To all the Blues mountain hunters

[rosscrazyelk]

So besides what you harvested or not just wondering how you felt the season was for you? My season in the blues as far as seeing game was not as productive as years past. I usually see at least 20 or more branched bulls and tons of cows in a season. And I cannot tell you how many deer I usually see.
This year was way different. I only saw 3 branched antlers bulls  and maybe 20 cows and the deer were almost non existent.  Not sure why.  This was not just me, my whole group did not see as many as usual. The camp next to us  some guys went the whole week without even seeing an elk. One guy only even saw one deer.  Just wondering how your trip was?

[Slayock]

My cousin shot a spike and my dad and my uncle both missed one.  They said they saw around 300 head of elk.  They figured they saw more elk this year than they have in the last 10 years combined.  I think there were big herds and if you werent on those herds you werent going to see as much.

[Little Dave]

My son and I were out there for turkey, but I saw deer all over the place first week in October in Wallowa and Asotin Counties.  Two guys swinging a nice buck into the back of their truck top of the hill above Troy.  Saw a few cow elk closer to Enterprise.

[jackelope]

we hunted the peola unit on private and public farm land and we saw probably 75 mule deer in 3 days, all of which except for 1 were young little 3's or fork's, women and children.
we saw maybe 5 whitetail does, no bucks. it was a good year for seeing muleys, but not for seeing shooters.
 i don't hunt elk down there but i do know that one of the archery permit guys called in 14 branch antlered bulls on the 1st day.
 

[Woodchuck]

i wont be buying a beef this year 

[HUNT]

Seemed to be elk all over.  I heard that the population was up this year for the blue mountains.

[BLUEBULLS]

numbers are defintely up a litttle this year. We've had no problem finding plenty of elk throughout the year. Rifle season I hunted two days and saw around 200 head, in about 15 or 20 herds.

also saw several branched bulls including one really good one.

deer numbers seem average.

[touchet2]

I guess it depends on where you happen to be hunting. I was hunting the 162 Dayton unit and saw no deer and very few elk. There is a cougar problem in the area I hunt and that has been bad for the deer. I saw 3 branch antlered bulls, 8 cows and 3 calves and no spikes. The full moon was not any help as the elk went into the dark timber about 10 minutes after shooting times in the mornings and came out about 10 minutes before the end of shooting time. Not alot of sign after the snow before the season started. Probably the least amount of deer or elk seen this year and a record amount of hunters.

I would like to know where the other hunters are seeing 200 elk!!! Certainly was not around the 162 unit.

[carpsniperg2]

that would be cool to see that many elk

[rosscrazyelk]

Touchet,  I was in the Dayton unit as well more specifically on chase mountain. I had the exact same things where I as at. The cougar problem is very evident . My buddy saw 4 cougars running together and even took a shot at one. Thought he hit one but the search turned up no cougar. When it snowed i saw cougar tracks everyday. Heard stories that other people got shots at cougars too.  I got my Elk but my buddies who had cow tags did not fill theirs. it was always the people who did not have tags saw cows and the others did not. Guess we should of traveled outside our little box..

[Woodchuck]

we were in 162 as well, filled cow tags, i will say this, did not see a spike although a friends camp shot 3, 1 draw over. i did not see huge herds but did see them running 12-15 head together, i was across from rosscrazy

[touchet2]

We hunted off Griffen Peak, so we were not that far from each other. There  definitely is a cat problem in the whole 162 unit. I know where I will be cat hunting later. It is open till the end of December, then by permit after that. Not sure why they went with a permit system after Dec. 31st. Too many cats and to few deer and soon to be elk.

[MHWASH]

I would say it was a typicall year. Except I actually shot a spike. This is the first season I've seen a spike during the season and I saw 2 together.  We usually see between 20-50 head in the short week we are there. Elk always out number the deer. 166.

[Axle]

If the cats and the wolves have their way (via the idiots), it will go from being the blue mountains named by color - to the blue mountains so named by frame of mind due to lack of animals.

[rosscrazyelk]

Jimkd8, I think I met those guys who got those spikes. They kept driving over to my side to scope out your side to find out where the elk were. I took a drive over where you were one day and that is where I saw a monster buck. I posted a picture in the deer forum under "saw this brute elk hunting"
glad you filled your tags.