Archery Elk Season

Just 16 days out.... Been spending all my time off (other than getting married/honeymoon) in the woods. Things are looking good this year, many bulls on the radar....

Bow is dialed, shooting darts out to 80 yards.

Who else is ready?

Keith

I'm almost there.

I haven't gotten out scouting much but my hunting partner has and he's pretty darn excited.

As for me I've got the pack all ready for five days in the backcountry chasing deer followed by two weeks downvalley chasing elk. Still got to get all my gear and cooking done for elk camp but that wont take long.

As for the bow I wont say I'm shooting darts out to 80 yards but I have had to stop sending two broadhead tipped arrows downrange at 40 yards because I keep shaving off fletching and am grouping around 8"s at 60 yards so I'm feeling pretty good about that!

Good Luck and Aim Small Hit Small

Iam ready to rock and roll. Shootin good darts out to 80 myself. Been over east a few times last month and have seen plenty of cows. Last trip on the way to the tree stand I busted a herd standing directly under the stand. Takin off the morning before and staying a week. Hopefully the labor day jeepers don't push the elk too hard. Can't wait.

pushed around a group of 20 yesterday. could not close the gap in the timber. fun times either way until one of my hunting buddies started hitting the Canadian mist and got too load....

It's all I have been thinking about since last Sept! I killed a nice big cow on opening day. That made me 5 for 5 the last 5 years. 4 cows and a nice 5x5 out of the toutle unit(profile pitcure). Haven't been able to scout at all this year. But I have hunted the same area for 15 years so I know it like the back of my hand. I get 5 days this early season.

Well the gap is cut in half, 8 days now and counting...

I can't wait for Tuesday opening day... I've got that feeling something good is gonna happen... If not then I got the follow 12th-16th to notch the tag..

It's amazing how long it takes til it gets here and how quick the season ends...

Keith

The past couple of weeks have moved slow. Can't wait for the 6th to get here and go start chasing elk. Bow is dialed in, scouting for the most part done. Just waiting for season to start. Have the entire time off so hopefully it pays off.

Been staring at my tag all month.... couple wall hangers on the hill this year.

Tough go at it on Day 1, sure was a warm one.... We worked 2 bulls and managed to get one to just over 20 yards and he winded us right before the shot.... Back to work now then back at it next week!

Any glory shots yet?

Keith

friend bagged a nice 5x5 last weekend in the Alsea unit. I will be searching for my branch bull tomorrow. have spotted him but couldn't close the gap. going to try another strategy..

Our camp went 4 fer 7. 2 spikes and 2 cows. I got a nice spike thurs afternoon about 1 pm in 95 degree weather. That was a sweaty pack out. Blew my cow girl and the spike came on a dead run. Called once more and stopped him at 18yds for a quick shot. Despite the heat and the full moon the elk seemed to be active all day.

Nice work man.....

I'm anxious for tomorrow afternoon... Will be headed out through Friday.

I cross my fingers, will let one fly, hope to stick a big one in the eye...

Keith

worked a group of 9 all morning before they made their way into the reprod. I am going to set up a ground blind and hunt the evenings by a small creek. from what I can tell there are about 15 elk working a small patch of maples and reprod near a tiny creek. I don't think they are migrating more than 1 mile....

Had a couple bulls bugling on the hill 600yds from camp every night....but always seem to vanish about two hours before legal light.

That's why you should spend the evening hours in the woods staying on top of them. Sleep during the day.

This could be the weekend for you guys. I had a half hour this evening so I shot up to an area I know has some elk. Its very limited entry so I figured I could call a little and not bother any one. On the road in I passed a couple of cars admiring a nice 6 point that was just standing 100 yards away in a clear cut trying to figure out what he wanted to do. I shot up about a half mile to the next clear cut, hopped out, and jogged a 1/4 mile down a blocked road. Set up and gave a bugle. Few minutes later one screams behind me. A wait and start calling agian. He is quiet but one starts in at the bottem of the cut. By the time it was dark I had at least 4 and possible 5 different bulls all fired up. Two were coming in but is was too dark so I headed out. For west side bulls, this is the most active I have ever seen them. Can wait to see how the hunt goes for you guys.

cool story! heading out now. fun chit

Good place for a 100th post

Had a good elk year done at 30yds complete pass through Toutle unit second day

Congrats!!

