collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???  (Read 13354 times)

Offline deaner

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: May 2012
  • Posts: 979
  • Location: huckleberry
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #45 on: July 19, 2013, 10:42:30 PM »
good luck man.  ive been trying to figure out ne elk for the last few years, rather than go to higher odds units.  no notched tag yet, but i feel im learning a lot every time i go out and i think i feel a notched tag very close.  doesnt help that i keep getting screwed out of elk season by work.  tomorrow morning im heading to alaska, and dont expect to get back until right after early arch elk season  :bash:       the last comment about there being too many good spots for the population is right on the money.  needle in a haystack...water and cover etc everywhere, tons of perfectly good habitat that COULD hold elk but just doesnt, cause the population is small enough that theyre not going to be in all suitable areas.  my personal opinion is that the elk numbers stay low despite the abundance of quality habitat because of an overabundance of predators, but what do i know?
« Last Edit: July 19, 2013, 11:12:38 PM by deaner »

Offline nw_bowhunter

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2007
  • Posts: 1608
  • Location: Renton, WA
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #46 on: July 20, 2013, 09:19:42 AM »
Pretty obvious to me..to many guys try to keep it a secret! Plus being able to actually hunt bulls will draw the attention regardless of low opportunity.

Offline buckfvr

  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (+7)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2010
  • Posts: 4515
  • Location: UNGULATE FREE ZONE UNIT 121
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #47 on: July 20, 2013, 10:05:42 AM »
Plenty of guys try and exploit this "secret" spot each year only to be defeated and determined to NEVER hunt here again.

Plenty of the locals hunt here because its home....rather than travel and endure crowds, we hunt here with low expectations for success, but the chance is always there. 

Its not that its such a secret, rather no one wants to pump others up with odds so low.  I dont hype any hunting up here because like any new spot , there is a learning curve.  Since I dont intend to hold anyones hand, I leave it up to them to decide to commit to a new area and learning curve.  Every time you change spots, you pay your dues......With a success rate of a bit better than 1 in 4 for deer, in all likelyhood, a guy must expect to go home without a deer some of the time. No guarantees for DIY hunts by me.......

Offline dscubame

  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (+3)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: May 2010
  • Posts: 3603
  • Location: Spokane WA
  • 2013 Idaho Elk Hunt
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #48 on: July 20, 2013, 11:18:53 AM »
Because there are Elk in this unit! The reason the harvest is so low is because of the terrain. Not a large percentage of hunters  have the physical conditioning or determinations to go deep into the backcountry and up multiple contour lines with the weight of the gear required to sustain them for the amount of time it takes to get into prime elk habitat. Most hunters won't venture further than 5 miles from a logging road. Do your recon (topo maps, google earth, etc..) there are all kinds of hidden wallows, meadows, and water in GMU 113...much of which is located in terrain that is tough to get to. I have saved my days off and plan on spending the whole 2 weeks of early archery season in that area. I've done the recon from where I'm stationed here in California and have the grid coordinates marked on my map for over 20 wallows, meadows, or water sources which are way off the beaten path, I spent countless hours on google earth to locate them. Map / terrain study and analysis, tough physical conditioning, daily practice with the bow, and some time invested in the area...there is no reason you shouldn't have the chance at an elk in 113. Some planning and preparation is all it takes.

:kneel:



Ha
It's a TIKKA thing..., you may not understand.

Eyes in the Woods.   ' '

Offline huntnnw

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: May 2010
  • Posts: 9635
  • Location: Spokane
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #49 on: July 20, 2013, 06:13:11 PM »
If you personally have been to these 20 wallows okayt, but don't tell me u used google earth to find them! All the wallows I know of here and ID u would never see on a aerial . Getting 5 mi away from any logging road or quad trail in NE WA is hard to do.. I personally know of 1 area where one could walk 5 miles and that's the salmo priest. It doesn't take walking 5 miles to get into elk in the NE corner . I have many places I hunt year after year where people drive by all day long. Hunt smarter not farther.

Offline CedarPants

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jun 2011
  • Posts: 2399
  • Location: Pend Oreille County
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #50 on: July 20, 2013, 07:38:22 PM »
My personal observation of those that are successful in the NE corner is that there are 3 groups ...... group 1 busts their tail ..... I mean really bust their tail and does their homework, and they figure it out.  They didn't have any mentors, nobody taught them how to hunt.  They decided one day their passion was hunting, and they dove in with all the passion they could muster - and through their reaseach both remotely and on the ground they found the elk.  I consider myself part of that group, with the exception of the finding the elk part  :chuckle:  I find them up there, but haven't locked in on them during the actual season yet.  I will keep trying as long as my legs will carry me, so I guess now that I think about it I can't actually throw myself into the 'successful' category'  :tup:

Group 2 is made up of people who have somewhat of a passion to hunt, but they don't want to put in the work required.  They want to shoot something so long as someone can tell them the general area and how to find the animals.  They sometimes get lucky up there. Only sometimes though.

