Post by: burnettd on November 03, 2008, 09:02:14 PM
Switching back to the west side this year for late muzzleloader in the wind river unit. Been up scouting and found a spot to camp west of Trout Lake around the ice caves. During my scouting days did not see a single elk, most of the sign appeared up higher (Cristo Ridge).
I have heard the lava flow can be good as well however it appears to be all thick hairy timber. Anyone with some experince in this area care to share?
I have been told snow is the key to push the elk out of the lewis river (indian heavens area) and that success rate can be high if the weather is right.
Tired of chasing elk for miles on the east side to settle for a spike.
Thanks
Doug
Post by: bigbeamhunter on November 04, 2008, 07:18:02 PM
Post by: stlhdr1 on November 05, 2008, 10:09:38 AM
Keith :)
Post by: huntnphool on November 05, 2008, 11:36:06 AM
Post by: Chesapeake on November 05, 2008, 11:52:15 AM
If your camping up at Peterson prairi (sounds like thats where your talking) you wont be alone in any way shape or form. You will probably need to set camp up a week or two early to get a decent spot. Also if its a good snow year you will probably need to move your camp toward the end of the season. Also they claim to close the roads up there on a given date tot he snow machines, but no one realy pays much attention unless the staters start handing out tickets.
Post by: burnettd on November 05, 2008, 12:23:48 PM
We will be in wall tents with two wood stoves, the snow would have to get pretty deep to chase us out....
Thanks for the information and good luck to everyone!
Post by: Chesapeake on November 05, 2008, 02:08:43 PM
In the snow I find tracks and run them down hoping to catch them before they cross a road and someone else hops the tracks in front of me. We've killed alot of elk up around south prairie.
If you have afew rigs and some older guys that like to drive its great to have someone drop you off on the circle jerk and then hunt down into Oaklahoma and have them pick you up on the bottom.
Post by: burnettd on November 05, 2008, 08:28:04 PM
Ya we have a couple of old guys who can't get out like they use to..... Not sure where the circle jerk is but one hunt I plan to try is dropping off Cristo down towards Oklahoma and get picked up below.
The natural bridges area appears to have some nice flat areas. I have heard that the 24 (GMU Border) gets a lot of traffic.
Have you tried the west klickatat side?
We plan to camp on the 041 off the 24. I think the pavement ends near there.
Hopefully we don't get so much snow we have to move. Once our Tents are up usually we can wether a lot of snow.
Thanks again for the information.
Post by: Tegantunadog on November 05, 2008, 08:52:58 PM
Post by: Chesapeake on November 06, 2008, 04:14:49 PM
The 050 heads up off the 66 and will put you up on Huckleberry. From there you could drop down if you were energetic but its real steep and more of a deer area.
Off the 24 there is a little road that leaves the 24, swings in toward the natural bridges, and then comes out at the main 4 way of the 66/60/86? maybe 8620?. I dont have a map in front of me. Anyway, the elk will cross the 24 where that road is and wander back into the natural bridges. The loop swings out maybe 200 yards from the 24 at the most. If in the morning in good snow people have run the 24 or you arent the first rig, take that loop and get on the tracks in front of the guys who will jump on them at the 24. If there are no tracks jump off that road about the middle and wander out into the natural bridges area. There is a good pocket of timber there that has proven very productive.
The last few years we've hunted pretty exclusively in West Klickitat over toward Glenwood. We still wander over to South prairie for a day or two each year.
When we camped over in Wind River we would camp on the 050 (buck creek) down by Oaklahoma, or camp on the 050 that is up off the 66 closer to South prairie. We never liked the crowds and constant parade of rigs on the Trout lake side. It was always nicer to drive up the 66 looking for tracks than to try and be the first rig on the 24 in the morning.
Off the same 4 way (its realy a 6 way) there is another skid road that wanders out throught the lava mogals and hits the 110 or something. Its a good road to take.
Post by: burnettd on November 07, 2008, 12:31:28 PM
Being this is our first year it will be a definite learning process.
Thanks
Post by: Chesapeake on November 07, 2008, 01:41:05 PM
Post by: burnettd on November 07, 2008, 01:59:31 PM
we will have two wall tents put together 18 ft. x 50 ft., two wood stoves one exhausts out the side the other out the top
plus a utility trailer. New Ford F150, Dodge cummings and a 1970's vintage Ford (brown). Feel free to stop in and have a drink.
My name is Doug, and there will be Steve, Tim and Tim in camp as well.
Thanks
Post by: Skyvalhunter on November 07, 2008, 02:01:55 PM
Post by: burnettd on November 07, 2008, 02:10:26 PM
Post by: Skyvalhunter on November 07, 2008, 02:14:41 PM
Post by: Chesapeake on November 07, 2008, 02:32:15 PM
In our camp we usualy have myself (Rick), and another Rick, Greg, Travis, John, and a few other straglers. We are usualy traveling in a green/grey Dodge diesel 4 door wth RAL Const. on the side. You'll likely see the rig parked at various gates around the area during daylight hours. In camp we usualy have few toyota's parked, and maybe a cherokee or an older F150. Swing on in if you see us.
