Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: bowtechian on June 17, 2015, 01:51:15 AM
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Gonna be my first early archery elk so I also don't have any points built up yet. So I'm really asking where are the high pressure areas to avoid? I plan on camping close to cougar,wa & still have some scouting and planning to do but any tips fr locals & other hunters is appreciated! Just hope the area I'm looking into isn't a mad house
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Well, 560 is a huge unit. So you should eventually find a spot where there aren't too many hunters. Problem is those areas usually don't have any elk ;) Only sure fire way I know to find few people AND elk in 560 is to put some miles on the boots. One mile is usually enough to leave 75% of the other hunters behind.
560 tends to be worst in years when Weyco closes all land for fire danger. Good chance that will be the case this year. It can get really frustrating. When the wife and I moved to Vancouver I spent all my time scouting 560. Found lots of elk, some great bulls, beautiful country and a lot of promise. Took me two days into the season before I swore I'd never go back. Even my most remote "Nobody would ever find this place" spots were crawling with misplaced Weyco hunters and bugle toting bow commandos. Usually a person has to hunt Winston in the late season to find such a concentration of complete tools!
I finally did go back and found some spots away from roads and into some thick and nasty's where intrusion was limited and enjoyment was reasonable. Though in the end I found it much easier and convenient to hunt other units. Now if I were 20 again and an elk fanatic that might be a completely different story. But since I am not I've chosen other areas with high success and more old man and grouchy woman compliant. :chuckle:
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You should go up too 407 that's a strait up goat f#$% ppl camping right where the elk travel to the ag land guys hiding in the brush next to the ag land like it's a firing line and I could go on
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You should go up too 407 that's a strait up goat f#$% ppl camping right where the elk travel to the ag land guys hiding in the brush next to the ag land like it's a firing line and I could go on
Oh you will find plenty of people camping in the elk feeding areas there too. That first year I found a great little meadow. Found it through Google, but could not see it from the road. No road access. Saw a jeep trail that looked like someone had gone in there and swamp buggied it at one time. That was about it. One, sometimes two herd of elk in there every evening. Got up there opening morning and there were 10 full size camp trailers in there and enough beer to supply all our overseas Marines. Every gated road had at least five rigs blocking it. A few you couldn't even see the gate through the tents and campers. I thought it was rifle season or something. On my way out there was an ambulance coming in. Hope they weren't needing through any gates!
It was as if all the people in Winston late hunt had shown up to hunt the same five mile stretch of woods. Craziness!! I used to hunt Buck Meadows in the Manastash in the mid-eighties. We thought that was bad! That was childs play compared to 560 that year. A few years later there was rain and Weyco was open. Was still bad but not nearly as bad as that year was.
You really should speak with one of the FS cruisers from south end and north end. They can help steer you clear of the opening day hoards. Might save you a bunch of scouting in an area that becomes worthless due to pressure and trouble makers. I sure wish I had before I wasted all that time and money. Took me a good three years to figure it out.
Funny thing is I can hunt close to town, be in elk every day and see very few guys after the second day. And I can sleep in my own bed at night. But, then again, if you like to party more than kill elk you might love it up there!
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There is some truly great high hunt areas in 560. Some not all that far in either! Good deer numbers, bear numbers and some big bulls. If I had youth and endurance on my side that's where I'd be headed!
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Might not have to worry about weyco shutting down their land. I don't know about the Longview camp but Pe Ell hasn't shut down since it went permit only and they even had an active fire burning last year and still didn't shut down the woods. They told us the reason was that they wanted all of the eyes they could get up there and they felt the permit holders were responsible enough to trust up there.
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There is some truly great high hunt areas in 560. Some not all that far in either! Good deer numbers, bear numbers and some big bulls. If I had youth and endurance on my side that's where I'd be headed!
Good to hear I had my doubts but 1st yr down there I'll be taking a good week of of work to hunt
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At one point in time 560 was the place to be if you wanted to kill a BIG westside bull. There are still some in there. They just don't come as easy as they used to. After you have done some scouting give me a call and we can compare notes. Sounds like maybe a good reason to go to Hometown Burger or something of the sort.
You did say you moved down this way, didn't you?
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Right on will do also pm sent
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I live up on Whidbey island
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Ooops, sorry. I must have read something that wasn't there. It happens once in a while :chuckle:
Then I have to ask the question, "What made you decide to chose the southwest end of 560 as a place to start?"
Was it total bull harvest numbers? Because that can be deceiving. It's a big unit, but it was the most hunted elk unit in the state last year. Hunter numbers in that one single unit exceeded many complete districts that are popular with elk hunters. I'm sure Weyco permits had a lot to do with that last year.
Be interesting to see how opening Margaret changes those numbers in 2015. Hopefully that balances out the numbers a little. If Toutle goes general next year that could change everything!!
