Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: funkster on May 26, 2009, 10:12:39 PM

Title: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: funkster on May 26, 2009, 10:12:39 PM: The title says it all! Let's start with scouting then during season, I will start. Scouting 109, during early archery season 68. Oh yeah,don't stretch the truth either :chuckle:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: huntnphool on May 26, 2009, 10:16:13 PM: No idea for me.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: GoPlayOutside on May 26, 2009, 10:19:17 PM: Counted 97 migrating up into the mountain a month ago.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: funkster on May 26, 2009, 10:20:22 PM: Quote from: huntnphool on May 26, 2009, 10:16:13 PM
No idea for me.

You see that many or you don't count??
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 10:28:14 PM: geez thats tough......Ive only seem a couple in my life time :chuckle: What do the bulls look like? Do the have antlers like the cows?
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Slider on May 26, 2009, 10:29:06 PM: over 800!!! ;)
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: funkster on May 26, 2009, 10:31:31 PM: Quote from: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 10:28:14 PM
geez thats tough......Ive only seem a couple in my life time :chuckle: What do the bulls look like?

Their around 2500lbs,brown or black,have horns(the biggest two pointer you will ever see) and usually lock behind a fence :chuckle:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 10:33:09 PM: Quote from: funkster on May 26, 2009, 10:31:31 PM
Quote from: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 10:28:14 PM
geez thats tough......Ive only seem a couple in my life time :chuckle: What do the bulls look like?

Their around 2500lbs,brown or black,have horns(the biggest two pointer you will ever see) and usually lock behind a fence :chuckle:

Do we have to have a tag to hunt them? :chuckle:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: bone head on May 26, 2009, 10:34:41 PM: seen over 1000 head on a private ranch here in eastern oregon this spring, no lie
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: funkster on May 26, 2009, 10:53:28 PM: That's a lot of elk bone head!

Quote from: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 10:33:09 PM
Quote from: funkster on May 26, 2009, 10:31:31 PM
Quote from: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 10:28:14 PM
geez thats tough......Ive only seem a couple in my life time :chuckle: What do the bulls look like?

Their around 2500lbs,brown or black,have horns(the biggest two pointer you will ever see) and usually lock behind a fence :chuckle:

Do we have to have a tag to hunt them? :chuckle:

My dad told me of a story of hunting back in the day in the Yakima area where a guy pulled a cow tag and he actually shot a farmer's cow. He told me that the game department was called and everything. The farmer and the "hunter" settled to terms, I guess he just bought the farmer's cow for market price! I wonder if that "hunter" ever hunted again?
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 10:58:34 PM: Quote from: funkster on May 26, 2009, 10:53:28 PM
That's a lot of elk bone head!

Quote from: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 10:33:09 PM
Quote from: funkster on May 26, 2009, 10:31:31 PM
Quote from: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 10:28:14 PM
geez thats tough......Ive only seem a couple in my life time :chuckle: What do the bulls look like?

Their around 2500lbs,brown or black,have horns(the biggest two pointer you will ever see) and usually lock behind a fence :chuckle:

Do we have to have a tag to hunt them? :chuckle:

My dad told me of a story of hunting back in the day in the Yakima area where a guy pulled a cow tag and he actually shot a farmer's cow. He told me that the game department was called and everything. The farmer and the "hunter" settled to terms, I guess he just bought the farmer's cow for market price! I wonder if that "hunter" ever hunted again?

