Observatory Modern Bull Tags... Check in!

[jjdavis2222]

Any one else lucky enough to draw an modern bull tag? After many many years I finally drew one. Been hunting the lower unit for 20 plus years and now its time to learn the upper part of the units.

If there are any other members that have this tag thought it would be fun to keep this thread alive and keep each other updated on what we all are finding during our scouting.

I would also be willing to offer my help for any pack out help if someone needed some help if they got one down! I would also be open for help packing one out if I was lucky enough to get one down. Our BIG camp is for Mule Deer and all but my Dad will be back to work when our bull hunt starts so god knows I would be open for help packing one out if I got lucky!

Cant wait for this hunting season!!!

[sled]

I drew muzzy bull, but I should be around most of the rifle season hanging out in camp drinking beer.  I'd love to help pack one out! 

[argie1891]

I drew one in that area for disabled hunters. who knows I might even get a chance to take a nice bull.

[jjdavis2222]

I drew muzzy bull, but I should be around most of the rifle season hanging out in camp drinking beer.  I'd love to help pack one out!

Sounds good Sled! Good luck on your hunt. When we get closer I'll send you a PM and we can exchange some info.

[C-Money]

I ate mine last year. Really hurt after waiting so long...

[ElkBOW79]

Our group drew 2 of the modern tags..pretty excited to go looking for a nice bull this year!  Good luck to all that drew this tag and pray for snow!!

[James E]

My Dad drew a rifle tag. Another guy in our group drew it as well. We would be happy to help you pack out and vise versa. My buddy had this tag 2 years ago. It was a nasty pack out.

[jjdavis2222]

My Dad drew a rifle tag. Another guy in our group drew it as well. We would be happy to help you pack out and vise versa. My buddy had this tag 2 years ago. It was a nasty pack out.

Sounds like you guys will have a fun hunt! I will PM you also when time gets closer! I would love to help out if you guys need it. And I would be open for all the help I can get. Also exchange info if someone is having issues locating a bull. Cant wait to get going!

Jake

[Saiki21]

Got it with 8 pts, can't wait to get in there.

[dis_pat_]

Myself and hunting partner account for two of the rifle tags.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

I drew muzzy bull, but I should be around most of the rifle season hanging out in camp drinking beer.  I'd love to help pack one out!

One must always stay hydrated for the big pack out!

[hiway_99]

My daughter drew the muzzy tag with 4 points.

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[longrangekiller]

My wife drew the archery quaility tag gonna be a good year got 5 cams up going to put up 3 more next week


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[Scottystyle]

Rifle tag here.  Hoping my back will be fixed 

[takethetime]

I got lucky enough to draw one. Hoping to have this tag be my first elk also. Had some chances in the past but!

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[Trueski]

New to Hunt-Washington website but have hunted Elk for years in the 340-342 areas. With 23 points in the 2015 drawing I finally drew an Any bull tag. After all the waiting for a tag I was fortunate enough to harvest a nice 6x6 15 minutes into opening morning. I thought I was blessed then......In 2016 with 18 points in Quality bull, I drew a quality bull tag for this season! I still can't believe it and hope I'm as fortunate this year as I was last season.Scouting starts this weekend!

[400gross]

That's what happened to me in 2014/2015
I had less points but drew back to back, is this a pattern 
Plan on spending the whole season for that rut tag it will be worth it
Good luck

[Trueski]

Oh yeah. Planning on putting in the time and feel Blessed to have the opportunity!

[jjdavis2222]

Hope to bump into this guy! Found this nice shed up scouting this weekend around 4000'. Hard to tell from the pics but good mass all the way up.

Found 2 herds of about 30 plus head each. I know the big boys stay away but out of the 60 plus head there was only one bull in the bunch. A small rag 4. Not even a spike. Crazy. You would think there should be a few spikes mixed in.

[takethetime]

Hello all. Just a little intro since I'm new to posting but have been off and on hunt wa reading for years. I'm 32 married and have a 8 year old hunting buddy in training and a 5 year old daughter. I've been hunting modern fire since a child but have been involved in archery.  I've enjoyed hunting deer and have started to be able to hunt elk more and more as the years go on. I've yet to harvest an elk but have draw the observatory general tags this year. Well see!

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[teanawayslayer]

Hello all. Just a little intro since I'm new to posting but have been off and on hunt wa reading for years. I'm 32 married and have a 8 year old hunting buddy in training and a 5 year old daughter. I've been hunting modern fire since a child but have been involved in archery.  I've enjoyed hunting deer and have started to be able to hunt elk more and more as the years go on. I've yet to harvest an elk but have draw the observatory general tags this year. Well see!

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welcome to the site! That would be s heck of a bull for your first!

[400gross]

That's a stud for sure
Observatory? ?

[TikkaT3-270Shortmag]

I had it 6 years ago.  Pray for snow or it could be tag soup

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[takethetime]

That's a stud for sure
Observatory? ?

Yes. Had the opportunity to see this guy in person also. See if I can find his hidden spot post rut! 

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[ribka]

ive seen a group of ten bulls running around 340 and 340 last few weeks

A few really nice ones in that group Of course who knows where they will be in two months

good news is a lot more elk are staying lower this year because the area has received a good deal more snow and precipitation this year. Still pretty green in a lot of areasand water still to be found

Think will be a good year to have this tag IMO

[elkfins]

IMO, best tag in the state.  Good luck to all who drew this tag. I had the any bull tag in 2013... still waiting to get drawn for the quality tag.

[takethetime]

IMO, best tag in the state.  Good luck to all who drew this tag. I had the any bull tag in 2013... still waiting to get drawn for the quality tag.

How did you do in 2013?

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[elkfins]

IMO, best tag in the state.  Good luck to all who drew this tag. I had the any bull tag in 2013... still waiting to get drawn for the quality tag.

How did you do in 2013?

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I got to hunt for 2 hours...  the packed meat & horns for 10 more hours.  Spent the rest of the season relaxing and trying to put my son on a spike.
Plenty of elk in this unit... if you know where to look.

[takethetime]

That's the way we all want it. Lol. Been up scouting a couple times and planning on several more through September and early October. Trying to expand on the little I now and gain everything I can.

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[jjdavis2222]

Had a great weekend scouting last weekend. Kind of hard to scout with all of the archery hunters. Didn't get into some of the areas I have been checking out because it didn't want to blow someones hunt. But checked some cams and get some promising pics. Also found the motherload of sheds on one little hillside! 4 sheds all within about 300 yards of each other and a match set to boot!

We also stumble on to my first cougar kill! When my brother first found it all that was visible was a hind leg sticking out of the pile. Pretty neat but also pretty creepy! It was only hours old. Probably from that night. It would still bleed if you pushed on the puncture wounds from the teeth. We ended up putting a trail cam on it. Should be interesting to see if it comes back after we messed with it. We reburied it.

Only 5 more weeks!






Here you can see the claw marks on its face. He had the same marks on the other side. And the bite marks on his neck.

[Mr Mykiss]

Dude sweet finds!! Not the buck of course...

[cooltimber]

nice find,how many points did u have..I have 11 pts for any bull, and get drawn for cow every other yr.What do you think? maybe not put in for cows/?

[trophyhunt]

Good friend of mine drew that tag with 20 points this year, I don't know much at all about it. He has very limited info as well, he is retiring in a couple years and moving to Oregon so he just threw his name in the hat for an easier draw.  Any advice I can give him ?  I'm hoping to help out if I can, PM's if you want to help. Thanks

[erk444]

So, would that cougar kill be a legal buck? I think not, but its pretty close.

[jjdavis2222]

nice find,how many points did u have..I have 11 pts for any bull, and get drawn for cow every other yr.What do you think? maybe not put in for cows/?

I drew with 11 points. Putting in for cow tags wouldn't affect your outcome on the bull tag. You could draw both but has no impact on the bull tag draw.

[jjdavis2222]

So, would that cougar kill be a legal buck? I think not, but its pretty close.

It wasn't a legal buck. That little point was only about half an inch.

[takethetime]

Getting amped!  Headed for camp in 4 days.

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[jjdavis2222]

One more day! camped 1.7 miles west of tamarack springs. One wall tent and a green and white cook shack. Gray F250 and a Dodge Journey. Feel free to stop in and have a drink and exchange info! Good luck!

[WAElkhunter89]

Will be over there for modern elk season. Our camp is on the left heading up the Manastash Canyon. My Opa always flies a confederate flag nice and high, have a gray GMC Sierra and blue Ford F350 with a white camper, anyone drives by and sees us there, go ahead and stop in and say hey. Always good to meet new people.

[Scottystyle]

One more day! camped 1.7 miles west of tamarack springs. One wall tent and a green and white cook shack. Gray F250 and a Dodge Journey. Feel free to stop in and have a drink and exchange info! Good luck!

Hey there, Ive been up in the area, I have a dark gray almost black Ram 1500.  Not seeing much sign, hope that will change.  Heared a pack of wolves off the 3330 opening morning of deer, have you heared them?  Not sure where we will be tomorrow but will swing in to meet you if we are in the area.


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[jjdavis2222]

Well now that the sting is wearing off I figured I'd give my update to this hunt. Things didn't pan out as I'd hoped. Going into this hunt I was realistic that there was a decent chance I wouldn't fill the tag. One of my best buds dad had the tag last year and didn't fill his tag. Last year only 47% filled their tag. But I was going in pretty confident that I would get it done because I would hunt harder then the 53% that didn't get it done last year. Which I feel I did.

I hunted the first week Oct 24 - 30th. Only seeing 7 cow elk during that time. Went back to work for 3 days and came back for the last 4 days. That Thursday evening I hiked into Keenen Meadows. Right around 4:30pm I was sitting atop the main meadow when I heard some crashing in the thick stuff behind me. So I got up and took 3 steps towards the timber when 3 cow step out into the open 30 yards to my right! I'm on them and hoping a bull comes out next, then someone shots BOOM!!!!! 2 more cows run out BOOM BOOM. Anyways there was a hunter not 60 yards from me just in the thick stuff shooting at the cows that first came out in front of me at 30 yards! Could of been bad for me if there wasn't a little knob there. I watched the cows run into the meadow and watched another one get shot and drop 150 yards in front of me. Their group got 2 cow both dead with in 100 yards of one another right in the middle of the area I was sitting on.  It was a cool experience and got to meet some nice successful hunters. But pretty much ruined my evening hunt.

So the next day I headed to another area I scouted and hunted hard the previous week. And found a shot dead bull with his antlers cut off. There just to waste! I hunted this area 3 days the week before and this bull was not 75 yards from where I have sat! Made me sick!! That could of been my bull or someone's. It was shot during the first couple days of general. Could of been a warden that cut them... who knows. Just sucks that I was hunting that area hard.



Got some intel on Friday night that there were a couple herds with several bulls running around down low right on the sage line between Robinson and Joe Watt all week! So I head down there on the last Saturday evening. Right at 5:30 I spot 3 cow that turn into a whole herd of 21 elk! I was thinking "wow this is going to happen on my last evening hunt!!" I watched them for over half an hour at 200 yards and every single one was a cow! I couldnt believe it! I would of shot a spike at that point! Headed back down there that last morning and didn't see nothing. Back to camp to break it all down. What a heart ache!! 11 years to draw the tag and not able to get it done! Not for lack of effort! Hunted 11 days, and at least 10 miles a day on the boots. 37 cow elk seen and a poached bull and 2 shot dead cow elk left to rot!

Since I drew this tag all of our deer hunting camp agreed to move our traditional mule deer camp to this area because we could leave our camp up till my hunt started. My brother was able to connect on this GREAT BUCK for this area!


And I guess the Elk Gods wanted me to get some antlers! Just not off a living bull! I found a total of 8 nice sheds because of this tag. I found 5 sheds scouting and 3 sheds hunting. Of those are 2 five point sets.



Ya it hurts that I didn't get my bull. But I had one hell of a time trying!!! Got to spend a whole week with just me and my dad which was awesome!

Anyways how did anyone else do? I seen only a few small rag horns in camps. I'm sure a few got lucky!

I hope I get lucky again and draw this tag! Until than I'll find sheds! LOL

[takethetime]

We had a fun year! Here's our story.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php?topic=203899.0

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[ElkBOW79]

My buddy and I drew the tag this year and were blessed with 2 nice 6x6's...not monsters by any means...but definitely trophies in our book!  I'll write up our story and share a few pics.

[Muleyslyr]

Bummer it didn't happen for ya but it does sound like you had a good hunt. And that's all you can ask for when you finally do draw that tag you've been waiting for. It'll sting for awhile until you fill that next tag. Thanks for the update.