Idea's on high country Elk and Deer

[mmullins]

I am new to this forum. So if i am asking a question on here that is asked alot i am sorry.

Anyways, This next season will be my 5th season hunting hear in washington state. I have been an avid archery hunter, and have been able to harvest a 4x4 bull, and a fork and horned buck. Well long story short i am getting fed up with hunting the timber company land. There are to many other people and i have a feeling they are going to not open up the woods untill start of season. I am really interested in hunting the Goat Rocks wilderness, and other areas off the pacific crest trail. I am planning on doing alot of scouting and  hiking up there but it would be nice to have a starting point as i have never really ventrued that way. I will be hunting Elk with a Bow and deer with a Rifle. Any and all help would be great. Also any places down on the coast like Naysell or Forks have always interested me.

[Bigshooter]

I am new to this forum. So if i am asking a question on here that is asked alot i am sorry.

Anyways, This next season will be my 5th season hunting hear in washington state. I have been an avid archery hunter, and have been able to harvest a 4x4 bull, and a fork and horned buck. Well long story short i am getting fed up with hunting the timber company land. There are to many other people and i have a feeling they are going to not open up the woods untill start of season. I am really interested in hunting the Goat Rocks wilderness, and other areas off the pacific crest trail. I am planning on doing alot of scouting and  hiking up there but it would be nice to have a starting point as i have never really ventrued that way. I will be hunting Elk with a Bow and deer with a Rifle. Any and all help would be great. Also any places down on the coast like Naysell or Forks have always interested me.

The Goat Rocks can be good for elk but you will see a lot of other people.  And a lot of those will just be hikers.  Get off the trails and down in the nasty deep holes, where there are not any boot tracks and you will find elk.  Not sure what it would be like in there for rifle deer.

[Elkstuffer]

Welcome to the site! Like Bigshooter said. Lots of people in the Goat rocks. PCT hikers, horseback riders and hunters on Horses. I know of a couple outfitters in there also. You might think about going further north toward HWY 410. Norsepeak could probably chime in and give you some ideas about that country. I don't think that there are as many people that direction. With archery elk season closer and closer every year to the Labor day weekend it's getting worse. All of the traffic that weekend really pushes the animals down over the edges into that steep and deep stuff. I have never really seen very many deer in the Goat rocks area. A few small bucks and some does and fawns. The key is going to be scouting. Problem is you can't really get in there until late june. Especially if it keeps snowing like it has been. Good Luck!

[gasman]

Welcome to the site 

Get away from the PC trail and you will find more animal.

[bobcat]

a fork and horned buck

Originally from Oregon I see. (we don't call them fork and horns here) 

Welcome!

[wrangler]

a fork and horned buck

Originally from Oregon I see. (we don't call them fork and horns here)  

Welcome!

  try sayin it 'fork'ed horn' rolls off the tongue so much better... never have heard the term 'fork and horn' till now. i still can't say 2 point, or god forbid 'forked horn' without my dad slappin me upside the head. imagine what happens if anyone says 'a 10 pointer!' haha, and don't even begin to try to count eye guards on a muley.... im definatly from the old school! just remember, fork-ed-horn, left side x right side and eye guards dont count!  

[bobcat]

wrangler,

Believe me, Oregonians refer to a 2 point as either "fork and horn" or "fork-n-horn."  And maybe a couple other variations. (fork and horned I guess is one variation)   

I don't know if it's ALL Oregonians, but I've seen it many times on a certain message board that is based out of Portland.

[MichaelJ]

wrangler,

Believe me, Oregonians refer to a 2 point as either "fork and horn" or "fork-n-horn."  And maybe a couple other variations. (fork and horned I guess is one variation)   

I don't know if it's ALL Oregonians, but I've seen it many times on a certain message board that is based out of Portland.

I've never seen or heard that term, always thought they was saying fork-ed-horn which I've heard and used myself a bit lol...

Michael

[bobcat]

Ask "Bofire."  I think I caught him on this board once saying "forken horn." Or something like that. He later admitted that yes, he grew up in Oregon...

[Elkstuffer]

Being from Idaho, I've alwats said and heard it "Fork't horn". Funny from state to state how we have our own slang.

[Dirty Mike]

deer are there but far and few between but i did shoot one

[jackelope]

I call them 4 pointers.
 

[bonkellekter]

I call em' tasty

[mmullins]

wow, i thought there was gonna be some good advice, but 80% of the posts where about my grammer. 

[bobcat]

So are you from Oregon? 

[unluckyjohn]

What a shame, a simple question turned into a Washington grammar lesson.

[boneaddict]

THink of it this way.  It was a way for the topic not to be buried for life like most of those asking for geographical advice.   And quite frankly, I thought folks were quite nice.  Would you like GPS coordinates instead?  Sorry  you were baffled by the 80%.  Generally newbies asking where to questions are flogged or forgotten.

[unluckyjohn]

MMullins. From one "newbie" to another on this or a sportsman that's not scared that you will shoot the only elk in the woods and my family will do without food for the year, get good green trail maps at you local sporting goods store and look for areas that have great distance between roads and spend as much time in the woods as you can learning the area. I muzzy elk hunt the east side (bumping) and have had luck but only having learned and after spending time deep, deep away from road hunters.
unluckyjohn comes from 5 years trying to get the area 346 any bull tag. More skill and less luck when it comes to success.