So WDFW does chase the elk around... UPDATED

[boneaddict]

Pretty much nailed them in that photo.  Wow

[seth30]

Sorry to hear you hunt was ruined!  You stated they followed you, were you in a vehicle or on foot?  Do you have a picture of the tail number?  Maybe a call to the FAA to see who its registered to..

[Mr Mykiss]

Pretty much nailed them in that photo.  Wow

It would appear that way but I'm afraid it will be a case of... "We were just flying around doing our mule deer surveys and out popped a herd of elk. We were flying lower at that moment because of XYZ. We understand the impression that might have been given to the hunters that took the photo but we assure you that XYZ. Sincerely, ___"

So yeah...a video would be nice but it might just elicit the same explanation.

[LDennis24]

Well since I live in the Palouse I'm surrounded by farmer's who I have the privilege of working with on a regular basis as I deliver pesticides and fertilizer. I was hunting a guys land that is separated by a mile section of someone else's land and the elk crossed the private land and I was driving and watching the elk from the road before the chopper started following us. After the elk crossed onto some land we could hunt we decided to go a different direction and see if they were gonna come out of a ravine where I could hide in the tall grass and wait or sneak up above them on foot and get a shot. Before we got a 1/4 mile down the road I noticed the chopper was following us out my window and decided to stop and turn around and see if he ran the elk another direction again. Well when I got turned around again and drove to where I last saw the elk they were just standing on the ridge line looking around, not running. Suddenly the chopper left us and flew right to the elk on the ridge and began to swoop at them until they started running again and he then followed alongside of them to direct them another way. 

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Levi, Its Jon, I started that other thread when your wife posted the event on facebook. I didnt realize you were a member on here. I was hoping it would generate a good response so that the WDFW cant just brush it under the rug!

[fish_hunter]

i had the same type of thing happen years ago along the Olympic National Park boundary.  we were hunting outside of the park and a park ranger was scaring the elk back into the park with a starter pistol.  he pissed off many hunters that day.

[LDennis24]

So after filing a complaint with Director Unsworth I got a call from the biologist who was in the helicopter that day. He is from Spokane and I have met him before when I was doing deer counts for them several yrs ago. He stated that my accusation of them running the elk away with the chopper was completely false and that they merely circled them in an attempt to take a photograph. He said he was sorry if it interfered with our hunt but that doesn't make me feel any better about what happened. Other hunter's in the area claimed to have seen the same thing involving elk and not deer that day. Was this a photography flight or a deer count? I asked him why they would choose to do the survey during an open hunting season and he said that the reason they do survey's this time of year is that it's closer to the rut and they can get an accurate count of the bucks and doe's together and can follow the migration from South to North and avoid counting the same deer twice. Which completely makes sense. He also said that they have conflicts with the calendar such as Thanksgiving and weather so it's necessary to do the counts whenever they can to get them done in time. This is all understood by me. However he also said they don't like to interfere with modern rifle season so they choose this time of year for the count's. So I guess muzzleloader hunter's get the short straw. I was asked if I had seen any elk with collar's on them and being a nice guy and caring about their studies I informed him that another hunter had seen a cow with a collar and where it was. He said that the collar's are old and no longer working on most of the elk and that they were from when the elk were collared on Turnbull years ago. Sounds like they want to recover that collar for the data on it. So I'm still not happy that they interfered with my hunting opportunity but I don't know that anything can really be done about it as they don't seem to have the time to do count's around open season's in the fall and winter. As mad as I am about it, it is understandable. I'm just disgruntled that it blew my chance this year for an elk and I didn't get to hunt the early season cuz I had more important thing's to take care of.

[westside bull]

Sounds like he's covering his butt you need to show his supervisor the pic's so this doesn't happen again.

[LDennis24]

We are sending the pics and I have other people working on bringing more attention to this as well.

[CAMPMEAT]

Probably had a Conservation Northwest pilot too......

[bobcat]

So the helicopter is being paid to count mule deer but instead they're following herds of elk around trying to get photographs? And our hunting license money is paying for this? 

[lamrith]

Late joining this thread, but I also agree that biologist is covering his butt.  based on what you have said it is complete harassment..

One tip, maybe next time instead of pictures, see if you can grab video, it will take away ability to claim just taking pictures when you have video of them following you then you cnage direction and they chase elk you are heading toward...

Sorry your hunt got ruined, it is tough enough finding game half the time let alone having it run off. 

[BOWHUNTER45]

Be Culling the herd next .. Doubt in will involve U or I !!  HA

[LDennis24]

I know what you mean. Usually I have trouble with some of the local's driving around chasing the animal's across seeded fields and private ground ruining my hunting opportunities and not getting any help from WDFW and this time it's them doing the running. 

[Sumpnneedskillin]

I haven't seen it myself but I've heard guys complain about a similar thing around here.  What I've heard is guys have done their homework and have elk patterned in the fields.  All of the sudden right before opening a helicopter shows up and starts pushing the elk back behind the elk fence.