16 elk points

[cougforester]

Just go hunt otc or put in for decent tags.  You’ll get old fast waiting for the BEST tag, trust me.

OTC is terrible. Horrible experience competing with 1,000,000 other orange vests for 5 elk.

Don't have to hunt modern for elk. I've seen that you've been learning bow hunting from other posts on the site. September with a bow is pretty fun. A two mile hike in this last year every morning got me away from 99% of other people.

Correct, trying to move to bow, though the feedback I've received from this forum is that I am an idiot for attempting bow for my first kill on something. I am questioning if it was wise to attempt archery this year. Everyone I talk to is saying:
1. Don't use a bow, go modern
2. Don't hunt blacktails, hunt muleys
3. Don't hunt WA, get out of state

Meh. Do what you feel gives you the most enjoyment. A lot of lessons you learn the first few years I feel are unconscious anyways. Being able to feel a stick under you or boots that's about to pop and knowing to not put weight on it. Getting a sense for a "bucky" area that you know is good but just can't put your finger on it. When to move fast and cover ground and when to slow down. PM me if you want, I started out blacktail hunting too and was in your same boat. Don't want to thread jack too bad 

[ljsommer]

Yes, good point - apologies for thread jacking. Booze may have been involved in that last night. Moving along.

[Magnum_Willys]

360 Elk in WA otc with or without draw is a OIL if you get lucky for most. 

[Igottanewknee]

21 quality deer and elk for me. Started when I was 12... still waiting.

So does that mean 21 years of trying?
Slif I started in 2019 I'd be 56 by the time I reached 21 points.

Yes. Good luck

So, for me to have 21 points, I'll be 75.......s.o.b.

[Ace]

Or maybe 1 year older. To much negativity for gets noware

[Mr Mykiss]

I have tons of points. I’ve started putting in with friends so they can share in the misery...

[Karl Blanchard]

I have tons of points. I’ve started putting in with friends so they can share in the misery...

HA!!!!!!! Yeah right!!!! You were supposed to share your bull points with my and you greedily used them all by yourself!  So selfish

[ljsommer]

It's a little weird to me that we supposedly have a crisis of dwindling hunter numbers and yet there's so many of them with so many points that they still may never draw a quality hunt...I mean what if we had increasing hunter numbers? Would the game populations even sustain that? Would we just not have anymore OTC tags at all?

[Bob33]

It's a little weird to me that we supposedly have a crisis of dwindling hunter numbers and yet there's so many of them with so many points that they still may never draw a quality hunt...I mean what if we had increasing hunter numbers? Would the game populations even sustain that? Would we just not have anymore OTC tags at all?

50,000+ elk hunters. Maybe 20 permits that have any chance of hunting for a 360 bull.

[ljsommer]

It's a little weird to me that we supposedly have a crisis of dwindling hunter numbers and yet there's so many of them with so many points that they still may never draw a quality hunt...I mean what if we had increasing hunter numbers? Would the game populations even sustain that? Would we just not have anymore OTC tags at all?

50,000+ elk hunters. Maybe 20 permits that have any chance of hunting for a 360 bull.

I guess what I am asking is, does WDFW actually even want hunter numbers to go up, or are we already at maximum saturation for hunters compared to the game populations of WA? Half of this forum (named Hunting Washington) seems to think the best bet is to...*not* hunt Washington and to instead go out of state.

[Bob33]

It's a little weird to me that we supposedly have a crisis of dwindling hunter numbers and yet there's so many of them with so many points that they still may never draw a quality hunt...I mean what if we had increasing hunter numbers? Would the game populations even sustain that? Would we just not have anymore OTC tags at all?

50,000+ elk hunters. Maybe 20 permits that have any chance of hunting for a 360 bull.

I guess what I am asking is, does WDFW actually even want hunter numbers to go up, or are we already at maximum saturation for hunters compared to the game populations of WA? Half of this forum (named Hunting Washington) seems to think the best bet is to...*not* hunt Washington and to instead go out of state.

Yes I believe they want more hunters. There are far more hunting opportunities than 360 bulls. There are plenty of other species for one. Hunting public land, modern season big game is challenging. That said I know hunters who kill bulls every 3 to 4 years on public land. I know other hunters who work hard to get access to private land, and do much better than average.

I would be very surprised if half of Hunt Wa members don't hunt in Washington.

[Ace]

I do most of my hunting in other states. I put in for this state on the “ what the hell why not” mode. It may happen you never know. I don’t get drawn here then I go to another state. This state is not “ game management “ it’s “money management “

[ljsommer]

You know how we have programs that spawn and release farmed fish into the wild? We should do that with game animals. Big elk farms and sheep farms and we can release like, 100 of each into herds each year. I'll call Bezos and get him to invest. =)

[Boss .300 winmag]

You know how we have programs that spawn and release farmed fish into the wild? We should do that with game animals. Big elk farms and sheep farms and we can release like, 100 of each into herds each year. I'll call Bezos and get him to invest. =)

200” Muleys, and 400” bulls for everyone.🤔

[ljsommer]

You know how we have programs that spawn and release farmed fish into the wild? We should do that with game animals. Big elk farms and sheep farms and we can release like, 100 of each into herds each year. I'll call Bezos and get him to invest. =)

200” Muleys, and 400” bulls for everyone.🤔

Hah, well, maybe more like "a deer" and "an elk" for everyone that works for it. Seems decent. This is the only activity in life I've ever approached that the more time and money and sweat and blood you sink into it, the further you get from success. There's nothing else like this. Hell, even golf you get to hit the damn ball.