West Klickitat Late elk

[Squatch633]

My family used to spend every thanksgiving down in trout lake for the late muzzleloader elk hunt. We seemed to have success every year in our camp taking home an elk or two and the occasional deer. This was from the late 90’s until 2006 ish. Is the herd down there still in trouble or has it started to rebound? I focus most of my energy on early archery but my dad and I were talking about the good old days and it raised the question... Beautiful country down there...

[birddogdad]

still on the decline, state shooting one herd over hoof rot, criminal group poaching ring from OR, cougar upswing. you peaked around 05-06 before they changed from any elk in rifle season...

now property being closed up in large chunks.. not good.

on a brighter note, the sheriff is being pro active with cougar management outside of wdfw control! its a start!

[dilleytech]

I can’t speak to the change in herd size. But SDS has been closing more and more land down to the public. Others have said kreps did the same but all there land has been no trespassing for the time I have lived down here. And they have a lot of good hunting landlocked.

[Squatch633]

Very sad to hear that... My dad mentioned going down there next season if we draw multi-season and don’t fill tags in the rut. Thank you guys for the response. New to the Hunt wa community. Folks on here seem very helpful

[444Marlin]

I spent some time over there during the deer season.  I cut very few elk tracks where I used to see a ton more.  The past 2 years have been really slow and the data on the WDFW said that the herd is below management objectives.  Originally it was above management levels, and they issued a bunch of antlerless tags to get the herd to m.o.  And that worked.  Then they also had:  hoof rot, bad drought, wildfires, tough winters.

This used to be one of my go-to areas, but I'm going to leave it alone an hope the herd bounces back.

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Not sure it will ever rebound with Tract D acquisition of 121,000 acres back to the Tribes.

[HereDuckyDucky]

Not sure it will ever rebound with Tract D acquisition of 121,000 acres back to the Tribes.

That dispute is not over yet. Still going through the appeals process.

RW

[HUNTINCOUPLE]

Not sure it will ever rebound with Tract D acquisition of 121,000 acres back to the Tribes.

That dispute is not over yet. Still going through the appeals process.

RW

Very true. Will hope for the best!

[444Marlin]

Tract D is not the key to that unit.  There are many factors contributing to the herd decline and property ownership is low on the list.

The late seasons should be cut along with the antlerless tags for both west klick and lewis river.  As the large burn areas start to regrow and provide some good browse, we should start to see some recovery.

[HUNT-HARD]

Large burn areas? Not sure what areas your speaking of in the West Klickitat. Only large burn areas close to there would be around Mt Adams.

[rackattack]

I'm thinking those are the ones he's referring to.  Good summer range food source.

[HUNT-HARD]

I would agree that those burns are full of great feed and the elk have and will continue to benefit from that for years to come.

[444Marlin]

Yes, the large burns up on Mt. Adams is what I was referring to.  Most of that is in the 560 unit, but the elk move freely between those areas.

[rackattack]

Sadly, if they don't start logging in the Nat Forest again that herd will continue to decline.  If nothing else, thin the stands that were logged in the 60's-early 90's and open them up.

[HUNT-HARD]

The last two years there has been more logging in the NFS around Trout Lake than I have seen in the last 20 years. This logging should add a bunch of winter/spring feed for the elk that move down into the area to winter.

[Salmonmoocher12]

The last two years there has been more logging in the NFS around Trout Lake than I have seen in the last 20 years. This logging should add a bunch of winter/spring feed for the elk that move down into the area to winter.

I have not seen any logging in the GPNF in over 20 years, only some select thinning but no clear cutting.

[444Marlin]

Lots of clear cuts on the private timber land.  SDS, Hancock and some others.
And clear cuts on the res.  The thinning in the NF helps too.

Lots of full timber trucks running up and down HWY 141.

[KDB]

I can’t speak to the change in herd size. But SDS has been closing more and more land down to the public. Others have said kreps did the same but all there land has been no trespassing for the time I have lived down here. And they have a lot of good hunting landlocked.

[b0bbyg]

The last two years there has been more logging in the NFS around Trout Lake than I have seen in the last 20 years. This logging should add a bunch of winter/spring feed for the elk that move down into the area to winter.

I have not seen any logging in the GPNF in over 20 years, only some select thinning but no clear cutting.

I have been hunting the GPNF for less than 15 years and there are several clear cuts that are new since I started hiking in there.  Also several areas that were thinned as well. I don't know how much is needed to help in recovery but there is some that is being logged.   

[444Marlin]

I've been pretty upset about the decline in that unit and the surrounding area as it was one of my favorite places to go.  To me it's been a combination of "Loving it to Death" by many of us who like to hunt there - and the perfect storm of the other factors I mentioned before.

I'm going to stop hunting there for a few years and pray for the herd to recover.  I'm sad about not hunting there, but I'm looking forward to learning new areas.

[dilleytech]

I've been pretty upset about the decline in that unit and the surrounding area as it was one of my favorite places to go.  To me it's been a combination of "Loving it to Death" by many of us who like to hunt there - and the perfect storm of the other factors I mentioned before.

I'm going to stop hunting there for a few years and pray for the herd to recover.  I'm sad about not hunting there, but I'm looking forward to learning new areas.

A massive cougar and black bear population is the main reason for the decline. If you want to improve hunting come hunt predators.

[444Marlin]

A massive cougar and black bear population is the main reason for the decline. If you want to improve hunting come hunt predators.

Yep.  I've crossed a few cougar tracks in the past few years.  But at my peak of the 'glory days' in that unit, I saw bear tracks everywhere.  I saw more sign of bears then than I do now.  They were thick!
I don't agree its the main reason for the decline.  But I agree that it's a significant contributing factor.  I admit, I have no data to back that up.