Elk east kooteneys

[hunter1959]

So has anyone got any elk it's sure seems like the goverment made some big mistake with that open season on cows the last few years cause there's no elk around put in lots of hours since opening day and haven't even seen tracks

[Stone Sheep Steve]

Mistake?? They wanted to reduce the # of non-migratory elk and now that they have met their goals, the season is cancelled.

SSS

[toad]

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[Darksith]

get up in them hills...not that I know anything though!

[ravensfoot]

Just spent 2 weeks near the Palliser. Some tracks down lower, not much though. Too warm. They are only moving in the dead of the night when down low. Called some in but overall very quiet and only coming out after dark. Also went up to 8000ft, yes, they are up there but still limited in numbers.
If you are ready for some work then yes, get up the hills. Lots of wolf pressure in the area I hunted. Looking at the weather over the next week, things should improve as the air starts to cool.

[Vinny]

I agree...They are all gone....don't bother looking for them....they all moved west.....

[rocksteady]

Very challenging to locate elk this year... Been strange , weirdest year for locating elk... Keep at it.... They are out there, just harder to find...

[MOUNTAIN MICKEY]

8 taken here so far that I know of, including mine. For as warm as it is this really surprises me. Would be nice to see some frost and get rid of the mosquitos in the tall grass. I think everybody needs to be in the coolest valleys and in where the walking is a bit more challenging . Found the elk to be real spooky during archery only. They wernt taking any pressure, just moving on when bothered.

[J_T]

I'm confused. This year was no different than any other. Perhaps better than most. Good bulls bugling every day and lots of action. Sign? Couldn't get away from it.

If someone is hooked/stuck on the idea of agricultural prosperity for cows and calves, then they aren't paying attention to statistics. The resident/front country population of elk has been significantly reduced. Change your approach or your location.

[GoatGuy]

buddy arrowed a bull and called a bunch in after two days effort. They went into one of the holes last week for two days and the bulls were squealing away the whole time..... elk are where you find them. Highest protein veg changes every year depending on spring, summer and fall conditions rain, heat etc. The elk are where the eating is good. Don't expect the eating to be good in your favorite hunting spot every year.

[riflebuilder]

first day out we saw 4 bulls two of which were small 6x6's, 1 bull moose 8 black bears and 2 grizzlies. All of them in one valley. The next morning we saw a monster bull 340-350 class but were unable to get in close. not near as many Elk but we have been finding them up high.

[Husky7mm]

Same story every year, early September is smoking hot. Some talking in the bow season and then they "quiet " down when everyone shows up. Unless you want to get into his zone up on the steep north aspects you will only have a few minutes in the evening and morning to hunt. How bad do you want an elk.....?

[hunter1959]

Bad been here ten days did lot of high areas in the wildhorse and haven't seen or heard any elk

[mrdieselpa]

Its been a ghost town for elk this sept..... Havnt seen it this slow for years. hot at night
And during the day, bugger all for tracks must have been a big wipeout since last year.

[eastkoot]

They are around.. Fresh tracks each day but few sightings, one I did see is now dead and left cause I guess three of them couldn't find it in 15 friggen minutes of shooting it. Piss off..Ravens are happy..There are a few trickling in but it hasn't really started yet...

[Husky7mm]

There is almost 20 degrees difference in temp in the morning near the creeks as opposed to being in the open , just saying....

[OutWest]

The elk are around and active just like every year. Never understand the thinking some guys have that if they don't find elk in the exact same spots year after year that there must have been a die off or a slaughter. A little thinking and exploring goes a long ways.

