reports in the Winston

[p-ohana]

it's open during the week for the logging, and gets locked up at night. On the weekends it's usually open for motor vehicle traffic and closes at night. I would call the Weyerhauser #. I know it was open for opening weekend archery deer and weekends during modern elk.

[Little Fish]

FYI everyone. I hunted a few days in the Winston unit last year around Kid Valley and on one of the weekend days the gamies had a check point at the bottom of the hill. No problems for me, but you'll want to make sure you have things in order in case they're doing the same this year.

[elkfan2]

The gates are are going to be open starting tomorrow through the first of december due to weyerhauser being shut down for the next two weeks. You can even drive in during the week, we talked to security gaurd up there today.

[ELKBURGER]

Today was my first day to hunt late elk with a bow. I know it opened on wed. but I couldnt get off work plus the gates were closed until fri. There were a ton of hunters in there, mostly road hunting. I have to admit there is also a ton of elk in there. We saw our first group of elk shortly after first light while we were driving in to our area. 2 hours later I was gutting out a cow that fell to a well placed arrow from 15 yards. there had to be about 15 head in that group including a raghorn 5x5 that I hadnt seen until after my shot. Awhile later after we loaded the cow, we saw another group cross the road in front of us. Im sure the added pressure keeps them moving all day long. I think there will be many more positive post from the archers coming soon....Long live the mystcal flight of the arrow!

[hornhunter]

    Good work!  anyone else in Winston

[bustinbulls]

was up saturday and sunday. tons of road hunters, few guys up behind gates also. being fortunate enough to fill my tag in early season was just hiking and running video camera with my brother. seen lots of elk both days just couldnt close the deal.

[ELKBURGER]

My step bro was with me sat when I tagged out and he went back up today but didnt bump any. I wouldve thought he'd see some today but maybe the pressure pushed em into the timber and brush.

[dlaw]

Is anyone else amazed with the amount of bow hunters this year in the Winston unit?  I have hunted it for the past 5 years and this is by far the most people I have ever seen in there. 

[Angus]

Been up there the past 2 weekends, what a zoo! what really amazes me is the amount of guys just driving roads, more locked gates wouldn't bother me at all.

[dlaw]

Bother me, shoot I would probably have to send the timber companies xmas cards if they would lock all the gates.  Tired of seeing/ hearing guys cruise around the woods looking out there windows.  I hit a road last weekend to wait for one of my buddies, some guys in a truck honestly had the nerve to stop and ask me if I was on the elk and if I had seen them.  uhhhh right, get outta your tennis shoes and into some leather and do some walking of your own.  Then and maybe then if I see ya in the woods I might give you a hint to if I am on them.  Funny guys out there, whatever everybody has there own way of doing things I guess.

[JoeVon]

Bother me, shoot I would probably have to send the timber companies xmas cards if they would lock all the gates.  Tired of seeing/ hearing guys cruise around the woods looking out there windows.  I hit a road last weekend to wait for one of my buddies, some guys in a truck honestly had the nerve to stop and ask me if I was on the elk and if I had seen them.  uhhhh right, get outta your tennis shoes and into some leather and do some walking of your own.  Then and maybe then if I see ya in the woods I might give you a hint to if I am on them.  Funny guys out there, whatever everybody has there own way of doing things I guess.

      Well on the opposite side of the spectrum, I spent a day in the Winston a couple of weekends ago.  So I get up to the spot I wanna hunt, get out of the pickup and start cruising through the 20 year old jacks, trying to cut some tracks.  After about 20 minutes of walking, I cut fresh tracks from a herd of 5 to 6 that had just ran through there.  So I follow these elk tracks for about another half hour, and end up losing them in an over grown Noble Fir patch.  So here's the good part.  I head back to my pick up, hop in, and take off.  I drive past the spot where the elk ran across the road into the Noble Fir patch, and low and behold, here comes another hunter out of the same patch of Nobles.  So I think to myself, hmmm....I wonder if he was on that herd?  So, I stop, and ask if he indeed had seen where the elk had crossed the road and followed them in?, thinking that if he hadn't he would know there was elk somewhere around and he could pick up where I left off.  But  all he said was "NO!", as he kept walking down the road, didn't stop and talk, just kept going.  All I could think to say was, "It was nice talking to ya.", as I drove away. 

I guess I was wrong to stop and try to help out a fellow hunter.   But I'd do it again in a second if I could. 

Has anyone else been in this kind of situation, on my side of the spectrum?

[jae]

It is crazy!

[buckbrush]

I hunted down there last friday and had a great encounter with elk. (See Jumpin'n the String).  Lot's of people, most never left the road.  i think it is important to go the extra mile and find those hard to get to places.  I believe that the people who are nasty to other hunters in the woods are generally lazy.  It is important to report these "angry" individuals , (I refuse to call them hunters), actions to the game wardens.  Even though gm may not be able to do anything right away, they will document it.  This may change some policy or may even encourage them to open up other areas that are swarming with elk, like the big bottom valley of randle and packwood.  Chin up.

[funkster]

Yeah,I am with you all! I can't believe the number of hunters in there. Twice as many as last year. What I am tired of seeing is people crapping in the middle of the road right in front of the gates and leaving the roll of tp behind,find a stump! Oh,lets not leave gut piles and capes on the road as well. And my last and most important rant is lets stop wounding elk,if you don't have a good shot you owe it to the animal to let it walk. I ran into 3 different guys that had wounded cows with piss poor shots. After they bragged about the story I thought man you shouldn't have even taken that shot.


However, on the upside we where into elk almost everyday and got very close to filling a few tags. My buddy missed a raggy on friday. I will be heading back down sunday and staying tell the end of the season!

[jstamp]

i hope they close all the gates in the winston, then maybe most of the road hunters will go somewhere else! I have never seen sooooooo many people bow hunting up there, it's crazy.