Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: mritech1 on August 11, 2018, 08:58:55 PM
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My many years long overdue introduction.
I have been on here for some time, I dont post much as I purely enjoy reading of others great hunts, its just that simple. It helps get me pumped up each season to make the extra effort when I am in the field. Other than a few hunting websites I shy away from social media and posting much, I struggle with sharing my personal life to the interweb so much so I literally have never been on facebook. I am about to branch out right now and I hope it is a good choice. I dont work out all year in preperation for hunting however I do try to stay fit, I dont shoot my bow every weekend year round but still pull it out a few months before the season and practice. I am a father, a husband to a super understanding and supportive wife and I am a full time hourly guy that picks up OT shifts to buy the latest gear. I do love hunting to the extent that my vacatiuon calendar revolves around fall however, And......... I bought 5 tickets for the Washington state raffle.
Now to why I am actually writing here today,
The other day I was reading of a members good fortune, You may have seen a post that was titled "pinch me I'm Dreaming" in the deer section, After reading that post, or actually in the middle of it, I thought wow, I didnt know the raffle results where out. I better see if one of my five tickets was the one. I opened a new tab and went to the WDFW website. I couldn't find the raffle ticket results page so I called up to Olympia. The gentleman answered and he said yes tell me your ticket numbers and I will tell you if you won. I said, no thank you, half the fun is looking it up for myself. He gladly walked me to the page I needed and we hung up. I typed in my raffle numbers and low and behold a "you have been selected" memo popped up. I saw the results. At first I thought wow, that would be super cool but really? Could it be true? I called back to WDFW as I didn't want to tell anyone what I thought I had drawn unless it was in fact the case. When I called back I said, Hello this so and so....He said you mean so and so and so? I said ya thats me, He said hey, "you are the western elk raffle winner!!!!
I cant tell you what a rush those words brought to me. I will tell you my head is spinning since that call. I have hunted the same Washington unit for elk most of my life (SW Wa). I have been told by many to look to the north, White River, Nooksack etc. What should a guy do int his case? I am looking for advise. There are nice bulls in many units in this state. I initially was not going to write about this tag as it is not my style to go public however I have seen some really great advise offered here. I figure I may not have another chance like this in my lifetime so I am throwing it out there. What would you do in my shoes? I am capable of setting foot almost anyware physically, I have been archery hunting for the last 8 years in Wa but I am ready to use my 300 win mag in a moment. I have about 3 weeks to ge this done and want to do this without hiring a guide, that is just not my style. Hiring pack mules is another story. My goal is a 6 point bull over 300 inches (seem reasonable?). Any valuable insight would be much appriciatted.
Thanks all in advance
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Congrats on the win. That’s awesome. :tup:
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Congrats! That is awesome! I wish I had advice for you on the westside but I am an eastside elk hunter. I am sure you will get some great advice here. Hope you share your results with us! Congrats again!
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It sounds like you're on the right path. Both the Nook and WR can or will produce 300" 6 points. It's really comes down to where you want to hunt and what kind of hunting you prefer. Congrats on the stroke of luck and enjoy your time finding the perfect raffle bull for you.
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congrats
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Great write up! There are a handful of guys on here that know the White River like the back of their hand I hope they help ya out. As for reaching out on here just enjoy the positive feedback and forget the neigh sayers (there are always a few). Enjoy every minute of that hunt! :tup:
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Congrats, I guess your keeping your tag than??? :chuckle: I drew 4th in that catagory. If I’m around I’d love to take you up to a couple areas in the white, you should be done quick w this tag. I don’t know anything about the nooksack but I’ve heard it holds some very good bulls.
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Pretty cool man. Good luck out there and i hope you have a safe and successful hunt.
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trophyhunt knows a thing or two about the WR! I would take him up on the offer. :tup:
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Thanks for the congrats. Yes I thought it over and decided to go ahead and keep the tag. :tup: As far as WR, I see a couple of permits that may need to be bought. Kapowsin and Hancock. A couple of things that make me stop and think. 1. I would need to buy a permit for every person that is in the rig with me (that is if someone is with me) 2. Do they sell out? Maybe I need to buck up and buy both of them now? All new to that area so just throwing things out that come to mind. Thanks again.
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I found a DANDY of a shed in the White River this spring. That would be a great bull to take this fall if you can find it on land that is open.
If it was me I would focus all my attention on the Noocksack. But I have more experience with that land than the White River.
