Congratulations Washington! # 5 Elk destination in the USA!

[idaho guy]

The best top end bulls I have seen last few years have mostly been from Washington. Granted terrible odds to get one of those tags, but the best bulls I have seen are mostly from Washington topping az and all the other supposed trophy states. Maybe that played into the rankings? Other than that and easy to obtain otc tags I have no idea

[Pathfinder101]

2 -3% ? Talked to a warden after season and asked if was up in the blues for elk season, asked how people did up there. He told me of all the people he met with, none had been successful, most hadn't even seen an elk, those that did said there were very few and no bulls. He didn't mention what gmu's he was in.

As a general rule, elk in the Blues have been pushed onto private land by predators and hunting pressure.  No elk left on public ground when WDFW does counts, so they slash the tag #s, and the elk crowded onto private land grow older and bigger.  We have gotten to the point where we could almost just make the elk draw tags in this region only available to folks who already have some sort of "certified" permission on private ground.  Not sure how WDFW would ride that pony, but if they aren't allowed to control predators, it's about the only thing that makes sense...

[NW SURVEYOR]

Here's my take, now that you've asked:

I typically hunt Idaho for elk because that's where my hunting partners now live and hunt.
We know the area, are lucky on the draws and regularly shoot OTC bull elk, better that 75% success for a group of 5 over the years.
I have spent a considerable portion (35Year+) of my 50 year elk hunting career hunting western Washington with what I feel is better than average success.

If I had the entire 9-10 day season for OTC fair chase three point or better elk in western Washington State for 2023, I would expect the opportunity to pull the trigger on a legal bull at a reasonable distance.  I hunt the entire time, get off the road, scout, stay in top shape and work my a$$ off.  In my epinicion Washington has a lot more opportunities that most people think.  It is also my opinion that a lot of people let themselves believe that the opportunities are not there.  They are beat before they leave the rig, if they even get off the road.
Now, granted, I have made it a point to always take off the entire season and have my camps set up prior to opening and stay till the very end, but that's how it works.  Weekend hunting for elk is really not very effective with such a wide ranging animal.
Now, I mentioned that I would expect an "Opportunity" at an elk, but given the opportunity, things don't always work in the hunters favor, elk are tough to hunt and tougher to kill.  When I miss an "Opportunity", I don't give up, although I am painfully aware, that my "One chance a season" has slipped through my fingers, quitting is not an option.
Short story long, Washington has good opportunities to shoot elk, and MAY be in the top five.
This is especially true if you don't have the resources to spend buying out of state tags, scouting said out of state and travelling for two days well prior to the opener so you can get camp set up.
Good Luck this season.
Rob.

[Mr Mykiss]

Holy crap!!! This is the first year I’m not even buying a hunting license in WA. Didn’t hunt last year…why? To kill one of four 2.5 year old bucks within 50 miles? No thanks. What a joke.

[Stein]

It's the new paradigm, quantity over quality.  It isn't about the kill (or even seeing one), it's all about the opportunity the state is providing.  OTC, anyone can hunt elk every year here.

Honestly, I wonder what would happen if the pros started talking up WA?  I bet a significant portion of out of state people don't hunt WA because everyone says not to. 

Geography sucks for WA, you have to drive through a better elk state (or 2 or 3) to get to here from any state in the lower 48.

[GASoline71]

It's the new paradigm, quantity over quality.  It isn't about the kill (or even seeing one), it's all about the opportunity the state is providing.  OTC, anyone can hunt elk every year here.

Honestly, I wonder what would happen if the pros started talking up WA?  I bet a significant portion of out of state people don't hunt WA because everyone says not to. 

Geography sucks for WA, you have to drive through a better elk state (or 2 or 3) to get to here from any state in the lower 48.

That is exactly what hunters like Randy Newburg say when asked about hunting WA.  Why would I travel through some of the best elk hunting in the nation, to hunt in WA where draw odds are slim to none, and the OTC opportunities aren't as great as places like ID.

Gary