New to Elk Hunting ISO any help with Wenatchee Area Elk Hunt.

[irvafgi]

Hey ya'll

I'm new to the area, looking for anyone that will help with getting into Elk hunting (bow season.) Lots of experience with White tail, but very limited/none on Mule & Elk . Just looking for a group or person that would be willing to drag me along on there hunts to get familiar with the Lay of the Land. As well as trying to understand the GMU's and the boarders. Also having trouble with Wildlife area's Blue on the Go hunt maps? Are they off limits of free to hunt. Sorry,  just trying to learn so i'm not breaking any rules once i do start pushing out on my own.

[Vo2max]

First, welcome to bow hunting Elk! Nothing like it. You'd better hope you don't get the "itch!" It's incredibly addictive, this elk bow hunting.

As far as how to get started... Personally, I'd start with downloading OnXMaps... I don't work for them, am not sponsored by them and don't get a discount on their products... It's saved me countless hours of scouring maps and phone calls. All property borders are present, all GMU's are visualized, many trails, most logging rds, all property owners are shown. I've found so many cool places to hunt using it I don't think I'd ever not use it! Then, boots on the ground! Go out there and mess up a ton.

Meet a few guys who already hunt where you are... Highly unlikely anyone who still hunts a unit will give up their specific spot to you. Not saying it doesn't happen but don't expect it. If you find someone looking for a partner then there's that opportunity but low odds typically with elk... They're like hunting ghosts to some and when you find out where they are trust me, if you tell anyone you're likely to either have company next time or your hunting partner will be none too pleased and no longer your hunting partner.

Go find sign, correlate it to what you find on the map, mark waypoints, go slow, get as good optics as you can afford, get as good gear as you can afford, read a ton and get after it! It's an incredible experience to even be in the elk woods let alone killing one... Next level stuff. Enjoy!

[cbond3318]

Welcome to the site and welcome to Eastern Washington! I don't hunt the Wenatchee area, I hunt elk on the other side in the Colockum. But can help a little I think, the wildlife areas are typically open for hunting but each come with there own unique regulations. If you get on the WDFW website you can pull up each wildlife area and read the rules and regulations specifically for each one. The GoHunt feature does a pretty good job of outlining GMU boundaries and I find it easier if I set the map to satellite view so it is a Google Earth image of the area with overlays of boundaries and different features of the map.

I would look into getting the OnxHunt App for your phone, hunt tool that shows GMU, Private/public, road and trail systems etc.... This will give you the confidence of knowing where you can access to hunt allowing you to dedicate all your energy to learning how to hunt Elk and mule deer!

Good luck, there's a some very knowledgable hunters in your area!

[vandeman17]

Tell us a little more about you and your background. Might help give us a better idea about you and what tips to give.

[irvafgi]

WOW!, great first couple replies awesome to see folks that want to actually help, sorry i'm not fond of forums. A little more about myself and experience. I'm originally from upstate NY. WAY WAY upstate, about 40 mins from Ottawa Canada, US side of course. Grew up hunting white tail, turkey, ducks, goose, & grouse. Trapping mostly raccoon, beaver & coyote, fox every now and then. Fishing for northern pike(not the minnow), muskie, walleye, perch, larger mouth and live wells full of small mouth. Was active duty AF for 10 years, got out in 2013 moved here with the Wife & our kiddo's, She's originally from the Wenatchee area. Biggest issue I have is the geographic. Seems like every time I try and get a grasp on the local area, there something new I don't understand when researching the Fish and Wild life site.

[andrew_in_idaho]

I think you'd be better off heading south to hunt the colockum or in the Yakima area, not a lot of elk around Wenatchee


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[pd]

Grew up.......fishing for northern pike(not the minnow)......

Bam.  That is the sound the gauntlet makes when thrown!

Welcome.  If your wife is a local, then there have got to be some hunters in the family, even distant relatives.  Even if they don't hunt, they can be a great source of intel for you.  Perhaps there are not a lot of elk in that area, but there are deer, and it is your new backyard.  Perhaps develop your own go-to deer spots, and think about some other areas for elk?? 

Even if it takes a few years, the journey is the adventure, not the destination.

[irvafgi]

Nice call on the onXmaps, thats defiantly going to help. I hunt with another family friend thats a local, but he is really new to big game hunting, and our schedules rarely match up. He has a good knowledge of the area, and we've done ok, but an  elk mentor would be a big help. Heading south is certainly a good call. Was down in the Walla Walla area, and that place is stocked. LOL, I wouldn't call it the gauntlet, first year here when ever someone said pike minnow, I thought to myself why the heck are they calling northerns, "pike minnow?" Figured it out pretty quick, once i dipped a line in the columbia up here. I was like what the sh*t is that fish. The only thing i could compare it to was a red fin mullet. Did a little google search and BAM! I give you, the pike minnow. Here is another questions for everyone, how many game processors are there in the Area? I know of one.

[scoutdog346]

Welcome...
How much walking r u willing/can u do?
What is ur currant situational wherewithal?
How much vaction time do u burn on hunting or how much time do u have or r willing to spend on scouting/hunting
How much is the meat going to influence where u hunt and how u hunt. i.e. r u willing to notch ur tag on a cow or doe 2 or 3 days into the season or do u designat the 1st 80% of the season to horns? I CAN'T tell u where to easily harvest a cow but i can a mule deer or black tail doe. I have a hard time with bulls and cows and can't evean guarantee myself an elk harvest every season.  I only go 4 mule deer bucks all season and will not tag a doe.  I will this late archery season as i got selected 4 a late season doe tag but will only devote the last 2 or 3 days to a doe.
Advice i can give u now:  1.)make sure u know the restrictions to each GMU u r huting in relation to what weapon. 2.)Just worry about the GMUs and stay away from the Wildlife areas unless u know 4SURE! where they end and start cuz u Don't want 2 break the rules. 3.)Start building up special perm. points. 4.)untill u get to know an area and untill u have ur own hunny holes; look for an opportunity and be willing to go out of ur way to help pack someone's animal out or to help a hunter out if it appears like he or she could use or want the help. I have met some good people that way both having it done 4 me and me doing it myself. Sorry 4 the long post everyone. 

[509muley]

Hey ya'll

I'm new to the area, looking for anyone that will help with getting into Elk hunting (bow season.) Lots of experience with White tail, but very limited/none on Mule & Elk . Just looking for a group or person that would be willing to drag me along on there hunts to get familiar with the Lay of the Land. As well as trying to understand the GMU's and the boarders. Also having trouble with Wildlife area's Blue on the Go hunt maps? Are they off limits of free to hunt. Sorry,  just trying to learn so i'm not breaking any rules once i do start pushing out on my own.

Plenty of options near Wenatchee. Our closer unit (251) holds plenty of elk but it is not open for archery, only muzzy and rifle. If you have a archery tag drive up Stemilt Loop Road and find your way to GMU 328 on the Colockum using your maps and that whole unit is open for cow or spike. Get a cow elk under your belt, learn some new country and you'll be a elk hunter in no time. Best of luck. 

[Wilderness Addict]

I also grew up in the upstate ny area not as far north and have a couple friends from Saratoga coming to hunt elk this year. I hunt elk the same way I hunted ny whiteail. Find a well used game trail and set up a treestand. Scouting=success. 328,329,335 I believe are cow and true spike this year. I have 6 trees limbed out already for my climber and I have both two weeks off work. There's elk in them hills. Where are the elk now and where will they go once pressured? Sounds like whitetail hunting to me. Good luck and feel free to ask questions