Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: PendOreilleArcher on November 21, 2008, 11:05:49 AM
-
Okay, the WDFG reports 1200 animals in the Selkirk herd right? They also report roughly 400 animals in the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge? Then another 400 or so in the Mica Peak / Spokane Mountain area? So that's 800 animals? Simple Math right!
Then if there's only 400 animals outside of those specific areas why isn't the Northeastern Units by permit only for a certain amount of years such as the margaret unit so there can ACTUALLY be MORE than just a few small herds, or one bull with two cows, within our area? :dunno:
I'm taking slack for giving out an area that has a herd, a real herd, but in the past four years have not seen another like it that accounts for more than 4 animals in one setting...WE DON'T HAVE THEM GENTLEMEN and for heavens sake LADY HUNTERS ( :drool:).
Can anyone, outside of the "MAJOR" areas mentioned even send in a photo of a herd of elk with more than 4 animals from this season?
-
It seems to me that the WDFW does not want any more elk in that area than there already are. They would probably end up paying too much in damages for the grass those elk would eat and the fences they would knock down.
I do know the WDFW feels that the Turnbull Refuge is overpopulated with elk but the refuge managers won't allow hunting.
-
I was kind of referring to units 111, 113, 117 and the upper 124 areas. We don't have a problem around here with animal control damage, alfalfa won't grow as the soil won't permit it, out hay fileds get left alone as they're in the valley's and what elk we do have stay high during the summer and then the hay gets cut. I wasn't referring to the specific Spokane metro area where they do get some alfalfa grown, the resident elk herds never migrate and so on.
I'm thinking about a QUALITY high mountain hunt, in the meadows of the Sullivan Lake area where the grizz toys with you, the black bear runs from you and the elk are there like on the western side... WE don't have em' in those units like they do in the western units and we should!
-
Why do you think eliminating the general season there would improve elk numbers? Is the harvest really that high?
-
Many times I have talked with folks about the amazing elk habitat we have in the NE, but lack of animals. I agree there should be no reason that elk populations aren't a lot higher.
-
Maybe putting a gate on every single road from Bead Lake or Skookum Cr. Rd all the way to the Canadian border in the Selkirk unit and keeping them to foot travel only over the next 10 years would dramatically improve the animal habatit and carrying capacity.
-
Many times I have talked with folks about the amazing elk habitat we have in the NE, but lack of animals. I agree there should be no reason that elk populations aren't a lot higher.
Doesn't make sense to me either. When you think you can go 3 or 4 miles east of CDA and start finding good #s of elk, it doesn't seem logic that the stuff up around Usk shouldn't be teamin w/ em.
-
I haven't spent a lot of time over there but it seems to me that what that area needs is for some fires to go through and open that country up. It would definitely help the mule deer populations as well.
-
Maybe putting a gate on every single road from Bead Lake or Skookum Cr. Rd all the way to the Canadian border in the Selkirk unit and keeping them to foot travel only over the next 10 years would dramatically improve the animal habatit and carrying capacity.
then you get these :beatdeadhorse: that ride there :4w: around the gates ride them right threw the clearings were there at thats not going to help much
-
I haven't spent a lot of time over there but it seems to me that what that area needs is for some fires to go through and open that country up. It would definitely help the mule deer populations as well.
I was out Wednesday with a guy that archery hunts for elk in North Idaho and he says the same thing about forest fires. I would agree with that statement. He was seeing a lot more bears which is good.
-
You can't have a large ungulate (elk) trying to compete for food sources of a more precious one (moose) the state makes more money off moose tags than it would if that area was a draw only for elk. Besides if we want good balanced numbers you cant have elk everywhere, they are way to destructive to sensitive areas. They already manage 4 species of ungulates up there and to let a 5th like elk run rampid would be devastating to the whole system.
Brandon
-
I would trade whitetail for elk any day of the week and twice on Sundays, but you make a good point.
-
Those areas are managed for Moose and Deer. Elk are not in the major functions of the equation. That came directly from Wash Dept Game and Fish
-
don't leave out the fact that there are cattle grazing all the easy stuff. the true killer is the winter carrying capacity. we just don't have good winter range.
-
mAYBE HIGH COUNRY WILL AGRE, BUT THERE ARE ELK THERE.....
-
There are elk there. I ran into two herds while I scouted for my moose hunt. But each only had about 8 to 12 elk in the herd.
-
My dad and I hunted whitetail on private land in Chewelah. During the day we hunted up in Nat. Forrest. We ran into 15 elk and 2 branch bulls deep up Sand Canyon and then ran into 40 head with 2 good bulls on private land just south of Chewelah. I was amazed and did not know elk were even there? I spoke with a lady from RAIDER aluminum boats who lives in Colville and they have seen sign but recently seen a nice big bull somewhere local.
