Blue Mountain Spike Hunt

[Heavily Armed Hiker]

Looking to hunt the Blue's next year for rifle season.  Which unit should we hunt for general spike tags?  We are thinking of Lick Creek or Dayton.  Any pros/cons to either unit?  Thanks for the input.

[jackelope]

lots of trouble in lick creek with native american hunting, and it gets hit pretty heavy anyway...but you're gonna find the same pressure everywhere.
there's lots of elk, some steep and thick country.

[bucklucky]

Theres spikes over there, I only seen a couple when I was in there 

[agchawk]

Lick creek is just south of my place and Jackelope is right. I hunt it for spike and it is pretty much a madhouse out there. Just this last season (Monday after opening) I sat and counted 22 orange vests in about 5 hours time and numerous shots out of visual range...and saw one cow elk. I had fun out there but it really was frustrating with all the pressure.

With that being said, I doubt it's much different anywhere else out there. I just thought I'd let ya know my experience in the area.

Good luck out there if ya choose to hunt it. If ya need anything just PM me. I'll give any info I can come up with to help ya out.

[MHWASH]

I also hunt Lick Creek. Lots of people, but where can you go today where there isn't alot of people. This year I saw the most people ever up there and also saw the most elk I've seen this year.

If you want to raise your blood pressure drive around during the rut and count how many indians you see driving around with ID plates. Good thing they are too lazy to do more than road hunt.

[rosscrazyelk]

Unless you live close to there i would not waste your time. Success rate for spikes in the blues is less than 3%

[skybusterbo]

Just look at the W.D.F.W. harvest reports for 2007. Lick creek and Dayton, not very good odds of success.

[youngchristof]

you shouldnt waste the time or money to come here for a general season spike hunt.  It like trying to find a needle in a hay stack.  they are here but, the place is a friggin mad house during that season.  the whole blues are.  You should look at muzzle loader or archery seasons if you want to have any chance at an elk.

[Heavily Armed Hiker]

We've hunted Lick Creek in the past and have seen elk every year.  However, most elk are 800 plus yards away so we haven't been able to get any shots off.  Trying to decide whether to keep going back there until we draw our big bull tags or try the Dayton unit, or any other unit in the Blues, for something different.

[Slayock]

I hunted the blues last year for spikes and didnt have much luck.  My cousin and I were 300 yards off on what we thought was a spike coming through some thick timber on the other side of the draw.  As soon as it stepped out into the clear we made it leagal and pulled up on it.  A second before i pulled the trigger i saw the bull drop and then heard the report.  A guy on the other side of the draw shot it at 150 yards.  We did some glassing and saw it was my dads uncle.  He is 60 so we got to do most of the packing.  We found out that it was his 39th bull he had shot.
the next day we saw 7 big 6 points together and a few were fighting, pretty impressive to watch.  We hunted 5 more days and didnt see another elk except for a couple cows.

[lamar_hunter]

Looking to hunt the Blue's next year for rifle season.  Which unit should we hunt for general spike tags?  We are thinking of Lick Creek or Dayton.  Any pros/cons to either unit?  Thanks for the input.

STAY OUT OF DAYTON! haha jk but it is so packed it isnt even funny. i only knew of 2 or 3 spikes killed around there.

[BLUEBULLS]

i was just going to say what everyone here said. packed with people and the elk crawl into caves that I haven't been able to locate yet.

[Slayock]

Unless your lucky or can spend a lot of time scouting your chances arent great.  Up there its a local game.  I know people who work for the Forest Service and spend all their time in the blues and they shoot elk every year.

[Gobble Gobble]

I've never hunted elk only deer and bear (I only hunt archery) in the Blues and if elk is as busy as modern deer OMFG 

I was dumb and decided to do a little bear hunting in Dayton unit and the road I was on I counted 15 hunters along the road in a 2 mile stretch and 30 vehicles most of which had camps set up. In the woods I walked by 5 and glassed 2 more. Its amazing how much the hunter orange stands out against a backdrop of green and white.

I worked the edges of Lick Creek & Tucannon on the last day of bear season and scared up 6 grouse and saw about a dozen vehicles driving the jeep trails.

If you want to raise your blood pressure drive around during the rut and count how many indians you see driving around with ID plates.  Good thing they are too lazy to do more than road hunt. 

They have deeded land at the south end of Wolf Creek (Dayton Unit) why can't they just go there and leave us with what little land we have left.

[Slayock]

The road hunters are getting really bad along with the four wheelers.  If you want to get away from people you really have to get in there deep or hunt the wilderness area.