[hunter1959]

Well finally got a nice big six point took 12days and7hours to get out of valley very far down but very nice rack probaly in the 320 range

[Striksfromabove]

Just got back last week from a backpack trip east of the Flathead R and couldn't believe the lack of sign. Found 2 small wallows, one rub and not a lot of track, no fresh dropping anywhere. Crashed around in the creek bottom and climbed up and glassed goats just above us. Moved from there after 4 days then hit west side of Jaffray and did the same thing over again and managed to locate 1 lone cow in 3 days. Again top to bottom no elk...anywhere. Checked Chain Lake TeePee, Plumbbob Mtn., Caver(actually found 2 fresh tracks there). Even if the rut hadn't picked up yet animals leave sign. There is some serious population issues in those areas I have no doubt. And to have a spike bull and cow season WTF????? On the plus side the whitetails were like rats, we were tripping on them behind Jaffray, I never seen anything like it. Should be fun for those who show up for the Oct. 1st doe season! My read on it is there is very localized pockets of few elk and the local guys capitalize on their honey holes. Game managers need to put their thinking caps on about the state of elk in the West Kootenays and take a lesson from Region 7B, there is light years difference between the quality of elk hunting in those 2 areas. See you in Chewtynd next year :)

[Striksfromabove]

Sorry bottom paragraph should state "East" Kootenays not West.

[6point]

just got back from a 10 day horse hunt in a road closer area away from all the quads only one other group of hunters in there and they said similar things...saw 6 elk in that time frame, a group of 4 cows with no bull one night then a bull with eather a light coloured cow or spike was too far away to tell another night just minutes before dark. very limited bugleing they would answer then move off. anyone who says there are lots of elk left has no clue and has obviously never hunted elk in the kootaneys from the early 60's to the early 90's! Animals leave tracks and the game trails are slowly growing in. Ive done a lot of summer scouting too. theres lots of BS out there and lots of hunters that don't want to sacrifice their success of today for better herd numbers tomorow.

[Walking Buffalo]

Another consideration. Wolves will force elk into areas with escape terrain. Broken hillsides, cliffs, Away from roads....

When the wolves move in elk have to move out of the gentle terrain.

[eastkoot]

Mine is still walking cause i got some of those crooked Barnes boolits Frigg

[bugler]

Game populations are ridiculously low. It has become a joke with my friends and I. We still go out but it is hard to get motivated, trudge for miles, see and hear f'all. We pretty much take our bows for a walk and see some country. Luckily I have family in Alberta who host us. The pic below shows what 4 guys from the EK can do in 4 days of bowhunting there. Even 10 years ago I'd have never thought that we would be going to Alberta to get good hunting. (OK, great hunting!!!)

http://i1082.photobucket.com/albums/j370/gterpsma/DSCN1854_zps3b0431bc.jpg (http://s1082.photobucket.com/user/gterpsma/media/DSCN1854_zps3b0431bc.jpg.html)

[OutWest]

Lots of stories and pictures of elk coming out of the East and West Kootenays, it sounds like little more than sour grapes from typical crazy Koot residents who are upset over outsiders shooting "their elk". Same story as every year. Butchers are full.

[Brew]

I just got back from a solid week of rain and some snow. Elk where not talking. If they did they would let out a half assed bugle and shut up. Had one huge 6x5 in an area for two days but couldn't get to him. Only had 6 cows with him and a little 5x5. When I finally found a way up to him he side hilled into some rougher country. Saw him one more time but couldn't make it happen. They where almost up with the goats.

[rocksteady]

Lots of stories and pictures of elk coming out of the East and West Kootenays, it sounds like little more than sour grapes from typical crazy Koot residents who are upset over outsiders shooting "their elk". Same story as every year. Butchers are full.


Rumour over in the East is the butchers age getting lots of time to play CRIB at work.

[6point]

Lots of stories and pictures of elk coming out of the East and West Kootenays, it sounds like little more than sour grapes from typical crazy Koot residents who are upset over outsiders shooting "their elk". Same story as every year. Butchers are full.

REALY? how old are you? some young kid trying to tell us just because hes seen some pictures of dead elk then there must be elk EVERYWERES!!! take a trip into the Palliser, findley, lussier, albert, toby, any of the headwaters... places that used to hold large groups of elk... bet you don't see more than half a dozen to a dozen in each! and im not talking along the roads im talking in the back ends up the old horse trails. I bet you don't remember the days in the EK when you could shoot cow, calf, bull, moose, or elk it didn't matter! one of the main reasons that groups of elk don't leave the main valley are there because the old herd cows that used to lead the groups back up into the back country were all shot off years ago! with the thousands and thousands of hunters out there id guess you would still see pictures of dead animals! Theres Fu*k all left for game in alot of BC and it comes down to wolves and p*ss poor game management. me and my hunting partner have over 75 years combined hunting experience and hes shot more game than probley anyone you know. I hunt out of town quite regularly and have no problem with out of towners to say what you said is quite immature id say!