-
it is pretty bad, so much terrain and really a lack of animals in it.The huckleberry range is another that hardly has any elk, looks like excellent habitat, nothing there.
-
Did PendOreilleArcher get banned?
-
it is pretty bad, so much terrain and really a lack of animals in it.The huckleberry range is another that hardly has any elk, looks like excellent habitat, nothing there.
Agree 100%
Sage
-
i have friends that hunt huckleberry and get a elk ever year
-
Was PendOreilleArcher banned for his posting in the elk forum?
-
Was PendOreilleArcher banned for his posting in the elk forum?
No, and before you ask why?, I will tell you that we do not give out the circumstances on the very rare occasion someone is banned.
-
The elk population is expanding in the Pend Oreille...and thats all there is to that. Its a relatively young herd, 20 years ago there were only a few really isolated spots you'd find them there...now they are more spread out and more animals than ever... in 10 years from now...there will be more yet. The habitat is "prime" elk country and the herds dont grow super fast...or recover super fast from loss do to the type of forage and such they are limited to.
if I lived in WA...I'd have a NE tag every year... wouldn't kill elk every year, but some of the bulls I've seen up there would drag me back every year!! :0)
-
Was PendOreilleArcher banned for his posting in the elk forum?
No, and before you ask why?, I will tell you that we do not give out the circumstances on the very rare occasion someone is banned.
Ok, Thanks for the response.
I noticed you said it was a "rare occasion" for someone to get banned. What is the # of people that have been banned? Is it reflected in the site stats?
Thanks.
-
i agree it should be permit only, and i just read an article in the spokesmans review about changing it next year. eliminating the any elk season for rifle hunters. that should help out a lot in itself
-
I dunno if that would help a ton, the rifle hunters have a really low success rate, they need to limit it all they way around, the archers and muzzleloaders do extremely well, the ability to call them in sept and early oct. And keep improving the habitat, need a few million acres burned is what the corner of the state needs
-
i agree they need to start some prescribed burns like they do in other parts of the country, and permit only would be the way to go
-
I live in kettle falls and I have hunted elk locally for the last 10 years and never even got a shot at one, However I do beleive the local population is growing. I have never been able to understand why there aren't more here, I think the habitat is better than that of the yakima and blue mountain herds. It is very frustrating and I'm sure poachers aren't helping the situation
-
Aren't the trees too thick over there which doesn't allow much grass to grow underneath? Some big fires over there could do a lot of good.
-
grass grows like a city park in some areas
-
the grass grows great, its just so thick and there's a lot more predators up here than down in yakima
-
I have hunted way up North the past few years. I have seen small number of Elk. But am starting to see more. In one area they have burned the timber sale areas and it does seem to help with the brush. But I think we over look our winters we have. Just because we get a few feet of snow down here around Spokane doesn't mean they get the same. I know the area I hunt gets atleast 10 feet plus snow and the surronding areas get dumped on as well. So with little wintering areas I think the heards stay smaller. Less food = less Elk. But just my :twocents:
-
yeah thats true, the winters definetly take a toll on the herd
-
I'm an avid hunter of Elk in 113/117, and I've bumped a herd of 8 during turkey season in 07. I will admit they're a *censored* to find, and I've yet to take one on the east side. However, this spring during turkey season, I took these photos and counted close to 30 head, just south of Usk. They are there... its just a matter of putting the miles on the boots.
-
Hmmm... missed a photo...
-
I have hunted elk in Pend oreille County all my life and there is no shortage of elk I have called in a lot of elk bow hunting the last 10 years. I always hear people complaining that there are not any elk in this area, plain and simple you need to get out of you truck and try doing some hiking and scouting. I have had trail cam with 18 different bulls on them from pend oreille county I have pasted on god knows how may cows. Now killing them is whole different story. I have shot and missed 4 bulls with my bow over the past 10 years and have had more the 100 close almost type hunts. I know where there are at least 50 different herds with at least 6-10+ elk in them. Just got to know where to look. Through a pack on grab a lot of water and walk.
