colockum elk hunt

[eastsidewa]

Im new to this site and i just thought i start a discussion on the colockum elk hunting. tell me what you all think on the subject if you currently hunt this unit or if you used to hunt this area. as for me i used to hunt this area, but because of the pressure / road density / true spike rules/and the "native american" issue i now hunt another state. and i am here to say its worth every penny you pay to have a quality hunt. something has to change. What would you do

[gaddy]

as i stated in you deer hunting thread you might want to search the sight for other threads relating to elk hunting in the clockum & you will find its the prefered area for elk in washington & the northwest in general. you mentioned the native issue and all i can say is if you had a known area for producing class elk in abundance, where would you go?

[eastsidewa]

 colockum may be the prefered unit to hunt but the last time i checked the wdfw winter counts say the herd was on the decline. that tells me that whatever the wdfw is doing is not working!!!!! i also remember when the spike only rule was discussed alot of years back the biologest stated in a public mtg that if the spike only rule doesn't bring the herd counts up in 5 or 6 years then that rule will be null and void.  what happened to that?  I'm not sure what needs to be done but i agree with road closures would be a start. at least give the elk a chance to migrate or just chill out especially during calving season without rigs/ATV harassing them. what about 2 tag choices like eastern early spike only start on Wednesday before the opening. eastern late spike only to start on the usual Saturday.  but to put in for special permits for any bull or cow tags you have to buy late tag and forfeit the first 3 days. that's something like they used to do when i first started hunting it. it would decrease the amount of people putting in for permits. therefore increasing the chance of being drawn for permits. in my observation the elk get harassed from march till late November. from ATVs pushing them in the spring when they are so vulnerable!!! to the controlled hunts in august to modern season in early November. too much stress = poor herd numbers. where would i go for class of elk in abundance. do your homework in neighboring states and don't be afraid to get out of the rig and you will find a quality hunt as i have done. i just don't want to see the area go down in history because of mismanagement.

[GreggHunts2hard4u]

road closures is #1 in my opinion.  i think that if they closed off the powerline rd from clockum to bruton rd it would be a great thing maybe even the bruton all together from where it forks off of the colockum pass. heck even if the bruton got closed from game reserve to tarpiscan fork it would hep the wildlife tremendously ive hunted it for 15yrs my dad for 42 and his father for 60yrs till he passed.  im 100% for doing whatever it takes to get the conservation and management in this beautiful area back to what it was when i was a kid im 24 now.  i know people will probably get all butt hurt on me saying to close these roads ive mentioned but honestly in my opinion the heavy traffic and wall to wall camps/hunters in these areas are hurting the herd. they basically have to make a foaming from the mouth b line from the game reserve down to the Columbia. if u drive up the powerline rd from colockum to bruton durring general modern firearm season id say u could probably count 20+ camps opening weekend the elk dont want to cross the powerline anymore cuz its an open shooting range. i was scouting up there a few years back and pushed a herd from cook canyon side of the colockum rd all the way to to the powerline and they would not cross in fact i turned back and returned to the truck and they followed me almost all the way back to the colockum rd the absolutely did not want to cross the powerline rd. im even down for a wildlife area closure to let the herd repopulate itself honestly if its for the best for the wildlife then why arnt we doing more conservation in an area that has reached an all time low for bull to cow ratio?

[Elkaholic daWg]

  I've been hunting up there a little longer than your father. When I started hunting the area the season opened the first Sunday (or Monday at times) in November and Closed the third Sunday. Since then I'd guess at lest 60% of the roads have already been closed. The malaga tags were also just a late  season in the same (malaga) area open to all tags starting after Thanksgiving.
  Moving the opener (from Saturday) would  bring numbers down but also cost DFW money. (Less hunters) Early/Late tags would make draw chances better, relieve opening day pressure, and also cost DFW money.(less permit app.s)
 I noticed last year that there were substantially less hunters up there for M/R. There were actually Nice camps that have been occupied EVERY one of the years I've hunted the area empty for the first time.  At least one of which we were tempted to move to but too much hassle. Raise the license and tag prices,let the fuel costs rise as they have and the economy still seeming stagnant and we will have even less pressure this year.
 Now you also have the N/A's up there with basically a high fence hunting area almost year round.

 I used to argue with CE about permit only, but it would be an emergency situation and DFW could keep the N/A OUT of the area the way they have been doing. Spike only for us has led to trophy hunting for them!
 As for closing roads such as Brewon or powerline...one or the other, not both. As bearpaw states...



Americans are systematically advocating, legislating, and voting away each others rights. Support all user groups and quit losing opportunity.

[Sneaky]

 

 I used to argue with CE about permit only, but it would be an emergency situation and DFW could keep the N/A OUT of the area the way they have been doing. Spike only for us has led to trophy hunting for them!
 As for closing roads such as Brewon or powerline...one or the other, not both. As bearpaw states...



Americans are systematically advocating, legislating, and voting away each others rights. Support all user groups and quit losing opportunity.

Well said. Closing the roads would create a situation where those who would break the law would reap the benefits (natives). Think they would even blink at a road closure sign? They are untouchable, and for that reason, such a closure would only improve their opportunity. At least if the roads are open and being driven regularly some of the elk learn not to stand too close to them.

[Killmore]

First thing  i would do is go to a limited quota on elk tags state wide. Deer also. Most western state's have done this for a reason. And if everyone would try a out of state hunt they too would know how good hunting is..then maybe the state would see a big drop in tag sale's...

