Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: bobcat on January 04, 2015, 10:16:49 PM

Title: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: bobcat on January 04, 2015, 10:16:49 PM: My wife saw this picture on Facebook. All I know about it is what the photographer posted:

"Roosevelt Elk attempting to cross the Columbia River today with the Astoria–Megler Bridge in background"

Did anybody else see them?
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: sled on January 04, 2015, 10:24:20 PM: Saw on fb also.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: Soady on January 04, 2015, 11:06:48 PM: Gonna need another punch card and a bigger net :dunno:
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 05, 2015, 01:36:58 AM: Looks like a couple legal bulls survived hunting season.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: mkcj on January 05, 2015, 01:45:23 AM: Hope they caught an incoming tide.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: rasbo on January 05, 2015, 03:36:19 AM: we had a bull on the farm this year,not sure where he crossed the river at....so does this mean the Indians can start netting for elk :dunno: :chuckle:
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: Eli346 on January 05, 2015, 04:52:12 AM: Those elk are lucky they weren't up in the Sound. The Squaxins would have shot them with a .22 and taken an oar to their heads. >:(
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: grundy53 on January 05, 2015, 05:04:40 AM: I saw it on Facebook too.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: headshot5 on January 05, 2015, 06:50:08 AM: More hoof rot headed to Oregon...
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: boneaddict on January 05, 2015, 07:01:13 AM: That's one heck of a swim.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: pianoman9701 on January 05, 2015, 07:16:27 AM: Would you use a grim reefer and a coyote flasher trolling, or is snagging legal?
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: h2ofowlr on January 05, 2015, 07:36:50 AM: I saw this on FB as well along with all the clueless remarks from the tree huggers. I have seen elk crossing the Skagit river several times, but not near the swim.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: Encore 280 on January 05, 2015, 07:45:19 AM: Look's like the picture was taken from a boat too. I would hope they herded them back to the Wa. side where there's timber. No place to go in Astoria other than hang out in town. :chuckle:
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: Gringo31 on January 05, 2015, 09:40:31 AM: Seems to me they are wading. Looking for a little brackish water to help treat their foot rot :chuckle:
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: JimmyHoffa on January 05, 2015, 10:21:38 AM: Maybe something chased them out there...
Not unheard of, they swim the straits to Canada or even the San Juans occasionally. In Alaska, they swim out to remote islands.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: Mike450r on January 05, 2015, 10:56:49 AM: Those elk down there are swimmers for sure. I have never seen them in the Columbia but have seen them swimming in Willapa Bay a few times.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: Encore 280 on January 05, 2015, 11:07:55 AM: Do they have hollow hair like deer so they float a little better? :dunno:
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: ELKBURGER on January 05, 2015, 12:39:20 PM: Last summer a freind sent me a picture of a 4x4 bull, floating dead 14 miles out of warrenton.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: headshot5 on January 05, 2015, 12:46:51 PM: Quote
Do they have hollow hair like deer so they float a little better?

Yeah they do.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: deerhunter_98520 on January 05, 2015, 02:05:10 PM: How do I get a catch card for those :chuckle:
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: Sitka_Blacktail on January 05, 2015, 06:20:26 PM: Quote from: Gringo31 on January 05, 2015, 09:40:31 AM
Seems to me they are wading. Looking for a little brackish water to help treat their foot rot :chuckle:

They aren't wading. The deep channels at the bridge are right off the shore. Both ends are green metal spans. These concrete pilings are well out in the river. They are definitely swimming. They'd have to get out a couple miles from shore to get to any bars they might wade on. I know this from many years of gillnetting right there.
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: jeffitz on January 06, 2015, 06:45:59 PM: We were dredging in Willapa Bay and the locals workin with us said the elk occasionally swim from Long Beach peninsula to Washaway Beach on the north side and yes they have seen them drown when they dont make it!
Title: Re: Elk in the Columbia River
Post by: Pete112288 on January 06, 2015, 08:41:32 PM: Makes me think of a story I heard, or maybe it was an article I read but cant quite remember. Said that there was a collared mt goat that was collared by mt hood then a couple weeks later they couldnt find it. Turned out they found it in Washington. That would be a crazy sight, see a mt goat crossing the columbia.