Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: Z_rock01 on June 29, 2015, 08:05:44 AM
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Has anyone hunted near the Mt Adams Wilderness? I am planning on scouting this weekend and am looking for a little help, I have a couple spots in mind, One on the West side and one one the East. Has any one hunted inside the wilderness? That was also a thought??
Thank you
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Come fall they all migrate to the reservation. Pretty country tho!
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The two biggest bulls I have ever seen on the west side were crossing the road from the Mt. Adams side to the reservation side. The bigger of the two was 320"+ish and the smaller of the two was right around 280"-290". Two beautiful dark, dark horned, bright white ivory tipped bulls.
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I spent some time there last week. Didn't look good for hunting. Very little sign. No animals spotted, unlike last year. Very dry and pretty. Thinking the elk are up high-very high. Mosquitos are already fierce!
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Was up there this weekend scouting. I can definitely confirm the mosquitos. Huge area though, you shouldnt have trouble locating animals if you get off the beaten paths a bit.
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I was told that the North End held a lot more animals??? any truth to that? Well i guess i will see what happens?? I'll be up scouting this weekend, Maybe I'll hold out just shy of the wilderness...? :dunno:
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I was told that the North End held a lot more animals??? any truth to that? Well i guess i will see what happens?? I'll be up scouting this weekend, Maybe I'll hold out just shy of the wilderness...? :dunno:
I would agree to that, but didn't see it this year.
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The elk pops have decreased quite a bit in the last 10 years in the Adams area IMO. As with anywhere, there are pockets/sidehills/benches throughout the general area that the resident elk frequent at some point throughout the season (think 5300-5500' elevation, hint...hint). No big herds there come hunting season for sure but a handfull of small bunches seem to lurk in the same areas each year (I'm speaking of archery season only as that's where my knowledge base comes from). Some areas betwen the main road (west side) and the PCT trail are almost unreachable (from the main road, to the E) unless you work in on the PCT trail and drop into them (hint, hint). There are quite a few hunters that frequent the PCT during the archery season but many don't get too far from the trail. You'll hear them squeaking their hoochie mamas some days ;). Carry a few mini snickers and other small sweet snack items with you if you use the PCT for ingress at all; I share them with the long range hikers coming up from the south. In doing so, they'll be extremely gratefull for a non-backpack sack snack and happy to tell you where they've seen or heard elk on their trek thru the cascades ;). On those rare years when you get rain in archery season, the mushroom pickers swarm into the roaded areas. Watch what you leave in your truck at the trailhead and in camp. Most but not all mushroom pickers are good folks.
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Those hikers are crazy.. I came out from one of my spots and 3 of them were sitting by my jeep. I smiled and asked zif could help them they just needed some water and a ride to troutlake for a shower. Good luck on that westside there are quite a few people hunting that.
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I used to hunt up near Riley Creek (archery) and hike in all the way up to timberline, what I found was the elk tend to hang down about a mile to a mile and a half off the main road in the area where the thicker brush starts transitioning into the meadows and open timber. Lots of water (wallows) and pockets of grassy areas where you will find maybe three to six animals bedded up. It's thick and they like it. Pretty country tough hunting it though. Good Luck :archery_smiley:
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Tag! I may be up that way myself ;)
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The elk pops have decreased quite a bit in the last 10 years in the Adams area IMO. As with anywhere, there are pockets/sidehills/benches throughout the general area that the resident elk frequent at some point throughout the season (think 5300-5500' elevation, hint...hint). No big herds there come hunting season for sure but a handfull of small bunches seem to lurk in the same areas each year (I'm speaking of archery season only as that's where my knowledge base comes from). Some areas betwen the main road (west side) and the PCT trail are almost unreachable (from the main road, to the E) unless you work in on the PCT trail and drop into them (hint, hint). There are quite a few hunters that frequent the PCT during the archery season but many don't get too far from the trail. You'll hear them squeaking their hoochie mamas some days ;). Carry a few mini snickers and other small sweet snack items with you if you use the PCT for ingress at all; I share them with the long range hikers coming up from the south. In doing so, they'll be extremely gratefull for a non-backpack sack snack and happy to tell you where they've seen or heard elk on their trek thru the cascades ;). On those rare years when you get rain in archery season, the mushroom pickers swarm into the roaded areas. Watch what you leave in your truck at the trailhead and in camp. Most but not all mushroom pickers are good folks.
