Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: petej on May 29, 2012, 05:42:09 PM

Title: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: petej on May 29, 2012, 05:42:09 PM: The last two years I have hunted turkeys in the northeast corner around kettle falls and both times I see TONS of elk sign but it is all really old and I never see any elk. So obviously they are there at some point but they seem to have moved on this time of year. Harvest numbers look really low for that area so I'm guessing they aren't there during the season either so where do they go? Do they spend winter there and then go to a cooler place during summer?? I'd like to hunt that area because it is so nice over there but it seems like its not the best place despite all the sign.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: 92xj on May 29, 2012, 05:50:08 PM: What sign do you see that makes you think elk? I am thinking all the sign you is seeing is scat. And 98% of that is moose.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: dscubame on May 29, 2012, 06:00:35 PM: I would think the difference between elk and moose is as obvious to others as it is to me. But as far as elk in the ne corner, your better off in the blues or the naches.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: Huntbear on May 29, 2012, 06:02:42 PM: Quote from: dscubame on May 29, 2012, 06:00:35 PM
I would think the difference between elk and moose is as obvious to others as it is to me. But as far as elk in the ne corner, your better off in the blues or the naches.

You would be completely shocked then at what happens in Colorado during the cow elk hunts.... Seems there are a lot of "BLACK" cow elk in Colorado... :bash: :bash: :bash: :bash:
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: BULLBLASTER on May 29, 2012, 06:52:18 PM: I have seen many experienced elk hunters mistake moose *censored* and prints for elk. It can be difficult to tell apart. I would venture to say that 95% of the be elk killed are killed by 5% of the people hunting there. Few guys have it figured out and they don't talk much.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: petej on May 29, 2012, 08:22:47 PM: alright well I'd guess it is probably moose then, I did see a moose while I was over there this year. I guess I assumed moose *censored* would be noticably bigger than elk and this looked elk sized to me, but I haven't seen enough moose sign side by side with elk to make a good comparison. I doubt I will hunt there as it doesn't seem too promising but maybe if I have time in august I'll go check it out again. Thanks for the responses
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: Mudman on May 29, 2012, 08:58:29 PM: When I was in the NE I saw a large pile of elk scat. Then I realized they were slightly longer and larger. Never did see any elk sign. Think I figured it out, I hope. :chuckle:
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: huntnnw on May 29, 2012, 09:45:33 PM: Quote from: dscubame on May 29, 2012, 06:00:35 PM
I would think the difference between elk and moose is as obvious to others as it is to me. But as far as elk in the ne corner, your better off in the blues or the naches.

never for me I will not be limited to spike hunts

problem with the corner for newbies is they are not willing to put forth the effort to find elk..they wanna see them from logging roads..hear them bugle from easy to reach gated roads and quad trails and see elk walking what they think are remote roads..sure every now and then u will get lucky. Its steep and thick and takes alot of effort to go a short distance and after many failed attempts most just give up that year and never return.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: coachcw on May 30, 2012, 06:36:35 AM: Dont forget the grizz up there Huntnw. once you have had a encounter with one it changes just how willing to get in that thick stuff and elk hunt one is . I know next time I hunt up there I will be packing some heat on my hip .
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: shoot-em-dead on May 30, 2012, 06:53:33 AM: Why are you guys lying- there are tons of elk in the NE corner. :rolleyes:
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: CAMPMEAT on May 30, 2012, 07:04:49 AM: There is quite abit of elk around Kettle Falls. You could of seen elk poop pretty easily. Moose poop is almost an even smallish egg shaped type of'crap.
It's not oval shaped though. It's about an inch-ish long-ish.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: TommyH on May 30, 2012, 07:41:37 AM: I work in the woods and see elk and moose and their scat alot. I watched a moose drop his scat and walked over to check it out and it looked just like elk scat! If i hadnt seen it drop i would have said its elk forsure! Its not always easy to tell the difference! Time in alaska taught me what moose scat looks like but its not always easy to tell. Differnt areas/differnt habitat/differnt scat.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: boneaddict on May 30, 2012, 07:44:14 AM: If everyone is looking for a sure thing for a monster branch antlered bull, I'd say go up and hunt in the NE Corner. :)
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: TommyH on May 30, 2012, 08:18:16 AM: There is no elk in the NE, the wolves ate them all. thats why the wolves are here now, they ate themselves out of food in idaho. Good ole days of elk hunting is a thing of the past.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: dscubame on May 30, 2012, 01:25:16 PM: Just look at the stats for the NE and you will go elsewhere, and for good reason.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: Austrian Hunter on May 30, 2012, 01:35:09 PM: No NO NO NO, there are NO Elk in the NE corner, none! You waist your time and energy. Some really nasty stuff up there ;) All Elk are West of the mountains!
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: huntnnw on May 30, 2012, 10:08:22 PM: oh and how accurate are those stats?? :chuckle: I know several and by several I mean 5-9 guys who kill elk every year in NE and they always know guys who kill elk. There are way more than meets the eye in stats. I have spots scattered from N spokane to Canada that always hold elk and I sure as hell not found all the spots.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: Mudman on May 30, 2012, 10:54:23 PM: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :twocents:
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: jnevs23 on May 30, 2012, 11:44:40 PM: I agree with the 95% of the elk shot by 10% of the hunters. Tight lipped up there
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: RoyBoy on May 31, 2012, 01:53:02 AM: i have a buddy with a couple thousand acres in between kelltle falls and colville and i know for a fact he had a huge heard of elk on his land and a bunch of reallly respectable bulls :twocents: :twocents:
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: buglebuster on May 31, 2012, 03:06:12 AM: Quote from: RoyBoy on May 31, 2012, 01:53:02 AM
i have a buddy with a couple thousand acres in between kelltle falls and colville and i know for a fact he had a huge heard of elk on his land and a bunch of reallly respectable bulls :twocents: :twocents:
does he need a new friend :chuckle:
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: huntnnw on May 31, 2012, 03:46:15 AM: Quote from: RoyBoy on May 31, 2012, 01:53:02 AM
i have a buddy with a couple thousand acres in between kelltle falls and colville and i know for a fact he had a huge heard of elk on his land and a bunch of reallly respectable bulls :twocents: :twocents:

