Williams creek 673 cow tag

[MLhunter1]

Drew a Williams creek cow tag with 1 pt.  Always hunted eastside archery so never applied for cows.  Can anyone give a good starting point for a scouting mission?  What's the access like?  Any help is appreciated but will be putting some effort in.

[hiway_99]

What season

[James E]

Most of the gates will be locked. Hopefully you have a pass.

[bobcat]

Most of the gates will be locked. Hopefully you have a pass.

A pass for what? I'm not sure any of that unit is Weyerhaeuser. A big chunk of it is state land and the rest is other various timber companies. So I guess I assume you mean a Discover pass.

[sirmissalot]

I used to hunt Williams creek and it was weyco but I think they sold to Hancock down there. I'm not sure about any of that land down there any more, other than there are plenty of elk to fill a cow tag.

[bobcat]

Yeah it's not Hancock anymore either, but a couple other companies I never heard of. At least one has a Florida address, or maybe it was Georgia. Been a while since I looked it up.

[MLhunter1]

Thanks guys.  It's a rifle tag.  Nov 5-12. 

[Alan K]

Hancock is still a major land owner in Williams Creek, predominantly on the south end around the Nemah.  Rayonier also holds a good chunk of land, mostly smack in the middle of the unit, and yes there is some state land both on the north and south ends.  The company you might never have heard of bobcat might be FIA Green Crow. They bought much of the Weyerhaeuser land on the north end of the unit.

The GMU is cut over pretty hard, but spend some time glassing reprod and you'll do fine.  Most guys wouldn't mind telling you if they saw a herd without any branched bulls (likely most will be without by the time your tag starts!), so don't be shy if you're having a hard time finding one.

[hiway_99]

Are you hunting alone or with somebody?  I know a few spots on I can share by pm.  I haven't hunted 673 in two years but hunted it for the 5 years prior.

[grundy53]

Most of the gates will be locked. Hopefully you have a pass.

A pass for what? I'm not sure any of that unit is Weyerhaeuser. A big chunk of it is state land and the rest is other various timber companies. So I guess I assume you mean a Discover pass.

You need a pass for the rayonier land.

sent from my typewriter

[bobcat]

Most of the gates will be locked. Hopefully you have a pass.

A pass for what? I'm not sure any of that unit is Weyerhaeuser. A big chunk of it is state land and the rest is other various timber companies. So I guess I assume you mean a Discover pass.

You need a pass for the rayonier land.

sent from my typewriter

Oh, okay. I didn't realize Rayonier was selling passes. I knew they had some leased areas, but didn't know about any access passes. Good to know. Thanks

[GameHunter1959]

Hunted Williams Creek for 30 years. Weyco was leasing the land from the state. They sold their lease 3-4 years ago to Hancock. They are the major land owner. No permit is required. My buddy has the contract to build their gates. He claims they keep talking about making it a pay by permit area at 5 years of ownership. So for now it is free.

You can take the main line (2000 line) out of the eastside of the town of South Bend (back by the golf course). It will take you east into the GMU and eventually turn you heading south. Later you turn west and will come out on HWY 101. You will come out south of the Palix River just north of the Nemah Fish Hatchery. Since Hancock took over, they have logged the hell out of the area. It should not be hard to fill you tag. Focus on the clear cuts and reep rod. If you have a partner; have him push a few area where the trees are about 6-15 feet tall. They have open areas, you can see elk in. Do that and you will get your cow.

I had that tag 2 times. Filled it within the first 2 hours it opened. If you are halfway competent; you should not have an issue filling your tag. Most the guys driving the roads are seeing elk. Ask around and they can point you to a few areas.

Bring at least 1500 feet of kevlar rope or cable. Most guys pull their elk out whole, using truck from the top of the landing. Usually takes a few guys to help direct the elk around stumps. Unless it is the right area, I don't recommend taking them out the bottom. The windfall is really bad down there. Heavy storms and winds pound the coast line. You get down in there, you can get yourself hurt. Its not like the eastside. Steep, deep, dark, and misserable weather.

Ohhh....and bring a rain coat, cus your gonna need it.

[GameHunter1959]

I suppose you could buy a land access pass for some of the smaller land owners that require it. I don't see a reason to do that for a cow tag. You could hunt Hancock land every day of the season and still not cover everything they control. Don't waste your money.

[EyeTooth]

PM sent. Good Luck!

[James E]

I hunted the South Bend area last year. Most of the gates were locked. Be ready to do some hiking. You should have no problem filling your tag.