Elk In Region 8?

[tikkat3]

Has anyone seen any? I think I saw some sign when I was camping at Lodwick lake a month ago, and I've heard other people say there is elk around Princeton, but has anyone actually killed one? I want to hunt elk pretty bad and I know the Okanagan a bit so I might try for an elk there this year. I've never hunted anywhere else, but I have only hunted 2 years so give me time:biggrin:

[Wildfoot]

i saw some in early july around anarchist mtn. and around midway
all cows. but i assume if i looked harder i could have found some bulls.

[300H&H]

When Dad & I went out turkey hunting this spring we saw 3 bulls...on the hwy. Two of them were branching out at their royals. So they should be 6 points by the end of this month if not already. The other bull will be a big 4 or 5 point. We drove within 150 yards of them.

Here is one story you might find hard to believe...a guy we camp with was talking to a friend who works in a tool rental store in Penticton. They both hunt so the tool guy showed him a picture of 3 guys with 3 bulls. Not bad for a hunt.
They were comming out to go home in the truck when 1 guy spotted a 6 point bull under the power line. They stopped & got out to shoot the bull when another 6 point bull walked out behind the first. so on the count of 3 the were going to shoot when a 3rd 6 point bull walk out behind the others. On the count of 3 they downed 3-6 point bulls.

I would not believe it but they took pictures. :roll:

[300H&H]

You should be going out early am or late pm to listen for bugleing. Try to find their location so you atleast have a place to start from. They travel alot in a day so they may not be in the same place twice in a week. With that being said elk can surprise even the most experienced elk hunter. Go buy a couple different cow calls and try them first. The rut will be happening soon so get ready. Bulls may not want to leave the cows to answer a challenge from another big bull so call like a non domanint herd bull. He is more likely to chase off smaller bulls. But get out of the truck and walk, walk , walk.

[Jagermeister]

There was a elk tranplant into the Naramata/Chute Lake/Arawana area in the late '40'. The herd expanded rapidly and created hardship for the fruit growers in the area. In the winter of 1951 or '52, the animals swarmed the orchards creating havoc on the fruit tress. F&W (MOE) decided that anyone with a un-cancelled tag for whatever species could go and get an elk, bull, cow, calf, whatever your preference. The harvest was pretty substantial and the herd sort of went into a dormant stage and populations remained at a constant low number. Besides that, they became very wary and would highass it over the numerous windfalls in that peckerpole pine forest like gazelles on a African savannah. There were a couple of old guys that knew their habits and were successful in hunting them. I moved from there just about the time that I was starting to get real interested in them.
Elk (or Wapati) were once thought to be the most prolific animal in North America, their numbers may have exceeded those of the plains buffalo.

[BearSniper]

Elk region 8

Yes I have a photo of a cow Elk at sunday Summit taken last June while out scouting and looking for coyotes and other sign. That is region 8-4, just east of Manning Park. Its not the greatest quuality but you can see its definitely Elk.

I accidentally scared her out of a forested grove and took the picture at about 200 meters.

I can email them to you if you want to pm me.

Of course I've now given the freakin' secret away, but I kind of want to go for Elk in regtion 4 where Hunter 1947 knows the monsters are.:grin:

[Steeleco]

I have a friend that has a place in Sunshine Valley, he tells me he can here them bugling in the hills. That's Reg 2 but 8 isn't that far!!

[358mag]

not many elk left in region 8 the oliver- osoyoos-penticton First Nation's hunters keep them thinned out pretty good , region 4 is were all the good elk hunting is at these days

[spock]

There is definately elk in region 8. I almost bagged one with my ford winstar near the copper mine at princeton and know a few people that have taken them in that area. Someone told me there was about 2 dozen bulls taken around princeton last year there is also a new GOS in 8-15 that should be worth a try.

As for hearing elk in sunshine valley it's probably just a sasquatch

[horshur]

As for hearing elk in sunshine valley it's probably just a sasquatch

no---My memory is bad but a piece of backcountry--a valley--I want to say Paridise--that is where buddy killed big bull Elk. Pack in on horses only.

[Fisher-Dude]

I've hunted all my life in region 8. I've never seen an elk in hunting season. I've never heard a bugle. I've seen fresh sign in hunting season, and trailed one bull for miles one day up a mountainside that heard us coming.

I've seen them twice in the summer. Some do get taken, but it's a long shot. You have a much better chance of finding a spike/fork moose than a 6 point elk in region 8. I leave 8 and go to 4 or 7 to hunt elk.

[highcountry88]

There are elk on the McKInney road from Oliver to Mt Baldy, I have seen a herd of about twenty animals a few years ago and have seen tracks since. I only hear rumours of the odd animal taken, but for the amount I hunt there, this is not a lot success.

Going for elk is like steelhead fishing, you need to log a lot of hours.....

[MichelD]

I found a mud wallow last October that looked like it had been busy several weeks before.

[dedapair]

You guys must be on drugs. ( I want some too! ) There is NO elk in any part of region 8 let alone the Okanagan. It is a wives tale made up to bring in the tourists. They all died out after being stranded in the huge piles of BS that are everywhere in these parts.

[Sieg-MM]

You guys must be on drugs. ( I want some too! ) There is NO elk in any part of region 8 let alone the Okanagan. It is a wives tale made up to bring in the tourists. They all died out after being stranded in the huge piles of BS that are everywhere in these parts.

Speak for yourself Dedapair. Seen three bulls during the season last year. 4pt, 5pt and a 6pt. The 6pt did not make another season :grin:.

Horseshoes...I would not disagree. But you gotta invest the time to get lucky.

[eastkoot]

Naramata, Okanagan Mt. and the surrounding areas have a large population of elk. Also, try Jelvis Mountain, several kilometers from the Penticton Pub once called the Incola, from there turn left on highway 97 and then north on the Naramata Rd. Loius told me they are still there but you have to wear rattlesnake boots.

[browningboy]

Last time I hunted the Okanagan was Rock Creek and when we woke up and were driving to our hunting grounds, we came across a bunch of cow elk across from the Kettle Valley Campground, other than that , almost hit a bull around east gate manning park.

[rock]

I see elk every year in region 8 seems to me you have to find the right places, took me a few years but now its food and protection they all seem to be close to.
Good luck

[RiverOtter]

I've shot 2 elk in region 8 in the past 3 years, I hope this year will be #3. You need to put in the time and find the pockets, but there are elk to be had if you spend some time hunting them. I see more and more elk every season.

RO

[DBM]

A couple of years back I scared some elk that were bedded down (more like they scared me) as I walked into the inside of some timber (region 8-5). My son and I have heard cows during the early bow season as well in the Princeton area, so they're around - you just have to put your time in.

[Rob]

Me and my buddy camped at Lodwick lake 2 yrs ago over the Thanksgiving holiday hunting deer, we also bought an Elk tag, we didnt see any Elk or any sign. The Mulie rack in my avatar is from Lodwick actually. Rob

[tikkat3]

cool, I saw lots of sign all around there at lodwick lake...I may have just seen large old deer sign, but it looked about twice as big as the usual poop so I assumed it was elk.