340 Elk?

[Griz231]

So we hunted up on Quartz opening weekend and got into a couple elk the first morning then it was pretty quite.  My dad and brother went up yesterday to the lower Taneum area that we've hunted quite a bit and they said it is a ghost town down there.  No tracks, nothing.  So they are headed back up the hill to go higher.

Any other reports for the area?  High or low activity?

[JKEEN33]

I was up there. Saw nothing thing. No elk on 4 different cameras in over 3 weeks

[Griz231]

I was up there. Saw nothing thing. No elk on 4 different cameras in over 3 weeks

up on quartz?

[Killmore]

They probably all dropped off the ridge into the little naches with no pressure on that side.

[GUscottie]

They probably all dropped off the ridge into the little naches with no pressure on that side.

And I hope they stay there until Sept 30th!

[7mag.]

I spent 4 days in there hunting high and low. Called in a 5x5. That's it, no fresh sign, no deer, nothing.

[Jimmy33]

5 bulls, no cows so far. Sniffed out by a 300" 6x6 at 20 yards and missed killing a 5x6 a couple of days ago.


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[Griz231]

Headed up the hill now. Be around Hoyt trail to start and just gonna give er hell till we find em. They gotta be somewhere. Deep, dark, cool, water.

[Smokey Bear]

There are some hanging around Quartz, but they have gone nocturnal for the most part.  Had tons of elk everyday on a trail cam, then three days before the opener, nothing.  Saw some almost everyday we were up there though. 

[pygmy1985]

Hey Griz,
I have Observatory bull tag. I hunted hard for 8 days, and found some active wallows. Unfortunately, the bulls were using them after hours. It was still a fun hunt.  Here are some game cam pics during the  hunt. Date is wrong on pics, as was actually Sept.  Once the hot weather went and the rain came, I had no more action on the wallows.

[hunterofelk]

Shooters for sure. 

[Griz231]

Ended up pretty rough.  I had a couple times in 6 days where there were elk in the thick timber close but never laid eyes on them.  We had one bull on camera come into a wallow right at dark and then again a couple days later after dark.
My dad saw a bull for a split second then 5 more elk crossing the road behind the truck.  That is all we found.  Hunted all the spots we know from Taneum/Watt to Quartz and back to South Fork.  It's always fun but that is by far the worst hunt in 10 years up there for us.  Just didn't hit it right I guess.

[pygmy1985]

Sorry to hear that Griz.  I haven't hunted elk in about 10 years, so I'm no expert. I have hunted 340 in past, and I know lots of good areas. I found many new areas, but I also could not connect with an elk.  I did have 2 encounters with bears at 30-40 yards, but got winded once, and spotted also when I took one step to get a better shot window.  Passed on a 3 pt buck, as too far for my comfort, and busted another buck from his bed in steep rocky area.  So, overall, fun hunting, but I understand the disappointment.

[wazzu99]

Did they finally get some rain or snow up near Quartz?  We were up there last weekend scouting for muzzy season and I've never seen so much dust!  It was like walking on corn flakes.

Wazzu

[elkonastick]

it rained yesterday. 50 degrees and raining now. i was seeing a dozen cows and 3 spikes all summer until archery opened and now very few elk. i watched a nice bull this morning that hasn't been around, devil points and extras off the left side.

[elkfins]

One of the mentally toughest and most frustrating hunt's I've been on.  You think you have them figure out then they humble you.
Had bulls all summer on multiple cams only to dry up a week before the season started... no fresh sign and very little elk activity.  They moved out of those areas.  Very little talking made it hard to locate them.  Thanks to intel from some friends up there who had bulls coming into them regularly (without the right tags in their pocket), we got into elk starting on Wednesday but no shot ever presented itself. 
Punch in the gut moment... walking the trail back to the truck right at dark Thursday night.  See the trucks through the trees 50 yards from me so I put the arrow back in the quiver.  Come out of the trees and up over the hump 30 yards from the truck only to see a 6pt bull standing 10 yards from the truck staring at me.  He gave me about .5 seconds before he barreled off into the timber at light speed.

Oh well... tag soup for me unless I can seal the deal on a spike or cow during the late season.

[elkchaser54]

That observatory tag is one of the most frustrating tags ever.  You scout in the summer time and its like the Elk are following you, its so easy to find them.  BUT then season starts, they don't talk and they hide up in trees.  Don't forget to look up. HAHA.  Ate tag soup there 3 years ago myself with an archery tag.  It was so hard to find any place that already didn't have someone there or hike back 3 miles for some guy on a dirt bike with a bow to come up to you and ask how the hunting is......