Men, the WDFW wrote and told me they don't have any info for me on permit elk hunting in GMU 554 (YALE). My father and I were drawn for the permit hunt (3pt or antlerless) from Nov 26 - Dec 15. We cannot find any info on this hunt. We are gonna drive down this weekend to talk to the locals. Would greatly appreciate any info you have. Thanks to those of you who responded to the earlier request.

I used to live and hunt in this area was successful. Find a way in to the hillside area across the street from Jacks store. Just keep pounding away back and forth up there and eventually you'll find them. You don't have to go to far.

Thanks Dawg. This is probably gonna be the last year my father will be able to hunt and I have commited to work my arse off to find him an elk. He has been a great hunting partner over the years, but has never closed the deal on an elk. He shot a B/C Mule Deer 12 years ago, but no bull. Since this is the fist good permit we have ever drawn, I am hoping for a quality hunt. I plan on stopping by Jack's Sporting Goods, spending the requiste $40-50 on something and hoping for some good intel. I understand that the hunt is focused on controlling the number of animals as they head for low ground around Merwin before Winter. I have called, wrote, and pleaded with the Region 5 office for info, including which land owners might be agreeable to access, but the WDFW is not helping. Anyway, thanks for your starting point. Any further info will be greatly appreciated. Thanks

That is the way this state operates, poorly!!! they do not give hunters the kind of help they need. They are all about the money and that is it. I logged down there a couple of years ago and we saw elk everyday!!
If you concentrate your efforts around the the north and west boundries of that unit you should do just fine. The timing of your hunt is perfect too because all the general seasons will have been closed for a while and the elk should be pushed down in there pretty good.
peace Superfly

The yale unit is awesome but not what it used to be.. It's tough hunting, but not if you want to get out and hoof it. I know where there are two 7 point bulls in the same herd up there. Some real monsters. There are also some monster bucks up there, we've bagged some bucks over 20" wide. If you want more info, email me and I'll tell ya, but not over the net.
Keith

Sorry for giving you a bum steer on the folks at WDFW. I have always had nothing but good luck dealing with them. It sounds as though you have received a few good leads, hopefully they pan out. Nothing works better than a good amount of scouting. If you're a helicopter pilot, maybe you could work an aerial tour of the area into your flightplan one of these days, or have one of your buddies with a pilot's license rent a Cessna for a day and check it out. Just make sure that you don't hunt the same day.

Andy

I have drawn a permit in the yale unit before and have been told by the local farmers that they start to show up around Thanksgiving so if you dont want to make your father work too hard do some home work and talk to the local farmers and they will help. Try the east side of the unit!!!

Stlhdr & fishtale, Thanks so much for the Yale info. I also got a lot of good local info this weekend. As I suspected, the Yale unit acts as a staging area for a couple herds after the weather gets cold. Most of the locals said that the later the better for success rates. A hunter ing the local sherrif's office said that private access is critical to seeing "numbers" of legal bulls. Phase 2 begins this weekend with canvasing the farms south of Hwy 503. Question: Is it legal to offer to pay a landowner for access? I figure I have a lot better chances of getting permission if I just tell the guy up front that I'll pay him $100. Thanks again for all of your info.

There is no problem with paying farmers for access, legally, but some may be insulted.

I have brought many of my farmers fish, or asked if there were any services that I could provide. One group of farmers has me come down every month or so to cull their feral pigeons with pellet guns, over 400 to date. I have even made some elaborate bird feeders for a few, and all of these things have cost me less than $20.00 in cash, but showed the farmers some thought and effort on my part.

Just some other ideas, Andy.

Dogfish, note well taken. Appreciate the perspective. Any tips on how go about getting permission? Any ideas more effective than just knocking on doors, being polite, and hoping for the best?

The hard part is finding the first farmer. After that, ask that farmer if he knows anyone else who may allow hunting as well, and then you can drop the first farmer's name. Most rural farmers share info and talk amongst themselves. Check the local feed store. Get one and the rest will follow. I got my first name from the WDFW biologists in region 6. It went pretty easy from there.

Have you tried calling the main wildlife offices in Olympia? Their number is 360-902-2515. They work in unison with the region biologists to recommend special permits, and may have records of landowners who have had damage claims in the past, or even some that may allow hunting. The folks in the wildlife section are helpful, but they can't give you info that they don't have.

One last idea would be to contact one of the small stores in the area and ask them. They may live in the area, and they usually know everyone in the area.

There really is no easy way, unless some long lost relative just happens to live where the elk are. Best of luck. Andy