The Alpine and Mission units might make better mule deer country than elk habitat, but it is a good bet for archery hunters with overlapping seasons for both species. One bowhunter has taken three 6x6 bulls in the last four years, including one that will rank in Washington's top five all-time archery records. According to Bruce Wick, of Icicle Outfitters & Guides (800-497-3912), elk cannot be found everywhere, but they will generally use the same places year after year. Preseason scouting is the key if you want to find elk. Later in the year, when the special permit seasons open, snow and cold weather can tip the odds in hunters' favor.

In southeast Washington, elk herds in the Tucannon drainage in and around the Umatilla National Forest are living large. Agricultural lands draw and hold the herds through September's archery season. Because of damage and crop losses, many landowners welcome cow elk hunters. Some lands are accessible with written permission, and others can be accessed by paying a trespass fee. Wilbur Eaton, from Double E Outdoors (509-382-4924), suggests that the archery season is the best time to ambush a herd moving back and forth from bedding areas to feed on private croplands. At this time of year, you'll find animals in herds of 30 to 40 and as many as 150.

Herd numbers are up throughout the Blue Mountains, including in the Mountain View, Lick Creek, Dayton and Mill Creek watersheds. The Wenaha Unit, where calf recruitment has been down for a few years, is the exception. After several years of spike-only general season hunts in the Blues, the numbers of hunters have declined and the quality of the experience has improved.

Pat Fowler, the district wildlife biologist in Walla Walla, suggests that hunters spend the first two days of the season hunting open country, where they can keep watch on well-traveled trails. "By the third day, it's a good idea to still-hunt the timber and try to predict the elk behavior as they respond to hunters and the weather."

Elk numbers are down in the Colockum area. A research program is under way to determine the causes. The archery and antlerless hunts have been dropped, with the exception of a few antlerless tags left in place to aid in the research.

Elk numbers in the nearby Yakima region are stable or expanding, and the WDFW has increased permits over the last few years. Because of limited opportunity in the Colockum, hunting is getting crowded in the Yakima. Success rates are reasonable. Lee Stream, the regional wildlife program manager in Yakima, suggests that, if current weather trends hold, and we have a mild season, that the elk will stay in the high country. If that happens, the animals will be found in smaller groups. If we get extreme cold and snow, the weather may bring the animals into lower country, funneling them into larger herds.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Recovering radio collars from hunter-taken animals can provide valuable information to WDFW biologists. If your elk is wearing such equipment, contact the researcher or government agency marked on the radio collar, or notify a WDFW enforcement officer or biologist that you have taken a radio-marked animal. They will make arrangements to return the equipment to the appropriate agency.

WESTERN OREGON
James Flaherty was hunting alone in a roadless area near the Pacific Crest Trail on the second weekend of the 2004 October Cascades elk season. Marginal elk numbers and poor access had kept other hunters away.

On a ridge above a timbered valley, he stopped and bugled, sparking a reply from a loner bull below him. The bull attempted to climb the ridge but couldn't find a way up. James circled downhill around a steep shale slide and set up to ambush the bull, calling him back. When the 5x5 paused to rake a tree with its antlers, James dropped it with one shot from his .243 rifle.