[GoatGuy]

Buddy was in one of the 'induced' road closures in the EK last week. The most bulls they had on the go at one time was 8, passed up a couple 6 pts, saw a couple over 320 and one he figured was 340+.

Peddle bike and some motivation could get a person into some awesome hunting this year. Elk like it where there aren't any hunters and where there aren't wolves.

[GoatGuy]

REALY? how old are you? some young kid trying to tell us just because hes seen some pictures of dead elk then there must be elk EVERYWERES!!! take a trip into the Palliser, findley, lussier, albert, toby, any of the headwaters... places that used to hold large groups of elk... bet you don't see more than half a dozen to a dozen in each! and im not talking along the roads im talking in the back ends up the old horse trails. I bet you don't remember the days in the EK when you could shoot cow, calf, bull, moose, or elk it didn't matter! one of the main reasons that groups of elk don't leave the main valley are there because the old herd cows that used to lead the groups back up into the back country were all shot off years ago! with the thousands and thousands of hunters out there id guess you would still see pictures of dead animals! Theres Fu*k all left for game in alot of BC and it comes down to wolves and p*ss poor game management. me and my hunting partner have over 75 years combined hunting experience and hes shot more game than probley anyone you know. I hunt out of town quite regularly and have no problem with out of towners to say what you said is quite immature id say!
Pic from last year, 30 or 40 elk all together heading out after the wolves showed up. Think we saw 37 bulls in the first 4 days of hunting. Not far from one of the places you're talking about.

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/IMG_crop2.jpg

[6point]

^is that your picture because im pretty sure a google search a year or 2 ago brought that picture up for me?

[GoatGuy]

^is that your picture because im pretty sure a google search a year or 2 ago brought that picture up for me?

That is my picture. Funny how things end up on google eh?

[Bigbullsh$tter]

Rumour over in the East is the butchers age getting lots of time to play CRIB at work.

I picked up my bull from our local butcher in the WK and he said the same thing. Less than half the elk at that time from the last three years; 17 cows/bulls appose to 40. He also said something kind of interesting.....he hadn't had a WT buck in yet and that was on the 18th of Sept, he said he hadn't seen that since their family business started many years ago. These reduced numbers even after another reputable butcher closed his doors for September.

No disrespect NickR, but i don't know where you are getting your info about butchers being full.

[OutWest]

REALY? how old are you? some young kid trying to tell us just because hes seen some pictures of dead elk then there must be elk EVERYWERES!!! take a trip into the Palliser, findley, lussier, albert, toby, any of the headwaters... places that used to hold large groups of elk... bet you don't see more than half a dozen to a dozen in each! and im not talking along the roads im talking in the back ends up the old horse trails. I bet you don't remember the days in the EK when you could shoot cow, calf, bull, moose, or elk it didn't matter! one of the main reasons that groups of elk don't leave the main valley are there because the old herd cows that used to lead the groups back up into the back country were all shot off years ago! with the thousands and thousands of hunters out there id guess you would still see pictures of dead animals! Theres Fu*k all left for game in alot of BC and it comes down to wolves and p*ss poor game management. me and my hunting partner have over 75 years combined hunting experience and hes shot more game than probley anyone you know. I hunt out of town quite regularly and have no problem with out of towners to say what you said is quite immature id say!

Careful, your chest might burst if you keep puffing it out. Must just be coincidence that the guys who know how to hunt them are successful year after year. Circumstances force elk to change locations from season to season but I guess with over 75 years hunting experience, you two already knew that.

[LBM]

Buddy was in one of the 'induced' road closures in the EK last week. The most bulls they had on the go at one time was 8, passed up a couple 6 pts, saw a couple over 320 and one he figured was 340+.

