Huffaker Mountain (Randle GMU) late season archery elk

[twilson]

Has anyone here hunted Huffaker mountain before? I am planning on going there this weekend for the first time actually hunting it, and am open to any pointers. I have spent a full day scouting there, and have looked at Google Earth and topo maps a lot so I have my hunt pretty much planned out. Still would be interesting to hear if anyone has had success ther before. Just trying to get some meat with my late season archery tag in one of the few units that are open!

[spotter26]

never hunted it, i know people that live north of there on skinner rd, they all get their elk in their own fields, i hunted out the end of skinner rd, saw alot of elk sign, never saw any though, always wanted to hunt further south from there but never got time.

[twilson]

Ya, I was all over the north side last weekend and saw tons of sign but no animals. Hopefully not the case this weekend...

[buglebuster]

If I was you, I would just drive south west and hunt the winston unit 

[zackmioli]

that is the area i hunt early and late seasons. ill be there friday and possibly saturday. pm me and we can talk more if you want! good luck to ya! 

[Mudman]

Expect to see people.  They come in from both ends and meet in the middle.  Some people just sit on the road and wait for elk to cross.   Few years ago I noticed some local kids had a lookout on the other mnt in packwood gmu watching the valley for elk and using the cb to radio 2 trucks below!  Saw sign and blood and horrible bear tree damage in there.  I think the elk are wise and cross thru at night.  I wont go back.

[zackmioli]

ive only ran into and talked to maybe a total of 10 people in the last few years of hunting that area. mostly muzzleloaders. if you get behind some of those gates a ways you can get away from the people, most guys just walk a couple of the main roads or drive up and down the 300 line.

always seen sign up there and see elk all summer long but have only ran into 4 or 5 in the late season the last 2 years. they are in there but it is thick, difficult to hunt, and they move around a lot.

[twilson]

Mudman,

How are people coming in from both ends and meeting? There is a gate on Skinner, and a gate right off of 25 on the SE side that I'm pretty sure are the only access points. Surrounded by the Cowlitz river/Skinner rd on the north and the Cispus on the south. Seems pretty much locked down from road hunters to me... or is there another way in I don't know about?

[elkhunter00]

I think they meant they walk in from both sides?  I have met port blakely people driving around hunting there, and seen quite a bit of evidence that they were running the roads at night.

[zackmioli]

the elk cross the roads in that area a ton. going from reprod patch to reprod patch. seen many elk just strolling across the roads (gated roads for walk in/bike only) in my time scouting and hunting up there. yet to tag one though.

[Mudman]

   They are right.  Walk in from skinner gate or on the other side cross the bridge and walk the river.  I prefer the bridge.  I see it as a bad hunt as between the road watchers and people its tough.  Elk are nocturnal I think.  A.M. best chance. There is a trick and my cousin killed a elk there 2 years ago but it involves water!!  It seems to me the elk mostly pass thru at night to get to farm fields or Randles meat market which is the area I would focus on.  Anyone seen the horrible bear tree damage at the river junction?  Wow!

[kenzmad]

We have hunted the Huffaker mt on and off for several years. We are muzzy guys. There are a ton of people that drive loop from the highway back around to the highway. If i was to go back, i would walk or bike in off the skinner road past the gate. There is some really nice area back in there a few miles. You can get to some good spots by crossing where the river washed out the road on the other side as well. Really nice area on the back side of the mountain but the gate went in a few years ago and now its walkin. We used to camp back in there.

[ssanthuff]

The gate off Skinner Rd. has seen a significant decline in the number of elk in the last five years.  I have hunted it aggressively and got a nice bull out of that area about four years ago.  I have not seen any elk in there since.  During the early ML season this year a Port Blakely Tree Farm employee told me he had seen two different cougars in there in the last month and he was just driving the roads.  He said he hadn't seen elk in there in years which was pretty discouraging.  Hopefully you will have better luck than I did in there this year.