Western WA Elk Hunting

[chad24n]

Hello everyone,

I'm an avid archery elk hunter, have hunted EA WA my whole life and have done well. However, I would prefer not to shoot another cow this year and have been quite successful at calling in bulls (just to video tape and watch them!). I'm changing my strategy this year and heading to Western WA to chase bulls with my calls. Looking at gmu 658 North River. Don't care about size of bull, my goal is always to fill my tag and feed my family. I've already scouted, found elk and know what I'm about but am looking for any additional advice anyone could give me on what to expect with hunting timberlands and playing the dirt road roulette.

Are these bulls vocal?
Will I hear bugles?
Will I be calling a lot of hunters?
15 miles/day enough or do I need to stretch to 20?
Hunters successful still hunting the roads?
Are bulls competitive with each other?
To bugle or cow call?

It'll be fun for sure!!! Thanks for your time!

[jeffitz]

Im not a bowhunter and ive never hunter the North River - but it sounds like you know what you are doing and surely you will do fine.It will be nice for you to be able to pull the trigger on a branched antler bull-

[WSU]

One problem you’ll have in north river is you can drive to just about everywhere. Literally everywhere has road to it because all of it logged.

[chad24n]

One problem you’ll have in north river is you can drive to just about everywhere. Literally everywhere has road to it because all of it logged.

Yes there are! However... they are all gated. I drove the perimeter of the entire unit and dove in to every single gate. A local said they open up a few gates during rifle season only so I'm expecting them to all be closed during archery. Does anyone know if there is truth to what the local said? I'd prefer them all to stay closed for my style of hunting for sure.

[WSU]

They sell 1,200 drive in permits, so the roads are all driven.

[bobcat]

They sell 1,200 drive in permits, so the roads are all driven.

Weyerhaeuser? They only have a small part of the GMU on the east side. The rest is all a mix of ownership with plenty of locked gates.

[WSU]

They sell 1,200 drive in permits, so the roads are all driven.

Weyerhaeuser? They only have a small part of the GMU on the east side. The rest is all a mix of ownership with plenty of locked gates.

That's true.  Some open to the public and others not.  I'd research it closely before putting my eggs in that basket (which I need to do myself!).

[chad24n]

They sell 1,200 drive in permits, so the roads are all driven.

Weyerhaeuser? They only have a small part of the GMU on the east side. The rest is all a mix of ownership with plenty of locked gates.

That's true.  Some open to the public and others not.  I'd research it closely before putting my eggs in that basket (which I need to do myself!).

Yeah, I've done my homework. Weyeco on east side but small... not worth buying permit there imo. Cedar River on the south side, much larger acreage, need permit there. I've got the access figured out.

More curious about people's experiences hunting timber lands versus the high mountains on east side. Anyone have comparative experiences they'd like to share?

[WSU]

The elk can be called in for sure and can be vocal.  It's difference since it is so dense.  Most bedding areas you can't see 10 feet.

[chad24n]

The elk can be called in for sure and can be vocal.  It's difference since it is so dense.  Most bedding areas you can't see 10 feet.

I've noticed. Praying my experience in Western will be a good one. It was hard to make the switch. Going to miss the mountains this year. Another random question concerning 658.. why are there no cow tags? Nothing otc and no quality or antlerless hunt. Notice a couple choices for modern and muzzle but why no archery? I don't get it.

[WSU]

There are lots of units that are OTC cow or 3 pt.

[headshot5]

Just be aware that most of the woods (Hancock etc.) out that way are shutdown in August/September due to fire danger.  Unless they get quite a few days of rain. 

[bobcat]

Have you looked at the Hunting Prospects for that area that WDFW puts out every year? It might help to answer some of your questions.

https://wdfw.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2019-01/district17_0.pdf

[chad24n]

Just be aware that most of the woods (Hancock etc.) out that way are shutdown in August/September due to fire danger.  Unless they get quite a few days of rain.

Do they shutdown quicker than Weyeco or pay to play lands? Or does everyone generally shutdown at the same time?

[SteelheadTed]

Are these bulls vocal?  Yes!  In the dense trees though you won't hear them very far and when you do, you are closer than you think.
Will I hear bugles?  Yes!  See above.
Will I be calling a lot of hunters? hard to say, I don't hunt the North River unit but I do a unit or two over and during archery season I have the place to myself.  I think this is true in general in western wa, many fewer archers out here, they all head east or to other states.
15 miles/day enough or do I need to stretch to 20? That is plenty.  I've had success driving to the ends of old landings and then walking half a mile in, sometimes less
Hunters successful still hunting the roads? I had a opportunity last year where I was at full draw, from the road!  Granted, it was a road we had to walk down because of blown down trees but it was still an old road
Are bulls competitive with each other?  I don't know about this as much.  My experience is a herd bull gets his cows together and by mid-September has fended off the little bulls.  YMMV.
To bugle or cow call?  I've learned a lot from the Angry Spike guys and they never cow call.  It works for me to locate bugle, get a bearing on them, close the gap and then call the bull in from there, imitating whatever he is throwing out, often more chuckling than bugles.

For me I've had success by walking into an area with sign, bugling looking for a response and then moving on if getting nothing.  I cover a lot of ground but not all of it on foot.  I drive between spots and walk in to where I think a herd would hang out, locate bugle and keep moving.  Last year it took me three days and probably 15 "probes" before I found my first herd and then I made a play that took a couple days to get right with wind.  Unless they wind you and blow out, they tend to stay in a pretty small area, not like Rockies in that respect.