There is a herd up above kettle falls on top always
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: Mudman on May 31, 2012, 06:50:30 AM: No doubt area holds elk. But it is isolated compared to the wetside. The opportunity is there but not great for general public without inside info. Like almost anywhere if you put in alot of time you will learn where elk are but more difficult in NE. Besides the wolves are becoming well established up there and we know what that means.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: Miles on May 31, 2012, 07:46:32 AM: Quote from: boneaddict on May 30, 2012, 07:44:14 AM
If everyone is looking for a sure thing for a monster branch antlered bull, I'd say go up and hunt in the NE Corner. :)

Definitely a high success area for monster bulls. Lots of wide open places with huge meadows full of bugling elk come late September, early October. It's pretty flat, so being in shape isn't really necessary.

Good luck!
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: 724wd on May 31, 2012, 12:20:30 PM: Quote from: Miles on May 31, 2012, 07:46:32 AM
Definitely a high success area for monster bulls. Lots of wide open places with huge meadows full of bugling elk come late September, early October. It's pretty flat, so being in shape isn't really necessary.

Good luck!

:chuckle: :chuckle: :lol4: :lol4: :lol4: :sas:
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: buckfvr on May 31, 2012, 12:32:45 PM: Quote from: Mudman on May 30, 2012, 10:54:23 PM
:chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :chuckle: :twocents:
:yeah:
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: Mudman on May 31, 2012, 12:46:19 PM: The Northeast corner of Winston is what we are talking about. Right? :DOH:
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: BULLBLASTER on May 31, 2012, 01:16:04 PM: After looking at harvest it looks like average success is about the same in ne as Winston or coweeman. In 2011 266 elk were killed in Winston with over 4000 hunters. 49 degrees had 70 elk killed by close to 1000 hunters. Maybe the 95% by 5% was an overstatement. But I do believe that most elk are killed by fewer people. The last 3 years I have killed elk in coweeman and see people who haven't seen a legal bull in the same 3 years.
Same in ne there's decent numbers of elk... just have to know where and how to hunt them.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: petej on May 31, 2012, 02:00:00 PM: Alright well thanks for all the info guys, I've never shot an elk so I will most likely be on the westside this year I was just curious more than anything.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: boneaddict on May 31, 2012, 02:12:30 PM: There is one way to find out, and thats go look. You will be hard pressed to find ONE soul, to give you solid information for the area. If you do get information, there is a 90% chance they are just blowhards and don't have a clue. It is the most guarded secret in Washington. 99% of anyone worth their salt that knows anything about it, isn't going to share. Essentially its the perfect tag if you know what you are doing. SECONDLY, you pretty much have to completely understnad the animals there or camp on them to know where they will be when. In other words, live there is your best option.
Title: Re: Elk in the northeast corner
Post by: CAMPMEAT on May 31, 2012, 02:26:16 PM: Quote from: boneaddict on May 31, 2012, 02:12:30 PM
There is one way to find out, and thats go look. You will be hard pressed to find ONE soul, to give you solid information for the area. If you do get information, there is a 90% chance they are just blowhards and don't have a clue. It is the most guarded secret in Washington. 99% of anyone worth their salt that knows anything about it, isn't going to share. Essentially its the perfect tag if you know what you are doing. SECONDLY, you pretty much have to completely understnad the animals there or camp on them to know where they will be when. In other words, live there is your best option.

I know loggers that live there in Ione and bone is right. They tell me where to hunt and the nonlocals aren't even close to them.