Post by: shag on November 09, 2008, 09:38:47 AM
Post by: Fishnclifff on November 10, 2008, 10:04:03 PM
We camp over by 4 corners in sioxson and hunt all over.
Post by: 1bowhunter1 on November 11, 2008, 07:46:07 AM
Post by: Dry creek on November 12, 2008, 02:20:29 PM
Post by: Chesapeake on November 12, 2008, 05:14:56 PM
We hunted all the named areas during modern rifle season, didn't see 1 single elk.
We camp over by 4 corners in sioxson and hunt all over.
I dont know you man, but it sounds like you need to slow down while hunting. Huntin "all over" isnt an effective method. You need to settle on an area and learn it inside out, and learn how and when elk utilize that area. In my mind there is no way to effectively hunt all the named areas in a 10 day season. I've bean hunting elk in this particular area of Washington for 12 years, and I draw on my 2 fathers combined experience of some 40+ years in this area. All this time in the woods and I still only realy know a few small sections of the mentioned areas.
I can honestly tell you that there is no less than 3 local herds (I call them herds, but WDFW considers them all part of one herd) that stay year round in the mentioned areas. Given a few days I have pretty well always bean able to locate atleast one of these herds. Now closing the deal with a smoke pole is a different story. But I will say that in the last 8 years my hunting party of 5 has killed 13 elk in those areas with muzzle loaders. I myself have killed 4 elk in the mentioned areas in the last 8 seasons with a muzzle loader.
They are there. In a week I'm going to go make my best effort at killing one of them.
Post by: Fishnclifff on November 12, 2008, 06:14:10 PM
Lets see. There is a spike with eye guards in the black creek herd.
There was a 4 point up on the old handicap road, but he is gone somewhere else.
There was a herd in the Grassy Knoll wrea, but they headed down to private lands.
My wife and I put about 4 - 6 miles on our boots every weekend. There is so much pressure that the elk are scattered, and I think the bad winter has them spooked.
I didn't reveal my secrets but I didn't have any luck.
I've taken my share of elk in the years. I am pretty secure in my methods. I appreciate seeing new stuff too.
Thanks for the kind words and advice.
Post by: Chesapeake on November 13, 2008, 12:02:01 PM
The places you just mentioned are pretty well the oposite direction from 4 corners than South prarie. Thats alot of area to cover.
No need to feel offended, I was just trying to give you a little advice and tell you that people do have success in that area.
Your the one that jumped into the middle of the conversation with the negative comment.
Post by: Fishnclifff on November 13, 2008, 05:42:43 PM
Guess I'll just read and not write anymore.
Good luck all
Post by: blacktail luv on November 15, 2008, 09:58:30 PM
Post by: Tegantunadog on November 25, 2008, 07:21:23 PM
Thinking of heading there on Turkey Day
Post by: Dansk on November 26, 2008, 11:12:44 PM
Any Reports coming from Wind river or Klickitat
Thinking of heading there on Turkey Day
My party has been down there for awhile for both the Deer and Elk muzzleloader seasons. Unfortunately there's no snow yet.... so it's slow going. :( I might join them later and go down for the weekend, but if it doesn't snow I think I might hit 503 in December and notch my 'put the christmas lights up for the kids' tag this weekend.... and maybe kill a nice Boone and Crockett Noble Fir.
Snow is key in the Wind... unless you know it very well or have spent time scouting the local herds.
Post by: Chesapeake on December 01, 2008, 09:11:36 AM
We ended the season up there with one bull for 5 hunters. We had one hunter shoot a log and a tree. No one else even pulled the trigger except for a few grouse. We still have 15 days in a few other units, and one of the guys hase a late season cow tag that we've had great success with, so the fat lady hasnt bellowed yet.
This season wasnt the best for quality, but it was the best for quality since 1996. My father in law got a very nice 4x6 the first sunday of the season.
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10632/Elk_08_030.jpg)
(https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10632/Elk_08_040.jpg)
I almost forgot to mention. Nobody from the board stopped by our camp, atleast not while we were there.
Post by: Dansk on December 01, 2008, 11:32:13 AM
My buddy and I didn't go down this year. His dad was down there Friday and talked to a few of the camps around and on the way to 4 corners area of the Wind.... usually something hanging in a few camps by 11/28... but not a thing this year.
None of the old-timers had seen anything let alone taken any animals.
That's great that you were into 'em every day- at least it kept it exciting!
Post by: Chesapeake on December 01, 2008, 04:32:31 PM
We were furtunate in that we turkey, deer, elk, and fish the general area so we are in the woods alot and when we realized the "plan A" migrators werent going to show we switched to the "plan B" locals. This kept us into the elk, but after the shooting started sunday they quickly retreated to the thick and nasty and we struggled to make it work.
Now its on to "Plan C"!