Elk Near Spokane

[MagKarl]

I was in the Huckleberry for deer two years ago and was really surprised to see a herd of about 20 elk sunning themselves out in a cut field in the middle of the day.  This was valley floor a few miles SW of Chewelah.  We had made a run to town for ice after my partner got a buck.  Prior to that I had never seen elk between central WA and the ID panhandle.  Very cool to see that. 

[caseyv21]

the closed gate roads and all the thick brush, have really helped the herd expand and the quality of the bulls in the area, i've hunted the yakima area for the last 10 years and this will be my first year hunting up in the northeast. i went up there scouting last weekend and didn't see a lot of tracks but i'm really excited for the season to start because i really like how 80% of the roads have gates.

[Machias]

I got here in 1994.  Never hunted elk in my life.  Looked on the map and found the largest area with no roads and headed up there archery hunting opening weekend.  Saw a spike bull the first afternoon and had shots on cows three different times over the next week.  Bugled in two different bulls but could never close the deal.  Wow this elk hunting is not so hard afte all.  Saw a couple of moster bulls but could never seal the deal.  Next two seasons I hunted the same area and never seen hide nor hair nor heard a single bugle.  Finally learned they are small bands of elk that are highly mobile.  Just got plain lucky the first year.  I have seen some really nice bulls in the NE corner of the state and found some decent sheds.

[sjhgraysage]

 Since about 1990 I have spent quite a bit of time up there mostly in the Selkirk unit looking for and hunting elk.
Unless in the last two years things have changed drastically, I don't believe the 1200 head estimate for the selkirk herd.
In all those years of scouting and hunting (I did not hunt it every year, and only archery or muzzleloader when I did) I have seen elk exactly three times, and I don't remeber ever seeing more than 6 head at one time.
I will say that we rarely saw another hunter in the woods while we were actually hunting there. Of course most of the time where I was, you can't see more than 20 yards anyway

[SHANE(WA)]

The selkirk herd numbers also include elk the elk on Mt spokane all the way to canada over to kelly hill and south, there are more than 1,200 elk in that area.

[hoytem]

last year trurkey hunting we saw and filmed a herd of 46 a few miles south of ione. and saw another herd of 9 within a mile of there and of course 5 million whitetail

[Forrestrover]

last year trurkey hunting we saw and filmed a herd of 46 a few miles south of ione. and saw another herd of 9 within a mile of there and of course 5 million whitetail

Sounds almost exactly like my spring turkey hunting experience last spring, the elk we saw were in someones yard.

[caseyv21]

i'm yet to see any elk north of spokane but i'm going scouting on saturday so hopefully i'll at least see some fresh sign, then i'll get my hopes up

[jay33ice]

this will be my 1st year elk hunting in WA.  Am taking the bow up North of Usk on the E side of the river.  Saw some fresh sign last year while deer hunting, but nothing to fresh on a scouting trip earlier this month.  Am just hoping my trip doesn't turning into a camping trip with no action, but am not encouraged by what i've heard so far.  May have to break down and pay to hunt elk in ID next year if this is a total bust.

[SHANE(WA)]

More u hunt this area and learn it, the more succes u will have. There are honey holes in this area, I have several now, see elk everytime out now

[kopfjaeger]

I sincerely hope there will be no restrictions on the NE corner for the modern guys. The success rate is very low compared to bow and muzzle. I also believe there are more than 1200 elk in the NE corner. I talked to a gammie 2 years ago out of Addy that told me it was more like 2600. I grew up in the middle of the South Kapowsin tree farm now controlled by Hancock and I would much rather hunt 113; steep, thick and no people where I go. In 2007 I took a 330 6x6 bull on opening day in 113 and 5 days later my uncle took a real nice 270-ish 5x5 bull; last year I drew a cow tag and filled it opening day. The only unfortunate thing I have seen in this area is a cow killed by an arrow that someone didn't find after shooting it. I have property in the Chewelah area and in Summer of 2006 I had a herd of 14 camp out for a few days. Last year I saw a huge 350+ 6x7 just of the highway in Usk. I have tracked and seen plenty from Calispell Lake all they way up to Kelly Hill. Last year hiking into Gypsy we came across a wollow were a herd had just been and two bulls tussled; got neck hair to prove it. The trick is come hunting season they are deep and as far away from people as they can possibly get. The problems not the modern guys; if anything it's the introduction of wolves and the long hard winters up there, especially the last two we have had. If anything, close the roads and start prosecuting the guys on ATV's behind locked gates and on roads they aren't supposed to be.

[Dekker]

That's a great looking bull!  How often do hunters run into Grizzlies in GMU 113?

[SHANE(WA)]

I can say that they are not deep for the bow and muzzy guys, there are a few cities up there where we were listening to and calling elk from the highway pretty weird

[kopfjaeger]

I can say that they are not deep for the bow and muzzy guys, there are a few cities up there where we were listening to and calling elk from the highway pretty weird

Wouldn't you say most of those are on private land?

[7mmfan]

I guide on the Upper Columbia just outside of Northport and this spring I saw a herd of at least 40 down along the river 3 different times and a couple of smaller bands. I've heard that that herd is very local and that they spend most of their time on one guys big piece of private land.