2012 elk season

[cwebsterdeerhunter]

Ok so i have been hutning elk for meybe 40 years now and have only gotten one bull and a few cows. Now that my son is hunting for three years without a shot opportunity I really need to help him get an elk. I have been thinking about a spike only gmu. But any help would work.

[buglebuster]

id say hit cowiche or little naches, personally cowiche but i know it better. if you spend some time in there hunting hard, you will see spikes!

[W_Ellison2011]

little naches has a lot of people hunting it thus the elk will be more pressured. If you live in western washington I'd recommend the mashel area. Less hunters and I've seen tons of elk up there!

[cwebsterdeerhunter]

yes i know Cowiche very well but its no good until it snows alot then the elk come down from the high country

[rosscrazyelk]

I don't hunt the westside but i would think it would be easier to find a 3pt or better bull than it would be to go to a spike only unit. Just my 
But putting in for a cow tag would help. If you are going eastside I would go for manashtash area. but like anything you got to put in the work to be successful.

[adamR]

yes i know Cowiche very well but its no good until it snows alot then the elk come down from the high country

I don't want to sound like a jerk but if you have been hunting for 40 years and only killed a few elk you either don't know cowiche very well or you know the wrong area in cowiche.  There are a ton of local elk in cowiche, yes a ton more come down when it snows but they're there before then, you just have to find them.

[cwebsterdeerhunter]

Possibly i have exacerated and only hunted elk 20 years but never really hunted cowiche int the last 15 years

[cwebsterdeerhunter]

What about bumping or Bethel?

[adamR]

Bumping is great if you like to walk a ton, awesome country but the best hunting is away from the roads in my opinion.

There are no elk in Bethel... And if there were it gets hammered with orange during modern.

[cwebsterdeerhunter]

Thanks for the help might see you up there this season

[buglebuster]

yes i know Cowiche very well but its no good until it snows alot then the elk come down from the high country

I don't want to sound like a jerk but if you have been hunting for 40 years and only killed a few elk you either don't know cowiche very well or you know the wrong area in cowiche.  There are a ton of local elk in cowiche, yes a ton more come down when it snows but they're there before then, you just have to find them.

ya cowiche is an awesome unit, there are a ton of elk in that unit everywhere. Plus you can get pretty high in that unit. if you hit the steep dark timber up high you will see elk. i was in there deer hunting during the rut and saw around 12 spikes. my old boss hunts that unit every year and they kill a couple spikes every year. head to bethel if you would like.....

[Harborhunter]

I would try anything but a spike only GMU.  Those spike hunts are a zoo!

[buglebuster]

I would try anything but a spike only GMU.  Those spike hunts are a zoo!

you say that like its impossible to find a spike. if you are willing to put in the time its not that hard. I personally hunt westside because i dont want to shoot a spike but i dont rifle hunt. if i were to rifle hunt i would hunt spikes because westside rifle hunts are just as bad as eastside now adays and finding a legal bull is probably just as difficult as hunting a spike.

[Harborhunter]

Not impossible to find spikes at all.  Rifle season on the westside is a zoo as well, but you have have more bulls to choose from versus just spike hunting.  That is where I am coming from. 

[elkinrutdrivemenuts]

Ok so i have been hutning elk for meybe 40 years now and have only gotten one bull and a few cows. Now that my son is hunting for three years without a shot opportunity I really need to help him get an elk. I have been thinking about a spike only gmu. But any help would work.

3 years ain't nothing, I went 10 years in spike only units with out seeing a spike during season. Take him to a state with better OTC tags, or get drawn for a special hunt.  That's typical elk hunting in Washington. Lots of hunting, not a lot of getting.