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I personally wouldn’t buy any of those Hancock passes, there are elk outside those properties on forest service land. Each pass is only good per person, they don’t sell out I believe in the white river side. You can’t hunt elk on the kapowsin Hancock property, they have their own draw for that. Opening day is on a Saturday, you going to hunt that day?
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Thanks for the congrats. Yes I thought it over and decided to go ahead and keep the tag. :tup: As far as WR, I see a couple of permits that may need to be bought. Kapowsin and Hancock. A couple of things that make me stop and think. 1. I would need to buy a permit for every person that is in the rig with me (that is if someone is with me) 2. Do they sell out? Maybe I need to buck up and buy both of them now? All new to that area so just throwing things out that come to mind. Thanks again.
Don't buy the passes! With the Kapowsin pass you can't use it during any elk season (won't help you) and the White River pass is not worth it (doesn't sell out either), you can hunt on Forest Service land. Aslo, yes, every person (adult) in the vehicle needs their own pass. Just don't do it.
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Great info regarding the Hancock pass. Just that in itself has helped me greatly. thank you. As of now my plan is to hit the Nooksack Sept 1st for a week. After that I would be in the WR on opening day of that season Sept 8th. I was told to notify the fish and game wherever I end up so when they get reports of someone with a rifle shooting at elk they have a heads up as to what is going on.
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Wow, congrats. Dream tag right there.
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Don’t you have to use archery during archery, and muzzy during muzzy? Rifle any other time?
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Don’t you have to use archery during archery, and muzzy during muzzy? Rifle any other time?
that's incentive tag.
For raffle he can use rifle during archery if he wants to.
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I was told I could use any weapon any time. I will be face to face with WDFW next weekend but that is my understanding.
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That’s right, I got those two confused. Very nice! I’ll be archery hunting during that season in a different unit or I’d take you. I think it’s a good plan to hit the nooksack first, can you call elk in?
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Awesome story, glad to see a raffle tag go to an ordinary guy.
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I don't have any experience in the white river unit other than living real close but I'm dying to hunt it one day. Congrats on the tag! Hope you let us know how you do.
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Congrats, hope you have an awesome hunt and get to post some photos of a huge bull! :tup:
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Congrats on the Raffle Draw!! Glad you chose to share. Looking forward to a write up of how it all goes. Good hunting to ya!! Awesome!
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Congrats. I hope you have a great season hunting.
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Congrats that is awesome! I think you are on the right track for sure. Can't wait to see what this fall brings you!
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Thank you for all the congratulations! One trouble I am having is I only have so much time to do this, vacation schedules at work have been booked for a long time, I cant just leave on a whim. I am excited as all heck to get going and know that the best time to find a big slobbering rutting bull is in the peak of the rut. When that magical time is seams to very every year. In one day it can turn on and be crazy and in 3 days go silent. I just cant just sit home come Sept 1st with that tag in my pocket however so I will be out there. Thanks for all the advise again. Hopefully I find a bull worthy of the tag to share.
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Awesome story, glad to see a raffle tag go to an ordinary guy.
:yeah:
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Id be in the woods for sure from about September 20th-30th, seems to me those days and you will be hitting the peak in there somewhere.
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Let me pinch you, because you aren't dreaming!!!! Congratulations!!!
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Congrats! My only advice is enjoy the journey. You have very realistic goals set. With your goals you can achieve an epic journey as well as result. Have fun!
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Not sure if the unit is open with your tag but a sleeper unit you may consider is Mt. Whittier. Its big country but being able to hunt it during peak rut with a rifle will give you an advantage that no one else has every had in there. Having the ability to call bulls into gun range is exactly what it would take to do that unit justice. And im telling you, there are some true studs in there. Congrats on the tag and im super jealous
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Congratulations! Good hunting!
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Lucky dog!!! Hope you get a dandy! 300 is definitely a realistic goal
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Nice tag, you should be able to look at plenty of bulls including some toads......
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Not sure if the unit is open with your tag but a sleeper unit you may consider is Mt. Whittier. Its big country but being able to hunt it during peak rut with a rifle will give you an advantage that no one else has every had in there. Having the ability to call bulls into gun range is exactly what it would take to do that unit justice. And im telling you, there are some true studs in there. Congrats on the tag and im super jealous
It should be open, there are permits in that unit.
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:yike: :yike: :yike: I think something in that range would do....
