New to Elk Hunting 2019 - What do you recommend for making it a FUN experience?

[The Marquis]

Yeah, all the negativity on hunting in WA is a drag.  It's a great state to hunt.  LOADS of public land, lots of species variety.  Sure, it's not as good as some other western states, but I'll take it over the vast majority of the 50 states.  The cost is very low, there is a variety of terrain, weather, etc.  Great stuff.  I hunt for food and fun.  If I get one of those, I win, bonus for both.

As for my opinion on elk hunting, man... just go out there and do what you like doing in the woods, whatever that is, even if it is a huge mistake. 

This last season my hunting partner and I (at my behest) made a big change to what our plans were at the last second, deciding to beat some brush to get over to where we'd be glassing.  Big mistake.  Took a couple hours longer and by then, another hunter had taken an elk where we'd been planning to be at first light.  I look back at that day as a great day.  I was soaked, miserable, but it was fun and I've got a great story and a lesson learned about the area.  In fact, I'd say that day was pivotal for understanding the area we were hunting.

So, regarding Roosevelt vs. Rocky Mtn... Well, I feel it depends on your preferred weather.  With Rockies, you'll get very cold, often very windy and with a high likelihood of snow in a lot of the areas if you're hunting modern firearm (which is all I can speak to).  For Roosevelt... it's a bit warmer, but far wetter.  You'll be wet, period... unless a miracle happens and our one week of dry weather in November/December just so happens to coincide with Elk season... The most miserable I've probably ever been when hunting was elk hunting back in the 90's for Rocky Mountain Elk in the Cascades west of Yakima.  Brutal wind, loads of snow and zero visability.  Great stuff... though I hunt on the west side these days.

[dvolmer]

Yeah, all the negativity on hunting in WA is a drag.  It's a great state to hunt.  LOADS of public land, lots of species variety.  Sure, it's not as good as some other western states, but I'll take it over the vast majority of the 50 states.  The cost is very low, there is a variety of terrain, weather, etc.  Great stuff.  I hunt for food and fun.  If I get one of those, I win, bonus for both.

[dvolmer]

I don't want to come across brash, but, but, but, this must be coming from someone that hasn't elk hunted out of state.  Ive hunted elk in Washington state for over 40 years.  I've hunted extensively in the Blue's and in the Yakima/Ellensburg regions.  The elk hunting has went into the total garbage in both of these areas in the last 10 years.  If you want a nice camping trip in the fall then maybe you will be happy, but the elk hunting has absolutely terrible!!  Mass number of hunters and low low elk numbers.  I know the Clockum is in the same shape and probably worse!  I cant account for the west side.  If you have some special land options then you might be in luck.  Not only has the general hunting go in the trash, the special permit hunts have went in the toilet also.  Just wait until you put in for a special quality tag for 20 years and finally get drawn and there is no animals left.  Like I said, if you want a fun camping trip and a walk in a pumpkin patch then Washington has finally turned into your special place.  Happy hunting!

[bkaech]

My Advice, Imagine how you want your elk hunt to go, and do that! Some love backpacking, some love RV life, some love sleeping at home and going out each day to come home to a hot meal. Whatever you want.... do that.

I think there are lots of Elk on the west side and plenty of public land to go chase them on. The difficult part is finding them/seeing them in the think brush. But when you do.... Oh man, It's awesome!

I'll never forget my first real close encounter elk hunting. I was with my older brother and we had been tracking about a dozen elk for 3 or 4 hours. Bumped them several times but only heard then or saw flashes of hair through the thick brush at 20-30 yards. Eventually I stepped over a ridge while following fresh tracks and saw to elk staring at me at 10 yards, they seemed HUGE, but is was just a calf and a bedded cow, when the cow stood up I was shocked! of course the bolted and at the same time my brother did the same thing to about 5 elk, those ran straight towards me, came through the brush at about 10 yards, 4 cows and a spike, no legal bull. But I was hooked on elk hunting ever since.

