Roosevelt Elk. Please nudge me in the right direction. I feel hopeless.

[HntnFsh]

I still have some of those maps laying around. They used to be in most of the gas stations etc. free for the taking!

[blackveltbowhunter]

I would say 60 to 75+ percent gone is accurate over the past 15 to 20 years. But not in one year. Good luck getting an objective number from WDFW.

At the OP if your finding elk trails 100 percent follow them in and see where they lead. This will get ya started on learning how they move and where the are moving to and from. Elk don't mind some noise, just make noise naturally not sneaking noise. They know the difference.  Plus you might figure out other ways to approach with less chance of being detected.  You are definitely looking for bull sign, but getting started by just searching elk sign is a win and  will  help get you in the ballpark.

[Dark2Dark]

At the OP if your finding elk trails 100 percent follow them in and see where they lead. This will get ya started on learning how they move and where the are moving to and from. Elk don't mind some noise, just make noise naturally not sneaking noise. They know the difference.  Plus you might figure out other ways to approach with less chance of being detected.  You are definitely looking for bull sign, but getting started by just searching elk sign is a win and  will  help get you in the ballpark.

Probably one of the most challenging things about hunting bull elk during modern season is you really want to be hunting where there are not many elk around, just the right elk. The majority of the elk we have killed during Washington modern season have been a) alone and b) in places where there was no real indication elk had been hanging out. You might get lucky and find some sign of the one elk hanging around there but a lot of times you see nothing until you find tracks so fresh that he is standing in them.

Sometimes, you will still find a bull hanging out with a herd, especially young bulls. Even a herd bull will sometimes hang with the herd until they get pushed once or twice and the shooting starts. But once they get separated, the older bulls have lost their drive to stick with the herd. If I went somewhere where I was starting from scratch right now, I would potentially look for any elk sign to start. And then once I found it, if it looked like herds of elk, I would be seeking out the deep, dark and nasty stuff in its vicinity. Actually leaving the signs of many elk to go look for the few.

The last several years it's not uncommon for me to see very few elk or even zero elk other than the one I end up killing. But it can be discouraging to hunt days and days seeing nothing, just looking for that one.

[Badsmerf]

Probably one of the most challenging things about hunting bull elk during modern season is you really want to be hunting where there are not many elk around, just the right elk. The majority of the elk we have killed during Washington modern season have been a) alone and b) in places where there was no real indication elk had been hanging out. You might get lucky and find some sign of the one elk hanging around there but a lot of times you see nothing until you find tracks so fresh that he is standing in them.

Sometimes, you will still find a bull hanging out with a herd, especially young bulls. Even a herd bull will sometimes hang with the herd until they get pushed once or twice and the shooting starts. But once they get separated, the older bulls have lost their drive to stick with the herd. If I went somewhere where I was starting from scratch right now, I would potentially look for any elk sign to start. And then once I found it, if it looked like herds of elk, I would be seeking out the deep, dark and nasty stuff in its vicinity. Actually leaving the signs of many elk to go look for the few.

The last several years it's not uncommon for me to see very few elk or even zero elk other than the one I end up killing. But it can be discouraging to hunt days and days seeing nothing, just looking for that one.

I was going to PM you, but figured some questions I have might help others.

First, I've hunted the west side for the last 5 seasons. I killed a 4 point a few years ago by walking up on the right clear cut extremely early. There had been elk around that area consistently for the prior 3 days, so I just figured it was my best bet and was right. However, this isn't a recipe for repeated success imo. Too many people roaming clear cuts, bulls don't seem to like coming out very often.

So, I've heard the deep and steep discussion, but haven't seen anyone really explain it well. I hunt the timber/nasty areas more than most and have only come across a bull once in an area that was so dark (in mid-day) that I didn't see him until he was running away. That was in a smallish saddle area, old growth without trails. There aren't many places like that in the unit I now hunt, which is private timber with roads everywhere.

Questions!!: is how do you define deep/steep and what characteristics are you looking for as multipliers for process of elimination? Are you hunting creek bottoms, old growth timber, rerod you can't see through... I've found elk in all these areas, just not bulls and rarely would I have been able to shoot one. Are you hunting clear cuts at all, or just getting into these spots early then still hunting mid-day before hanging at your location again late? Without going into clear cuts, what are the bulls eating? Without sign, or trail cam confirmation, how do you know you're not just wasting your time?

[blackveltbowhunter]

At the OP if your finding elk trails 100 percent follow them in and see where they lead. This will get ya started on learning how they move and where the are moving to and from. Elk don't mind some noise, just make noise naturally not sneaking noise. They know the difference.  Plus you might figure out other ways to approach with less chance of being detected.  You are definitely looking for bull sign, but getting started by just searching elk sign is a win and  will  help get you in the ballpark.

Probably one of the most challenging things about hunting bull elk during modern season is you really want to be hunting where there are not many elk around, just the right elk. The majority of the elk we have killed during Washington modern season have been a) alone and b) in places where there was no real indication elk had been hanging out. You might get lucky and find some sign of the one elk hanging around there but a lot of times you see nothing until you find tracks so fresh that he is standing in them.

Sometimes, you will still find a bull hanging out with a herd, especially young bulls. Even a herd bull will sometimes hang with the herd until they get pushed once or twice and the shooting starts. But once they get separated, the older bulls have lost their drive to stick with the herd. If I went somewhere where I was starting from scratch right now, I would potentially look for any elk sign to start. And then once I found it, if it looked like herds of elk, I would be seeking out the deep, dark and nasty stuff in its vicinity. Actually leaving the signs of many elk to go look for the few.

The last several years it's not uncommon for me to see very few elk or even zero elk other than the one I end up killing. But it can be discouraging to hunt days and days seeing nothing, just looking for that one.

I agree. Perhaps I was reading to much into the OP post but it sounds like he is wandering a little aimlessly and somewhat inexperienced in reading sign period.