Oh geez :chuckle:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Little Dave on May 26, 2009, 10:59:53 PM: Saw 29 yesterday and a fresh roadkill this morning on the freeway.
Here's a picture of a collared elk a few weeks before she was killed on I-90... was pregnant.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: funkster on May 26, 2009, 11:07:08 PM: I hate to hear of a pregnant cow getting killed :( I am pretty sure I saw a pregnant cow Monday! I saw 26 Monday morning. A late morning of scouting and a flat tire later,I love time spent in the hunting grounds.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: BC CHASER on May 26, 2009, 11:07:44 PM: Fishing Is For Fools and I saw a heard of close to 400 in central MT while antelope hunting 2 years ago. They were coming down from the high country to winter.Hear in WA on the eastside maybe 200 and here on the west maybe 100. The herd in MT had many LARGE bulls in the group too.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: bucklucky on May 26, 2009, 11:18:40 PM: Had 72 in my yard the other day does that count? Ive seen over 500 in a day on the wet side before.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: bowhunterforever on May 26, 2009, 11:56:52 PM: 200 to 300 in a spike only area a couple days before modern opener. Nobody else was scouting this area and there was 25+ spikes in the bunch. Opening morning heading to this area there was people/rigs every where so when light came all the elk were gone, we only saw a some cows and a few rag horns that day. :bash: :bash:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: jeepasaurusrex on May 27, 2009, 12:26:32 AM: We counted 102 on the rim above the north fork of the Manastash one day. :)
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Huntbear on May 27, 2009, 12:33:41 AM: I have seen over 700 in one day. 400 in one valley. Here on the wet side, about 150 in one day.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: funkster on May 27, 2009, 07:44:57 AM: Are you guys seeing the big numbers in large herds? Or multiple smaller herds? I usually see herd numbers of 18-25 here on the westside,the largest herd I have seen in person is 53.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: luvtohnt on May 27, 2009, 07:52:19 AM: I have been to the feeds station at Jackson Hole multiple times, since I was born there, so about 15,000 at once!! But realistically 2 years ago we drove into the Aurthur Coffin game preserve and came around a corner to about 300 head all feeding through the same valley. When I turned the truck off they got nervous and the cows started mewing and the calf's were chirpping. Then all that camotion got the bulls stirred up and before we knew it we had an elk orchestra. It was awesome!

Brandon
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: WDFW-SUX on May 27, 2009, 08:00:27 AM: 1-2k
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: funkster on May 27, 2009, 08:22:29 AM: Remember guys this was supposed to be scouting or during hunting season not on a family vacation to a game farm :chuckle:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on May 27, 2009, 09:15:16 AM: I didn't take the picture, but I've killed several elk within 2 miles all around where this was taken, and I've seen this bunch while hunting. Projected and marked off, 1,160 in the photo. (https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10055/Oct-Nov_2007_029.jpg)
That is in Wyoming. Photo taken during hunting season.

Here in WA, I've seen as many as 170 in one bunch in the upper Cowlitz Valley between Glenoma and Packwood, maybe 400 in a single day would be the most for W. WA. I've seen over 700 on West Bar while the modern season was open in the Colockum.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Huntbear on May 27, 2009, 09:39:38 AM: I have seen 90 head in one herd here on the wetside. There was 12 branch antlered bulls in the group. And no, not when they are kegged up during the winter feeding. It was 2 days before rifle season opened.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: GoldTip on May 27, 2009, 09:48:43 AM: Seen well over a thousand (maybe 2,000)in a day back home in Montana, hunting the migration around Yellowstone in mid November. Another area in Montana, special permit only area, seen probably 500 in a day.

Here in WA, maybe seen as many as a hundred in a day while hunting the blues.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Slider on May 27, 2009, 09:53:08 AM: When I saw over 800 it was in one herd in the lower Clockum opening day of Rifle season. I have seen around 200 in one heard and 250 in another during Archery Season in Oregon where I hunt!!! :)
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: funkster on May 27, 2009, 10:07:04 AM: Quote from: DOUBLELUNG on May 27, 2009, 09:15:16 AM
I didn't take the picture, but I've killed several elk within 2 miles all around where this was taken, and I've seen this bunch while hunting. Projected and marked off, 1,160 in the photo. (https://hunting-washington.com/cpg/albums/userpics/10055/Oct-Nov_2007_029.jpg)
That is in Wyoming. Photo taken during hunting season.

Here in WA, I've seen as many as 170 in one bunch in the upper Cowlitz Valley between Glenoma and Packwood, maybe 400 in a single day would be the most for W. WA. I've seen over 700 on West Bar while the modern season was open in the Colockum.