Nice tag, you should be able to look at plenty of bulls including some toads......
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Not sure if the unit is open with your tag but a sleeper unit you may consider is Mt. Whittier. Its big country but being able to hunt it during peak rut with a rifle will give you an advantage that no one else has every had in there. Having the ability to call bulls into gun range is exactly what it would take to do that unit justice. And im telling you, there are some true studs in there. Congrats on the tag and im super jealous
This is one of the issues with having such a tag. There are so many places that have great experiences it's hard to make a decision. It is a great problem to have however!
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:yeah:
You could say that again! Hunting bulls in September with your weapon of choice and location of choice. What about the 485 unit? Are you able to hunt the green water shed?
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No 485 is not open to me.
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That’s too bad. I’m friends with the warden that just retired outta there and there are some giant bulls in there
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My buddy, Beaslayer, who I don't think posts in here anymore, knows the whiteriver like the back of his hand. I know the unit pretty well also since we bear hunt up there. He moved down towards the ocean though so I don't think he would want to drive all the way out there. Its a great unit and I have already given info to a guy about some areas up there to check out.... I hate to give away the areas I have been watching for years while trying to draw the tag but if you have time to scout I can send you up in a general area that I have seen some good bulls in. Just pm me and we can talk. Ohh and to anyone else thinking about putting in for that unit... there aren't any elk left up there so scram!
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:tup:
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:dunno:
Pics?
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I typed a full story and posted pics a few times, I must be doing something wrong, more to come....sorry
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I typed a full story and posted pics a few times, I must be doing something wrong, more to come....sorry
@mritech1 my guess is your photos are too big. Try posting the story by itself and then we can work on the photos.
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Thank you to all the people who helped and or offered advise. I will withhold the unit/area I hunted out of respect for those who shared that information. I had a great hunt and had friends and family take time out of their busy schedules and family time and I am super grateful for that. :tup: After 12 days and all the initial excitement was over it ended up being just myself and a friends Dad who I met only weeks prior to the hunt over the phone. He had his latest knee replacement just six weeks ago so he had to take it easy (even though he didn't) He also had a wealth of knowledge about the area. I had the opportunity to hunt some of the most beautiful county during the rut and saw many bulls, It was awesome. There where many hurdles along the way, my trusty pickup chose to give me troubles. The starter went out, heater stopped working, water pump failed, cell phone died. Some frustrating situations for sure but we worked through it. With all of those behind me I decided to target a bull we recently found in the low lands. He had showed up and taken over a good size herd that would feed out into a field that was going to make it an easy retrieval. I know, not the high country hunt I was after but I had done those hunts and with the current number of pack support present those bulls in that steep stuff where out of the question with just me being the packer, I would lose meat for sure. I was also running short on time, I had spent two weeks of unexpected time away from work and as an average working family man that does play into the decisions as much as I hate to admit it. This particular bull fit the 6x6 goal however he may be short on the 300 inch mark I was after. None the less I am super happy with the outcome. One of the things that stands out most about the trip is the people I met along the way. It is funny how me buying $30 of raffle tickets one day allowed me to hunt some amazing country but also lead me down a path that intersected with some of the most amazing people. Folks I will remember for years to come and most likely stay in contact with. Those folks seemed to have that genuine, salt of the earth caring sense about them. One picture is pretty terrible due to being from a freeze frame off of a video. This view is what made me say yup, that's him.
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The one that made me decide he was the one. He looked big enough to me.
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after he was on the ground. yes nice clean area to break one down as the sun set....
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Looks like an awesome bull. Even better it looks like it died in someone’s yard so the pack out looks pretty good congratulations.
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Congrats on a great bull! :tup:
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Thank you, I am trying to post some other pics but I think they are too big...
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another pic
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Gorgeous bull! Congrats! Thanks for sharing!
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Dandy bull! Congrats and thank you for sharing.
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Phat boy!!! Nice bull! Looks delishes
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Congratulations! Sounds like a great experience!
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Nice one, think I’ve seen that bull before.🤔
Did you gut it one the lawn too?🤣
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Great bull, congrats.
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Beautiful bull!
Congrats
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Congrats on getting the "$30 Bull"! :tup: :tup: :tup:
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congrats
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Congratulations on a nice bull :tup:
best $30 ever spent. :IBCOOL:
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Nice bull. Glad you had a genuinely memorable experience and met life-time people.