Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Bow Hunting => Topic started by: Dhoey07 on August 26, 2015, 09:41:19 AM
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It's looking more and more like I'll be shut out of early archery elk this year. I've never hunted late archery elk, and I know that the odds of shooting an elk are significantly less, but has anyone had success in the late elk season?
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I personally haven't hunted the late season but I know quite a few people that have seen success during the late season.
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It sucks because you can't kill a bull in some of the popular units. I love the excitement of hunting elk in the rut, but for sheer hunting fun and more options in hunt strategies I prefer late season. :twocents:
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Well, that gets my hopes up a little bit :tup:
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There's alot of "pros" to late season. Besides the obvious woods being open, I much prefer the weather, rain softens the woods up making even a bumbling idiot like me seem like a timber ninja. Animals seem to move more at all times of day. Meat extraction is a much more relaxed endeavor.
I like to throw in a jetboil with some coffee or hot chocolate and mh or foil lunches in a fire where legal and convenient. Breaks up the monotony on a cold or wet day.
Get good rain gear if on the wetside. If snow in the forecast prepare accordingly but plan to spend as much time as you can, tracking down elk in the snow is so fun it's not even fair.
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Guess depends on GMU, but when it freezes every night the sticks and leaves might be as loud as the dry stuff in the early season. Then you have the melt that goes through the day--so loud dripping noise and gets you wet like rain. But no bugs and few people. No rush to get beat the heat for your meat. Late season storms are bad about washing out roads and knocking trees over---so may need a plan for that. With lots of leaves fallen, you are a bit more visible.
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Have hunted late on Eastside very successfully when I didn't tag out during early. With enough snow, it's a great time!
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As the extended forecast is reaching towards early elk, I'm pretty sure I won't be able to get to the bulls i scouted out. I currently requested all the early season off, but that is gonna change. But it sounds like late season is worth taking a couple days off :tup:
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I've hunted rifle the last 2 years with my hunting partner and we saw a ton of elk every time (didn't seem to be the case with others we talked to). It's only 2 weeks prior to late archery. I have a lot of confidence we can find cows this year in late season.
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Personally I prefer the late season. Well, at least I did before they took all our bulls away. Still don't understand that bunch of bull pucky >:( >:( If there is snow up high it's pretty easy to whack a cow. Toughest part is watching all those bulls walk by while you wait for some stupid cow!! 2 and a half year old late cow is some darn fine eating though.
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Last year we walked up on a small herd of cows, no bull that we could tell. We were 30 yards away with wind in our favor, and we stood and watched for 10 mins as they left one by one. We both muttered, wish we had cow tags. That was our last day of hunting, but other days we could have done similar. I still walked away from the experience thinking to myself, that was a success. I learned a lot. We found elk consistently. I continued that in my early scouting this year, but now i can't go in where i scouted. Still confident we'll find em though. Not like they are blacktail.
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We're not avid elk hunters but I will never forget when my husband and I were hunting the late season and had 7 bulls walk by at about 15 yards! We had a cow tag of course!😢
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I prefer late season also. For many different reasons. I always use some vacation time in late season.
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I had a late rifle tag a few years ago, granted it was at the end of December, however, we had weather and snow and were in elk all three days of the hunt within bow range several times.
Hunting in the snow is fantastic, if you can get it.
Damn sight better than work.
Al