-
+1 brian , too many people preach they are the mighty hunter, hike in countless miles away from roads. Well I would venture to say 10% of the people who hunt up here actually get out and hunt, not walking a gated rd , I mean get out and climb a ridge with no quad trails or roads. The elk are here, it is as thick as anything you can imagine, it makes covering ground a slow painfull process, it will deter your route it's so thick , I get into spots almost everytime out that u litterally get stuck in brush , back track and go another way. It makes hunting very frusturating. Like brian said connecting on a elk with a bow is a whole different story, I had elk in bow range last year from 21-56 yards for a week straight , I got 1 shot at 7 yards finally , hit a limb I didn't see :bash:
-
+1 brian , too many people preach they are the mighty hunter, hike in countless miles away from roads. Well I would venture to say 10% of the people who hunt up here actually get out and hunt, not walking a gated rd , I mean get out and climb a ridge with no quad trails or roads. The elk are here, it is as thick as anything you can imagine, it makes covering ground a slow painfull process, it will deter your route it's so thick , I get into spots almost everytime out that u litterally get stuck in brush , back track and go another way. It makes hunting very frusturating. Like brian said connecting on a elk with a bow is a whole different story, I had elk in bow range last year from 21-56 yards for a week straight , I got 1 shot at 7 yards finally , hit a limb I didn't see :bash:
its more than thick its a fricken jungle >:(
-
yep , then I hear people say well you haven't hunter the westside , well I have, forks area, I will hunt that area anyday over this . The corner here has a forest unique to all of WA there is nothing like it
-
I ran into 25 head turkey hunting back in 95. Unit 121. Any elk. They stayed in the area all summer. The riffle hunters got on them a shot the s#!t out of them. >:( Cows, calf's and bulls.
-
It would be nice to see some restrictions on the elk in the area. maybe just to see if the heards would grow.
And getting off the beaten path is the best way to find Elk. Once they get bumped they just go deeper and deeper.
But that why I like to hunt them..... you have to try just alittle harder each time. keeps the tender foots away!
-
theres really no need for restrictions, the harvest rate is so low. If you have lived around here for the last 20 years and messed with the elk in the corner here, you will have noticed that the elk have quadrupled in size or more, they are begining to really spread out everywhere. There is even more pressure now and the elk are still growing.I do agree some areas around here need some help or transplants, hucklberry range has awesome habitat and there are hardly any elk in it
-
You would think if the habitat was that good, the elk would find their way there and multiply. If they haven't then maybe it's not as great for elk habitat as you think it is. :dunno:
-
The deal is , the south end of the range is the spokane indian rez, its loaded with elk, there are areas around the border that have elk. but u start heading north and nothing, same terrain, if anyhting more remote and less bothered by people, extensive logging and ag fields in the lowlands.Looks like great terrain, but yet never any sign of elk anywhere
-
I was in the Huckleberry for deer two years ago and was really surprised to see a herd of about 20 elk sunning themselves out in a cut field in the middle of the day. This was valley floor a few miles SW of Chewelah. We had made a run to town for ice after my partner got a buck. Prior to that I had never seen elk between central WA and the ID panhandle. Very cool to see that.
-
the closed gate roads and all the thick brush, have really helped the herd expand and the quality of the bulls in the area, i've hunted the yakima area for the last 10 years and this will be my first year hunting up in the northeast. i went up there scouting last weekend and didn't see a lot of tracks but i'm really excited for the season to start because i really like how 80% of the roads have gates.
-
I got here in 1994. Never hunted elk in my life. Looked on the map and found the largest area with no roads and headed up there archery hunting opening weekend. Saw a spike bull the first afternoon and had shots on cows three different times over the next week. Bugled in two different bulls but could never close the deal. Wow this elk hunting is not so hard afte all. Saw a couple of moster bulls but could never seal the deal. Next two seasons I hunted the same area and never seen hide nor hair nor heard a single bugle. Finally learned they are small bands of elk that are highly mobile. Just got plain lucky the first year. I have seen some really nice bulls in the NE corner of the state and found some decent sheds.
-
Since about 1990 I have spent quite a bit of time up there mostly in the Selkirk unit looking for and hunting elk.
Unless in the last two years things have changed drastically, I don't believe the 1200 head estimate for the selkirk herd.
In all those years of scouting and hunting (I did not hunt it every year, and only archery or muzzleloader when I did) I have seen elk exactly three times, and I don't remeber ever seeing more than 6 head at one time.
I will say that we rarely saw another hunter in the woods while we were actually hunting there. Of course most of the time where I was, you can't see more than 20 yards anyway :o
-
The selkirk herd numbers also include elk the elk on Mt spokane all the way to canada over to kelly hill and south, there are more than 1,200 elk in that area.
-
last year trurkey hunting we saw and filmed a herd of 46 a few miles south of ione. and saw another herd of 9 within a mile of there and of course 5 million whitetail
-
last year trurkey hunting we saw and filmed a herd of 46 a few miles south of ione. and saw another herd of 9 within a mile of there and of course 5 million whitetail
Sounds almost exactly like my spring turkey hunting experience last spring, the elk we saw were in someones yard.
