Yes, NEN, I've had the Umtanum tag twice before. Was successful once and skunked the other. 10% success is what WDFW expects, I think. Otherwise they would never issue 250 permits.
I hunt mostly on Cleman's Mountain. My feeling is that 10 years ago the hunting was MUCH better there. That was when a special permit wasn't needed, ie, all ML tag holders could take cows.
Ever since they went to these permits the hunting has been crap. But for some reason, I keep going back. I DO love that country!
Another thought is that perhaps the thing that started the downhill slide was that big "massacre" of Elk down in the WDFW field along Wenas creek. I'm guessing 1991 or '92. Elk were thick on top the mountain AND down below, but after 20 cows were taken down along the creek, there was a huge public outcry. "Too much success for those damned blackpowder hunters on those innocent Elk!" I wonder if WDFW doesn't now go in ahead of the season and roust out the herds. I witnessed them do that 25 years ago in the Colockum where a herd was headed over a refuge fence down into a canyon filled with hunters and a WDFW pickup headed them off and turned 'em back up onto the refuge. Man, was I pissed! Good luck over in Bumping,NEN.