Need help understanding boundaries Saint Helens

[Ajj828]

So I spent my whole weekend scouting the Lewis river unit for elk and have some questions. I hiked many main trails that go up to the base of the mountain and they say “no going off trail” well it’s not in the boundaries of the monument so does this apply to hunting? I’ve found some older posts on this site and some people talk about only shooting from the trail. The areas I want to check out are close to the base of the mountain. I’m having bad luck finding elk but I’m finding some rubs and poop in areas close to the roads. Elk hunting is new for me and it feels very tough to find a herd but it’s fun. Should I focus more in the deep dark timber or look for open areas? I’m planning on going into some deep timber but all my shots will be super close with a rifle which makes me think I should just bow hunt the unit. I’m assuming everyone will flock to the open areas. Any suggestions are appreciated. I already know to go super far from trails I’ve been putting lots of hiking time in but just need to understand how these elk act. I don’t know anything about them and what to really look for.

[bkaech]

I don’t know the St Helens area, but in general if the area is open to hunting I wouldn’t worry about going off trail if you are going far off trail. The biggest problem is cutting switchbacks and multiple people going off trail in same spot which degrades the plant life and makes “footpaths”.

As for elk behavior, elk like to take cover in thick stuff but feed in more open areas, generally feeding at dusk and dawn. Where you find the elk can change depending on time of year. Elk won’t always be in the same place in July as September as November.

[Ajj828]

I don’t know the St Helens area, but in general if the area is open to hunting I wouldn’t worry about going off trail if you are going far off trail. The biggest problem is cutting switchbacks and multiple people going off trail in same spot which degrades the plant life and makes “footpaths”.

As for elk behavior, elk like to take cover in thick stuff but feed in more open areas, generally feeding at dusk and dawn. Where you find the elk can change depending on time of year. Elk won’t always be in the same place in July as September as November.

So if the elk are not in the same area is it even worth scouting in the summer? Do they travel super super far away? I was planning on finding an area that has elk and just keying in on that area. I’m assuming hunting pressure is totally crazy on them too. I was hunting the unit last year and it was just a mess of road hunters and hunters who go a mile or 2 down main trails. Right now I’m just going to look for a nasty ridge and go for it hoping to find something

[medic6]

St. Helens has a lot of reasesrch areas on the south east, east, north east side of the mountain.  You are not allowed to go off trail in certain areas deem environmentally sensitive.  They will make u pay the price if u do. You may also need a permit to go above tree line around the climbing routes depending on the time of year.  Fs.usda.gov will give u all the info you will ever need.  Best of luck out there. 

[Ajj828]

St. Helens has a lot of reasesrch areas on the south east, east, north east side of the mountain.  You are not allowed to go off trail in certain areas deem environmentally sensitive.  They will make u pay the price if u do. You may also need a permit to go above tree line around the climbing routes depending on the time of year.  Fs.usda.gov will give u all the info you will ever need.  Best of luck out there. 

Am I allowed to hunt elk areas that are around saint helens during the general season or are these draw only areas? 

[MADMAX]

depends on the unit...................
some are closed
some are open
some are permit
some are Weyerhauser $$$$$ pay to play
welcome to Washington

[boneaddict]

I believe the climbing permit is anything above 4,800 feet year-round.

[fireweed]

The Loowit trail 216 circles the Mountain.  If you stay below that trail you are ok on the south side between the S. Toutle River and the Plains of Abraham.  Some places the trail swings into the timber--then you can hunt up to basically the tree line. To hunt elk on the north side of the Mountain you need to put in and draw a special elk permit (pumice plain, mudflow, etc)  Then you can hunt those units off trail, while everyone else must stay on the trail in that area.  Technically the only places that are suppose to have stay-on-the-trail rules with no cross-country hiking are the debris avalanche and Spirit Lk basin, both of which are on the North side of the Mountain.  Not cutting switchbacks is a general hiking etiquette rule and different from the administrative closure areas in the Monument.  If you hunt Lewis River below trail 216 or in the timber above 216 you are ok on USFS land.

[Crunchy]

I did the Pumice Plains hunt a few years ago.  The elk are everywhere had to pick out a nice one to shoot!  A lot of hoof rot also.

[bkaech]

I don’t know the St Helens area, but in general if the area is open to hunting I wouldn’t worry about going off trail if you are going far off trail. The biggest problem is cutting switchbacks and multiple people going off trail in same spot which degrades the plant life and makes “footpaths”.

As for elk behavior, elk like to take cover in thick stuff but feed in more open areas, generally feeding at dusk and dawn. Where you find the elk can change depending on time of year. Elk won’t always be in the same place in July as September as November.

So if the elk are not in the same area is it even worth scouting in the summer? Do they travel super super far away? I was planning on finding an area that has elk and just keying in on that area. I’m assuming hunting pressure is totally crazy on them too. I was hunting the unit last year and it was just a mess of road hunters and hunters who go a mile or 2 down main trails. Right now I’m just going to look for a nasty ridge and go for it hoping to find something

Go for the nasty ridge plan. The more you know about elk in that area the better off you will be. Just know that in summer old elk sign, like month old feces and game trails are good indications of elk and know that November elk are a little different than September elk, so weapon choice may also affect where you will find bulls during hunting season.

[chad24n]

I don’t know the St Helens area, but in general if the area is open to hunting I wouldn’t worry about going off trail if you are going far off trail. The biggest problem is cutting switchbacks and multiple people going off trail in same spot which degrades the plant life and makes “footpaths”.

As for elk behavior, elk like to take cover in thick stuff but feed in more open areas, generally feeding at dusk and dawn. Where you find the elk can change depending on time of year. Elk won’t always be in the same place in July as September as November.

So if the elk are not in the same area is it even worth scouting in the summer? Do they travel super super far away? I was planning on finding an area that has elk and just keying in on that area. I’m assuming hunting pressure is totally crazy on them too. I was hunting the unit last year and it was just a mess of road hunters and hunters who go a mile or 2 down main trails. Right now I’m just going to look for a nasty ridge and go for it hoping to find something

Go for the nasty ridge plan. The more you know about elk in that area the better off you will be. Just know that in summer old elk sign, like month old feces and game trails are good indications of elk and know that November elk are a little different than September elk, so weapon choice may also affect where you will find bulls during hunting season.

So many variables! Elk you find in the summer will most likely have highest chance of finding them in same spot at archery opener... however... the bulls routines change due to rut and they will start roaming looking for cows or herding cows up. I quit using trailcams for bulls due to this. Summer patterns are almost never the same come September when their whole 'needs' in life change.. to mate. As for November elk, who knows where they'll be from summer grounds. A month of the rut and multiple hunting seasons and pressure could have them miles from where they were in summer. Hope this helps.