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I have a friends property to camp on above cougar on dog creek has a hot shower & covered area to eat & cook. The draw is more the area I don't dwell on stats & numbers that much
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I have a friends property to camp on above cougar on dog creek has a hot shower & covered area to eat & cook. The draw is more the area I don't dwell on stats & numbers that much
Well, that sounds like a good deal. Hopefully Margaret will send a few more folks north as will a few more people accepting the fees to hunt Weyco. Good elk hunters are going to get their elk no matter the pressures. A smart hunter in good shape can even make that work in their favor! Should be a good time with a possibility of a real outstanding bull. Let me know when you are coming down to scout so we can hook up for some chow.
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Roger my first trip is around July 11th to get the lay of the land a little better
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What's wrong with havin some beers at elk camp? :chuckle:
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What's wrong with havin some beers at elk camp? :chuckle:
When camp has been there two days, there are 400 empties scattered about and underwear hanging from a clothes line...I find it a bit excessive! Those are guys I don't want to be anywhere close to. But hey, I'm an anti-social, fun sucker who likes to fill my tags. So :dunno:
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:tup:
At one point in time 560 was the place to be if you wanted to kill a BIG westside bull. There are still some in there. They just don't come as easy as they used to. After you have done some scouting give me a call and we can compare notes. Sounds like maybe a good reason to go to Hometown Burger or something of the sort.
You did say you moved down this way, didn't you?
Great hunting throughout the unit scout hard and hunt harder and you're going to find elk.
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So many elk in the Lewis unit its hard to even suggest a spot, you could try Goat Marsh,Blue Lake,Grass Lake,Cinnamon Peak,Lahar,June Lake,Pine Creek,Smith Creek,Bean Creek,Elk Pass,etc,etc.
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My original intent is avoiding the bafoonery of the masses
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Good luck with that anywhere in western Washington where there is any concentration of elk. I would suggest using the other hunters to your advantage.
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Plan on it
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Use the search bar an if the general creeks or mtns that you think have potential don't show any results from other members then I'd go check it out...it's the most awesome thing
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There is no free lunch in 560. It does calm down a little mid to late week, and even the last few days if they are after a weekend.
I've found nowhere to be alone opening weekend. Seems there is always a few hard chargers everywhere.
560 seems more about out flanking hunters than actually hunting elk. Makes scouting hard though. You need to learn what the elk do under pressure and that takes seasons of experience.
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Maybe a bunch of people will switch from archery to muzzleloader since 560 is now open for early muzzleloader season. You might have it all to yourself!
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What's wrong with havin some beers at elk camp? :chuckle:
When camp has been there two days, there are 400 empties scattered about and underwear hanging from a clothes line...I find it a bit excessive! Those are guys I don't want to be anywhere close to. But hey, I'm an anti-social, fun sucker who likes to fill my tags. So :dunno:
:yeah:
Pain-pill smoking idiots arguing over marijuana is why I now hunt on my own, my family is more important than my hunting "buddies" from high school.
They only went to "hunting" camp to party and take naps, I do not mind a responsible person having a few "pops" around the campfire, but when it gets excessive (what he said) I get the hell away from them.
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Sticknstring i see you are from Chehalis,congrats to the girls from WF West high on winning the 2A state softball championship ! My daughter‘s team (Woodland) got 4th at state but before that they played WF for the district title at Fort Borst Park and lost 10-0. WF is probably the best high school team I've ever seen,very impressive
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Btw Bowtech, if you camp near Cougar dont be afraid to go across the lake into the Siouxon,I know guys that consistently take bulls in archery season over there.Ole creek,Tenmile Creek,Cooney Point,Alder flats along the lake,you will see other hunters but lots of elk too! One year my dad and I were hunting along the lake in the alders on opening day rifle elk and there were so many hunters we decided to leave,then,on the way out killed a 4pt bull that was standing just off the road in the alders.That was 1990 when you could still drive the IP road,jus sayin
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Sticknstring i see you are from Chehalis,congrats to the girls from WF West high on winning the 2A state softball championship ! My daughter‘s team (Woodland) got 4th at state but before that they played WF for the district title at Fort Borst Park and lost 10-0. WF is probably the best high school team I've ever seen,very impressive
My kids are not in High School yet, oldest is 12.
We did transfer them from Adna to Chehalis though, lots of good programs in the school.
I am working on getting a NASP program started next year.
But back to the subject...
I would plan on using the masses as drivers, find a main trail and let the hunters push the animals to you.
As you scout, look for areas that will funnel animals towards you, timber between openings, saddles on ridges, steep drainages..
