Washington Elk

[Huntnnw]

While I haven't hunted in Washington since I've been here (got here Oct 2021), I go out hiking almost every weekend. I am on the west side.

I have seen zero deer, bear, and elk while out hiking, and this is from the North Cascades NP, Mount Baker area, and Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

There are a LOT of people though. A lot! And most have no business going into the mountains. If the breeze were to pick up and it were to rain they'd be in quite a bit of trouble. On last weekend's hike I stopped counting at 100 people.

if you havent seen a bear you are not looking hard enough. there is a ton of bears in those areas.

 

[ghost338]

Is there a distance limitation from Seattle, or is the whole state fair game?

There are some pockets of public land that hold deer, elk, and bear that can be day hunted from Seattle. If you're into a backcountry experience, there is some awesome bear hunting in the wilderness areas nearby. Peak of season is usually middle-ish of September in the alpines depending on weather that year. I've run into deer and elk as well. Agreed with a previous comment about fishing. Make it a dual trip. Certainly will be an experience.

 

[The Ri Guy]

if you havent seen a bear you are not looking hard enough. there is a ton of bears in those areas.

Some dandy alpine BT in those areas too.

 

[jpmulk]

Its a shame. I grew up in washington and have fond memories of hunting there. It really did not use to be bad. Not many years ago all of the timber companies allowed everyone free access to all of that forest land full of critters. It seems washington is about at rock bottom for hunting opportunities. Most of the rest of my hunting family is in the process of getting out of the that state. Cant blame them.

 

[mavinwa2]

yes, Jpmulk....
it's the loss of FREE access to western WA lands that have really affected opportunities. These private timber companies receive huge federal tax breaks yet open their lands for only those desiring to purchase an access pass or rather PA$$. And limit, restrict areas to access for those $$$ passes too!

I remember hunting Weyerhauser lands close to Seattle, 1/2 hour drive to North Bend area. Or south down by Morton/Lewis County, or out coastal toward Montesano/Wynoochee areas. Now owned by a different private land timber companies and access by PA$$.

Now predator numbers are high due to restrictions from recent law changes driven by environmental/anti's and this is impacting deer & elk herd numbers. Add in hoof rot disease etc, loss of habitat due to developments too. A once favorite blacktail deer hunt area is now the Snoqualmie TPC golf course and corresponding housing/community development.

 

[Alegault]

yea people are everywhere during elk season here (Eastside hunts). Bump into guys miles off trail. Elk get super pressured, go quiet and get pushed pretty far. I even find scouting pre season that finding elk is less of a problem after putting some time in, it’s finding where they go once pressured that is tough. And then…pray you see something legal. Maybe I should also just get better at elk hunting.

I will say, almost all the hunters I chat with wading through the crowds have been friendly. Nobody too territorial as long as all parties being respectful. All misery loves company type conversations.

The areas posters mentioned above are a good bet. There’s some beautiful country and nice hikes. As long as you’re content enjoying the experience and don’t expect to harvest anything, you’ll have a great time.

I myself am starting to look at out of state hunts with WA as a fallback to increase my harvest odds as another data point.

 

[Elk97]

Last time I hunted deer in WA I hiked into a big bowl I knew about near Winthrop way before daylight. Settled down in a good glassing spot on the rim and waited for the sun to come up. Shortly after daylight I'm looking around and there were 4 other hunters on that same rim. I packed up and went home. That was about 1973 IIRC. I'm guessing there are more people now :-((

 

[Howdoyoulikemenow]

Oh, for shits sake. It's your money and time plus you'll get to spend time with family. C'mon out. Lifelong Wash elk hunter on the west side. Has our elk herds and hunting declined? Yes. Are the still elk to hunt and outdoor experiences to enjoy? Yes! It's true private timber lands are now pay to play. But there's plenty of state and national forest land to roam. Pick up the OnX app. and start scouting before you come out. Do some research. Check harvest information, etc. You know the drill.... You'll find places to hunt for where you're suggesting. Yes, there will be other hunters out and about. Get off the roads or out of sight of them at least. Be safe and enjoy your trip.

 

[Archer86]

There are also plenty of timber companys that are walk in access only on the west side of the state that don't charge for access and just require you to register. Plenty of elk In Western Washington just got to find them in all that brush.

 

[Pacific_Fork]

I love me a good smear campaign. ID, MT, and CO needs to hire some WA residents to spread the same information. Make western hunting great again!

 

[JeffRaines]

I love me a good smear campaign. ID, MT, and CO needs to hire some WA residents to spread the same information. Make western hunting great again!

Honestly, every other state has these types too.

Hunting deer in another western state this November, all the locals could talk about was how there aren't that many deer this year... meanwhile me and my buddy are like "WTF" because deer were literally everywhere compared to here. A quick search on the unit we hunted revealed the same old song - no animals, too many guys, too much pressure, etc.

Go ask about any western state and you'll see these guys come out of the woodwork:

"The hunting sucks here!"
"Too many people its like a pumpkin patch!"
"There are no <insert animal here> anymore, <insert predator> ate them all!"
"You can't get away from other hunters!"

Don't get me wrong - Washington definitely has opportunity, but you're fooling yourself if you think it isn't better elsewhere.

Not to mention, a new-to-<insert species> hunter needs an area with abundant game to adequately learn, because inevitably the first handful of encounters are going to be squandered due to not knowing what you're doing. Its a normal thing, but its a hell of a slow slog when you might get 1 encounter a season vs. a handful in a season.