[MADMAX]

So its not the wolves ??

[400out]

  OH YEAH this is a great thread! I see it going places 

[colockumelk]

eastside read the following two links.  The first link is the paper I wrote on the Colockum elk herd and the reasons why its declined in the last 10 years.  The second link is the article the Yakima Herald wrote on the paper.  Those two subjects are a good place to start. 

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,47084.0.html

http://sportsyakima.com/2010/06/has-herd-become-too-thin/

As for road closures??  As Elkaholic mentioned.  they have already closed alot of roads.  What I would like to see is that the roads that are already closed.  Actually physically close them.  Because as I'm sure you know those "closed" roads are only closed with a little red sign. I'd like to see them physically close them so people can't get past them.  Some dedicated criminals will still get around them but most wont go around a gate.  If that doesn't help then yes I think after a few years then close down some of the spur roads.  Even as pro road closure as I am I would NEVER want them to close the Colockum Road down.  That is a main road.  I would not want to see them close ANY of the main roads. 

[ribka]

Have to close the roads at least most of the year. Same goes for 340 342 . Poaching has become really prevalent especially at night.

[jryoung]

WDFW should "deputize" hunters to patrol various areas for poachers.  In exchange, since there is no budget hunters could earn preference points for the amount they patrol and earn additional for the conviction of a poacher.   Or create a special hunt/tag for those that put in a minimum number of hours patrolling. 

Most hunters detest poaching, there's got to be a way to get more involved to fight poaching. 

[eastsidewa]

lets not close all the roads down, but close all the spur roads off the colockum pass road. leave the naneum road open too. just think of the hunt opportunity if the north fork/south fork of tarpiscan, brewton and powerline road, and the little caribou rd were closed. that would be less hunting pressure for everyone including the elk... more escapement.  if wdfw could bring the herd levels/bull survival up maybe the area could be any bull in a few years. i would hike a mile or 2 if i had a chance at a branched bull. but definitely not for a 1.5 yr old elk/ true spike.... as of now if you see elk you can usually drive too them with everyone else witch = tongues hanging out being run in  circles meaning they have no where too get away except the reserve... colockum is a turkey shoot not a hunt.  it also disturbs me to see elk being run around in march or April by ATVs in the south fork/north fork of tarpiscan area. also how many elk do you think are being left to rot because it has a 1 inch kicker on one side or the other. all I'm trying to say is if everyone keeps buying tags and supporting the wdfw then NOTHING is going to change.  I'm sure if tag sales dropped they would have to change something.  thats just my

[mack2255]

I hope this thread stays on subject

[jstone]

The thing is get a machine in there dig up the road so no one can drive on it and plant trees. If they are caught driving on it...NO MATTER WHO.. BIG ASS FINE.. PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[jstone]

Thing dont have to be difficult. only when the politics are involved

[br8kitoff]

I'm with Clockum.  I've hunted that area, mostly from 4 corners back to Winch hill down to Walter Flats, okay everything west of Arthur Coffin since 1990.  Lately the RMEF has been putting up gates on spur roads, but that only stops the people unwilling to drive around them! IMHO it ultimately comes back to the original argument that the YN refuses to properly manage their end. Oh, I hunt archery too.....nothing like the sound of a HP crack screwing up your September day!  Remeber to look for the beat up red pick up with Elk stacked like cord wood!

[dupedc]

Colockumelk - Thanks for all of your insights into the Colockum elk problem.  I have been reading your posts for quite some time and agree with your perspective.  I have been hunting up there for years and am willing to do just about anything to bring that herd back to its glory days.  Keep up the fight!

[Recurve-Elk]

road closures is #1 in my opinion.  i think that if they closed off the powerline rd from clockum to bruton rd it would be a great thing maybe even the bruton all together from where it forks off of the colockum pass. heck even if the bruton got closed from game reserve to tarpiscan fork it would hep the wildlife tremendously ive hunted it for 15yrs my dad for 42 and his father for 60yrs till he passed.  im 100% for doing whatever it takes to get the conservation and management in this beautiful area back to what it was when i was a kid im 24 now.  i know people will probably get all butt hurt on me saying to close these roads ive mentioned but honestly in my opinion the heavy traffic and wall to wall camps/hunters in these areas are hurting the herd. they basically have to make a foaming from the mouth b line from the game reserve down to the Columbia. if u drive up the powerline rd from colockum to bruton durring general modern firearm season id say u could probably count 20+ camps opening weekend the elk dont want to cross the powerline anymore cuz its an open shooting range. i was scouting up there a few years back and pushed a herd from cook canyon side of the colockum rd all the way to to the powerline and they would not cross in fact i turned back and returned to the truck and they followed me almost all the way back to the colockum rd the absolutely did not want to cross the powerline rd. im even down for a wildlife area closure to let the herd repopulate itself honestly if its for the best for the wildlife then why arnt we doing more conservation in an area that has reached an all time low for bull to cow ratio?

Agreed.  Too many units have roads going everywhere in them.  We need more wilderness, less road.

[C-Money]

I am dead set against road closures. There is more to the Colockum than elk. I ride ATV's up there and follow the rules. If riders are going off road and disturbing the elk, throw the book at them. I will not stand by and let folks close roads when I dont do anything wrong.