West side elk hunting

[model70man]

I just moved to Seattle and would like to know what counties are good for elk hunting ? any public land on the west side good ? I'm lost 

[spin05]

Your best bet is to head  out to the coast.Lots of good units out there and less crowded.....................

[BlackTail]

I live out on the coast, and if where I hunt is "less crowded" I sure would hate to see the crowded areas.  It's a frickin zoo out here during elk season.

[model70man]

What place do you suggest I go ?

[shag]

What's you choice of weapon?

[BlackTail]

That's just what I was going to ask.  If you're an archery hunter, you can find some spots to hunt by yourself.  Muzzle loaders are somewhat limited on where they can hunt around here.  But rifle season is an absolute war zone.  With all the shooting, it gets down right scary at times.

model70man,  not sure where you should go but I can tell you where you don't want to be, unless you love crowds.  I hunt the Williams Creek area between South Bend and Naselle and there are so many people it's ridiculous.  Last year me and my buddy walked about 4 miles behind a gate opening morning of elk season.  We were the first ones there (you better get up early if you want to be able to say that), but as we waited the 3 hours til legal shooting light we had 14 people walk past our spot .  Who knows how many people didn't walk that far?  My buddy's line was "well at least we don't have to worry about seeing any elk".  This is 4 miles behind a gate.  When i got back to my rig there was 11 other trucks parked there.  You can imagine what the roads you CAN drive are like.

[model70man]

I would be using a rifle. That sounds like a lot of ppl in the woods.

[Ridgerunner]

I got a westside elk tag for the first time this year, I'm wondering if I made the wrong decision. 

[WDFW-SUX]

this thread is so funny

Don't sweat the crowds they are restricted to the major roads step into the dark side and they all disappear.................

[model70man]

Thinking I want to do a backpack hunt. Is that a good idea with all the ppl around ? what counties are good for this type of hunting ?

[BlackTail]

WDFW-sux,   Care to share what the "dark side" is??  If the people all "disappear" there, I'm pretty sure that Williams Creek doesn't have one!

[BlackTail]

model70man,   I don't mean to be a buzzkill for you season, just letting you know what it's like here.  I don't have a lot of experience with any other areas for elk, but I have hunted hard here for the last 18 years.  I've seen it get more and more crowded every year.  Western Washington is one of the few places that a resident OR non-resident can purchase an OTC branch bull tag and that is not a secret.  It is a maze of roads here that cover the country.  In fact if you have to hike farther than 6-8 miles from your truck, then you could have found a shorter route.  I promise there is a road or a gate somwhere else that gets you closer.  This makes it extremely difficult to find the "dark side" where the people disappear. 

Logging is a big employer around here so there are guys in the woods year round and they know where the deer and elk are.  If you know anything about small towns; what one person knows, everybody knows.  I watched 3 branch bulls all during deer season last year and probably only saw 2 other hunters, but come opening day of elk season there are 11 trucks and probably 20 hunters there.  Because of situations like this, of the 10 or so buddies I grew up elk hunting with, all but 2 have switched to hunting the archery season.  My dad and all his friends have quit elk hunting here all together.

All that being said, there are elk here!  A lot of bulls get shot every year.  You don't see many trophy bulls come rifle season, but you will see elk and if you get after it you have a good chance to see a legal bull. 

[model70man]

Ok. Should I hunt the east side ? less people ? 

[Curly]

East side may have more people in some areas (even though it is spike only).  Although, there are more places to get away from roads and people IMO in some Eastern Washington areas.

If you want to go backpacking in and get away from people, I think some of the wilderness areas might be worth looking at.  Maybe off of White Pass (Bumping unit) or other areas like that.

[workstohunt]

Blacktail is telling the gosple.
I've been hunting elk here for 34 yrs. I have to work harder than I ever have to get my bull and have seen more and more hunters. I walked in 5 miles opening morning last year, talked to 73 hunters by days end and not one was a local. If your willing to put up with a lot of people and put in some time, you will get one.
Good luck!!!!!