My Willapa hills scouting pics...

[shadowless_nite]

With taking summer classes and working full time, I was left with virtually no camping/ scouting opportunity. I was able to make a mid week scouting trip wednesday night into thursday night. And I would say it was a success. heres the checklist I had...

Pass the refuge and see some animals to snap pics of.... check
Find the heard I was looking for as soon as I got to the camping spot... check
Test out one of those fancy coleman 1 minute set up tents... check
Take 2 of my non outdoorsy  friends out camping and show them a small glimpse into elk hunting... check
Snap some deer pics... check
See and hear my first bull for this year....

anyways heres the pics with better story. Sorry forgot to zoom in on pictures before uploading

heres a picture of a nice columbian white tail on the refuge. He is a 3x3 with eye guards.





couple does...



When we got to the area i wanted to camp I was able to quickly find the herd I was hoping to see on my scouting trip. It was about 7:45 when we got there and only about 2 cows made it into the clearing so far. We set camp and I tested out the fancy coleman 1 minute set up tent and to my surprise without reading any directions I got it up and ready to stake down in about 1.5 minutes Those two events made my evening already. Went back to see if the elk had moved further out and was able to see what looked like a handful of cows and possibly a bull but it was about 8 and the sun was way set passed the hills already. I let out a long sexy mew and there it was the sound of elk season... the first bugle ive heard all year. It was a great feeling that definitely got the blood pumping. We went back to camp to finish settling in and let them be for the evening in hopes of finding them in the morning....

Around 6ish peepin some cows down low in a bowl on a beautiful summer morning about 1000ft up...



sunrise...



By the time it reached decent photo light, they were headed in around 7am back into the timber, about 10+ head and what looked like a possible rag horn bull but we were too far to tell. We let them be and hoped for better evening opportunity. Checked out a few more spots with no success and went back to camp for awesome breakfast and lazy afternoon above the fog.

heres our view from our breakfast table at about 10am...



after a afternoon nap and some gun slinging far from elk territory we decided to head back up in hopes of getting that bull picture i wanted. Made it back up by about 6:30 and was able to catch the heard out already and what looked to be the rag horn again. This time i didnt want to go home empty handed and decided to pursue them for the bull photo i wanted. They were heading west towards a old road that i could drive down to so i made my way there, parked the rig a few hundred feet out around a corner and snuck in. To my suprise, what i thought was a handful of cows was actually a bachelor herd with the raghorn leading the way!!!!  There were 2 spikes, 1 with about 6in sticks another with about 12in sticks with 18in spread, 2x2 with long sticks with 2 points on each end and the assumed raghorn 3x3!!! After a few candid pictures i was satisfied !!!! Scouting trip was a total success. Definitely got the blood pumping for only being a thursday!!!



the spike with decent spread...



smaller spike...



the goofy looking 2x2



group photo with raghorn holding the center with the wider spread spike



raghorn from the rear...



and i called this cute little guy/girl in shortly after the bachelors split. He was lost and came to about 80yds after some cow calling. on his way in he spooked a wild columbian whitetail who proudly displyed his white flag as he bounded away into the timber and just about blew my mind since I never thought i would see one outside the refuge without a collar on it.



All in all the trip, however short lived, was a great success and i had a blast. The lesson learned was.... I need to find a spotting scope!!! hope everyone enjoyed the story and pics!

[NWBREW]

Very cool. So how did your two non-outdoorsy friends do....did they enjoy themselves?

[shadowless_nite]

Very cool. So how did your two non-outdoorsy friends do....did they enjoy themselves?

they had a good time as well and never camped that high or remote before. When I told them the night before that we would wake up above the clouds they didnt quite understand what i meant till we actually got up and they were quite amazed. One of my buddies never shot a gun before and I was also able to introduce him to that. He quickly found out that it sure as hell is completely different than the video games he plays lol.

[pips4bucks]

Awesome!  Good to see bulls around.  At least you can shoot one of 'em since it's a 3 pt min area.

Thanks for the pics & story!

[BOWHUNTER45]

sweet pictures 

[Bean Counter]

Great work! You're going to have a good season.

[you foolish people]

I know right where you took those pics i hunt up there and it doesn't help to be cow calling or bugling at them a week before season!The elk remember those calls and it makes it harder to hunt them and everyone wonders why they dont respond to calls when the season starts!!!

