wenaha east tag

[oldleclercrd]

But you do in the west?

[BLUEBULLS]

Do any of you go in there solo?

Yep, I've been in both sides solo a few times. It can be pretty tough to find someone else willing to go at times. Usually the only one that will tag along is my dad.

[bucklucky]

But you do in the west?

If you are hunting elk I do not recommend it if its hot. I did though but had help packing meat 2 1/2 miles.

[oldleclercrd]

 Well if a guy goes solo why cant he just have horses lined up ahead of time to pull it out if he gets one. I wonder if Mtncook would just do the horses thing without doing the whole drop camp thing. That couldnt be more than a couple hundred bucks and would be well worth it for the solo hunter.

[nwhunter]

I am pretty sure Dave hauls meat out of there for $4 or 500 for an elk. You have to get it to a trail that his critters can come in on. Of course if he has drop camps or a guided hunt they get first priority so during bow season if its hot that could cause a problem, thats part of the risk you take.I am sure he will get on here and let you know.nwhunter

[Todd_ID]

The problem with asking an outfitter to do that is that they can't afford to have a pack string and a couple packers waiting around for 10 days for a radio call to come pack it out.  The costs would be the same as a guided hunt without the food to the outfitter because that is a string that isn't producing income by taking another client in somewhere else.  That and outfitters are protective of their areas as a whole, so the DIY guy that calls asking the price of having that string sitting around waiting to pack out an elk that their clients won't get a shot at is probably going to get an earful and an astronomical quote even if there are no other clients and the stock is sitting at base camp burning through hay.  Pride has a price tag to those who have been outfitting long enough, and it's a lot steeper than a couple hundred bucks.

A better bet is to find a friend or family member who has horses that can handle the tough stuff but doesn't hunt themselves.  Have them on the lookout for a call to come help from Dayton or Pomeroy or Troy and directions to the trailhead your hunting from.  Offer to pay their gas, beer, and stock feed for a month.  Keep the meat cool for the 2 or 3 days it'll take between the shot and the stock arriving.

Better yet is to buy the drop camp from the outfitter.  Packing is included in the price, and there are no surprises.  It won't be quite the same as a guided hunt in a few aspects, but you'll be glad you did in the end.

If you want the best shot at a monster bull, then buy the guided hunt.  Then all you have to do is get in shape.

[carpsniperg2]

Sound advice right there from todd

[bucklucky]

Drop camp, $900.00 per person. Trust me its well , well worth it. You can sell your sperm between now and the hunt to pay for it 

[carpsniperg2]

Drop camp, $900.00 per person. Trust me its well , well worth it. You can sell your sperm between now and the hunt to pay for it 

Man I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Now I know where charlie gets his spare hunting money

[mtncook]

Thanks guys for working for me.  I know there are several guys watching this thread making decisions about hunting with us.   Scott is right about my meat packing, it is $400 and I need to ride to it.  I can go alot of places but will not injure my mules.  You have to move it to a handy spot.   It is not legal for someone without a permit to receive any type of payment.  Fuel money or food is considered payment.  Some have had some stiff tickets in the past for this.  It is to protect the permit holders,  believe me I do this for the love of the game and my stock,  it is not a big paying business.  This has been fun reading all the posts and I appreciate the support. 

mtncook

[jackelope]

Drop camp, $900.00 per person. Trust me its well , well worth it. You can sell your sperm between now and the hunt to pay for it 

The other thing you gotta think about with this...if you do choose to call Dave to pack a bull out...You're going to be in 3-5 miles lets say...shoot your bull, get him taken care of, quartered, hung up, etc. Walk the 3-5 miles out...then what? If you go in from Teepee you're going to get in your truck and drive 30-40 miles to get cell service to call Dave. Hopefully he answers. If he doesn't, then what? You drive 30-40 miles back or do you sit and wait for him to call back? You won't be recieving any cell phone calls anywhere near Teepee...trust me. A bull in packable size pieces is 4-5 trips for an average guy right? If you're 3 miles in, thats 30 miles of walking round trip. Hopefully there's 2 of you but thats still 15 miles a piece with what will be 50+ pounds minimum on your back each trip.    I will direct you to Bowsnhose and his recent thread with his workout routine and a video of him packing his bull out of the Blues. Maybe that will give you an idea of what you're in for.
the pack 08
Here's the thread.
http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,76574.0.html

[dhorn]

that is excellent information to know from mtn cook. we are definitely leaning towards using him for our hunt!! just have to look at the area for ourselves then we will make up our minds! long time to go before then!!!!

[toyman2]

Cell service? Most of you may not know but Bluewood Ski Lodge has a newer cell tower.
I have cell service all over there.
Mabey im tougher than some on here I dont know, some of you make sound as if it cant be done on there own. A guided hunt would be sweet but who has a grand to throw at it. last year it was cold enough the meat could have sat out for a week. It is not impossable, if you half way in shape its not really all that bad. It will be ALOT of work but it can be done.
No offens to mtncook, if i had the extra money i may use him it looks as if he runs a good camp.
All im saying is(and everyone is different) get your ass over here and put the boots to the ground and it will pay off. Dont be lazy, how do you think they find the elk.
Just seems to me to much talk about letting someone else do all the work and you just shoot the elk.
Its your tag, its your elk put some work into it, if you have the cash laying around, fine, but dont go broke cause thats what everyone else thinks. this is not to discredit all the great advise on here.

[oldleclercrd]

Well I wanted to go over next year and hunt for a archery spike so when I get drawn for the big tag I at least have some experience in there. I want to put in leg work before I draw the branch antler tag so I can make the most of the opportunity. Also, I wasnt sure if it would make sense buying a drop camp when im solo. If I could find another guy or two by next year, a drop camp may very well be a reality.

[dhorn]

only four more months of this discussion and then everything will be put to rest!!!!!