Elk hunting in the GMU 340

[Killmore]

Something is wrong in the GMU 340. Been hunting elk for 30+ yrs and have never seen anything like this. 5 of us hunted for a week and seen 1 elk. What got me wondering is why the game dept cut the cow permits from 250 to 100 this year. Did anyone experience this kind of hunting or was it just us?

[Ellensburg]

I saw a decent herd up there this summer but they are THIN. at 4,500-5,000 feet up above joe watt and got away from most of the hunters. Saw ZERO elk and 2 deer in 2 days. Some buddies of ours had 2 cow tags and were only able to fill 1 and that was pure luck. They hunted every single day of the season and saw a total of 1 cow.

I talked to people high and low and 90% of the people had seen ZERO elk.

LOTS of road hunters

lots of pumpkins in the wilderness.

I saw 0 elk hanging.

Same goes for taneum unit.

[Rick]

Same goes for taneum unit.

Add one for the Little Naches and Umtanuem (346 and 342). It was absolutely terrible this season. We had five guys in our camp and hunted from the opener through the following Saturday.  Three of us never saw an elk. My dad saw a single cow and my brother saw two cows and a rag horn bull. We got the same answers from virtually every guy we talked to.

We hunted from 6000' all the way down to a mile or two off the highway. Of the 25+ camps we drove past during the week,we saw a single spike hanging.

Last year there seemed to be an elk behind every tree. You'd see 20-25 a day. We filled three cow tags without much effort.

[jeepasaurusrex]

We used to hunt 340 all the time up to about 1986. We mainly hunted up off of Shellrock. We usually camped right where Whiskey Canyon Rd. came down into the North Fork. Now that area is all shut down and we have not been back since. We found that if you didn't get any snow, you were not going to find the animals. Our best year, we had about a foot of snow on the ground and we got 3.

[CP]

I hunted 340 hard throughout the muzzleloader season and saw very few animals.

[DuckDr.Duke]

Same here, hunted 340 hard for the 1st four days of the season, herd one bull bugle, and that was it. I saw some decent bulls scouting on Labor day weekend, but nothing in the hunting season. Last year we say lots of elk and bagged one spike. I don't know, think it was the lack of weather and maybe how nice Oct was. Nothing to push the herd into migatory mode.

[NRA4LIFE]

Same report for the Little Naches.  6 days and not a single elk spotted.  Hit it very hard too, many miles every day.  In one drainage I went up that I have never not seen elk in, I did not cut a single track.  Same report from a couple other guys I ran in to.  I did not see one elk hanging in any camp in 342 or 346.  I was absolutely dumbfounded.

[bankwalker]

numbers have dropped bad over the last 5 years. at least in the areas i hunt. ive taken a couple years off now and dont have any need or want to hunt the eastside, especially during modern firearm season.

i can say one spot is still holding alot of elk (number of elk for the area size anyway) usually see about 10-20 elk a day in said spot.

it just seems with the amount of hunters these days its harder and harder to find elk, and you actually do have to put in the miles to get as far away as possible to find the elk. not like it use to be when you could just hit the next canyon and find elk. recreational use to the woods during the off season keeps the elk moving aswell. i was quite amazed at the amount of people camping in some areas during july and august this year. it was hard to get away from the people for a simple bear hunt.

[coachcw]

the elk are there , my buddy and I both taggeg out and had my kid on some bulls he just wasn't able to get a shot during archery , that was pretty low . most of the elk in there during rifle season are local elk anyhow.

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

 
My friends had a decent archery season up there, saw plenty of Elk, went 2 out of 6 on cows.
even chased a couple legal bucks,
Wonder were they all went..  

[nitro]

I will have to agree where are all the elk?  8 of us in our camp hunted all week and saw maybe 20 elk with a few of those coming from the clocklum area. This is the fewist elk we have seen as a group in the last 5 years. What is the wdfw thinking anymore? they have there heads up there you no what!!!! Also i couldn't beleave all the people this year in watt and robinson areas. Iam thinking for next year going back to archery at least i can get a chance to shoot  a cow with out having to draw a permit.,

[jeepasaurusrex]

This is my favorite picture of all time. Taken at where Whiskey Canyon Rd and Shellrock Rd meet. I was 9yrs old.


I sure miss those days. Me and Mom are the only two still alive in that pic (besides Dad who took the pic.) The rest are in the happy hunting grounds. It was nothing to see 60+ elk a day then.

[Angus]

I sure miss those days. Me and Mom are the only two still alive in that pic (besides Dad who took the pic.) The rest are in the happy hunting grounds. It was nothing to see 60+ elk a day then.

Cool pics, I have many similar pics but our group hunted the Hutchins road side, below Tamarack springs. Like your group, many of mine, my dad included, are hunting much better grounds now . Great memories, miss those days.

[thurman]

Thats why i gave up hunting there cause everyone talks about how good it used to be.

[jeepasaurusrex]

Another one, top of Shellrock. Some good snow.