Peddle bike and some motivation could get a person into some awesome hunting this year. Elk like it where there aren't any hunters and where there aren't wolves.
Ok Ive got nothing to do for a week let me know what road closure your talking about and I will head in there to verify your buddys story.

[GoatGuy]

Ok Ive got nothing to do for a week let me know what road closure your talking about and I will head in there to verify your buddys story.

Induced, means it is not a Wildlife Act closure, only that it is bike/foot only due to the rain....... should get you started

[bugler]

Yes, the more inaccessible places will always hold more elk. And there is no doubt that hard work pays off when it comes to hunting. Those who put in time and effort generally fill more tags. But, if you've been around for awhile, you gotta know there is a lot less to hunt than there was even 5 years ago. Maybe we're all spoiled from living in the Serengeti our whole lives but it ain't sour grapes, its a fact. Pops are way down, preds are way up, finding a bull to talk to is very difficult. Sure, some people still find them, but not like it should be.

[6point]

I think theres a lot of BS being said here...everybody always has a buddy who almost gets the big one in some secret honey hole but for the number of hunters the amount of success is nothing! in our 10 days we saw over 50 deer and of all them deer only one was a buck! Ive never known goat guy to be a tall tale teller but 37 bull elk in 4 days...hmmm. anyone every pay attention to the elk in the kootanys after hunting season? we used to ride on horses threw the wintering grounds and spot the hillsides out of canal flats from the late 90's up until a few years ago. when we first started going over we counted around 2000 elk in the spring few years later around 1000 and the last time we went a few years back id guess 500's maybe a little more? what happened to the elk around golden and the blayberry? does anybody even bother hunting out there anymore? what happened to the moose north of revelstoke? what about the mule deer and elk in trout lake? our game is so miss handled by over hunting and lack of preditor control its ridiculous. mule deer along the arrow lakes the same thing. nobodys saying there are "0" animals left but the numbers are so low compaired to before the 90's that its ridiculous. but unfortionatly probley nothing will ever happen because of the attitude everyone has nowadays that "theres lots of animals out there hiding behind every tree you must just be a road hunter and not good enough to find them." funny our photo albums from years past and walls would say different...

[GoatGuy]

Yes, the more inaccessible places will always hold more elk. And there is no doubt that hard work pays off when it comes to hunting. Those who put in time and effort generally fill more tags. But, if you've been around for awhile, you gotta know there is a lot less to hunt than there was even 5 years ago. Maybe we're all spoiled from living in the Serengeti our whole lives but it ain't sour grapes, its a fact. Pops are way down, preds are way up, finding a bull to talk to is very difficult. Sure, some people still find them, but not like it should be.

Until the 90s, most of the EK didn't have wolves since the 40s. Talking to folks who spend their 'career' down in the Flathead, the wt's dried up in a matter of a couple years and the elk went downhill pretty quick.

We saw our first wolf in one spot in 2007. Used to be phenomenal mule deer hunting - last time we were in there was 2010. Another spot, our first time seeing wolf sign was 2010. There used to be a pile of wt's down low, they were pretty much gone by 2011 and we started finding elk kills in the 'high country'. Now the elk will vacate the country and finding elk kills is a normal occurrence.

Until you have habitat enhancement and/or predator management you won't have game populations like you 'used to'.

[GoatGuy]

I think theres a lot of BS being said here...everybody always has a buddy who almost gets the big one in some secret honey hole but for the number of hunters the amount of success is nothing! in our 10 days we saw over 50 deer and of all them deer only one was a buck! Ive never known goat guy to be a tall tale teller but 37 bull elk in 4 days...hmmm. anyone every pay attention to the elk in the kootanys after hunting season? we used to ride on horses threw the wintering grounds and spot the hillsides out of canal flats from the late 90's up until a few years ago. when we first started going over we counted around 2000 elk in the spring few years later around 1000 and the last time we went a few years back id guess 500's maybe a little more? what happened to the elk around golden and the blayberry? does anybody even bother hunting out there anymore? what happened to the moose north of revelstoke? what about the mule deer and elk in trout lake? our game is so miss handled by over hunting and lack of preditor control its ridiculous. mule deer along the arrow lakes the same thing. nobodys saying there are "0" animals left but the numbers are so low compaired to before the 90's that its ridiculous. but unfortionatly probley nothing will ever happen because of the attitude everyone has nowadays that "theres lots of animals out there hiding behind every tree you must just be a road hunter and not good enough to find them." funny our photo albums from years past and walls would say different...
We generally see lots of critters, but we put a lot of sweat equity in to it.