Now that is a lot of elk :cue:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: boneaddict on May 27, 2009, 10:41:57 AM: Not counting feeding stations, thousands, of course thats winterrange and not hunting them. During hunting season.... :dunno:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: 270Shooter on May 27, 2009, 03:20:52 PM: During modern season about 90-100.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: buckhorn2 on May 27, 2009, 05:04:19 PM: On the way to lewistown mt. about four years ago at a place called Hay we saw gutpiles everywhere. When we went to the fish and game in lewistown there were several dead cows and we asked what was up. They said about 500 head were crossing from the big snowy mts. over to the little belts and were caught out in flat ground and about 125 elk were shot it was in the papers there and was one of the biggest shoot-outs ever it went on for three days. They said they wrote every ticket imaginable I think it was glad we missed it there were some big bulls shot.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: h2ofowlr on May 27, 2009, 10:45:54 PM: Stopped counting after 200 but they were on the NE side of Mt. Saint Helens. Lots of animals. Saw plenty more in the distance with the spotting scopes.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Alchase on May 28, 2009, 12:27:10 PM: I believe some of you need to point me in the direction of where you are seeing hundreds at a time during hunting season here on the wetside. :rolleyes:

The most I have seen was back when in the 80s hunting all day up Huckleberry creek (above Green Water) then coming down in to Cristal Village housing comunity and seeing a herd of maybe 60 - 70 in the housing community completely surrounded, and out number by blaze orange. Those elk were not moving. :chuckle:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: rougheye on May 28, 2009, 12:36:48 PM: Quote from: Alchase on May 28, 2009, 12:27:10 PM
I believe some of you need to point me in the direction of where you are seeing hundreds at a time during hunting season here on the wetside. :rolleyes:

The most I have seen was back when in the 80s hunting all day up Huckleberry creek (above Green Water) then coming down in to Cristal Village housing comunity and seeing a herd of maybe 60 - 70 in the housing community completely surrounded, and out number by blaze orange. Those elk were not moving. :chuckle:

They are always there :rolleyes:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: tonymoe on May 28, 2009, 03:30:11 PM: since it's still fresh in my mind....and still stings a little bit >:( I counted 183 elk on public land the weekend before the archery opener. Opening weekend (same basin) I counted 2 cows (3pt. or better unit). :bash: No other hunters for miles :dunno:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: strutnrut1984 on May 28, 2009, 03:40:07 PM: 45 one day up on the quinalt, while i was hunting i saw 15 last year opening day
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Houndhunter on May 28, 2009, 04:27:51 PM: few hundred prob, but while hunting maybe 30-40 :dunno:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: rasbo on May 28, 2009, 04:44:09 PM: 50 range,latley see 13 to 6 a day same herd,6 bulls
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: huntnphool on June 03, 2009, 12:35:18 AM: I stop counting after a couple hundred too
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: funkster on June 03, 2009, 08:42:07 AM: When I saw the 68 during season we where on elk every spot we went, it was just one of those days :). It was one of the best times in the woods for me. We had bulls heated up and they where coming in hot. It seemed like every time I let out a locator I got a answer. We past on a few and messed up on others but after all was said and done we went back to camp with all of are tags in pocket. Still it was one of the most action packed days, I hope to get some good footage with my new camera this season. I got some good footage of a small rag horn we called in last season. I am working on a full video but it takes a lot of footage so I am slowly piecing it together,it is almost as fun as the hunting,almost!
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: C-Money on June 03, 2009, 08:49:52 AM: Hundreds! Spring migration.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: colockumelk on June 03, 2009, 03:11:48 PM: My wife hunts with a rifle and I took her up into the Colockum. We saw over 150 elk in one group on a hillside. (About a mile away) Counted at least 8 spikes. Then some guys got into them and the shooting started. It sounded like WWIII erupted. I doubt any of those spikes survived. I also wonder how many cow's were hit in the cross fire. >:(
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: vfilbert on June 04, 2009, 10:40:47 PM: ive seen a hundred plus in one day in the colockum also
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: ryoshi on June 05, 2009, 12:35:32 AM: The last time I hunted Colorado, there were literally 1000's of elk within view. It was the 4th rifle season, early December, up around Craig, in the NW corner and the elk were migrating out of the mountains. What sucked is that they were ALL on private land and gates weren't opening unless there was cash being forked over. What was cool was seeing all those elk, almost all of them were cow and calves, hardly any bulls. I did get lucky and got a cow out of a herd of about 100 that were crossing the only public land in the area.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: DOUBLELUNG on June 05, 2009, 10:29:50 AM: Quote from: Alchase on May 28, 2009, 12:27:10 PM
I believe some of you need to point me in the direction of where you are seeing hundreds at a time during hunting season here on the wetside. :rolleyes:

