HELP me with elk permits

[luvmystang67]

I go through this every year.  I have enough points now that I'm getting picky.

I'm going to hunt most of my regular season days in Idaho... but I want to make sure I do the right thing in Wa for my points.  Looking for user input.

Here's my situation:

14 points for both Cow and Quality Bull.  I blew my chance on Bull last year at St Helens (well a storm literally blew my chances).

Since I dont really NEED to hunt the regular season in WA, I'm kind of open to putting in for anywhere with any weapon, but would prefer Muzzy or Modern.

I really would like to burn those cow points on a good sure bet, but don't want to be out of the running for a competitive bull tag.  However, I have to eat all those cow points if I draw both.  That being said... I have more time this coming year than I've ever had to scout and hunt.  I'm on the west side.

A couple of options... for those bull chances:

1) stick with wetside given that I have an easier time scouting over here.  Put in for Nooksack and maybe Green River... see if I can make something of a wet side tag with superior scouting time.  Wildcard: what to do about cow... points option or just enter for that as well?

2) try one of the colockum/i90 (observatory, peaches, etc) hunts for quality bull... again, what to do with the cow tag.  Still pretty easy scouting... I know the area somewhat

3) Blues... I know that everyone that is there is going to tell me not to... but the bulls I see coming out of there are so large.  that being said, there are plenty of large animals on the i90 corridor and with more scouting I might have a better chance at a bigger animal if I stay closer to home.... that is unless someone can help point me in the right direction if I were to get drawn.  I'm in good shape and unafraid of these mountains

Note 1) I know a lot of you are going to say... "14 points... pssh.. I have so many more than you... stop worrying".  My answer: I dont care...  that is fantastic... sounds like your'e unlucky

Note 2) another lot of you are going to say... "don't apply somewhere you dont know"... here's the deal.  I'm going to spend time scouting wherever I get drawn and really am unconcerned about your opinion about where I should put in based on my experience.

So... what do I do with my cow points...

What do you honestly think about the quality of animals in the blues versus more time to find quality animals in nooksack or the i90 corridor... ?  I need a long term game plan that I can begin applying year after year.  HELP!

[gallion_t]

Really decided to wait until the last minute with this one huh? If it were me I would start by running through a series of questions.

Do I want to hunt muzzy or modern?
Am I more concerned about filling the freezer or getting a real record book bull?
What type of hunting do I want to do? This forest or more open areas?

If it were me (having never harvested an elk before and anything will be a trophy and make me happy) I would probably pick muzzy elk and focus on getting drawn for a cow tag. Being on the west side I would either chose a few of the units over here that have good draw odds and success rate or along the I90 corridor just on the east side. If you chose the I90 corridor it will give you an opportunity to scout that area and learn it a bit while trying to draw your quality tag in later years.

I personally am paranoid of drawing multiple tags in one year that I can't use so I would just try to knock out the cow tag and just apply for points for the quality tag.   

[luvmystang67]

Really decided to wait until the last minute with this one huh? If it were me I would start by running through a series of questions.

Do I want to hunt muzzy or modern?
Am I more concerned about filling the freezer or getting a real record book bull?
What type of hunting do I want to do? This forest or more open areas?

If it were me (having never harvested an elk before and anything will be a trophy and make me happy) I would probably pick muzzy elk and focus on getting drawn for a cow tag. Being on the west side I would either chose a few of the units over here that have good draw odds and success rate or along the I90 corridor just on the east side. If you chose the I90 corridor it will give you an opportunity to scout that area and learn it a bit while trying to draw your quality tag in later years.

I personally am paranoid of drawing multiple tags in one year that I can't use so I would just try to knock out the cow tag and just apply for points for the quality tag.   

I've been stewing about it since January and still have no clarity.  I appreciate all hunting types.  I want a chance at a very good bull, but am a pretty firm believer that you're probably usually more likely to get a good bull in a place you can scout intensely than in a place that has good bulls but allows you no scouting time.  That being said, I scouted the crap out of St Helens last year and came up empty as conditions changed and the whole game changed the day I walked in.  Had it been a place with more large animals, I would have one on my wall right now.

I hate the cow tag looming because like you I'm also paranoid.

Being good at statistics and math... I hate to give up a year of draw opportunity on bull when I know that no matter how many points you have its rough to draw one.  Part of me thinks chances are low enough that I should just put in for challenging draws for both and my chances of drawing both are therefore extremely small.

I've hunted wooded and open areas... slight preference to open as you can see more animals and I enjoy the spot and stalk aspect.

Also... I'm 29 so part of me just wants to put in for the blues while I'm young enough to make it happen.  ARGH... if i draw both cow and quality bull I'm going to be so upset...

[Ridgerunner]

If your 29 and in good shape why not consider the watershed.  Probably the best draw odds in the blues and good bulls.  STeep stuff though. 

[Russ McDonald]

[lewy]

Put in for both, having multiple tags is a good problem to have and if you burn cow points oh well antlerless tags aren't that hard to draw anyhow. Chances are you wont get both tags, play the odds.

