Wapiti Hide-And-Seek

[Superman]

There are some private elk farms in North Idaho. Herds are easy to see from the highway. Elk are VERY impressive athletically. Fences need to be at least 12 feet tall. Not kidding.

[Jeff Higgins]

Believe it or not, our North American elk are considered one of the most difficult animals to hunt, assuming we are going after them fairly. A lot of things add up in the same direction to make them this way. We see this acknowledged starting back in the early 19th century as more and more folks began traveling through, or even living in, their native haunts. Even today, folks with international big game hunting experience will place a good bull elk well into their "most difficult" end of the spectrum.

One of the biggest problems with elk hunting in our modern age is attempting to establish seasons and game management units in which to hunt them. Washington has failed, epically, in their efforts.

Elk roam over an exceedingly vast range, and they tend to stick together when they do so. They are typically not all spread out, like whitetails, throughout suitable habitat. They wander, they migrate seasonally, and they pretty much stick together in rather large herds. The old elk hunting adage that "if you found one, you found them all" is not far from reality.

What this means here in Washington is that there very well may be no elk whatsoever in the game management unit in which one is hunting, for the entirety of the ten day to two week season one is allowed to hunt them.

There are two issues at play. One, our game management units ("GMU") are so stinking small. We have literally hundreds of them crammed into our state. Two, our illustrious Game Department has the really nasty habit of opening them for a given season in a "checkerboard" pattern. So, for any given section of land, half of it is open to hunt, half of it is closed.

Elk probably aren't all that smart. So, of course, they have no way of knowing any of this. What they do pick up on right away, however, is the sudden, unnatural level of human activity once hunting season gets underway. They do their best to get outta there, of course, and keep going until they are clear of that increased human activity. If that turns out to be just over the ridge, just across the river, or whatever, they very quickly settle into the quiet areas where there are not any people.

This pretty much assures that elk season is really just opening day. By sundown on that opening day, the elk have shifted into areas where there are no hunters. Game over. And, well, it would be foolish to assume that this is not the plan as envisioned by our state game department. They, as at least competent wildlife biologists, are fully aware of this dynamic. It's a wonderful way to keep anyone from actually shooting an elk. I believe, honestly, that is their ultimate goal - give the illusion of "hunting", but do everything in their power (short of closing seasons) to prevent hunters from being successful

If we enjoyed the same success rates as other states, I'm sure our herds would soon vanish. Especially if the poaching cannot be brought under control and, well, I'm sorry but that appears a lost cause.

So, yeah... big game hunting in Washington. Or, more accurately, public land big game hunting in Washington. Hardley worth it anymore.

[Wetwork]

This will relate kinda...I picked up a 45-70 Marlin SBL two days ago. I've been hunting big game steady since 1992. I'm a tiny little fella, skinny 140 lbs soaking wet. I should have got one of these at the very start, its by far the most fun, most powerful rifle I've every plinked around with. I'm a firm believer now everyone should have one. I was really nervous I made a bad call and got something I'd hate to shoot. I'm very surprised that what I"m shooting just don't hurt. From Elephants to grouse, black powder, gun cotton, or modern smokeless works in these things. Gonna start casting my own bullets. You can load a huge range of bullets, from mouse sqeeks to 500 grain cape buffalo stoppers. I'm sure I won't need rino medicine but its fun knowing I can. Really like this cowboy gun, gonna be fun this fall.-WW

[varmint]

Damn things are smart. The know when the season starts and vanish aye day before.




P.S. get in shape. The lost count of the middle age guys who’ve had heart attacks hauling the meat back.

[Jeff Higgins]

Originally Posted by Wetwork

This will relate kinda...I picked up a 45-70 Marlin SBL two days ago. I've been hunting big game steady since 1992. I'm a tiny little fella, skinny 140 lbs soaking wet. I should have got one of these at the very start, its by far the most fun, most powerful rifle I've every plinked around with. I'm a firm believer now everyone should have one. I was really nervous I made a bad call and got something I'd hate to shoot. I'm very surprised that what I"m shooting just don't hurt. From Elephants to grouse, black powder, gun cotton, or modern smokeless works in these things. Gonna start casting my own bullets. You can load a huge range of bullets, from mouse sqeeks to 500 grain cape buffalo stoppers. I'm sure I won't need rino medicine but its fun knowing I can. Really like this cowboy gun, gonna be fun this fall.-WW

Welcome to the wonderful world of the .45-70. 101 years old this year. One of my all-time favorite rifle cartridges. Its versatility, along with the variety of rifles in which it has been chambered, is unmatched by any other cartridge. Factory loads will kill pretty much any big game animal on this continent. Loaded with suitable black powder loads, it can win matches out to 1,000 yards. "Loaded for bear" with suitable smokeless powders and proper bullets, it offers close range "stopping power" unmatched by most other chamberings, no matter how "modern". As a "real life" hunting caliber, I have found it to be the most useful of all.