Elk Hunter Success rates in WA

[JDNehl]

0/5 on the wetside!

[huntandjeep]

2 for 12 one 3x4 on bethel rifle and a cow in cowiche muzzleloader. been drawn 4 or 5 more times for cow either didnt see any or to far away or no time to hunt.

[WSU]

I'm curious how much everyone hunts during the season.  Would all the people who post, and who posted above, write how many days the spend in the field each season?  I'm betting those on here with really good success rates spend a lot of days in the field, and I also be they do a fair amount of scouting.

[bonkellekter]

I usually take 1 week vacation for elk season (9 days including both weekends) though 2008 I only had 4 days and still was able to get a 5 point

[6x6in6]

It's varied in my 29 seasons of hunting.  If I did an out of state quality hunt, I blew all my vacation time there and the WA hunt was strictly weekends, with maybe a couple Monday's or Friday's tossed in once in a great while.

It would take some serious thought, but I'd venture to guess that virtually all of my 13 were taken in the first 4 days of the season.  One I know for sure was taken with about an hour left of the season 6-7 years ago.  I had to call in sick Monday to get the spike out.  What a shame!     He almost survived the onslaught....

[7mm short mag]

I have hunted elk for 16 years, my first spike got stolen by 2 guys in the bethel gmu (rifle). I got 4 cows, 1 bull(5x5) with a muzzy, 9 cows with a bow  14/16 LUCKY!

I spend all day of every day of the season in the woods, and hunt with friends during their season. Hunting is my passion so I don't let much get in my way. Also most of my elk are out of the areas that i've seen them the year before. 6 of the cows with my bow were out of the same heard for 6 strait years.

[Broken Arrow]

I spend the entire elk season in the woods. In regards to scouting.....at least 3, 3 day weekends, sometimes more,

[colockumelk]

From 2000-2004 I was in the Marine Corps.  So I hunted Haji not elk.  From 2005-2009 I was in colleg so I could only afford to take weekends off to hunt.  So needless to say it's been a dry 10 hunting seasons.  

And the next couple of seasons don't look anybetter.  I'll be in Army Flight School in Alabama.  So I doubt I'll even be able to go.  If I am able to go there wont be any scouting time abailable and it'll be a strictly TLAR (That Looks About Right) method of choosing a place to hunt  After that when I'm NOT deployed (again hunting Haji) scouting time will be by map since I'll be stationed elsewhere and thus can only come over when I'm on leave.  

I realize how winey this post sounds.  I didn't mean it to sound that way.  It is what it is.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  There isn't anything I'd rather do than put on a uniform and fly helicopters for the Army. 

 

[Yardmaster]

1/1 on west side muzzle got a 3x4 first elk , 0/2 on archery last 2 years on east side, 1/5 on east side rifle, got a cow in the cowiche. My 12 year old boy is 0/2 on east side rifle. Not to many spikes running around lately. But we do love chasing the wapati...

[norsepeak]

in 2009, I spent 46 days hunting just elk.  Probably another 20+ hunting deer, around 25 hunting bear, and probably 100+ scouting.

[Little Fish]

You guys are making me feel bad. I really started making an effort to hunt elk 4 years ago and I'm 0/4. The first year I hunted with a muzzleloader and the last 3 years have been with a bow. I've been progressively getting better/closer every year and really don't have a good excuse for not killing an elk this year. I started out hunting 3-4 days the first couple years, then 5-6 the next year and finally last year I hunted 9 days. I anticipate I'll be hunting 9 days plus every year from here on out.

[nw_bowhunter]

I started elk hunting 10 years ago with a bow and have only harvested 1 cow elk.  I have actually been hunting elk less and less due to time restrictions.

[high country]

I used to quit my job come hunting season. now, I just request a layoff....lol. typically I will hunt the entire season and scout twice that through the year.