Nooksack Muzzleloader Bull Tag

[Star882]

I was excited to see if finally was able to draw a Washington tag after a ton of years putting in. I drew the Nooksack Muzzleloader Bull tag. I have hunted the unit alot for bear and deer. But never for elk. I have a few spots I have seen elk in the high country. I was wondering if anyone would be willing to share some info with me on the unit or the tag. I do not have any logging permits for access. I was planning on high country or try to gain access to farming land. Any information would be much appreciated. The tag is from Sept 23rd to Oct 14th.

[Bucks2Ducks]

Cant beat those dates!! Good Luck

[Ridgerunner]

Some studs still roam that unit and with those dates you should have a great hunt.


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[high_hunter]

Should be good dates for some rut action early on. Sounds like you're familiar with and close by to do lots of pre-season of scouting in.

Herd has taken a bit of a hit in recent years IMO but there still are some good ones around. High hunting could be fun early, but I suspect you'll have the best chances of encounters and success down low near the river.

Go make friends with the farmers and locals starting now. There is a wide range of opinions about both elk and hunters, so don't be surprised if you get the door slammed or asked to pay a fee. Boat access options shouldn't be out of the question either; happy to put you in contact with some guys who run the river regularly.

Attached is a recent one from that unit. PM and we can talk more.

[BB90]

You should get a sierra pacific gate key from WDFW and some maps for drawing the tag (no logging permit needed).  The key will get you into Sierra Pacific gates.  I had the tag in 2019.   You should get an invite to a briefing with Sierra and WDFW before the season.

PM me if you want some info on where we saw bulls, wallows, cow heards and what not.

I might be available to help/call/pack if you want.

[deer_hnter]

I had the Nooksack modern tag in 2013 when it was a quality hunt. Took a bull I was really happy with on 10/18 and he was still bugling like crazy. It's been a minute, but feel free to DM if you want any intel on what I experienced.

[rochunt]

So what happened to the quality tags as they changed it to bull so the guys with 20 plus points last them all?

[Alan K]

Points are tied to the category, not the hunt itself so they still have their quality points.  If they weren't building points in the bull category... Ouch!

[Kingofthemountain83]

WDFW keeps it interesting!!! 

[freezerfull]

Points are tied to the category, not the hunt itself so they still have their quality points.  If they weren't building points in the bull category... Ouch!

I am one of those who is not pleased with this change by WDFW haha. It’s local and I know it well, now it’s off the table. Most bull category hunts haven’t intrigued me so I’ve never applied.