Originally Posted By: Dogfish
I usually skip the early season and focus on the late season, as the bucks aren't stupid yet. That is except for this year. Tomorrow after I run through the Quinault unit for elk I'll make my way back down the Nooch to see what I can see.

Know of any apple orchards? Those are helpful early and late, if our pet deer are any help.

If you have found the deer, mainly does, remember those areas, as they hang in the same vicinty. The bucks will move to them in the late season.


Our remodel house has apple trees, the deer have gotten so lazy that they just bed down under the trees in the garden half the time.

I know of a set of orchards in the Minot unit. They are in a field and have a prime cut behind them, with a brush/treeline between. They require about 8 steep miles on bike to get to (no atv/cars allowed). If we could get permission from the farmer they would be a lot closer, but he looks like a hunter (judging from the amount of racks hanging on the outside of his shed) so I doubt permission is forthcoming. My bud and I are still deciding if it will be worth the effort this weekend. Because if we do morning or afternoon, we'll be riding in the dark for a long time.

Unfortunately that unit with won't be open in the late season, so that herd I was watching in the evening will not be accessible to me. I will auction off the GPS coordinates I guess (that's a joke), probably just tell a buddy where to try. It is a landing you can drive to (but shouldn't), and is set up perfectly for west wind.

Thanks for all the tips. Good luck on your elk hunt Andy. We are starting to paint the interior this week.
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