There are lots of spots where wildlife is well below historic norms and that's to be expected - the habitat was in much better shape and you didn't have wolves. Without fires and with wolves, you shouldn't expect the hunting to get better - it will continue to get worse until things level out and that will be at a low point.

Lastly, if you believe any of the elk or mule deer declines in the WK or the migratory herds in the EK you are sadly misinformed.

Sounds like a Cranbrook story.

[JCVD]

...............

[afflicted 1]

REALY? how old are you? some young kid trying to tell us just because hes seen some pictures of dead elk then there must be elk EVERYWERES!!! take a trip into the Palliser, findley, lussier, albert, toby, any of the headwaters... places that used to hold large groups of elk... bet you don't see more than half a dozen to a dozen in each! and im not talking along the roads im talking in the back ends up the old horse trails. I bet you don't remember the days in the EK when you could shoot cow, calf, bull, moose, or elk it didn't matter! one of the main reasons that groups of elk don't leave the main valley are there because the old herd cows that used to lead the groups back up into the back country were all shot off years ago! with the thousands and thousands of hunters out there id guess you would still see pictures of dead animals! Theres Fu*k all left for game in alot of BC and it comes down to wolves and p*ss poor game management. me and my hunting partner have over 75 years combined hunting experience and hes shot more game than probley anyone you know. I hunt out of town quite regularly and have no problem with out of towners to say what you said is quite immature id say!

I have to say I strongly agree with the Fu*k all left in alot of b.c, too many wolves and poor game managment...nailed it

[OutWest]

Yes, the more inaccessible places will always hold more elk. And there is no doubt that hard work pays off when it comes to hunting. Those who put in time and effort generally fill more tags. But, if you've been around for awhile, you gotta know there is a lot less to hunt than there was even 5 years ago. Maybe we're all spoiled from living in the Serengeti our whole lives but it ain't sour grapes, its a fact. Pops are way down, preds are way up, finding a bull to talk to is very difficult. Sure, some people still find them, but not like it should be.

Wasn't trying to insinuate that there isn't a concern in the EK and other places for that matter but you see the same threads year after year on here from guys complaining about the same thing. What are they doing to help the situation other than logging into HBC and bitching and moaning? There are a handful of guys on here who make their voice heard outside of this online hunting forum but for the majority, they would rather point the finger at easy targets. Prime example is 6point blaming over hunting yet we have half the number of hunters and more restrictive seasons than we "used to".

I do disagree that finding a bull to talk to is very difficult like you said. One doesn't need to be Mr. Hunting to get out there and into action. Head off the end of a road in just about any drainage in the WK and you can get into elk. This year was the closest we've been to roads in a long time and it was some of the best action we've had, not being further than 2-3km from one at any given time. No horses, no bikes.

6point, the reason nothing happens is not because of attitudes like you stated but rather people not being proactive. Everyone likes to complain but no one wants to do anything. Having our concerns heard by the people in power will go a long ways instead of just being a bunch of keyboard jockeys on an internet hunting forum. If you're one of those proactive people then good on you and sorry for the previous comments but there are far too many who want everyone else to do the work for them.

[Whiterock]

I have to agree with you Nickroth,,,nothing will happen unless we get involved, get proactive. The problem is, who will listen,,and then have the spine to act? I personally have written, THE PRIME MINISTER of Canada, the PREMIER OF BC,,and the FEDERAL MINISTER OF INIDIAN AFFAIRS,,,I was polite, to the point, and had my facts right,,,I asked these gentlemen for a reply,,and you what I got?,NOTHING!!! You talk to a C.O.,,,and their eyes just glass over. So I ask,,,who do we contact?

