in there normal transition spots as they were during modern general season.

[sagewalker]

shoot straight 

[jmden]

This year would have been the easiest year to get an elk without having private access in my opinion.Sorry you couldn't make it happen but the elk were in there normal transition spots as they were during modern general season.

This post has been active for most of 2 months.  I would've appreciated your input before the hunt.

[HHPro]

I also put the offer out over a month ago offering to help so maybe you should have done a search of the forums  I have a busy life I don't get to read all the post here.

[jmden]

Same here...very busy.  If someone happened to see my thread and was willing to give a tip, I was happy to receive it and I did receive quite a few tips in the thread and in PMs.  What I don't need is your attitude after the fact.  Keep it to yourself.

[HHPro]

Not sure where I gave you attitude I simply was responding to bobcats post take it for what you want doesn't matter to me either way.

[Bob33]

Not sure where I gave you attitude I simply was responding to bobcats post take it for what you want doesn't matter to me either way.

I did see your post back in October offering to help Teanaway permit holders.  That was generous of you.

[HHPro]

Thank you bob33 my intentions were to help and nobody took me up on it maybe next year 

[jmden]

Thank you bob33 my intentions were to help and nobody took me up on it maybe next year 

It's too bad I didn't see your post a couple of months ago or I would've been happy to contact you.  Maybe next time.  There certainly appears to be some differences of opinion on how tough a cow elk tag is to capitalize on in 335.  I received more than one PM from locals even that said they wouldn't even put in for that tag.  Oh well. 

[HHPro]

I would have gave you info or maybe even took and showed you around.It's not an ideal hunt but there out there and if you spend the time like me and my family have over the years you can pattern them a little.I ment no disrespect just saying this would have been the most ideal year for not having private access because the elk are held up on huntable land.