Nooksack Muzzleloader Bull Tag

[Star882]

I was excited to see if finally was able to draw a Washington tag after a ton of years putting in. I drew the Nooksack Muzzleloader Bull tag. I have hunted the unit alot for bear and deer. But never for elk. I have a few spots I have seen elk in the high country. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share some info with me on the unit or the tag. I do not have any logging permits for access. I was planning on high country or try to gain access to farming land. Any information would be much appreciated. The tag is from Sept 23rd to Oct 14th.

[Bucks2Ducks]

Cant beat those dates!! Good Luck

[Ridgerunner]

Some studs still roam that unit and with those dates you should have a great hunt.


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[high_hunter]

Should be good dates for some rut action early on. Sounds like you're familiar with and close by to do lots of pre-season of scouting in.

Herd has taken a bit of a hit in recent years IMO but there still are some good ones around. High hunting could be fun early, but I suspect you'll have the best chances of encounters and success down low near the river.

Go make friends with the farmers and locals starting now. There is a wide range of opinions about both elk and hunters, so don't be surprised if you get the door slammed or asked to pay a fee. Boat access options shouldn't be out of the question either; happy to put you in contact with some guys who run the river regularly.

Attached is a recent one from that unit. PM and we can talk more.

[BB90]

You should get a sierra pacific gate key from WDFW and some maps for drawing the tag (no logging permit needed).  The key will get you into Sierra Pacific gates.  I had the tag in 2019.   You should get an invite to a briefing with Sierra and WDFW before the season.

PM me if you want some info on where we saw bulls, wallows, cow heards and what not.

I might be available to help/call/pack if you want.

[deer_hnter]

I had the Nooksack modern tag in 2013 when it was a quality hunt. Took a bull I was really happy with on 10/18 and he was still bugling like crazy. It's been a minute, but feel free to DM if you want any intel on what I experienced.

[rochunt]

So what happened to the quality tags as they changed it to bull so the guys with 20 plus points last them all?

[Alan K]

Points are tied to the category, not the hunt itself so they still have their quality points.  If they weren't building points in the bull category... Ouch!

[Kingofthemountain83]

WDFW keeps it interesting!!! 

[freezerfull]

Points are tied to the category, not the hunt itself so they still have their quality points.  If they weren't building points in the bull category... Ouch!

I am one of those who is not pleased with this change by WDFW haha. It’s local and I know it well, now it’s off the table. Most bull category hunts haven’t intrigued me so I’ve never applied.

[bkaech]

Good Luck, I hope your are excited to get started!

[freezerfull]

I was excited to see if finally was able to draw a Washington tag after a ton of years putting in. I drew the Nooksack Muzzleloader Bull tag. I have hunted the unit alot for bear and deer. But never for elk. I have a few spots I have seen elk in the high country. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share some info with me on the unit or the tag. I do not have any logging permits for access. I was planning on high country or try to gain access to farming land. Any information would be much appreciated. The tag is from Sept 23rd to Oct 14th.

May have missed it elsewhere. If you don’t mind sharing, how did you make out on your hunt?