New elk hunter tips - SW WA

[Toadman]

Hey all,

I'm hoping some people could share some advice for a new hunter taking on the late archery (I'll be out of town until then) season solo in SW Washington. I am new to big game hunting and am a first generation hunter, so my expectations are pretty low at the moment. Right now I am planning to hunt exclusively public land or free-to-play private timberland. The units I am considering are antlerless or 3pt. I have a lot of free time during the week, so I expect to be able to burn miles. Although since I am solo and don't exactly what I am doing, I wasn't going to go right into any Backcountry.

I'm also interested in finding hunting partners/friends in SW Washington (Clark, Skamania and Wahkiakum). I'm 27 and in good shape and would love to get out with some folks who know what they are doing. I do a lot of waterfowl hunting and fishing as well.

Feel free to DM me.

Cheers,

Sam

[salmosalar]

I got close twice last year during late archery. From my limited experience, you need to spot the animals and then figure out how to hunt them. You either stalk them or you try to get ahead of where they are going. They don't seem to be moving a ton. I hunt some private ground where they are quite a bit and don't move a lot. I suspect that they behave similar on publicly accessible ground. They like to be in areas where their nose can keep them safe.

The key is always to keep the wind right. They will often stay in areas where the wind funnels to them from multiple directions. The angle that you come to them is very important, for that reason. Since they are usually in bigger herds than they early season 5 cows and a bull scenario, they are harder to hunt. You may have 10-15 animals. That is a lot of eyes, ears and noses.

There is not a whole lot of calling to do. I suspect that there is a way to use calls, if you really know what you are doing. I don't so all I would do is draw attentions to myself.

They don't move a ton this time of year. If you find them in an area, they will probably be there a while. If you blow them up, they may not go as far as you think. They do seem to be more focused on safety in the late season to me and are even a bit more alert.

[Toadman]

@salmosalar

Thanks for the response. I don't know how to call elk at all yet, so I won't be doing any of that. I've read that during the late season you only will really get an opportunity super early or late in the evening when they are up and moving. Any thoughts on that?

[salmosalar]

Disagree.

My best chance last year came on the last day. I spotted animals a mile+ away in a clear-cut. They were feeding, mid day. I got to within 62 yards of a spike. That's when I got my wind wrong and blew up the cows that I could not see. I was in the timber on the edge of the clear-cut.

Go out. glass hard. hunt harder. have fun.

They will be in timber too. If you know what space they are in from sign or by seeing them go in. Get the wind right and hunt them.

The wind tends to suck down little drainages and draws. These are like micro-thermals. Smart lead cows place their herd in areas that hey funnel too.

 This makes it tough. A savvy hunter can also use these micro-thermals to their advantage.

Find the animals. Get your wind right and figure out how to hunt them. It's OK to just watch them for a bit. In fact, if you have visual contact try to keep it if you can. at some point you will likely lose it if you are stalking.

You don't have to stalk if you can get ahead of where they are going and the wind is right.

Bring 2 containers of wind detection powder. Use it.

[pianoman9701]

An open reed call like Phelps or RR Game calls works on the first try. If you want to meet me in the Couve and buy me a beer or two I'll give you one of mine. The dried saliva is free. PM me and I'll send you my number.

[shadowless_nite]

As someone who typically archery hunts the units/areas you mentioned.....

You will find that not always are the elk in big groups anymore late season. My observations particularly at the coast has been that while you may spot some large groups, you must also be conscious that there are now lots of splinter groups. Cows with calves, 2s and 3s, 5s. Just small groups tucked in small spots. Check every ledge with a small bench off the road where, every nook and cranny, and blind corner end of every small little spur road where there maybe long grass to eat and a soft spot to sleep right next to it. Don't just focus on finding a herd in a cut. Look for butts, faces, patch of fur etc in the reprod/timber/brush

They will be out all day long not just mornings or evenings. Pray for stormy coastal nights with blue sky clear mornings where they are likely to sun themselves for warmth and feed with the light of day instead of dulled senses with a stormy night.

Carry your wind checker and play accordingly. Also a rain shower, though annoying and all to common around here helps with the sound while stalking. And even though you aren't experienced in calling even the simplest of calls is helpful like hoochie mama. It's the most basic squeeze call you can buy and it works to help stop a elk for a shot and help stop a herd after busting from a shot or winding. Sometimes if your close enough to a herd when it busts and it's large enough you can call in the chaotic confusion and actually mislead some to you, especially younger ones. On rare occasion you can give it a squeeze and get a random cow to respond and you might get a location to one but don't count on it working like a bull early season.

