rimrock early season

[Elkrunner]

What is everyone's thoughts on the rimrock unit for early season?  I used to hunt rifle in the bethell and did well.  But since going to strictly bow hunting 6 years ago, I have not found a home as of yet.  I have hunted the nile, bumping and colockum last year.  I would love to get a cow with a bow since I have yet to harvest and elk with a bow.  What is everyone's thoughts?

[brianmtsinc]

Good area... lots of elk around last weekend while I was camping... it won't take you long to find some great areas.
Good luck!

[gasman]

To me, the worst part about early season in the rimrock area is the cattle are still there 

The elk have to contend with the cattle and you have to decide if it is a cow or an elk making all teh noise you are hearing 

[Elkrunner]

Been there and done that.  How is the hunting pressure? 

[gasman]

The times I hunted there, it was not bad at all. It is a vast area and people spread out a bit except when many people know where the elk are hanging at.

[Elkrunner]

sounds like just about everywhere else in this state....

[Instinct]

I hunted rimrock in the early season when i first started. Good unit saw game but too me seemed to dry where ever ya walked tthen again i was hunting low. But just like every where else, gotta do ur hw. But i switch units to the thicker stuff.

[Fireant11]

My boss and I aregoing to give it a shot for early season.  Put some trail cams up last year, but didn't hunt there (plans fell apart).  Camera had quite a few big bulls and some cows.  Zero spikes.  Going to go up in a couple of weeks and put them out again (tried a couple of weeks ago but ran into too much snow on the road still).

[Karl Blanchard]

last year looked like rifle season in the cowiche!  I have never seen so many hunters in my life!  My buddy had a bull tag and we hunted every square inch of the unit practically and could not escape the primos calls!  I think bumping going to spike only pushed a whole ton of guys across the road.

[carpsniperg2]

It's a huge area and I have hunted back in there a long ways and never seen anyone

[hughjorgan]

last year looked like rifle season in the cowiche!  I have never seen so many hunters in my life!  My buddy had a bull tag and we hunted every square inch of the unit practically and could not escape the primos calls!  I think bumping going to spike only pushed a whole ton of guys across the road.

I don't know why they would go to the Cowiche because of the regulations change. Cowiche is permit only for elk and they only give less than 20 permits.

[hughjorgan]

Cowiche is cow or spike this year.

I don't know where you heard that but you are incorrect check the Regs. 368 is not open in the early season for elk unless you have the branch antler permit!

[jechicdr]

Ooops, late season archery.

[Elkslayer]

How is the Cowiche for deer? I have the any bull permit for archery and will be in there. Just curious if there are any deer worth chasing around in there and what the hunting pressure might be like for the deer.

[Instinct]

For the yakima area its either cowiche or the nile units for deer seems like, but i wouldnt even bother goin for em until the late hunt and even then theres not a lot of em. Just being at the right place at the right time thing. But id still have that tag wth me incase ya do see a buck.

[colockumelk]

last year looked like rifle season in the cowiche!  I have never seen so many hunters in my life!  My buddy had a bull tag and we hunted every square inch of the unit practically and could not escape the primos calls!  I think bumping going to spike only pushed a whole ton of guys across the road.

I don't know why they would go to the Cowiche because of the regulations change. Cowiche is permit only for elk and they only give less than 20 permits.

He meant that the Rimrock during early archery season had ALOT of people hunting for elk.  Just like the Rifle season in the Cowiche.  Was comparing the Rimrock archery season pressure to the Cowiche Rifle season pressure.

[stickinmaster]

The rimrock unit was the busiest I've ever seen it. I expect it to be even worse this year!

[hughjorgan]

last year looked like rifle season in the cowiche!  I have never seen so many hunters in my life!  My buddy had a bull tag and we hunted every square inch of the unit practically and could not escape the primos calls!  I think bumping going to spike only pushed a whole ton of guys across the road.

I don't know why they would go to the Cowiche because of the regulations change. Cowiche is permit only for elk and they only give less than 20 permits.

He meant that the Rimrock during early archery season had ALOT of people hunting for elk.  Just like the Rifle season in the Cowiche.  Was comparing the Rimrock archery season pressure to the Cowiche Rifle season pressure.

  Guess I must have read his post to quickly

[Elkrunner]

The rimrock unit was the busiest I've ever seen it. I expect it to be even worse this year!

Sounds like it was similar to the modern huh?  Did anyone on here do any good? 

[parrydog]

We started hunting rimrock during early archery about 6 years ago after they changed naneum to spike only.  We don't see as many elk in rimrock but we have had our fair share of oppurtunities in rimrock.  There definitely seems to be more people in rimrock than in naneum but I dont see too many people more than a 1/4 mile from the roads which is nice because with a little leg work you can have most of the woods to your self.  On the bad side with out some people roaming the hills the elk seem to be able to find areas to hide and they can be difficult find.  The trail head to the Goat Rock wilderness area seems to be pretty popular so we hunt the eastern edge of the unit.  Also the bulls don't seem to be as vocal as in the naneum, it was 4 years hunting rimrock before i heard an actual elk bugle, we dont even hear them at night.  We have heard that the bulls are quiet from other other hunters that have hunted rimrock for many years.

[et1702]

Past two years in a row my buddies and I (four of us total) have pulled out one cow per year.  Last year we had a ton of elk pics on our trail cams.  Literally, over a thousand pictures of bulls, cows and calfs.  Even a few nice shooter bucks.  But, since they changed with the season a few years back to start after the Labor Day weekend, there are a lot of campers over there for the long weekend and it seems every one of them has a long-gun or pistol that they want to shoot at all hours of the day or night.  So, come opening day, the elk were no longer near some of our trail cam locations after all the noise and extra traffic.  As someone else mentioned, seems like more and more people hunting over there each year too.  Typically, Bulls are very quiet.  However, did hear several of them the last weekend of the season.  None of us drew an archery Bull tag this year either.  So, we will be over there chasing cows again.  One of my buddies went last weekend to set his cams, and myself and another member o our group are leaving tomorrow.