[colockumelk]

foolish welcome to the website.  What a wonderful and positive first post you had.  Maybe you should go to the introduction section and introduce yourself.   I doubt he did much to "spook" or "educate" these animals especially since he saw them right off the road.  If he saw them chances are lots of other people have seen them as well.  So they've probably had lots of education. Also I will use my locator bugle to help me scout and I NEVER educate the elk I talk to.  THe only time you educate an elk is if you are calling to them in close proximity and they smell and see you AND are able to put two and two together.  If all they do is hear a locator bugle and never see or smell that bugle then all they do is assume it was another elk.  You're not educating them.   If you want uneducated elk do what I do, get as far away from the roads as possible.  Good luck this season. 

[teanawayslayer]

nice pics. to bad the indians will probably get them.  You up there scaring the elk off. Atleast if you do that you might have a chance later in the season

[MattySuto]

PM Sent

[shadowless_nite]

I know right where you took those pics i hunt up there and it doesn't help to be cow calling or bugling at them a week before season!The elk remember those calls and it makes it harder to hunt them and everyone wonders why they dont respond to calls when the season starts!!!

I was never located by any of the elk  when i called out to locate them. So like colockum said, I dont see how they were educated or for that fact how they are anymore call shy. They didnt run when I called, they responded, They arent any more afraid of humans or calling because they never saw, smelt or seen us. If they  were to be  so reluctant as to call back then why would they still have been in the area. I understand where you may be upset, but your pointing fingers at the wrong person, I dont see where I did anything ethically wrong here or made it any harder for anyone else to hunt. Honestly, you think i would like to make it any harder for myself or others to harvest a elk? I posted these pictures and story up for everyones enjoyment and local encouragement/information sharing . Im not greedy, I dont think I own the mountain or its elk rights and Im simply sharing whats out there for the greater good of the community.

On the other hand you lurk these forums only to join just so you can flame someone for something? along with the awesome screen name to match for the occasion. I wouldnt even be surprised if you were already part of the forums and decided to make a new name as not to tarnish another one. .. Anyways sorry if you got offended you foolish people, and btw hog a of a bear you got this year! ( if that is you in your sig pic. You could have atleast started a intro there instead http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,80881.0.html )

[ghosthunter]

I know right where you took those pics i hunt up there and it doesn't help to be cow calling or bugling at them a week before season!The elk remember those calls and it makes it harder to hunt them and everyone wonders why they dont respond to calls when the season starts!!!

I was never located by any of the elk  when i called out to locate them. So like colockum said, I dont see how they were educated or for that fact how they are anymore call shy. They didnt run when I called, they responded, They arent any more afraid of humans or calling because they never saw, smelt or seen us. If they  were to be  so reluctant as to call back then why would they still have been in the area. I understand where you may be upset, but your pointing fingers at the wrong person, I dont see where I did anything ethically wrong here or made it any harder for anyone else to hunt. Honestly, you think i would like to make it any harder for myself or others to harvest a elk? I posted these pictures and story up for everyones enjoyment and local encouragement/information sharing . Im not greedy, I dont think I own the mountain or its elk rights and Im simply sharing whats out there for the greater good of the community.

On the other hand you lurk these forums only to join just so you can flame someone for something? along with the awesome screen name to match for the occasion. I wouldnt even be surprised if you were already part of the forums and decided to make a new name as not to tarnish another one. .. Anyways sorry if you got offended you foolish people, and btw hog a of a bear you got this year! ( if that is you in your sig pic. You could have atleast started a intro there instead http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,80881.0.html )

Wow shadowless you are a good detective.  Well said.

[AKBowman]

Thats cool that you saw a Columbian WT out of the refuge. I wonder what the law would say if you killed one in 506 thinking it was a BT buck?!

[firefighter4607]

Great picture Shadowless!! I hope you do well this year. Looks like you are doing your homework, no matter what you foolish people says. Are you rocking the mow hawk or is that one of your buddies .

[you foolish people]

Nope not on here to blame or start anything i was just saying that calling for elk is already tough enough and the elk do know even if they didnt see,hear or smell you.Yep that is my bear killed aug 1st at 380 yrds this year he was 400-450 just guessin im 225 and its way bigger then me!He green scores at 23 1/2 inches

[shadowless_nite]

Great picture Shadowless!! I hope you do well this year. Looks like you are doing your homework, no matter what you foolish people says. Are you rocking the mow hawk or is that one of your buddies .

I will be the one with the mohawk, kinda hard to miss a asian guy with thick framed glasses and a mohawk out in the woods.

Unfortunately Im not even sure if I will have the chance to get back out there for the opener, my partner just texted me earlier today and said he has to have surgery now and will be out all early season. And the old lady says I cant go alone for a overnight trip. soooo im not even sure how things are going to pan out. Worse case scenario I will be there just for opening day but would have preferred to be there sunday  and set up with labor day spent scouting and ready to hit the ground running on the opener, oh well. There is still my back up plan since i did draw a late season cow tag in the siouxon