Margaret Cow Tags Any tips?

[Sam92]

Hey there, everybody. My dad and I were drawn for cow elk tags down there this year, and we have never hunted that side of St. Helens before. We have always hunted the Lewis River area.  I was wondering if anyone may be willing to share any tips or any info you may have that could help us. We drove down there a while ago but of course with how dry it was, a lot of the area was closed due to fire danger so we couldn't really get in and scout around. My dad drives truck and I have been busy with school so we haven't been able to make it down there to scout except the one time. Any help would be much appreciated, thank you very much, Sam

[Bookworm007]

Pretty easy hunt, get off the roads a little, most folks just road hunt. Tons of elk in there and the elk seem to like to move between the clear cuts/ open timber and reprod alot.

[Bunnell]

Take the highway to 2000 foot elevation sign turn left and kill one.  Good Luck.

[Bookworm007]

Also there are quite a few older threads on this subject. I did virtually no preseason scouting and was on Elk everyday. So good luck and have fun with it!

[Sam92]

thanks for the tips and good lucks ill post on how we end up doing

[trophyhunt]

My good friend had that tag last year, we saw 3 elk the first day. It was a bit discouraging because every one was saying how easy it was.  The second day around 9am he shot a cow in a herd of at least 50 elk. So in the end it was not that hard but a couple things to remember.  One, be very sure there isn't another elk behind the one u shoot, with the big herds it isn't always easy.  Second, a lot of hoof rot, check out your cow if you can really well so u don't end up w a Nasty cow.  Have fun!

[moocher97]

im in the same boat me and my dad got the tags ...we hunted the early season every weekend and I shot one high followed it for a mile no blood so we had to go but we had 4 different bulls within 30 yards  but no tag. Anyway lots of elk there going to be feeding more often and then transfer into thick timber. Most likely down low in valleys.

[trophyhunt]

Yup down low, we got my buddies by the river on the Winston boundary.

[Bow tech hunter]

Go to the 1010 elk always there

[Bulldozer77]

Go to the 1010 elk always there

Yep, exactly where I'd go.

[Sam92]

thanks for the tips. we've been going all around and haven't been seeing any fresh tracks or anything, nobody that we've talked to has either.

[Mandownitis]

My dad has a tag too.  Will be there this after noon.  Hope we can find something.

[Bullkllr]

After hunting the early archery in the Weyco end and seeing very little sign and even fewer elk I have nothing to add. Margret ain't what it used to be. But I imagine if you spend any time in there you will get on some animals. Closer to the "private game farm" is better IMO.

[Wake1]

There is a blue gate on the south side of the highway, Can't remember exactly where it is but when you walk out the road you can look right at the sediment dam. Just walk down that road and head into the timber tothe right. Had the tag last year and we saw elk every day on that side. It is just a sliver of land on the south side. Check your st. helens tree farm map and find the only margaret boundary on the south side of the highway. Should be an easy tag to fill. Good luck.     

[Sam92]

the only thing we have seen up here was a 5 point.

[Bullkllr]

There is a blue gate on the south side of the highway, Can't remember exactly where it is but when you walk out the road you can look right at the sediment dam. Just walk down that road and head into the timber tothe right. Had the tag last year and we saw elk every day on that side. It is just a sliver of land on the south side. Check your st. helens tree farm map and find the only margaret boundary on the south side of the highway. Should be an easy tag to fill. Good luck.   

If that is the same gate I'm thinking of, in September there was a new sign up saying "Private - no access" 

I did find a Weyerhaueser gate closer to Hoffstadt Bridge that allows access to a limited area on that side though.

the only thing we have seen up here was a 5 point.

Where have you been at? There's gotta be a cow in there somewhere with your name on it.

[Sam92]

Hey everyone, sorry it took so long but finally getting back up to say we are halfway finished with our Margaret Cow
tags. My dad shot his Monday Nov. 25th. We still stayed until the day before thanksgiving but couldn't find one for
me. We are planning on going up the first week of January to hopefully get mine.

We had been up there for 4 days driving all around looking for fresh sign trying to get on the elk. We hiked into a few
places even just trying to find where they were at. But we wasn't finding much fresh sign, found a couple spots where
it could have been but about it. We had a daily routine to drive up the 1010 road, walking down the old overgrown
roads and that and no fresh sign at all. We go back up on Monday starting out at a couple places looking around gets
to about 10 or so decide to take the trip down the 1010. As we are driving down we are watching the sides and my
dad just starts saying there, there, there. I look over to his side there is a cow just 30 maybe 40 yards up one of those
cuts from the skitters they use. We both jump out and get loaded up and then we see the second little bit bigger one
off to the right in a bit of a thicket area. We couldn't find a clear shot on her, and since we didn't want to take a chance,
I told my dad go ahead and shoot the one and if I got a clear shot id take the second one. He put 2 shots into her
dropped just a couple feet later and my dad's bagged his first elk that made it home. The other one took off with no
clear shot as soon as the first one dropped but I decided to try going after it anyway. I tried tracking it for a little while
but I decided after 15 minutes or so I'd go back to help my dad with his. We got to the down and dirty part finished that
up loaded her in the truck and headed on down to the trailer to keep her cool.

[Annette]

Congratulations!!!

[norsepete]

Good Job and looking forward to see your tag filled also.

[Sam92]

Thank you for the congrats and I sure will be trying to. I wanted to thank everyone for the help again as well, much appreciated.

[Bulldozer77]

Nice cow, congrats! 1010k is a really good road, dead ends at 2 awesome clear cuts, seen a lot of elk in there. You should check it out. Good luck in January!

[MLBowhunting]

Nice job 

[Crunchy]

Looks like a nice young cow.  Should be good eats.  I am headed down in the AM.  I will snoop around the 1010 if I don't find anything better on the way in.

[Bullkllr]

Hey everyone, sorry it took so long but finally getting back up to say we are halfway finished with our Margaret Cow
tags. My dad shot his Monday Nov. 25th. We still stayed until the day before thanksgiving but couldn't find one for
me. We are planning on going up the first week of January to hopefully get mine.

Congrats on your dad's elk.
You get to use the same permit in January? That's a pretty good tag. I had no idea.

[Sam92]

Sorry iys been so long but yes its the same permit for both early and late seasons and sure does do nice since this years been kind of dead.