The woods on the west side of the mountain are so choked that the elk numbers have fallen steadily in the 20 years I've been hunting that area. If I had two good hips, I'd be working the burn area from a couple of years ago on the south-side. That should be rich with grasses by now and I imagine a magnet for hungry ungulates. Much of that is the MA Wilderness.
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Elkburger you should have a GPS point of a wallow up there, let me know and I will get u in on the trail away from the crowds.
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Away from the crowds sounds good. Is that waypoint in the 530 rino I got from you???
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Yes it is , should be up of the 90 I believe?
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The woods on the west side of the mountain are so choked that the elk numbers have fallen steadily in the 20 years I've been hunting that area. If I had two good hips, I'd be working the burn area from a couple of years ago on the south-side. That should be rich with grasses by now and I imagine a magnet for hungry ungulates. Much of that is the MA Wilderness.
Thats what I thought last year - looked great but no sign. Too dry and hot on the south side I guess.
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Taking the family up to camp Adams this weekend and we are hoping to find some waterhole we can boondock next to in our slide in truck camper. Haven't been up that way since I was my son's age (9 years old) so it has been 30+ years. Hoping to do some light scouting and play with my new trail cams. Maybe shoot the bow.... We would prefer to camp alone but if it is free camping with forest pass and a nice spot we can deal with others. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
So far on the short list is Morrison Creek Campground, Twin Falls Campground and Council Lake campground.
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Hoodoo from Oregon is running most camps now. They Charge$ I think it was 12$? Camp boondock close to a horsecamp(except Cody-No water potable) so you can grab some water if need be. Horseshoe Lake camp is one I like and the road has been cleaned up, but dusty.
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Hoodoo from Oregon is running most camps now. They Charge$ I think it was 12$? Camp boondock close to a horsecamp(except Cody-No water potable) so you can grab some water if need be. Horseshoe Lake camp is one I like and the road has been cleaned up, but dusty.
Thanks Mudman. Filled the water tank last night so we should be good for the few days we will be up there. Will check out Horse Lake Camp on the maps.
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You bet. Olalie is ok too. Fishing poles? Good fishing but fish are picky and skittish. Fly? Mosquitos are already fierce up higher-warning!
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Sounds like they closed most of the wilderness down now due to a fire had some friends backpacked in there and they got the boot
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Sounds like they closed most of the wilderness down now due to a fire had some friends backpacked in there and they got the boot
Yep. Plume was pretty impressive on Friday. Info:
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/4360/
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235 acres so far.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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I hunted the wilderness in 2013 during mid September archery. I hiked in to the PCT and then along it to my camp. It had just rained buckets for a week so everything was soaked and a fire was impossible then. It allowed me to distinguish fresh elk tracks easily. The reason I'm telling this is to provide a perspective to those who think they might be "getting away from the crowds" as I thought I might. I was hunting the largest single block of forest that I could find bounded by the PCT on one side and the forest road on the other, with radial access trails bounding the ends.
I hunted 5 days, trying to penetrate the deepest parts of this "dead zone". I found that the elk were far enough down from the PCT that they were equally accessible to the guys who parked their trucks down below and walked up with a day pack. I found no fresh sign anywhere above the trail but plenty below. I ran into no less than 8 other hunters, all of whom walked in from below. Every bugle I heard was a person. I also found one camp hidden like a Viet Cong encampment between two big meadows where the guys had hiked in through the woods with full packs and were living among the elk under a tarp.
I saw plenty of tracks and even spooked a couple, but saw no real action other than hunters. If I bugled I had company shortly...but always humans.