I always see elk and have had a nice run the past few years of killing bulls. Also Ive only ever hunted general season tags on the west side either modern or muzzleloader. I would recommend archery or muzzleloader hunting for the west side for elk, you have to get close anyways and those season let you get closer and have more fun.

Good Luck!

(don't let any negative Nancy's get you down)

[elksnout]

Actually my favorite part of the hunt after working my fanny off each day is to get back to camp for swapping the days stories, cooking dinner and the cocktail hour around the wood stove or campfire. For me I'm ok hunting alone but I dislike camping alone. That's just not fun for me anymore as I age.

That and taking a midday break and making a warming fire on a vantage point. This slows down the day for me which I savor.

Elksnout

[bearpaw]

Even if you are a rifle hunter, get out scouting when the elk are rutting, there is nothing in elk hunting more exciting than getting close to a bugling bull. That in itself will hook you on getting out in elk country. 

[pd]

It seems pretty simple to me:  Answer this question.

If you go hunting in the woods, and despite not seeing any animals, and despite snow/rain/wind/hail/heat/cold or any other natural calamity, would you still have an enjoyable experience?

If the answer is "yes," then stop thinking so hard, go buy a tag, and go elk hunting.  You will be fine, I guarantee it.

If the answer is "no," then don't buy a tag, elk hunting is not for you.

Good luck this year.

[Sliverslinger]

Has the elk hunting gone downhill - yes?

Is it possible to have both a blast and also tag out - also yes.

I've managed to tag out 5 out of the last 6 years. There's still plenty of elk to be had, get out this spring and find some.

What makes it fun for me is comraderie, the grind, persevering when everyone else is going home or whining about how the hunting has become so much tougher. Don't listen to the naysayers. I hunt both out of state and in Washington. While there are more elk in the units I hunt out of state, I've actually had better success rates on bulls here in WA because I know every inch of the units I hunt and where the elk will be on most given days. Last year in WA we averaged being on bulls 2-3 times every single day (that was response bugles we put a play on, set-ups, shots that didn't materialize, etc... archery hunter here). Saw very few other hunters. We didn't have a single day we weren't on elk and some days it was all day long in multiple different locations.

I hunt a unit where people say there are no elk left. I love that they think that. What makes it fun is the never say die mindset and knowing that if you keep after it there will be an opportunity sooner or later.

[Matth]

Has the elk hunting gone downhill - yes?

Is it possible to have both a blast and also tag out - also yes.

I've managed to tag out 5 out of the last 6 years. There's still plenty of elk to be had, get out this spring and find some.

What makes it fun for me is comraderie, the grind, persevering when everyone else is going home or whining about how the hunting has become so much tougher. Don't listen to the naysayers. I hunt both out of state and in Washington. While there are more elk in the units I hunt out of state, I've actually had better success rates on bulls here in WA because I know every inch of the units I hunt and where the elk will be on most given days. Last year in WA we averaged being on bulls 2-3 times every single day (that was response bugles we put a play on, set-ups, shots that didn't materialize, etc... archery hunter here). Saw very few other hunters. We didn't have a single day we weren't on elk and some days it was all day long in multiple different locations.

I hunt a unit where people say there are no elk left. I love that they think that. What makes it fun is the never say die mindset and knowing that if you keep after it there will be an opportunity sooner or later.

Yeah Buddy!!!!
I love the no elk left in Washington, go out of state guys. I hunt both in and out of state, and i think i would still rather hunt in Washington. I also believe it's because i have hunted the same basic area since i was 8 years old, so it's kinda like going home every fall.

[Stein]

If I knew an area in WA well and was successful at a reasonable level, I would absolutely stick with it.  There certainly guys that shoot great bulls in WA and if I was one of them I wouldn't be looking elsewhere. 

The OP is new to elk hunting and I believe new to WA, so that is a completely different scenario.  I was in the same boat and decided that if I was going to put in the time to learn an area from scratch, it made way more sense to learn an area where the current opportunity was as good as possible and the future outlook was positive.  That doesn't describe a single unit in WA.

