Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: NORRISKI2 on November 08, 2009, 08:14:24 PM
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Just got back from elk camp in GMU 342. I have enjoyed hunting in this unit for the last 12 years, but I think this will be the last. My father law introduced me to hunting elk in this unit which he has been hunting for 25 years, yes he is old :chuckle: This year was similar to others, too many hunters, too early in the season, and a spike bull only tag. With that said I have always understood what I was faced with and our group has taken several elk from this area in the past but this year was just too much to handle. There was possibly more hunters per square inch than I ever seen. Riding four wheelers, driving roads, riding horses, cutting fire wood (in prime hunting areas), blocking roads etc... After hearing bullets fly over my head I came across a hunter that bragged he and his party had cow tags and had just taken 4 out of a herd of 50. I said sarcastically, "wow was that you guys that shot about 38 times." He said, "yep but we got them." I walked off shaking my head. I only wish I would have paid more attention to his pickup and license plate. Why?? Our group knows the area extremely well and proceeded to go check out where his party had been shooting the day before. Although I can't prove it there were two dead cow elk not 200 yards from each other laying to waste. Apparently the f^&^&*& "yep but we got them" idiot could not count either because I would say they got 6 elk with four tags. Enough of my rant. Hope everyone else had a great season. Goodbye for now GMU 342 and a lot of good memories.
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that sucks so bad. i hate people like that, shoot more just to make sure they can find enough to fill the tags. man i wish you could of caught them in the act.
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I wish I could have caught them in the act to, but I was too busy hitting the dirt as the bullets were flying. I wish I could say that is the first elk I have seen in that unit left to waste but it was not.
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So you are or are not going back to this unit. Sounds crazy and must have a lot of easy access. Sorry but most elk hunters in this state do it more as a vacation then serious hunting from what I have seen.
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dbllunger-Who knows I always say I'm not going back every year I leave but some how I end up there when the season comes around. I just like being with the "guys" I guess. There is a lot of easy access and I agree most are vacationers including myself sometimes, which I don't have a problem with if done with some ethical foresight, but for some reason this year it irritated me more than usual.
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I took a drive around the area on monday looking for some falks i know that hunt the area and see most years hunting. None of them were around. I switched t archery and hunted modern with my dad but he stoped hunting elk3 yers ago due t health reasons.
I was very shocked to not see any of them around, for they were all "die hard" hunters and few of them were disabled hunters that hunt the disabled area over there.
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I hunted up there the first 5 days and thought the amount of people was about the same as years past. green dot roads so no biggie on the quads and trucks. you might have seen me on my quad driving to spots.
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NORRISKI2, I know where you're coming from. I've hunted 346 for the 10-12 years and this was by far the worst ever, just way too many hunters without any regard towards others. We were so frustrated by Wed. we just packed up and came home. Eric.
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We hunted 342 for the entire season. Set up camp on Thursday before the opener and left at about 10am yesterday. The guys in my camp actually commented more than once on how FEW hunters we ran across. I ran into exactly one hunter the entire season. He was walking in on a skidder road I was sitting on. Talked to him for a couple minutes and off he went.
Other than that,I don't think I saw another hunter within probably 1000 yds of me.
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That is why I never hunt ELK with a Modern tag. Way too many idiots out there that are willing to kill everything in sight (including people) for a stinking elk. No ethics, no legwork, just driving their lazy asses up and down the country side on quads and 4 wheelers looking for the Elk.
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:yeah:
Hope they stay in that season though and don't come over to mine.