-
i'm yet to see any elk north of spokane but i'm going scouting on saturday so hopefully i'll at least see some fresh sign, then i'll get my hopes up
-
this will be my 1st year elk hunting in WA. Am taking the bow up North of Usk on the E side of the river. Saw some fresh sign last year while deer hunting, but nothing to fresh on a scouting trip earlier this month. Am just hoping my trip doesn't turning into a camping trip with no action, but am not encouraged by what i've heard so far. May have to break down and pay to hunt elk in ID next year if this is a total bust.
-
More u hunt this area and learn it, the more succes u will have. There are honey holes in this area, I have several now, see elk everytime out now
-
I sincerely hope there will be no restrictions on the NE corner for the modern guys. The success rate is very low compared to bow and muzzle. I also believe there are more than 1200 elk in the NE corner. I talked to a gammie 2 years ago out of Addy that told me it was more like 2600. I grew up in the middle of the South Kapowsin tree farm now controlled by Hancock and I would much rather hunt 113; steep, thick and no people where I go. In 2007 I took a 330 6x6 bull on opening day in 113 and 5 days later my uncle took a real nice 270-ish 5x5 bull; last year I drew a cow tag and filled it opening day. The only unfortunate thing I have seen in this area is a cow killed by an arrow that someone didn't find after shooting it. I have property in the Chewelah area and in Summer of 2006 I had a herd of 14 camp out for a few days. Last year I saw a huge 350+ 6x7 just of the highway in Usk. I have tracked and seen plenty from Calispell Lake all they way up to Kelly Hill. Last year hiking into Gypsy we came across a wollow were a herd had just been and two bulls tussled; got neck hair to prove it. The trick is come hunting season they are deep and as far away from people as they can possibly get. The problems not the modern guys; if anything it's the introduction of wolves and the long hard winters up there, especially the last two we have had. If anything, close the roads and start prosecuting the guys on ATV's behind locked gates and on roads they aren't supposed to be.
-
That's a great looking bull! How often do hunters run into Grizzlies in GMU 113?
-
I can say that they are not deep for the bow and muzzy guys, there are a few cities up there where we were listening to and calling elk from the highway :rolleyes: pretty weird
-
I can say that they are not deep for the bow and muzzy guys, there are a few cities up there where we were listening to and calling elk from the highway :rolleyes: pretty weird
Wouldn't you say most of those are on private land?
-
I guide on the Upper Columbia just outside of Northport and this spring I saw a herd of at least 40 down along the river 3 different times and a couple of smaller bands. I've heard that that herd is very local and that they spend most of their time on one guys big piece of private land.
-
If that was the north side of the river, those elk spend the majority of their time in Canada, there's a small herd that hangs out up there about 2 miles from border also.
-
Kopfjaeger, not private property, I will leave the name of which city's out :IBCOOL:
-
No Elk in NE WA naahhhhhh, really no elk up there, they are all west of the mountains, NO ELK UP THERE for real. All west ;)
-
No Elk in NE WA naahhhhhh, really no elk up there, they are all west of the mountains, NO ELK UP THERE for real. All west ;)
:yeah:
-
No Elk in NE WA naahhhhhh, really no elk up there, they are all west of the mountains, NO ELK UP THERE for real. All west ;)
:yeah:
:yeah: :sas:
-
Nope it's to damn steep for elk, didn't ya see the pictures of the elk laying on the FLAT ground?!!
-
A buddy and I went out on the 11th in stevens county and we had at least 3 different bulls bugling at us. We bedded them down and waited for them to come out in the evening. Buddy tagged out on a nice cow. I wil be going back in on Saturday to try for one of the bulls. Did not see sign af anyone else in the area, im guessing any where from 20-30 head in the bunch. I will try and get a pic posted tomorrow, work wont let me on photo bucket.
-
There are a few guys that have figured it out, but that is from LOTS of hard hunting and scouting, year in, year out. I know guys that kill elk up there every year... I know a few spots where I can get into good elk sign every time in there... seeing an elk in there is a different story though!!
Back many posts I said it IS "prime" elk country, and I meant to say, it "isn't" prime elk country. They do fine there, just like in the Panhandle, but the lack of grassy parks and grass forage has an effect. Its been documented that elk that live in more parky country have a higher birthrate and success than elk that browse on brush and chit like these elk mostly do..
I think the key thing is lack of good winter range. There are very few areas they can escape the deep snow when it hits...takes it toll.. In Montana and the Yakima, Coluckum and such... we have big open ridges and such that get blown and melted off... up there.. you dont see that. Deep snow EVERYWHERE in a bad winter.
Love that country!