Group 3 is made up of hunters that were shown, at one point in their life, where the elk were and how the elk move around.  Be it by a father, grandpa, uncle, cousin, coworker, acquaintence, etc - the hunting knowledge has been passed down from someone else.  They know how to hunt elk up there because someone showed them where and how.  Group 3 harvests the majority of the elk in my opinion.  And they are rightfully so very quiet about where and how.  They absolutely bust their tail year in year out as well.

I hope to one day be part of group 3 passing the info down to my 3 sons, but until then I will continue burning boot leather as part of group 1 (with the hopes of coming across one during the actual season)  :IBCOOL:

Offline Austrian Hunter

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2008
  • Posts: 4491
  • Location: Yakima, WA
Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #51 on: July 20, 2013, 07:44:33 PM »
If you think you in shape get in better shape!!!  Not much in these units for early archery, they are there but hard to find.  All elk have moved west! 

Offline huntnnw

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: May 2010
  • Posts: 9635
  • Location: Spokane
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #52 on: July 20, 2013, 07:59:03 PM »
Problem in this area is people discard an area cause they didn't hear elk. I've hunted herds for days to never hear a peep. Then day 3 or 5 they are talking . Ill beleive there is just a few elk up here  :chuckle:

Offline oldleclercrd

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 1443
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #53 on: July 20, 2013, 11:20:52 PM »
I think the elk being quiet has a lot to do with the presence of wolfs. There are 3 packs in unit 113 (Salmo/priest, international, and the Diamond pack).
« Last Edit: July 21, 2013, 08:36:45 AM by oldleclercrd »
Aim small, miss small.

Offline huntnnw

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: May 2010
  • Posts: 9635
  • Location: Spokane
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #54 on: July 21, 2013, 07:13:26 AM »
Could be now, but I chased these elk around before there was talk of wolves and they still didn't talk a ton

Offline returnofsid

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2012
  • Posts: 838
  • Location: Spokane, WA
Re: Why is the NE Corner getting so much attention???
« Reply #55 on: July 21, 2013, 08:27:18 AM »
I spent most of the 80s-90s hunting in the NE corner, deer and elk (only harvested one elk).  Then I stopped hunting, until this year.  Now my adventure begins anew, with archery hunting.  While I used to see LOTS of elk, it was always just before the season opened...lol.  During the season I'd see fewer but never was very serious about elk, it was always about deer for me.  Now that I'm much older that's all changed.  I plan to put more effort into elk hunting, yes, in the NE corner.  I know where a nice sized herd is, right now. Sitting on private property fattening up in the hay fields...lol. Where they'll be once the season opens is anyone's guess...

As for the predators, I do believe that the increase in cougars, wolves and even grizzly has probably had quite an impact on the elk and deer populations.  I'll be carrying a bear and cougar tag, just in case...
2013 Hoyt Carbon Element G3 28"DL/60-70lb DW Purchased new, 4/26/2014
Fuse Carbon Interceptor 7 pin sight
Hoyt/QAD HD Fall Away Rest
TightSpot Quiver
GT XT Hunter @ 440 Gr. Total Weight
100 grain Muzzy 3 blade and/or 100 grain Magnus Snuffer SS Broadheads

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

Son drawn - Silver Dollar Youth Any Elk - Help? by Gentrys
[Yesterday at 09:23:31 PM]


Accura MR-X 45 load development by Karl Blanchard
[Yesterday at 08:50:29 PM]


AUCTION: SE Idaho DIY Deer or Deer/Elk Hunt by WoolyRunner
[Yesterday at 07:36:44 PM]


Nevada bull hunt 2025 by Karl Blanchard
[Yesterday at 03:20:09 PM]


I'm Going To Need Karl To Come up With That 290 Muley Sunscreen Bug Spray Combo by highside74
[Yesterday at 01:27:51 PM]


Toutle Quality Bull - Rifle by lonedave
[Yesterday at 12:58:20 PM]


49 Degrees North Early Bull Moose by washingtonmuley
[Yesterday at 12:00:55 PM]


MA 6 EAST fishing report? by washingtonmuley
[Yesterday at 11:56:01 AM]


Kings by Gentrys
[Yesterday at 11:05:40 AM]


2025 Crab! by ghosthunter
[Yesterday at 09:43:49 AM]


Survey in ? by hdshot
[Yesterday at 09:20:27 AM]


Bear behavior by brew
[Yesterday at 08:40:20 AM]


Bearpaw Outfitters Annual July 4th Hunt Sale by bearpaw
[Yesterday at 07:57:12 AM]


A lonely Job... by Loup Loup
[Yesterday at 07:47:41 AM]


2025 Montana alternate list by bear
[Yesterday at 06:06:48 AM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2025, SimplePortal