No antlerless for Colockum Archers next year?

[bowman]

I spoke with a game warden during my quilomene deer hunt last week. Some how ended up on this topic. I mentioned how hard it is to get away from the roads in both the Naneum and the Quilomene. He said hunter's who feel this way need to get involved. He said there is a very active Jeep group around Ellensburg and they fight to get more roads open. He used the road which goes through Ginko State Park as an example. For those who don't know, you can fill out a pass and then call a number for the gate combo. The road takes you from Recreation Rd through the State Park and back onto public land. That road is open because of the Jeep group fighting for it.

[Skyvalhunter]

All it takes is groups(hunters) to complain that those type of areas need to be closed to motorized vehicles during the hunting season.

[time2hunt]

That little road your talking about has been open to public for years all you need to do is call and get the combo. As for it goes it just connect you to whiskey Dick bay rd and across the bottom to quilamine ridge which also has been open for years. The issue is the three spur rds that run the ridge into the bottom end of wind farm.  The cure is to do like Idaho and Oregon close certain rd the day before season and reopen the day after season. That still give guys opportunity to take a camp in set it up. Then walk and or ride into it. Then after season go in to tear down.   


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[cle elum bowhunter]

I hunt more of the West side of 328 but there are still tons of quad/jeep trails and every year I see quad tracks going down more closed roads.  I agree that closing more roads would be good.  Since there does not seem to be much money for road maintenance anymore, this could be a savings thing.  Of course, as they log of the burns, they need to do a better job of blocking access and rehabbing roads so guys quite cutting trails around to then ride the logging spurs.  I would think some ORV officers could drum up some revenue if they patrolled during the weekends of each hunting season. 

[Band]

This is not welcome news to me.  I made the switch to Colockum this year, did plenty of scouting, learned the elk travel patterns in the area, and got lots of trail cam pics.  Plenty of cows and 6-point bulls, a few spikes (only 1 of which was a true spike), and zero raghorns.  During the season I had 9 close encounters with elk, most of which included cows and big bulls, and no spikes (true or otherwise) seen.  Not sure I want to waste my time when legal animals are so few and far between.

After getting the squeeze by WDFW and timber companies over the years, making me switch areas several times, it might be time to drop Washington elk hunting and look out of state if this true spike thing comes to fruition for Colockum archery.

[stickslinger]

They have to do something, I have been hunting up there for 28 years and last year had me so disgusted that I almost packed up camp and left not due to hunting conditions but because of all of tbe inconsiderate so called hunters out there.   Way too many people with verry little area for elk to really escape the pressure

[Rainier10]

Again keep in mind this year was an even bigger zoo because fires in other gmus displaced a bunch of hunters.

[MADMAX]

This is not welcome news to me.  I made the switch to Colockum this year, did plenty of scouting, learned the elk travel patterns in the area, and got lots of trail cam pics.  Plenty of cows and 6-point bulls, a few spikes (only 1 of which was a true spike), and zero raghorns.  During the season I had 9 close encounters with elk, most of which included cows and big bulls, and no spikes (true or otherwise) seen.  Not sure I want to waste my time when legal animals are so few and far between.

After getting the squeeze by WDFW and timber companies over the years, making me switch areas several times, it might be time to drop Washington elk hunting and look out of state if this true spike thing comes to fruition for Colockum archery.

 
same here

[Wagglyfawn]

You guys keep saying Colockum but I don't see a unit by that name. Are you referring to the Naneum/Quilomene units?

[time2hunt]

You guys keep saying Colockum but I don't see a unit by that name. Are you referring to the Naneum/Quilomene units?

Yes


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[Hot Lunch]

This herd creates a lot of issues for the Vantage highway in the winter, I really hope this isn't the case.

[fishingnut71]

Good. Its a circus every year up there. Give the animals a break. I'm surprised anything survives after hunting season closes. I quit hunting up there because of it.

[follow maggie]

I was up in the colockum for archery elk. I missed opening weekend because I was sick but I got out there Wednesday and stayed until Tuesday. I didn’t see many people, saw tons of cows, a few big bulls and a couple really big bulls.  I saw absolutely no spikes, much less true spikes. I’m with Band, glad I’ve been planning an elk trip to Idaho next year.

[winshooter88]

I spoke with a game warden during my quilomene deer hunt last week. Some how ended up on this topic. I mentioned how hard it is to get away from the roads in both the Naneum and the Quilomene. He said hunter's who feel this way need to get involved. He said there is a very active Jeep group around Ellensburg and they fight to get more roads open. He used the road which goes through Ginko State Park as an example. For those who don't know, you can fill out a pass and then call a number for the gate combo. The road takes you from Recreation Rd through the State Park and back onto public land. That road is open because of the Jeep group fighting for it.

It's not just the jeep clubs, but also certain members of the Kittitas Field and Stream Club, if you don't believe it get the minutes from the Nanuem Ridge to Columbia River Recreation Planning meetings. Another example is the road down the bottom of either Tekison or Stray Glutch, the WDFW decommissioned it and the KFSC got their county commissioners and state representative to push through rules that required a new road to be built up the same draw at a cost of $25,000.00. They fight any idea of closing roads to help the wildlife in both the Quilomene and the Nanuem and have for years and years. This can all be proved by public records.

[Skyvalhunter]

Too bad the hunting community wasn't as organized as they are