Cowiche Rifle Any Bull Permit

[Drake7]

Heading out in the AM for my 368 rifle hunt next week!  Thank you to all that helped me out the last couple weeks.  Cant wait to get out there...  

[Alan K]

Good luck! Weather is cooling down just in time for you. . . You should have a blast! 

[BENCHLEG]

good luck . have fun and keep us posted.

[CamoDup]

I DREAM about that tag...  good luck!!!!!!

[buglebuster]

It's pretty cool outside and raining.

[Elkslayer]

Good luck Drake, just came back from archery hunting in the area. No bull for me, the biggest I saw was about a 320 - 330 6x6. He was up behind the handi-cap gate up nasty creek. Had him at 50yds but he didn't stick around long enough for me to get a shot off.

[hunter-4-life]

Good luck. Look forward to hear a successful story and see pics.

[backwoods_boy]

pm sent

[C-Money]

Good luck man, hope you have a great hunt!

[Drake7]

Monday September 19th shot this beautiful 5x6 bull
Arrived and set up camp Saturday mid day.  Scouted, glassed and hiked Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday.  Must have covered 10 miles and 2000 feet of vertical on Sunday.  Though we saw a few elk and a lot of sign the bulls were not bugling.   I was a little nervous going into Monday with the bulls not talking it up like I was anticipating.  Monday morning up at 4:00 AM, quick breakfast and started our hike into the area we had seen the most sign.  We got to the spot I wanted about 6:15 AM (shooting time) and began location bugling and lost cow calling.  For 30 minutes nothing returned my calls.  About at 6:45 I received a return bugle which sounded like a long ways off.  I quickly returned and again was treated with silence.  About 10 minutes went by with neither me nor the bull making a sound when he lets off a scream from about 300 yards directly above where I am sitting.  He had closed the gap and was right on me!  For the next 20 minutes this bull closed to about 175 yards and settled into some deep scrub brush.  He was thrashing this scrub and screaming back at me!  During this time I was trying to move myself into a position to possibly get a shot.  At this point he is so deep in the scrub I am unable to determine his exact size and have absolutely no shot opportunity.   Every time he would bury his head I would move closer to improve my angle.  He finally got tired of this and decided to show himself with a slow walk to his left (my right).  I had only a small window of opportunity with legs weary, sucking wind to determine his size and get off a good shot.  When he stepped out I knew I could not pass on this bull.  The 1st shot hit his front shoulder  and exited high hurting him but missing the vitals.  The 2nd shot was placed perfect and he went only 30 more yards into some tree cover going down.   It took all of Monday and ½ of Tuesday to get the meat out and hanging in camp.  400 lbs quartered and on the hook at the processor!  My story does not do justice to the actual hunting experience.  Sharing this hunt with my best friend and my dad (he’s 76) made this a hunt I will always remember and talk about.  If you are a rifle hunter in Washington you know how frustrating it is looking for spikes in a sea of orange.   Elk hunting can be a real lesson in humility with maximum effort, planning and preparation you more than not, come home empty handed.   I now understand why you archery guys are so addicted to your passion!  There is just nothing more exhilarating than bugling in bull Elk!  Thank you to my dad (the elk surgeon) and Mark for sticking with that last quarter when you had nothing left.  Brad you are the man and I could not have accomplished this without your assistance!

[buglebuster]

Congrats man, great bull!

[CAMPMEAT]

Cool beans. Nothing like the smell of a dead elk.

[backwoods_boy]

Great job bud!  As i mentioned in our convo i really do think this is the bull alive.  Great job and congrats on filling a very good tag. 

[Huntboy]

Congrat's.

[GoldTip]

Congratulations, thats a dandy bull.  Great job on sharing the experience with your Dad!