By Doug Rose

It isn't hard to understand why elk hunters are among the most passionate and most dedicated in hunting. These animals are:

• Large - An average Rocky Mountain bull elk weighs about 700 pounds, and a trophy Roosevelt occasionally pushes the 1,000-pound mark.
• Physically attractive - Elk are tall and strong, with handsome faces and lustrous coats. Our biggest attraction to them, however, is their broad antlers; they often sport racks as much as six feet wide.
• Well distributed - In Washington and Oregon they inhabit the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, the Columbia Basin and High Desert, and the coastal mountains and forests.
• Challenging - Wapiti are one of North America's most challenging quarries, capable of disappearing in cover as quietly as a whitetail, as fleet as an open-range mule deer, and clearly one of the most intelligent big-game species.
• Tasty - Perhaps best of all, elk are among the best-tasting big-game animals, and they are typically large enough to provide a variety of cuts of meat and to sustain a family through the winter.

This short list shows why the annual autumn elk season is one of the most anticipated events of the year. In recent times, elk hunting has become more complicated than in years past. In many areas, there are now antler-point restrictions where none previously existed, and some popular units are managed as controlled hunts for which hunters must draw a tag.

Through it all, elk numbers remain strong in most areas and too strong in some, according to many farmers and gardeners. Fact is, elk are expanding into areas they haven't been seen in decades. In addition, bow, muzzleloader and modern firearms hunters all have opportunity to hunt elk in both Pacific Northwest states, and hunters willing to take a cow, which usually tastes better than a bull, have excellent chances of drawing a tag in many areas.

Annually Washington-Oregon Game & Fish has talked to biologists and game managers and studied extensively to give Evergreen and Beaver state hunters the best advice on where to punch an elk tag this year.

Beaver State hunters hunt elk in a wide range of settings and techniques. They hunt the arid mountain aeries in the Blue and Wallowa mountains, and hunters also pursue cervus elephansus among dense coastal rain forest, within sight of the Pacific. Between those extremes, Oregon hunters pursue elk across the vast majority of the non-urban areas, with the exception of Willamette Valley lowlands.

Photo by Eric J. Hansen

Northeast Oregon's Wallowa and Blue mountains have been the classic elk hunting setting for generations. The recent decline of elk in celebrated units such as the Minam, Sled Springs, Catherine Creek and Imnaha has been widely reported, largely the result of significant calf mortality. Most regional biologists place the blame on predation, but some researchers have suggested that a general decline in forage quality may also play a role. Whatever the reason, the percentage of juvenile elk recruiting into the huntable population has been low in the 1990s, which has resulted in a decline of harvest and more restrictive management.

Fortunately, elk numbers have improved slightly in the Minam, Pine Creek and Snake River units, and hunters can expect to see more legal bulls this fall. As in recent years, the Sled Springs, Minam, Chesnimnus and Snake River are entirely controlled hunts for modern firearms hunters. The Sled Springs Unit has been the most productive, turning out 365 elk in 2000 with an impressive 26 percent hunter success rate.

The remainder of the Wallowa/Blue Mountains unit consists of controlled hunts during the early season, but there is also an early November general season in which only spikes may be killed. The Blue Mountains' Ukiah, Starkey and Heppner units have been by far the most productive in eastern Oregon, with more than 1,000 elk harvested in each unit most years. Hunters who don't draw controlled hunt tags take about 250 spikes from these units most years, and access in these units is good.

The odds of drawing a tag, especially a cow tag, in central and southeastern Oregon are often better than in the northeast units, but there is no general season for rifle hunters. The units surrounding the Ochoco Mountains, in particular, have turned out upwards of 700 elk recently, which is reflected by several thousand hunters vying for around 600 tags. These units include the Ochoco and neighboring Murderers Creek, Northside and Grizzly units, which have increasing trends and good access on national forest and state land. There have also been more applications than tags in the juniper and sagebrush country of the High Desert's North Malheur River, where the most recent trends indicate a basically stable elk population. In the extreme southeast corner of the state, permit hunters will probably take less than 100 elk from the Steens and Wagontire units.

Elk distribution becomes spotty and the herds are usually smaller as you climb into the foothills of the Cascades. Nonetheless, the Paulina, Silver Lake, Interstate, Warner, Klamath Falls, Sprague and eastern Fort Rock units all have a general early season in late October, followed by a permit-only hunt. Hunters who familiarize themselves with the terrain and patterns of the elk can do well in the Paulina Unit, which spreads east of I-97 into the desert east of Bend; it yielded 178 elk in 2000, 111 of which were taken in the general season. To the north, the Biggs and White River units have also turned out in excess of 100 elk during the early general season in recent years, although access can be more of a problem outside of national forest holdings.

Success rates have averaged around 8 percent, but the harvest varies and depends a lot on weather, with early storms driving the animals lower and making them easier to see.

The Santiam Unit has given up 300 animals in good years, while the Mackenzie and Rogue usually turn out around 200 animals, and the Indigo and Dixon average 150. Access is excellent in all units, largely on national forest land, although hunters need a plan to pack out their meat if they are successful.

General-season unlimited-entry rifle hunts continue in the seven Mid-Coast/Valley units. These hunts consist of a four-day early November hunt, followed by a seven-day late hunt. The Alsea and Siuslaw units have traditionally been the most productive and popular coastal units, and hunters have combined for around 300 bulls in the Alsea in recent seasons.

Three years ago, after a succession of poor bull-to-cow ratios, the ODFW created a separate Wilson/Trask unit. It established a five-day mid-October hunt where any bull could be taken, followed by a late hunt that runs concurrently with other Mid-Coast/Valley hunts but which is restricted to spikes. It has turned out to be a very popular hunt. In addition, the trend numbers in both units are up, and both units are now above established benchmarks.