I'm still intrigued by the area and I know that elk are there, it's just too small of a wilderness to provide the solitude that one might expect.
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So we ended up at Council Lake after stopping at the ranger station in Trout Lake and then talking to the fire fighters where 90 and 23 meet, and it was a great camping trip. They did have many of the hiking trails around Adams (I am thinking timberline trails mostly) closed because of the fire and we could see the burn area and plume on the way up. Did a little hike up to Council Bluff on the Boundary Trail and found deer droppings up at the top although not really fresh. Great view of the fire from that spot and great place to check out the new Vortex 12x50 bino's. Didn't really get away from the lake area too much until we left but from what I saw, there didn't seem to be many signs of elk in that lake area. Although I am a no expert and could have missed the signs. Looks to be a hiker's paradise in that area though. Many more peeps up that way than what I remember from the 80's, although still quite a bit less than St. Helens area.
Speaking of St. Helens, took 90 back to St. Helens and headed up off of 83 to an area I had seen a herd of cows cross in front of us last summer when scouting with the wife and there were plenty of signs of elk up there inluding fresh tracks and scat. I did see some spots I want to go scout in between the 2 mountains that looked worth checking out some more. Quartz Creek area being one of them.
It was a great trip though. Was able to shoot the bows with my wife and son a little bit and did some swimming with my 10 month old daughter. Didn't see or hear any fireworks the whole time and surprisingly, didn't miss that like I thought I would having grown up in Vancouver. Looking forward to getting back up there. Maybe time to buy a 4x4 quad and/or a couple kayaks. Scouting from a Kayak sounds like it may be worth trying....? :dunno:
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Nastybynature,
I was also looking at checking out Quartz creek area. Now that i know that is one spot you want i'll lay low for a bit, don't want to step on your heels. You know if that area gets hit pretty hard or not?
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Nastybynature,
I was also looking at checking out Quartz creek area. Now that i know that is one spot you want i'll lay low for a bit, don't want to step on your heels. You know if that area gets hit pretty hard or not?
While I appreciate the gesture, I lay claim to nothing in that area other than some interest so feel free to scout/hunt all you want. :tup:
There were several spots in between Adams and St. Helens. Quartz creek area was just one of the first I noticed as we headed west. It is a VERY large GMU and probably still has more hunters per sq. ft. than most of the other GMU's on the west side from everything I have read, heard and seen. Going to be hard to find an area with really easy access that isn't already "somebody's spot" I would guess. Not sure where I will end up come November although Marble Mountain area which is usually overcrowded is still looking good to me. Thinking I like the theory to go further and into more difficult terrain in order to escape the masses. Reality is, people go where the herd goes I suppose. :twocents:
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Nastybynature,
I was also looking at checking out Quartz creek area. Now that i know that is one spot you want i'll lay low for a bit, don't want to step on your heels. You know if that area gets hit pretty hard or not?
I was scouting that area quite a bit before the draw results (picked up a siouxon cow tag). Found 4 trails cams, 1 stand, some cold beer and some elk sign, all at least a mile from the closest road.
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3 new fires started last night by lightning...
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where are the three new fires that started last night?
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3 new fires, that's not cool.
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where are the three new fires that started last night?
The largest of the three new lightning fires is the 100-acre Riley Fire which is burning in the Mount Adams Wilderness one mile north of the Horseshoe Fire. On Thursday evening, two loads of retardant were dropped on its northwest side to prevent potential spread towards recreation areas. The 7 Lakes Fire is a small fire burning in the Lewis River drainage, two miles south of Takhlakh Lake. The Canyon Fire is a small fire burning on the south side of Council Bluff, 1.5 miles northwest of Council Lake.
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Here is a good link for fire info. Now calling it the "Mt. Adams Complex"
http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/4360/25756/ (http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/4360/25756/)
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Thank you Elkoholic!
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Thanks for the info.
The various fires, based on the descriptions.
