Beginner Elk Hunting Questions

[lordlindy]

Hey everyone, I am new to hunting and planning on heading out this weekend with a few questions before I go.

I have a place in Packwood WA and was looking around for a good spot for elk when I stumbled across the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

This is labeled Elk Area 5058 with a distinct border around the Elk Area Boundary.

http://dfw.wa.gov/webmaps/gohunt/hunt_pdf/Elk_5058.pdf

Is this a legal place to hunt the upcoming weekend and is the legal bull in the area 3 pt.

Also any good tips on beginner hunting, tracking, field dressing, shooting (a nice place to practice/sight in my rifle around Auburn/Federal Way area) would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

[WapitiTalk1]

Welcome to the forum mister. You've got lots to learn but it's a great ride .

[Matth]

Welcome to the forum mister. You've got lots to learn but it's a great ride .

Nothing 15, or 20 years wont fix. But it is a fantastic ride.

[fishsticks]

For beginner info it would be tough to find a better source than the elk101 course.  It's pay to play, but well worth the cost of admission.

http://www.elk101.com/onlinecourse/

[elkchaser54]

Hunt slow, use binoculars and go deep and steep for bulls post rut.  They will be in hiding places so try to remember you're sneaking in to their bedrooms.  And always Be vawy, vawy, vawy, quiet, we hunting elk.

[optic2]

Hey everyone, I am new to hunting and planning on heading out this weekend with a few questions before I go.

I have a place in Packwood WA and was looking around for a good spot for elk when I stumbled across the Goat Rocks Wilderness.

This is labeled Elk Area 5058 with a distinct border around the Elk Area Boundary.

http://dfw.wa.gov/webmaps/gohunt/hunt_pdf/Elk_5058.pdf

Is this a legal place to hunt the upcoming weekend and is the legal bull in the area 3 pt.

Also any good tips on beginner hunting, tracking, field dressing, shooting (a nice place to practice/sight in my rifle around Auburn/Federal Way area) would be really appreciated.

Thanks!

Read through the regs, they will answer all of your questions. For example the regs say you can hunt in all of GMU 652 except Elk Area 6014. In the listing for GMU 513 and GMU 516 (where Packwood is near) it doesn't have an exception for the Elk Area you mentioned. If you're going to hunt the Goat Rocks you need to get Onx maps and download some areas for offline use because you want to be real careful to not hunt on the reservation. If you get caught hunting on the reservation (even if you do it on accident) you're not going to like the outcome. Elk101.com will answer all of your questions about tracking, field dressing, etc. As for a place to shoot, just google firing range for the area you live in.