The places where you can hunt a branch bull OTC is very limited and I don't see that improving.  The chance for regulation changes in these areas over time is very high in my opinion.  I didn't want to put 5-8 years learning an area only to have it go to permit for mature bulls or be shut off entirely, or to have hoof rot creep in, roads or trails closed, or......

For me, it made way more sense to budget in a very modest amount to save every month, pick a state with incredible OTC opportunity and proven game management and spend my time learning there.  It's going to cost me more to get the tag and another half day each way to get there, but once I left the state I was amazed at how much better the opportunity was.

This year, I will do two out of state hunts on the same tag, in two different areas with two different weapons and hunt 7-10 days each trip.  I have 11 weeks combined to choose from and can harvest a cow, calf, or brow tined bull.  I will be in an area that is equivalent to probably 90% of WA's quality draw hunts that people wait 15-20 years to hunt.

It really depends on what you are looking to get out of the hunt.  If actually shooting an animal isn't high on the list, the math totally changes.  I love the experience, but the number one reason I hunt is for the meat which means I place a very high priority on places where I have a good chance at getting a shot at some type of legal animal year after year.

[gee_unit360]

Actually my favorite part of the hunt after working my fanny off each day is to get back to camp for swapping the days stories, cooking dinner and the cocktail hour around the wood stove or campfire. For me I'm ok hunting alone but I dislike camping alone. That's just not fun for me anymore as I age.

That and taking a midday break and making a warming fire on a vantage point. This slows down the day for me which I savor.

Elksnout

Well said!

[pianoman9701]

Actually my favorite part of the hunt after working my fanny off each day is to get back to camp for swapping the days stories, cooking dinner and the cocktail hour around the wood stove or campfire. For me I'm ok hunting alone but I dislike camping alone. That's just not fun for me anymore as I age.

That and taking a midday break and making a warming fire on a vantage point. This slows down the day for me which I savor.

Elksnout

Let's have a beer, Elksnout. my hunting buddy is going to have a baby this Fall and I need someone for those fireside times in camp. Got a pop-up trailer with hot water, too.

[elksnout]

Actually my favorite part of the hunt after working my fanny off each day is to get back to camp for swapping the days stories, cooking dinner and the cocktail hour around the wood stove or campfire. For me I'm ok hunting alone but I dislike camping alone. That's just not fun for me anymore as I age.

That and taking a midday break and making a warming fire on a vantage point. This slows down the day for me which I savor.

Elksnout

Let's have a beer, Elksnout. my hunting buddy is going to have a baby this Fall and I need someone for those fireside times in camp. Got a pop-up trailer with hot water, too.

Ha! We've had a beer together. Couple of years back when several of us got together at a little bar in Orchards.

[KevrosWanderin]

I am exactly in the same boat. I have purchased the combo tags already. Western Archery elk. I plan to run a small hot tent. Preferably keeping camp on my back. At the moment I am not in shape for that but I am working on it. My expectations are not high. Although I'm learning to call. I want to be in the thick of it....public land, back pack hunting, with my bow. I will call it a success to here bugles! I research the sh*t out things. So this is keeping me busy. 😂  we moved here in September. I'm just basically wanting to get and explore. Been hunting my entire life (36) in Missouri. The mountains are new.

If you or anyone would like to meet up sometime for coffee, or a drink. I'm open to meeting new people. It's early in the year so no commitments yet 😂.
I have always heard finding a good hunting partner is harder than finding a spouse!
 



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[pianoman9701]

Actually my favorite part of the hunt after working my fanny off each day is to get back to camp for swapping the days stories, cooking dinner and the cocktail hour around the wood stove or campfire. For me I'm ok hunting alone but I dislike camping alone. That's just not fun for me anymore as I age.

That and taking a midday break and making a warming fire on a vantage point. This slows down the day for me which I savor.

Elksnout

Let's have a beer, Elksnout. my hunting buddy is going to have a baby this Fall and I need someone for those fireside times in camp. Got a pop-up trailer with hot water, too.

Ha! We've had a beer together. Couple of years back when several of us got together at a little bar in Orchards.

About time for another HuntWA get together, huh?