All remaining western Oregon units are managed as controlled hunts. The northwest coast's Saddle Mountain Unit consistently produces the largest harvest, averaging more than 700 elk recently with a success rate in the 20-percent range. Nearly all Saddle Mountain modern firearms permits are for 3-point-or-better bulls or cows.

To the south, the Tioga, Sixes, Powers and Chetco units are also controlled hunts, but offer a wider range of options. The Tioga Unit is the most productive, turning out 609 elk in 2000, and typically offers around 4,000 3-point-plus bull permits. There are usually fewer applicants than tags in the Tioga Unit, but the situation is reversed in the any-bull hunts in the Powers, Sixes and Chetco units. There have been many more spike tags than hunters who wanted them in the Powers Unit.

To the east, the Melrose Unit is something of a sleeper, while trends have been down in the Rogue Unit.

During 2002, 75,000 Evergreen State hunters killed 8,116 elk, and all but 1,749 were taken during the general season. For many years, Washington hunters have experienced a two-prong regulation approach, with harvest restricted to spikes in eastern Washington, while most units are 3-point-or-better west of the Cascade Mountains.

Numbering upwards of 11,000, the Yakima herd is Washington's largest, and it is also the most popular and productive with hunters. Indeed, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Yakima elk herd plan, adopted last year, asserts that there are too many elk in the population management units that encompass the herd's range. As a result, cow tags, which are the agency's principal means of controlling elk populations, were increased to more than 500 last year.

The rifle bull seasons this year will run in November. Hunters took 2,192 elk in the region in 2002, and the overall rifle success rate was 7.4 percent. The relatively easily accessible foothill units west of Yakima - the Manastash, Umtanum, Cowiche, and Nile - will probably be the most productive this year.

The Colockum herd, which resides east of the Columbia River between Wenatchee and I-90, was historically one of the state's most productive. In recent years, Colockum elk have struggled with poor bull-to-cow and cow-to-calf numbers, and the WDFW has severely limited cow tags.

Many Colockum elk tend to stay at the higher, western edges of their range during the season. The vast majority of the harvest occurs in the Quilomene and Naneum units. During 2002, 602 elk were killed in the Naneum, while the Quilomene turned out 239, with harvest rates, respectively, 12 and 14 percent.

Elk have been expanding into the Kiona Unit south of the Hanford Reservation recently, and the agency has opened an any-elk season with selected days in September, October, November and December.

The opportunity of tagging a bull in southeast Washington's Blue Mountains will not be anything like it was in the late 1970s, but the gradually improving trend in the Blue Mountains seems to be continuing. This is classic elk country, with snow-capped mountains, icy rivers, and dense Ponderosa forest.

The most dependable units this year will be those such as Dayton, Tucannon, Blue Creek and Lick Creek, which have averaged an 8 percent success rate. Because of the spike-only restriction, relatively good numbers of large, trophy class bulls were available recently. However, an extensive poaching operation that was broken up two years ago had a significant impact on the herd composition, and hunters this year can anticipate fewer adult, branch-antlered bulls.

The elk that range northeast Washington's Selkirk Mountains will continue to offer difficult hunting for an expanding population. Last year, the Selkirk, Three Forks and 49 Degrees North were the most productive units in the region, but they only combined for around 70 elk and a 3 percent success rate. The dense vegetation is one problem here - more typical of western Washington in some areas - along with the wide scattering and small size of the herds.

The Selkirk, Aladdin and 49 Degrees North units will be open to any bull during the nine-day season, while the Sherman, Huckleberry, Kelly Hill and Douglas units are open to any elk. Actually, hunters have taken more elk from the agricultural land of the Cheney Unit recently, but access is difficult unless you have local contacts.

The strongest populations of elk historically occurred in the West End of the peninsula, specifically the Clearwater, Sol Duc, Matheny and Quinault Ridge. During the 1990s, these GMUs declined precipitately, and in 2002 none of these units produced 30 bulls.

The best numbers in Region 6 occurred to the south, on the industrial timberlands between Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay. Indeed, the North River (67 elk in 2002), Minot Peak (67), Fall River (107) and Williams Creek (158) accounted for a majority of the region's elk in recent years.

Southwest Washington has been the state's most consistent producer of elk in recent years. Indeed, during 2002, Region 5 accounted for 2,479 elk, which was larger than the Yakima herds in Region 3. The harvest has been widely distributed here, with hunters tagging in excess of 200 elk in the Lewis River, Siouxan, Winston, Coweeman and Willapa Hills units recently. More than 100 elk have also been taken in the Columbia Gorge's West Klickitat, the Marble and Mossyrock units.

These numbers suggest that hunters seem to have adapted to the closing of most roads in Weyerhaeuser's St. Helens Tree Farm. Hunters who are willing to take the long view can submit an application for a Margaret permit hunt, as it nearly always provides 100 percent success rates.

The game management units closest to Puget Sound offer the toughest and least productive elk hunting in the state. Two years ago, Region 4 one gave up 87 elk. However, the overall success rate in the region (7.8 percent) was higher than in eastern Washington. Hunters who put in significant scouting time and hike behind gates increase their odds dramatically.

In recent years, the Issaquah Unit has been the most productive, turning out 67 elk in 2002, 21 of them by bowhunters. Although they are technically in Region 6, the Skookumchuck, Puyallup and Mashel GMUs turn out better than average numbers, largely on the Rainier Timber Company's holdings (Mashel) and Weyerhaeuser's Vail Tree Farm, which provides the bulk of the Skookumchuck harvest.