elk in vail tree farm

[Elkcollector82]

I live in eastern Washington.  Then durring deer season,i always look at what time I can start hunting in reg book.And will be at bottom of mountain so I can road hunt on my way to my spot,any I almost run into a truck around a blind corner. So there was a light dusting of snow and I could see everywhere they drove and could tell they where up there hours before me hunting and I was there at first light.

It’s not uncommon for hunters to ride the roads before shooting time when there’s snow on the ground.   Many hunters do this where I’m from and they are looking for fresh tracks.  If they find a good track, they park on it and start tracking at daylight.

I’ve also been headed up the mountain at 3:00 am while elk hunting several times.  I usually parked, then hiked in a couple miles in the dark and listened for bugles.  You hear a lot before the sun comes up.

Ya but do you drive down the mountain on your way home at Sun up from a long nite of hunting ,from what I seen ,they may even had deer in the back but could not be sure,cause of how fast they where going.

I'm not sure of the legality of driving around in the dark, looking for tracks,and parking on them,but I do it at first hunting light,and have done it at first light many times , not sure you would have to do it hours before light to be successful at it.

Show me in the reg’s where it says it’s illegal to drive on public land at 3:00pm or 3:00am? Weyco land I beleive your not suppose to.

[12Gauge]

Yes there WAS elk there,  don't know about now.  I saw a shooter bull about 12 years ago when I was deer hunting.

[hunter399]

I live in eastern Washington.  Then durring deer season,i always look at what time I can start hunting in reg book.And will be at bottom of mountain so I can road hunt on my way to my spot,any I almost run into a truck around a blind corner. So there was a light dusting of snow and I could see everywhere they drove and could tell they where up there hours before me hunting and I was there at first light.

It’s not uncommon for hunters to ride the roads before shooting time when there’s snow on the ground.   Many hunters do this where I’m from and they are looking for fresh tracks.  If they find a good track, they park on it and start tracking at daylight.

I’ve also been headed up the mountain at 3:00 am while elk hunting several times.  I usually parked, then hiked in a couple miles in the dark and listened for bugles.  You hear a lot before the sun comes up.

Ya but do you drive down the mountain on your way home at Sun up from a long nite of hunting ,from what I seen ,they may even had deer in the back but could not be sure,cause of how fast they where going.

I'm not sure of the legality of driving around in the dark, looking for tracks,and parking on them,but I do it at first hunting light,and have done it at first light many times , not sure you would have to do it hours before light to be successful at it.

Show me in the reg’s where it says it’s illegal to drive on public land at 3:00pm or 3:00am? Weyco land I beleive your not suppose to.

We all know it does not say driving on public land at 300am in mourning is not illegal.
And yes you can walk in before light,i don't do it more than an hour before light but that's the way I do it cause I dont like to scare off game before it even gets light .I was just shareing a few events I witnessed this year make your own opinion of what hunters are doing in the dark,and leaving at day break.To stay respectful of the forum I will keep any more comments to myself in this topic ,

[PolarBear]

I have shot bucks during late archery in the last hour of light that took me until 2 in the morning to pack out. But, I bet the majority of yhose coning out in the middle of the night are up to no good. But you never know.

[Elkcollector82]

I live in eastern Washington.  Then durring deer season,i always look at what time I can start hunting in reg book.And will be at bottom of mountain so I can road hunt on my way to my spot,any I almost run into a truck around a blind corner. So there was a light dusting of snow and I could see everywhere they drove and could tell they where up there hours before me hunting and I was there at first light.

It’s not uncommon for hunters to ride the roads before shooting time when there’s snow on the ground.   Many hunters do this where I’m from and they are looking for fresh tracks.  If they find a good track, they park on it and start tracking at daylight.

I’ve also been headed up the mountain at 3:00 am while elk hunting several times.  I usually parked, then hiked in a couple miles in the dark and listened for bugles.  You hear a lot before the sun comes up.

Ya but do you drive down the mountain on your way home at Sun up from a long nite of hunting ,from what I seen ,they may even had deer in the back but could not be sure,cause of how fast they where going.

I'm not sure of the legality of driving around in the dark, looking for tracks,and parking on them,but I do it at first hunting light,and have done it at first light many times , not sure you would have to do it hours before light to be successful at it.

Show me in the reg’s where it says it’s illegal to drive on public land at 3:00pm or 3:00am? Weyco land I beleive your not suppose to.

