Which state to hunt elk? ID, MT, or WA

[piledup]

So I have a dilemma. I have a choice of hunting Idaho, Montana, or Washington and I can't decide which state to hunt. I will be doing archery. I know nothing about Idaho or Montana and have hunted Washington before and know that elk aren't everywhere If I choose Idaho or Montana I know there will be a lot of homework to do.

Was wondering what you guys would do?

[Ridgerunner]

Montana

[dreamingbig]

My order of choice would be 1. Montana 2. Idaho 3. Washington

[MADMAX]

Montana

[vandeman17]

My order of choice would be 1. Montana 2. Idaho 3. Washington

 

[piledup]

Mind if I ask Why for your answers?

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Take wa off the list, build up points here in wa and hunt 1st then Montana. Idaho is closer an the panhandle is a good OTC tag. Montana will be harder to scout and it's a little more expensive. The panhandle has a good archery season this year and plenty of places to hunt. I know Montana has good hunting as well, but you wanna scout the area as much as possible and Idaho gives you a better chance to do that.

[vandeman17]

I picked Montana first because of the numbers of animals versus the numbers of hunters. It seems to me that if a guy is willing to put in a little scouting and research that he has a good chance of a quality hunt. Idaho is a close second and in some areas, maybe better but I haven't hunted elk there enough to really know. The biggest question is what you are looking to get out of the hunt? Is seeing lots of animals most important, chance at a trophy class animal, not seeing other hunters etc?

[piledup]

So to build up points in WA, do I need to buy the license to be able to buy the point cause I forgot to mention that I'm a nonresident for all three states now.

For what I'm looking for is maybe a chance of a shot at any bull is fine(my wishfull thinking ) or maybe even a cow. It'll be my first elk (if I even get one) so not expecting too much. Oh and not too many hunters would be cool too. I also like areas with closed gates with foot traffic only.

Thanks for all your replies

[Bob33]

So to build up points in WA, do I need to buy the license to be able to buy the point cause I forgot to mention that I'm a nonresident for all three states now.
Thanks for all your replies

For elk, yes you need a license to build up points.

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Nevermind then don't worry about wa. I know up north archery season I usually any elk and some roads do get closed before the season starts and you can hike or bike for miles. Put up some trail cams to do the scouting for you; )

[JBR]

If time and money are an issue like they are for me, I would hunt WA first.  Obviously it not because I think it's the best choice of the three for a successful elk hunt.  That being said, I have never hunted Idaho OR MT but would LOVE the chance at both.  Knowing people that have hunted ID and MT, one factor that can't be ignored any more is the wolf issue.  I would hate to spend the time, money and effort in planning an awesome trip to ID or MT, only to get there and find that the wolves in that area have changed the game.  If you have the time and money, I would reseach BOTH ID and MT and find a specific location with proven success for ARCHERY hunting elk on public land.  I think both states still have high quality archery elk hunts that beat WA hands down, but you gotta know what you're doing and where you going, so reseach and planning is the key.

[piledup]

So the wolf issue is that bad huh.

Knowing a little about Washington, an elk tag on the east side isn't that good unless I get drawn so should it be out of the picture then?

Is the Idaho Panhandle like Washington's Northeast?

[JBR]

The wolf issue is a factor, depending on location.  I know a friend that went 2 years ago on an archery elk hunt in ID and was horrified by the 1) lack of elk and 2) the presence of several obvious elk carcasses from suspected wolf kills.  The hunt was a total bust for the location he was in and he was pissed about how much the wolves effected the entire lack of success for him.  I'm sure it's not wide spread, so you have to know what areas in either ID or MT you're looking at and research what impact the local wolf and/or cougar population is having on the herds in a given area. 

Again, research is the key in my opinion.

I currently have an Eastern WA archey elk tag, so I hardly think it's worthless.  I don't count on drawing a quality bull tag (would be great if I did though) however, there are still plenty of good opportunities in Eastern WA for getting a cow with archery.

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

So the wolf issue is that bad huh.

Knowing a little about Washington, an elk tag on the east side isn't that good unless I get drawn so should it be out of the picture then?

Is the Idaho Panhandle like Washington's Northeast?

Some parts are thick closer to the state line, but you can find many spots that are not as over grown further east and south by cda and the
joe, the wolves are there but I had heard it is not nearly as bad as te Clearwater area. Yes wa has cow opportunities with a bow but the tags are Expensive for nr and why not chase a bull around for the money!?