I am originally from Montana and grew up hunting from 12 years old on up through College. I have had many successes with a rifle but mostly with big mule dear. I am now 41 and haven't hunted in WA because I have had to many responsibilities with work and family. To get to the point....I would like to go elk hunting around the Puget Sound area for meat. I didn't get a permit and don't know of a good place to increase my chances of success. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

You left Montana & came here?? Should be the other way around. heh heh. Ya gotta do what ya gotta do. I hunt elk for the meat too, you could break a tooth trying to eat horns. Would you be willing to go to eastern WA? Most westside is 3 point minimum & most eastside is spike only. I've hunted both with better success on the eastside. I'll be on the eastside this year if you want to try. More like the country in Montana. The only thing I got drawn for this year was antelope in MT.

Hi thanks for the response. Sure eastern would work too. I was thinking of day trips or overnight trips. I would think that there would be a lot of elk around Cle elum and Ellensburg. Is that where you were thinking? Antelope in MT are very plentiful. What area are you hunting? I grew up in Great Falls and Hunted mostly in the Little Belt Mountains.

Yeah that's the area. I like to schedule a week off work for elk & be there for the opener. The bad thing is the game dept makes you pick which side of the mountains you want to hunt, west or east. Wait, I thought of another bad thing, Lately I've seen some real nice bulls up there & it's spike only. I guess it ain't too bad to just see them & be close. Maybe we could meet up or PM for a drainage or 2. My dad lives in Ennis so I put in for that lope area. My bud got 1 there last year. Have hunted near Lewistown also & bagged a 180+ muley.

180+ nice..Did you have it mounted? I have had two of my deer mounted. I need to find a picture of them. I never had them scored...one had 11 on one side and 9 on the other and the other had a 36" spread 5 X 6. My dad has them in his Den in Great Falls. Yes the challenge with this state is you need to almost be an attorney to figure out when and where you can hunt with broken up seasons....in MT season starts on one day and ends about a month later bulls only unless you get a cow permit. I would be open to meeting up and walking a few ridges around Cle Elum or Ellensburg.

I grew up in Great Falls too but spent most of my hunting deer out near Augusta and elk near Phillipsburg, south of Drummond.

I tried hunting out here on the west side about 4 years ago for blacktail but found myself wanting to shoot the road hunters more.

My dad and I will be attempting the Olympic Pennisula this year for elk and bear.

Good to hear from someone from Great Falls. I graduated in 81 from CMR how about you? I miss the good old days of taking a week off and going to Monarch to hunt or out by the Missouri River on the south end of town for geese and ducks. Good luck to you and your dad.

CMR in 89' for me....

I always took two weeks total......Broke it up though throughout the 6 week season....

My dad and brother put in for the game reserve out in Raynsford and my brother was successful for a cow permit. I need to figure out a way to go back more often but out of state is pretty spendy.......Have you figured out where to go in the Olympic Mtns? I was hoping to figure out the Snoqulmie area for elk....no interest in bear....graduated from UofMontana in 87 and put bear forarms around campus coming up out of the ground for a prank ....made the front page of the school paper...buddy worked at a taxidermist and a skinned out bear forearm is pretty creepy looking......gee I hope the statuate of limitations has expired...ha ha...I live in Renton now and sell software in Bellevue how about you?