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Love the area but when we hunted it 2 years ago on the westside we went in at 2:30am in the dark. Hit the calls a few times thru 4 diffrent drainage and not a peep. All the wallows from the year before were dry and didnt see any fresh sign. Sure looks awsome thou in there
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I had the Oct. 1 rifle tag several years ago. Most incredible elk hunt I have been on. Went over three different times before the season. Talked to a lot of bow hunters that all had the same story, hard to find until the rut starts. Then it gets pretty wild. Walked for three days before the season without much sign then got a tip from a PCT hiker. Night before opening day we were at the top of the Stagmen trail listening to six bulls going off in the timber below the intersection with the PCT. Was back up there at daylight the next morning and the elk were all going nuts. One of the bulls sounded like a total terradactal. Did not ever see him. Saw two nice fives spinning in circles until a spike ran right between them. Blew it on a nice five, missed ahead shot as he was boiling downhill. Next afternoon after showers and laundry at Troutlake we walked up Riley creek from the highway. A mile or so up the hill my buddy said he thought he heard a bugle. A minute later a bull cut lose with a bugle that sounded like it was right on top of us. I about came out of my boots. He told me he was going to try to cow call, bugling in days prior brought no responses. I scooted up about thirty yards to be able to see better as it was still pretty thick. As soon as he cow called a bull came walking in, I thought it was a spike because of the thick brush, Above me about sixty yards I could see the branches on a large tree moving back and forth. It finally dawned on me that it was a big bull standing right behind the tree. The spike was still standing there at thirty yards looking right at me. He finally turned and I could see that he was a nice forked horn double. I shot him, with no regrets as I had to go back to work on Monday. My buddy said another bull came and went that I did not see and another was circling behind us when I shot. Muddy Meadows is another spot on the north side that has been good over the years. I believe we walked 10 plus miles a day up there so unless you spike camp be ready for that
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I had the Oct. 1 rifle tag several years ago. Most incredible elk hunt I have been on. Went over three different times before the season. Talked to a lot of bow hunters that all had the same story, hard to find until the rut starts. Then it gets pretty wild. Walked for three days before the season without much sign then got a tip from a PCT hiker. Night before opening day we were at the top of the Stagmen trail listening to six bulls going off in the timber below the intersection with the PCT. Was back up there at daylight the next morning and the elk were all going nuts. One of the bulls sounded like a total terradactal. Did not ever see him. Saw two nice fives spinning in circles until a spike ran right between them. Blew it on a nice five, missed ahead shot as he was boiling downhill. Next afternoon after showers and laundry at Troutlake we walked up Riley creek from the highway. A mile or so up the hill my buddy said he thought he heard a bugle. A minute later a bull cut lose with a bugle that sounded like it was right on top of us. I about came out of my boots. He told me he was going to try to cow call, bugling in days prior brought no responses. I scooted up about thirty yards to be able to see better as it was still pretty thick. As soon as he cow called a bull came walking in, I thought it was a spike because of the thick brush, Above me about sixty yards I could see the branches on a large tree moving back and forth. It finally dawned on me that it was a big bull standing right behind the tree. The spike was still standing there at thirty yards looking right at me. He finally turned and I could see that he was a nice forked horn double. I shot him, with no regrets as I had to go back to work on Monday. My buddy said another bull came and went that I did not see and another was circling behind us when I shot. Muddy Meadows is another spot on the north side that has been good over the years. I believe we walked 10 plus miles a day up there so unless you spike camp be ready for that
Good info to have. Thanks for sharing that! :tup:
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just a FYI some of those trails are curretly closed for fire.......
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Majority of the wilderness area is closed, looks like they plan on continuing the closer through to september 30th unless we get a significant change in weather.
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I believe the East side of the Mt. Adams Wilderness is in the Yakima Indian Reservation
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:yeah: it is
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FYI they closed the entire wilderness yesterday. http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/article/4484/28066/
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:yeah: till the 30 of October pending weather
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cool website