We all know it does not say driving on public land at 300am in mourning is not illegal.
And yes you can walk in before light,i don't do it more than an hour before light but that's the way I do it cause I dont like to scare off game before it even gets light .I was just shareing a few events I witnessed this year make your own opinion of what hunters are doing in the dark,and leaving at day break.To stay respectful of the forum I will keep any more comments to myself in this topic ,

Your thoughts or comments are welcome. Makes people think outside the box. What season was in effect. Cause you can hunt bobcats and raccons at night as long as their is no modern rifle deer or elk season in effect.

[brew]

i think we are comparing apples to oranges here...i've ran hounds for years and usually don't start till after midnight--heck the last couple hours before daylight we'd always have the best success. i've got no issue with that (although i'm not naaive enough to think that some people driving aroung the woods in the middle of the night are up to no good)  What is different in this thread is the Vail permit area.  there are 3 access points and the rules of the permit clearly state that you are supposed to be out of the woods 1 1/2 hours after dark and they do not permit driving around in the unit until an hour or so before daylight.  What i have seen is an hour after dark vehicles after vehicles heading UP INTO the unit.  I know what gate they are coming in from as that is the gate i am going out.  I have been coming out well after dark and have heard multiple gunshots within 100 yards from where i am driving on a main road heading out.  I can't believe that these guys are going to try and exit one of the other usable gates because they are a couple hours away from those gates and only 20-30 minutes away from another usable gate that i'm sure they came in from.  i know the eyes in the woods thing and reporting to wdfw any suspicious activity but there is now way i'm going to approach a vehicle after dark that has already done something presumably illegal by shooting an hour after legal hunting light and see what they are doing.   disheartening to see so many people taking advantage of the situation and when you talk to the landowner about it they really don't care.  i guess as long as you don't dump a bunch of trash or shoot up their equipment you can do whatever you want on their land.  i don't expect their forest patrol people to stop individuals deep in the woods  after legal shooting light but with the limited access they have someone should be at the gates questioning why they are going into the units well after dark.  I know that poaching is rampant throughout the state but at some point someone has to do something to at least try and slow it down because you will never stop it.  Hell i would be up for volunteering my time to monitor those gates in exchange for access to their land and record vehicle license info to ultimately have wdfw investigate their activity but i know they don't have the manpower to follow up with all that...people want to bitch and moan about how the wolves are decimating deer,elk, moose, caribou herds in washington state and beyond when another huge cause is 2 legged predators.  sorry to jack the thread but this is my rant for the nite

[257 Wby Mag]

Can’t you camp in vail?

[Skyvalhunter]

You need to call it in then and have the WDFW wait for them at the gate. They can take a body temp on the deer and know when it was shot.

[Antlershed]

Can’t you camp in vail?

Yes you can, but even if you are camped, the rules state no driving around from 1.5 hour after sunset to 1.5 hours before sunrise.

[257 Wby Mag]

Oh gotcha.....

[brew]

You need to call it in then and have the WDFW wait for them at the gate. They can take a body temp on the deer and know when it was shot.

you obviously didn't read my post...i have called WDFW and they really don't give a rip about what is going on up there...as far as taking a body temp to me that is absoluty useless.  Let me create a scenerio for you...i'm hunting vail and legally shoot an elk right at last light...for whatever reason the shot is not lethal (too far away, wrong angle, buck fever-Whatever).  i look for the bull with a flashlight for a while but it's evident i won't find it and head home to be out of the permit area within the 1 1/2 hour after legal light designation.  abiding by the permit rules i head out of the area and go back in the next morning to try and find the bull...i find it dead the next morning 300 yards from where i shot it the previous night.  its all stiffened (rigormortised) up and tag it and haul it out.  Mr. Green Jeans stops me coming out and puts a thermometer in the bull...WDFW officer Haw looks at the thermometer and tells me the bull died 8 hours ago.  Does this mean i poached/killed him at midnight or i made a bad shot on him and he finally died at midnight ?  the thermometer trick would hold no weight in court IMHO beacuse it would show when the animal died (maybe) not when i made a legal shot on it..Like any other scientific information questions would arise---what type of thermometer was used ? how was it calibrated ?  what temperature/humidity/altitude/moon phase was it calibrated at ?  what was the temperature/humidity/altitude/moon phase was it when i legally shot the bull ?  Hell that bull i shot was a wapiti "superman" and survived for hours after i lethally shot it

[Mudman]

   Its a joke up there guys.  All for a chance to shoot a spike.  Elk are in a few spots for sure and it can be good/bad.  Most always they are close to escaping to private/closed areas when you find em.  We don't bother with Vail around here much.  Just watch all the others drive in/out all times of day/night and the others sneaking in around perimeters.  Same ol crap different day.  It was amazing when open and I was a kid.