[Rainier10]

If I were possibly hunting an area I wasn't as familiar with as I could be I would go muzzy and put in for both cow and bull.  If you draw both so be it.  The thing about the muzzy season is they are still pretty active and you don't have to get as close.  You do only have one shot but just make it a good one.  That time of the year you can get 100-130 yards away and the new muzzle loaders are more than capable of doing that as long as you practice up with one.

As for which unit to hunt, they are all good so put in for two on the westside or two on the eastside and hope for the best.  I think with muzzy I would do the east side just cause it is dryer weather and more muzzy friendly to not having an ignition problem.

[kentrek]

Points option for cow unless you actually want to shoot a cow...but since your hunting idaho you might wana save that for a year you really need a slam dunk to fill the freezer


Also beings your hunting idaho your gona have a chance at a big East side bull anyway....so my votes west side...sounds like youve had enough of st hellens so the obvious choice is the northern tags 

[Russ McDonald]

Put in the Green River and Nooksack.  Good areas the Green has some big bulls in there.  I put in for both for archery.

[theleo]

If you were to draw in the blues you probably wouldn't be all that worried about eating some cow points. Stack the deck against drawing a bull tag here, try and get your cow tag to fill the freezer should you strike out in Idaho, and lastly hunt your butt off I Idaho to try to get 2 elk. I'm not sure where you're heading to in Idaho but some of the OTC archery tags are any elk, and that same rules applies to the second tag should you buy one.

[luvmystang67]

Is watershed any better or worse than any of the other blues hunts?  Aren't mountain view and the Wenahas also pretty brutal?  Is watershed just cool because you have it all to yourself (no regular season hunters)?

Hard physical work isn't a problem. 

I actually really enjoyed St Helens and would love to go back... I feel as though I have unfinished business there.  I feel like when I draw again in 15 years it'll look like a very different place though. 

Whoever suggest I put in for both sides might not understand how these tags work...

[JohnB]

Don't play the "I'm afraid I'll draw both tags" game. If you're putting in for one of the Eastside Quality tags your 14 pts don't really mean that much with only a handful of tags. If its about killing an elk and you're worried about drawing both, then put in for cow and do pts for Quality Bull. If you draw a cow tag and reset your pts to 0 you can be competitive for a cow tag in  2-4 years depending on the unit. If you keep doing pts for cow and not getting drawn for quality bull you're just wasting the tag opportunities for the rest of your hunting life.

[D-Rock425]

I know what I'd do.

[luvmystang67]

I know what I'd do.

So helpful... as always.

[Woodchuck]

There is no scouting in "The Shed" view it from the road is all you get preseason. No camping in "The Shed" In and out every day. No well used trails. Yes there are dandy bulls in there. I have seen several people that have spent a day or two in there and packed it up and went home without a shot fired. It is all steep and rough.

[Magnum_Willys]

14 cow points ur not a cow hunter. Forget about the cow tag. Save it for a time you need the meat.

[JohnB]

how many years have you done pts option for cow tags?

[Maverick]

Problem watershed is theres 40 tags all hunting big bulls at the same time. Blue creek and dayton are probably the easier hiking hunts. Why not colockum? Big bull country. That's where I'm hoping to draw for my next big bull tag. It'll be awhile I'm sure.  One thing I will say is if you plan on hunting of the brutal blues hunts like Wenahas, mtn view, lick creek, watershed and some of tuccannon. If you don't have or plan on paying for the use of horses or mules these hunts can be extremely brutal. Something to really think about because every year there are guys drawing these tags that aren't prepared. Hiking in and out day after day is tough. Doing that and then having an elk to pack out is insane in some of the places a downed bull ends up.

[tgray]

I had a muzzy bull tag and was drawn for a late cow tag last year. I only put in for both because I really didn't care about the cow tag that much and was prepared to eat it. Thought my bull hunt would be a slam dunk but it turned out not so, I missed a real nice 6x7 and passed on 5-6 smaller Bulls. I ate my bull tag and shot a cow later on. West side hunts

[kentrek]

I actually really enjoyed St Helens and would love to go back... I feel as though I have unfinished business there.  I feel like when I draw again in 15 years it'll look like a very different place though. 

Well you know what they say about what to do after falling off the horse.....

[luvmystang67]

Okay... I tried "tough to draw" cow hunts and tough to draw bull hunts.  We'll see if watershed finds me and my rifle.  If not, hopefully a cow meets my rifle at west bar.  In for both and an impossible colockum draw.  If you stack the odds hard enough against you... its hard to be upset if you draw both... then you just end up having the problem of being the luckiest SOB around.

Thanks for your input everyone.  Fingers crossed for a colockum rut hunt or a watershed kill-my-legs-and-spirit hunt.

If you saw my other thread I will probably be married for next year's season, so I figured I might as well take as much opportunity as possible for this season.

[Antlershed]

I know what I'd do.

[Antlershed]

Cow tag in any of the Yakima/Kittitas Co units is a pretty sure thing.