 Good luck out there!

[salmosalar]

As someone who typically archery hunts the units/areas you mentioned.....

You will find that not always are the elk in big groups anymore late season. My observations particularly at the coast has been that while you may spot some large groups, you must also be conscious that there are now lots of splinter groups. Cows with calves, 2s and 3s, 5s. Just small groups tucked in small spots. Check every ledge with a small bench off the road where, every nook and cranny, and blind corner end of every small little spur road where there maybe long grass to eat and a soft spot to sleep right next to it. Don't just focus on finding a herd in a cut. Look for butts, faces, patch of fur etc in the reprod/timber/brush

They will be out all day long not just mornings or evenings. Pray for stormy coastal nights with blue sky clear mornings where they are likely to sun themselves for warmth and feed with the light of day instead of dulled senses with a stormy night.

The quote above was pretty spot on for hte last 2 days of the season that I hunted in SW WA. I got close again. The herds I founds (2) were smaller than last year. A group of 7 and one that I would put at 10. I had the group of 7 in a small stand of 25 yr old fir for a morning. I would bump them a little bit. Get close again and bump them again. They did not want to move much.

Carry your wind checker and play accordingly. Also a rain shower, though annoying and all to common around here helps with the sound while stalking. And even though you aren't experienced in calling even the simplest of calls is helpful like hoochie mama. It's the most basic squeeze call you can buy and it works to help stop a elk for a shot and help stop a herd after busting from a shot or winding. Sometimes if your close enough to a herd when it busts and it's large enough you can call in the chaotic confusion and actually mislead some to you, especially younger ones. On rare occasion you can give it a squeeze and get a random cow to respond and you might get a location to one but don't count on it working like a bull early season.

 Good luck out there!

The quote above was pretty spot on for the last 2 days of the season that I hunted in SW WA. Smaller groups located in tough to find spots. Even where I found them out in the open required being off the beaten path (road) to see them.

I got close again. The herds I founds (2) were smaller than last year. A group of 7 and one that I would put at 10. I had the group of 7 in a small stand of 25 yr old fir for a morning. I would bump them a little bit. Get close again and bump them again. They did not want to move much.

I got to 52 yds of a small group at the edge of a clear cut. The shot was a bit far for me, especially as close as it was to ground that I could not hunt. I stalked them by using the timber adjacent to the clear cut and getting the wind right. Lots of eyes, noses and ears to beat. In the end, I had the noses dealt with and the eyes but those ears got me.

It's a fun game to play. It's the opposite of the aggressive fall hunt where I use calls. I do think that I need to figure out what calls I can use in the late season and get better at them. Maybe a hootchie mama call is in order since I struggle at the cow call.

[Fidelk]

I have one observation and that's all it is. I have twice seen an elk herd walk up to where I walked in and immediately turn around and walk back the way they had just come. One involved Rocky Mountain elk in about 6 inches of fresh snow and the other involved Roosevelt elk near the coast. It's not just wind.....they can detect the scent left by your boots hours earlier. This "tendency" (which I'm basing on only two observations) can either work for or against you.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I have one observation and that's all it is. I have twice seen an elk herd walk up to where I walked in and immediately turn around and walk back the way they had just come. One involved Rocky Mountain elk in about 6 inches of fresh snow and the other involved Roosevelt elk near the coast. It's not just wind.....they can detect the scent left by your boots hours earlier. This "tendency" (which I'm basing on only two observations) can either work for or against you.

.
I have also followed tracks in the snow where they walked over and smelled some idiots discarded beer can.
 
Then continued on their way..

 
.
I think they have the ability to assess the threat.
After season spend some time in your chosen area, especially if it snows.
.
Follow tracks and find good crossing areas from one drainage to the next.
.
Plan for next season with those active trails..
.
Feeding and bedding areas might change, but escape routes are usually established.
.
They might not use them every day, but its easier to wait for them to come to you than it is to chase them
.
Even when calling it's easier to call them to you when they are already coming, than it is to call them back after you bump them

[salmosalar]

So Sam, how did it turn out? Did you learn anything?

I hope that you had a good time.