Outfitter Jon Wick shows a bull taken by a client in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. The product of sound game-management practices, bulls like this are the trophy of a lifetime for most hunters. Photo courtesy of Jon Wick.

The Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness is a popular destination for Washington and Oregon hunters hoping to fill their freezers with tasty elk steaks. But what really keeps them checking their mailboxes and computers is the hope for a tag that gives them a crack at one of the wilderness' trophy bulls.

Carved out of the million-acre Umatilla National Forest by the 1978 Endangered American Wilderness Act, the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness contains 177,412 acres of postcard quality scenery, pristine streams, and some of the biggest bull elk in the West. The Washington portion of the wilderness contains 110,995 acres, while Oregon has 66,417.

The Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness is defined by the Tucannon River drainage in the north and the Wenaha River system in the south. Elevation varies from 2,000 to 6,000 feet.

There are a few broad, sloping ridges, but a veteran elk hunter of the region claims that the term "verticality" best describes the wilderness. Fescue-covered hillsides are interspersed with deep canyons choked with pines, larches, and firs.

Rugged terrain not withstanding, hunters will find reasonable access to the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness.

Forest Service roads reach to the wilderness' boundaries, particularly on the north, west and south sides. Forest Service Road 300, a spur from the Kendall Skyline Road, makes a deep incursion into the wilderness.

Hunters should remember these are mountain roads, and driving conditions can change from good to dreadful in a matter of hours.

According to Rich Martin, United States Forest Service director of recreation for the wilderness, hunters will find plenty of access through the interior.

Martin said that the Forest Service maintains about 300 miles of trails in the Wenaha-Tucannon. "And there are about that many more miles of user-established trails running to old hunting camps."

Along the wilderness boundary, sixteen established trailheads provide access for both horsemen and hikers, said Martin.

Motorized or mechanized vehicles are prohibited in the wilderness.

HUNTING THE WILDERNESS
Washington and Oregon both hold spike-only archery and modern-weapon general elk seasons in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness.

The two states also offer a limited number of branch-antlered bull tags to archers and firearms hunters through special drawings.

Annually, several hundred hunters on both sides of the state line participate in the general seasons. However, the relatively small number of spikes in the elk herd, plus the challenging wilderness terrain, combine to severely limit hunter success. Annual average hunter-success rates for these hunts range from about 4 to 8 percent, depending on weapon used.

The real buzz about elk hunting in the Wenaha-Tucannon comes from the number of trophy bulls roaming the canyons and ridges.

Jon Wick has more than 20 years experience guiding elk, deer, and bear hunters in the Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness. He offers some advice that will help hunters who pursue spikes or branch-antlered bulls.

"The Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness is right on the edge of producing world-class bulls," Wick said. "It is an extremely rugged area to hunt. But for the hunter with the right tag, enough heart and the correct frame of mind, it presents the chance to take the bull of a lifetime."