 

[Wrench]

I started hunting Idaho based on economics as a Washington resident. I get 97 legal hunting hours in the entire season. I'll spend about $75.00 to hunt this time. As a non resident in Idaho, my opportunity cost ÷ huntable hours comes out at par. Add in the reduced bear, cougar and wolf tags and it's an easy win financially for me to drive east 50 miles.

 

[Huntnnw]

Honestly, every other state has these types too.

Hunting deer in another western state this November, all the locals could talk about was how there aren't that many deer this year... meanwhile me and my buddy are like "WTF" because deer were literally everywhere compared to here. A quick search on the unit we hunted revealed the same old song - no animals, too many guys, too much pressure, etc.

Go ask about any western state and you'll see these guys come out of the woodwork:

"The hunting sucks here!"
"Too many people its like a pumpkin patch!"
"There are no <insert animal here> anymore, <insert predator> ate them all!"
"You can't get away from other hunters!"

Don't get me wrong - Washington definitely has opportunity, but you're fooling yourself if you think it isn't better elsewhere.

Not to mention, a new-to-<insert species> hunter needs an area with abundant game to adequately learn, because inevitably the first handful of encounters are going to be squandered due to not knowing what you're doing. Its a normal thing, but its a hell of a slow slog when you might get 1 encounter a season vs. a handful in a season.

Exactly! Ive lived in E WA my whole life and 11 years ago started hunting outta state. Its eye opening the difference in quality and quantity of animals elsewhere.

 

[dirtytough]

I posted this earlier in the FNG forum when searching for WA elk hunts. I think this is where I should have posted lol

If I may jump into this thread that has been allowed to retire(see what I did there?), I have a step daughter that now lives in Seattle. This means I'll be joining my wife to visit her occasionally. I've been archery hunting elk in various western states but OR and WA have been a bit too far of a drive from StL. (I hate flying with my gear) Anyway, since I figure I'll be out there maybe I can tack on an elk hunt mid to late Sept. I'm seeing a lot of negativity for elk hunting, especially in western WA but as a member of the over 60 club and a glutton for punishment, I thought I'd see if you guys could give me some leads on prime otc spots or more to the point any recommendations on guided, semi guided or drop camp outfitters. Maybe one of you would "act" as a wilderness guide? Maybe I'm peeing up a tree.
I'm not opposed to a nice trophy bull, but I enjoy the experience as much or more than the kill (I'm a vet of experiences vs kills). A fat spike or juicy cow will put a lot of meat in my freezer. I'm in good shape, and enjoy backcountry spike camps (glutton for punishment). As a former infantry Marine and Coastie (USCG) I know enough about my limitations and survival to get myself in trouble.
Anything constructive shared is greatly appreciated and top secret PM's will be guarded with my life.

There are elk there to hunt. You might get lucky and even see one of them. Without a lot of experience hunting there I bet your odds are less than 1% to actually tag out on something.

If it was me I would think about doing an alpine bear hunt. Fantastic scenery and a good chance of tagging out.

Last time I checked Washington had the highest densities of black bear in the lower 48.

 

[sneaky]

yes, Jpmulk....
it's the loss of FREE access to western WA lands that have really affected opportunities. These private timber companies receive huge federal tax breaks yet open their lands for only those desiring to purchase an access pass or rather PA$$. And limit, restrict areas to access for those $$$ passes too!

I remember hunting Weyerhauser lands close to Seattle, 1/2 hour drive to North Bend area. Or south down by Morton/Lewis County, or out coastal toward Montesano/Wynoochee areas. Now owned by a different private land timber companies and access by PA$$.

Now predator numbers are high due to restrictions from recent law changes driven by environmental/anti's and this is impacting deer & elk herd numbers. Add in hoof rot disease etc, loss of habitat due to developments too. A once favorite blacktail deer hunt area is now the Snoqualmie TPC golf course and corresponding housing/community development.

You can thank the handful of idiots who walk off from unattended campfires every year too for your loss of access. Every time a man made fire starts on timber company ground that's costing everyone money, the company losing trees, state and feds for fire fighting costs. People took advantage of that access and ruined it of their own volition. It's happened everywhere across the country.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Huntnnw]

There are elk there to hunt. You might get lucky and even see one of them. Without a lot of experience hunting there I bet your odds are less than 1% to actually tag out on something.

If it was me I would think about doing an alpine bear hunt. Fantastic scenery and a good chance of tagging out.

Last time I checked Washington had the highest densities of black bear in the lower 48.

isnt that the truth. Its not real hard to learn bear hunting in WA the predator pit of the west. Get up high in August and you should see bears. Pretty hard to not see bears in WA once you figure it out.

 

[trophyhunt]

If it makes you feel better, I have applied for bull tags every year since 1992 and never drawn one. When I finally do, they'll never get another 6bux for the chance from me.

Same for me, 27 points this year, no poacher points, 27 years of applying in bull and quality elk categories.

 

[Jason277]

I've been a WA resident for almost 7 years and have not hunted elk one single day in WA if that tells you anything. With that said, I just have no interest in hunting spikes or cows. If you did then the east side might be ok.

I do put in every year for an east side tag and will probabaly hunt WA once in my life if I ever draw, but since I plan to move to WY, maybe I won't.

What area of Wy you looking at?

 

[elkocd]

What area of Wy you looking at?

Western.

 

[Jason277]

Western.

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