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I have a friends property to camp on above cougar on dog creek has a hot shower & covered area to eat & cook. The draw is more the area I don't dwell on stats & numbers that much
Well, that sounds like a good deal. Hopefully Margaret will send a few more folks north as will a few more people accepting the fees to hunt Weyco. Good elk hunters are going to get their elk no matter the pressures. A smart hunter in good shape can even make that work in their favor! Should be a good time with a possibility of a real outstanding bull. Let me know when you are coming down to scout so we can hook up for some chow.
I'll be down in cougar area this weekend if you have room in your schedule let's meet up for chow
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That's like five days away! I can't ever plan that far in advance :chuckle: Sending a PM with phone number.
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if your close to Adams, there is a fire (horseshoe) happening with a area closure happening. this is inside the major fire area from a few year ago in Adams wilderness area. http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4360/
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I'm gonna be more on the cougar side of st. Helens
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Btw Bowtech, if you camp near Cougar dont be afraid to go across the lake into the Siouxon,I know guys that consistently take bulls in archery season over there.Ole creek,Tenmile Creek,Cooney Point,Alder flats along the lake,you will see other hunters but lots of elk too! One year my dad and I were hunting along the lake in the alders on opening day rifle elk and there were so many hunters we decided to leave,then,on the way out killed a 4pt bull that was standing just off the road in the alders.That was 1990 when you could still drive the IP road,jus sayin
Last time I was up in the siouxon I found that one of the IP roads was completely blocked by a big yellow gate that said " property of cougar cabins" and it was locked up tight! I couldn't figure how they could block off state land. There is a lot of country in that area. If you see a spot you like bowtechian check it out. I can't tell you how many times I've seen people driving as far out as they can to get away from people and pass by a lot of good elk areas. Siouxon is steep and nasty in spots but there can be some nice Bulls taken out of there. The Lewis can be good too. Don't get discouraged if you find trucks at some of the gates. Weyco isn't the only landowner either. Olympic resource owns land in there also and Columbia land trust. There is a ton of national forest too. Be safe and Good luck with your adventure!
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Btw Bowtech, if you camp near Cougar dont be afraid to go across the lake into the Siouxon,I know guys that consistently take bulls in archery season over there.Ole creek,Tenmile Creek,Cooney Point,Alder flats along the lake,you will see other hunters but lots of elk too! One year my dad and I were hunting along the lake in the alders on opening day rifle elk and there were so many hunters we decided to leave,then,on the way out killed a 4pt bull that was standing just off the road in the alders.That was 1990 when you could still drive the IP road,jus sayin
Isn't the Siouxon area mostly private/permit land though? I am intimidated by all the private/permit land restrictions out in the NF and don't want any trouble.....
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Haven't looked at it in detail but seems like a lot of is dnr state land
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The majority is National Forest and a small portion is DNR. There is some private but it's probably only about 5% of the unit.
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Just don't give up, it took us 3 years before we figured the area we wanted to hunt. We Had elk killed right in front of us and right behind us the first 2 years and it was frustrating. But by year 3 we kinda figured it out and since then our hunting group of 4 has at least killed one bull every year since 2003.
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Nice! think I got a nice central location for camp & just gonna get my boots on the ground.
Ohana don't you do boat insurance?
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The majority is National Forest and a small portion is DNR. There is some private but it's probably only about 5% of the unit.
I think you're on the money sir. There are elk in the IH Wilderness also but not a ton... beautifull country though.
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Ohana don't you do boat insurance?
No I just retired from the Army in Jan and now I stay home with my Kids.
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Congrads on your retirement thanks for your service brother did a couple terms in the navy, I have the up most respect for those of you who committed to the full 20+. A guy on another forum has a name similar to yours
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I think you're on the money sir. There are elk in the IH Wilderness also but not a ton... beautifull country though.
What is IH Wilderness?
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk
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Indian Heaven Wilderness
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The majority is National Forest and a small portion is DNR. There is some private but it's probably only about 5% of the unit.
I think you're on the money sir. There are elk in the IH Wilderness also but not a ton... beautifull country though.
If you hunt there make sure to have a cougar tag in your pocket. Would be a lot more elk and deer in there if we could drop the number of cats. Many years it is not uncommon to see 25-30 cows for every calf.
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Neighbor up where I'm staying up there told me of a pesky Tom in the area
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Please oh please have a cougar tag in pocket.
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Had this guy in camera and found a dead calf 200 yards away
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Had this guy in camera and found a dead calf 200 yards away
And this was in the 560GMU?
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Had the ears of a cat on one cam and the rear quarters of another on one of my other cams in the adams wilderness area. Couldnt tell if it was two different cats or the same one.
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Indian Heaven wilderness
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Wanna throw a thankyou shout out to radsav for taking the time to meet up & help out a newer guy on the board
I have a better sense of where & where not to go plus some bonus to go with it:tup: