Where are the bulls?

[boneill]

Hey all, I'm fairly new to elk hunting and am going all in on archery elk this year. I plan on hunting western WA, unit 560 near Mt. Adams. I've been scouring an area and am finding a lot of elk sign. I have 4 cameras up and have been getting hundreds of elk pictures every couple weeks. The only thing is, all I'm seeing are cows and calves. When I found this spot last year I was scouting it for Blacktails, and ended up getting a few nice bulls on the camera, hence my return this year...so I know bulls were in here last year mid September. I'm hoping they'll be back this year around that same time? I'm just a bit nervous I haven't seen any sign.

So, I'm wondering, do I keep sticking it out in this area, hoping there are bulls in the area and I'm just not finding them, or should I start looking more at some of my secondary pieces of land? Where are the bulls right now? I know they are in bachelor groups, but should I be looking for anything specifically to find them right now?

Any advice is much appreciated!

[kirkl]

If the cows are in the area then the Bulls will be to come September for the rut.

[MountainWalk]

Can't have all them calves without a bull or three.

[bobcat]

I don't think you need to worry about finding the bulls. They will move to where the cows are in September. More concerning would be if you were only seeing bulls and no cows.

[scoutdog346]

In your situation i would rather see lots of cows like u r then say 7 or 8 bulls and few cows becouse if ir seeing that many cows ur sitting good...stay there...the bulls will come.  Put a salt lick out to keep them there but not that sweet stuff.

[Hot Lunch]

Bulls are higher and together, they will be finding the cows soon enough. You are on the right track if you are on the cows!

[boneill]

I'm a bit late on this, but thought I would follow up...

You were all right- the bulls definitely moved in. I wasn't able to seal the deal on any of them, but it definitely made it easier to stay focused on the hunt knowing there were a few nice bulls in the area!

It was my first year elk hunting, and I definitely learned a lot...and got beat down pretty bad. Elk hunting is no joke! Great experience- much different than deer hunting.

[boneill]

Tough to see this fella, but he had a cool drop tine

[boneill]

This guy was the smallest of the 3

[boneill]

Big boy pushing cows..I found some of his beds, but was never able to get eyes on him

[boneill]

One more of the big fella...

[blackveltbowhunter]

Awesome!! nice pics and great bulls

[SniperDanWA]

Awesome!! nice pics and great bulls

Looks to me like you'll pull it off, based on your pics and attitude.  Stay positive and good job so far.

[cooltimber]

stick with it.just a matter of time!

[SeatoSummit88]

How bout that first one. The neck on that thing was incredible. Great shots!

[branches]

Great pictures and thank you for the update of your hunt.

[boneill]

Thanks for the support! Unfortunately, my season ended on the 22nd. I was able to hunt hard for the last week of the season, but was never able to put anything together. Hopefully I'll have a better shot next year. For now, it's on to mod firearm Blacktails. Finally get access to scout my spot this weekend once the Fire Ban lifts!!!

[Little Fish]

Nice pictures! When you say you weren't able to put anything together do you mean blown opportunities or no nothing. Given there are 3 bulls in the area I would think you might have a chance at one of the smaller bulls if not the big guy. Are you calling for them? Hunting by yourself or with a partner?

[pianoman9701]

I think I know right where your camera is. That's a favorite area for me. Best of luck and maybe I'll see you up there next year. 

[finnman]

here is one bull....

[10thmountainarcher]

here is one bull....

Does that guy crab claw at the end of his right main beam? Nice bull.

[finnman]

yep, he's a 6x8.

[Timberstalker]

What a bull.  Washington bull Finnman?

[gonehuntin68]

Wow nice bull

[cooltimber]

well looks like you did stick it to him, that's a hog. way to tough it out. that's what I'm talking about

[finnman]

This is a Pierce County bull shot by a friend last week. 30 yards....went 40 yards and fell over. It's a dandy!

[boneill]

Little Fish, when I say nothing, I mean notta. Saw a few cows...and a lot of close encounters with deer. I heard one (real) bugle all week. There was quite a bit of pressure in the area from other hunters. I was calling, but I didn't want to over-call with all the other hunters in the area calling. I thought I had an idea of where they would head when the hunting pressure hit, but I never had much luck. I definitely put in my time, learned lots, and look forward to using what I learned this year next season. To be honest, I went in hoping to stick an elk, but I really didn't expect to. I just wanted to learn as much as possible, so in that regard, the hunt was a success.

Pianoman, if you know where my camera is, I might have a picture of you! I think I have 5 different hunters on my cameras in that area. I'm not sure if I'll be back there next year or not, but if I am, it'd be great to get in touch with you.