Pretty easy to see them between Packwood and Randle, right off HWY 12. Did I mention you can't get permission to hunt them?
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Alchase on June 05, 2009, 12:29:20 PM: LOL, so true, stopped during last elk season at the subway in packwood, in the church grass field across the road was the whole herd.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: fc2038 on June 05, 2009, 04:45:12 PM: My father and I went scouting around the mid part of sept a few years back we counted 130 elk and 34 branched antler bulls in a 4 hour drive. We would stop on the turn outs and glass the canyons. We had a few we almost ran over also. Sure was a fun trip!
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: bow4elk on June 05, 2009, 04:51:14 PM: you win! Great day!
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: colockumelk on June 06, 2009, 07:20:13 PM: Quote from: funkster on June 03, 2009, 08:42:07 AM
When I saw the 68 during season we where on elk every spot we went, it was just one of those days :). It was one of the best times in the woods for me. We had bulls heated up and they where coming in hot. It seemed like every time I let out a locator I got a answer. We past on a few and messed up on others but after all was said and done we went back to camp with all of are tags in pocket. Still it was one of the most action packed days, I hope to get some good footage with my new camera this season. I got some good footage of a small rag horn we called in last season. I am working on a full video but it takes a lot of footage so I am slowly piecing it together,it is almost as fun as the hunting,almost!

I looked on Coloroda's harvest report a few weeks back and they kill more elk in Colorado than the entire elk poplulation of Washington. Last year they got almost 60,000 elk. Man what do they do so right that we do so wrong?
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Alchase on June 08, 2009, 07:32:24 AM: Quote from: colockumelk on June 06, 2009, 07:20:13 PM
Last year they got almost 60,000 elk. Man what do they do so right that we do so wrong?

They actually promote their hunting.....Washington puts up with it as a necessary evil until they find another revenue source, then they will ban hunting.
But that is just my opinion. :bash:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: luvtohnt on June 08, 2009, 07:43:13 AM: State of Colorado
Population Ranked 22nd in the US - Total 4,939,456-2008 estimate
Population Density 41.5/sq mi (16.01/km²)
Area Total 104,185 sq mi
State of Washington
Population Ranked 13th in the US Total 6,549,224 2008 estimate
Population Density 88.6/sq mi (34.20/km²)
Area Total 71,342 sq mi

I would say that the red items is the major factor as to why they could even have 60,000 elk in Colorado!!

Brandon
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: colockumelk on June 09, 2009, 01:11:15 PM: We have enough area to have more elk its just that anywhere our elk herds try to expand the WDFW decimates them. The WDFW doesn't want them encroaching into our prescious deer herds domain Look at the Wenatchee area and Goldendale. Elk have been trying to expand into those areas but the WDFW wont let them. We have the area to support more than the number of elk we have if the WDFW would manage them for more numbers but they wont. I think that Alchase is right.
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: coachcw on June 18, 2009, 12:35:14 PM: I've sen a few gruops of a hundred or so, it's the one you dont see that busts yah. i much rather hunt a smaller group or a couple of lone bulls those get killed . A few years back in mt by grant ( huntnphool knows this spot too ) . real open areas . 70 degrees the next day 13 degrees . spoted a hundred or so on top of a mountain , snow'n and blow'n climed up to them and as luck would have it the only 6x6 was behind a little bluff snuck up and stuck at 30 yards , pure luck he was where he was in the group . two years earlyer killed a 5x5 of that same open mountain with no trees this time he got bumped from the group and came right into my lap . If your a bow hunter lots of elk are great to see just tough to hunt . Coachcw
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: hoytem on June 19, 2009, 12:37:19 AM: i've seen 43 in one day in the lewis river unit(formerly marble).
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: Ihookum on June 19, 2009, 08:07:19 AM: Seen 149 in one day during wet side rifle 2 yrs ago. Not a legal bull in the bunch.

Bull to cow ratio alot better this year. :mgun: :mgun: :whoo:
Title: Re: How many elk have you seen in one day!
Post by: sandythebowtotenmama on June 19, 2009, 08:50:13 AM: About 20, in Packwood a couple weeks ago.