Elk in Packwood

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

drove up to white pass yesternay, I have never seen anything like it...
There were more elk in Packwood than people !!
Standing around in peoples yards, in the parking lots, just about everywhere !
That is just plain crazy !!!!!!!!!!
I bet there are a few people living there that don't think they are so beautiful now !!

[jackelope]

Didn't they try to haze them or something like that last year? I know it happens every year. There was something that happened there last year for sure.

[jackelope]

http://www.komonews.com/news/local/31083929.html

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I have heard a lot about it , but I saw at least 75-100 elk on my way through, I knew it was an issue, but I did not realise how many were hanging in town...
We saw quite a few on the way back along 12 from the top down, but they had cleared out of town by the time we returned.
Although we did pass a sheriff a short ways out of town "shining" a herd.

[mmullins]

drove threw there last spring on our way back from eastern washington. starting counting in packwood, and we got to over 250 by the time we hit randle. There sure is a ton of elk up there.

[Elk hunter4ever]

 It's like that year round..well almost. Most of the elk you see in Packwood now are down low out of the park because of the snow up high. When the snow melts off in the spring, most of the elk head back up to the hills. But a good majority still hang around town and at the golf course. My hunting partner lives in Packwood and feeds elk in the winter on his property. On a good day he will have over 75+ head of elk. Opening day of archery last year, he shot a big 5 point bull at his place. Something needs to change so the average non master hunter can have a chance to take a cow. By permit possibly. They used to have an antlerless season in the packwood unit and the south rainer unit 10+ years ago for archery and the herd was still fine.Now the herd is getting out of hand and you can see it now when you drive up and down Hwy12.    

[carpsniperg2]

it would be cool to see that i have never been able to see them like that.

[jelo45110]

IOver the last couple of years I have made many trips from here in Idaho to my place in Glenoma. I would see anywhere from 75 to 200 elk from the top of the pass to Randle every trip. I even stopped and took this picture on Sunday morning at the old grade school on my way back to Idaho. They were not bothered by the people in town or me snapping pics either.
jelo45110

[rackattack]

 

[h2ofowlr]

We go to the sales they have over Memorial Day and Labor Day.  The streets are lined with elk crap.  The elk are always walking through town.

[400out]

I wish those elk would walk down my road

[zackmioli]

everytime i drive thru there they are laying in the grass in front of the hotel.

[Kowsrule30]

Last year when I went threw there we must have saw over 300 head.... Couldn't look anywhere and not see some...

[Blsum]

That's where the Lewis county sheriff was killed cause he hit an elk in route to a call. Damn things are everywhere down there. I wish they would give a cow permit for the south Rainer unit or even an any elk.

[carpsniperg2]

yeah i remember that very sad

[HighCountryHunter88]

this last elk season we came through town on our way back from hunting up on the pass, seen a nice five point sittin with his cows right in front of the hotel!

[GEARHEAD]

The wdfw will eventually allow a kill off or relocation, hunters however won't be involved, they are just waiting for another person to be killed. it "will" happen, then watch how fast they move.

[JackOfAllTrades]

To be honest I'm half surprised that there's any Elk in the Packwood unit at all. Just like the Nooksack herd, in the late 80's that Packwood herd was hit really hard by poachers. I had a doe tag in that unit in 90 and didn't see much for Elk for days then stumbled into them back by the lake. On a trip into town I mentioned that I saw many Elk, the older guy in the coffee shop couldn't believe it. Poachers had just about wiped out the local deer and elk.  I ended up taking a buck several miles south of that unit days later.

Steve

[GEARHEAD]

i think they thrive in Packwood, because Indians can't do drive by's with AK's like they used to on the area herds.

[NWTFhunter]

i think they thrive in Packwood, because Indians can't do drive by's with AK's like they used to on the area herds.

          

[GEARHEAD]

NO JOKE, this actually happened several times that are known anyways, shooting right off hwy 12, they were even arrested, made the news, even of course the story was dropped when the suspects were named as members of a trib. several dead elk, unknown amount wounded. State dropped the charges. as i remember they were colville members maybe and petitioned that packwood was their ancient winter hunting grounds. lol, seems like a long walk in the winter. my op on that is B.S. the tribe just decimated that herd a a few short years.