Well our elk season pretty much sucked

Mainly for a couple of reasons.

1st the state closed a large section of adjoining DNR land due to the fire hazard which put a ton of pressure into our area. Every dead end road had an average of 3 trucks, 2 campers and 4 ATV's. Apparently the area they closed is very popular. Not that it mattered much as.................

2nd the state decided that Sept 1 is a really good time to apply herbicides to the clearcuts. Apparently they used the "Elk repellent herbicide" as they just where not around. My buddy had scouted the last week of Aug and saw elk and tons of sign but we saw very little sign and I was the only one of the three of us to even see an elk. Yikes!

I did however call in my first ever elk. I had givin up on elk and was posted low in a clearcut where the trees from a V hoping to get the jump on a couple of blacktail bucks working the area. I was on a stump with good front cover and a great big bush as back cover. Around 8 am I heard a cow call and some crunching in the woods behind me which I figured to be other hunters due to the crowds noted above. I tooted on my cow call to let them know I was there and didn't think much of it. About 10 minutes later I hear a very soft mew behind me and see one lonely lost young elk peering out behind a brush pile. I answered her call and to my surprise she stepped out from behind the brush pile and started walking right towards me. With each step she let out a little itty bitty whisper of a mew as if to say, "not so loud there's hunters around." I got an arrow knocked and myself turned around but she was on top of me within seconds and stopped directly behind the bush that was my back cover not 5 feet away looking hard for the elk she thought was there. Niether of us moved for what seemed to be several minutes but was actually probably just seconds. If she had of just turned away for a moment I could have drawn, stood and maybe, just maybe, have gotten off a shot. But alas once she figured out there was no elk there she turned and in just a couple of leaps was back in the woods. I suppose this is why folks become so addicted to archery elk hunting

Is it Nov yet

Very cool and well done MadMax!!

I have pictures of my buddy's cougar and elk and the story BUT...

he emailed them to me in JPEG format and Google Chrome something or other. I have downloaded three programs off the net and I still can't upload these. Anyone JPEJ?JPG savvy? Parker?

I was down in a unit close to St. Helens and it was just too hot to kill and get the meat home before it spoiled. So I went home hunted locally and shot this one.

NICELY DONE!

Sweet bull!!!! Nice job.

man i love those dark antlers. great lookin bull.

That's the eatonville bull. I've seen him a few times. Buddy missed him last year on private property. If its the same bull, looks like it.

Awesome Bull!!

Duuooh,,,,, hell of a bull !
Now I feel my shortcomings
Well done

Both well done

Thanks for the kind words. I feel I am a pretty good archery hunter and I am learning how to fish. But the fishing is more complicated then I thought.

Nice Plan B, TH

My buddy Terry connected last week...


On Wednesday he had a two point come in to a water tank and he passed it up since he drew an any bull tag for the unit.

As the bull wandered off, a cougar was following. Terry was in a right handed stand and he is a left handed shooter, so he had to turn and face the tree which made drawing his bow difficult; his first shot clipped a branch. There were a bunch of turkeys roosted in the neighboring trees and at the shot they started making a bunch of noise which kept the cougar's attention.

The second shot went right eventhough it was only nineteen yards because the cougar had moved further behind the tree. Luckily, the cougar must have thought the arrow was a turkey as he pounced on it immediately. Terry said he was shaking so bad that he was going to blow the chance, but the third arrow was perfect.


Three days later he got his bull too.

Pictures here after some help from Dogfish.

A cougar and a bull elk.... Now thats badass.

Nice work gentlemen!