[coach]

I have to agree with you Nickroth,,,nothing will happen unless we get involved, get proactive. The problem is, who will listen,,and then have the spine to act? I personally have written, THE PRIME MINISTER of Canada, the PREMIER OF BC,,and the FEDERAL MINISTER OF INIDIAN AFFAIRS,,,I was polite, to the point, and had my facts right,,,I asked these gentlemen for a reply,,and you what I got?,NOTHING!!! You talk to a C.O.,,,and their eyes just glass over. So I ask,,,who do we contact?

Start by joining your local fish and game club. Attend as many meetings as your schedule permits. Easier to make a difference as a group than as individuals.

[sallovesbeer]

So has anyone got any elk it's sure seems like the goverment made some big mistake with that open season on cows the last few years cause there's no elk around put in lots of hours since opening day and haven't even seen tracks
Just got back from there. Lots of elk everywhere, just not too cooperative. We saw at least half a dozen big bulls, unfortunately they were either 5x or too far up on the slides for us to get to them. It was still a little warm so they wouldn't budge from the mountains. Saw a few spikers, cows and a couple other guys with some harvested animals so they are definitely there.

[Everett]

Finally got out local this week took 15 minutes to find a Bull another 30 min to confirm he was legal than 2 hours to get him in the truck. This was in one of the most popular local spots in the EK. There out there just not making a lot of noise, locals around Kimberley seem to be knocking them down pretty good this week.

[bugler]

Having our concerns heard by the people in power will go a long ways instead of just being a bunch of keyboard jockeys on an internet hunting forum. If you're one of those proactive people then good on you and sorry for the previous comments but there are far too many who want everyone else to do the work for them.

Been there, done that, and still doing it...but it does get tiresome beating ones head against that brick wall! Still, we ought not give up, and hopefully some of the "keyboard jockeys" will also speak up to the people that matter. At some point maybe those voices will be heard.

Nice job on the elk in the WK but we're talking about the EK here and I'm thinking there is still a fair difference in bull density between the two areas. A few more years, probably not so much.

[rides bike to work]

I was planning a trip to the kootneys to hunt and visit family but after all this negative nancy talk I may as well save the money for tags and buy beer to drink with my uncle.

i have sent emails to my mla voicing my concerns with lack of funding for wild life managment. He responded with a list of how great a job the government is doing. I pointed out problems with wolves and comparisons with wildlife managers in certain states. He came back with more deflecting comments. We are still going back and forth. But it does feel like banging my head against a wall.

Ehh I may as well by a tag just in case.

[WKCotts]

Lots of stories and pictures of elk coming out of the East and West Kootenays, it sounds like little more than sour grapes from typical crazy Koot residents who are upset over outsiders shooting "their elk". Same story as every year. Butchers are full.

Butchers are not full. Not even close. My butcher has had 30 elk, 2 from my dad and I. More than 50% less than normal. That's with another butcher shut down and a new guy with very little game. Get your facts right before you post bullsh*t

[WKCotts]

I picked up my bull from our local butcher in the WK and he said the same thing. Less than half the elk at that time from the last three years; 17 cows/bulls appose to 40. He also said something kind of interesting.....he hadn't had a WT buck in yet and that was on the 18th of Sept, he said he hadn't seen that since their family business started many years ago. These reduced numbers even after another reputable butcher closed his doors for September.

No disrespect NickR, but i don't know where you are getting your info about butchers being full.

well said brad

[SteepCountry]

LOL I had to join this forum just to post in this thread after it came up in a search while googling some you tube vids. I'm sorry you guys can't buy an elk if you had to. The butchers in MY neck of the EK woods have told me they have had 2-3 times the elk than last year. Last year sucked. It was too damn hot. This year is awesome. The cooler I used was chock full. I have seen a lot of action as has every Elk hunter I know. If YOU are not having any luck here are some points possibly why.
1. You are a road hunter. You drive up and down expecting the Elk to turn into giant Kootenay Asian carp and jump into your truck bed. 2.You camp in areas where you should be starting your hunt.Driving Elk out of your proximity since you hunt close to camp. This is you LML's. 3. You expect elk to be in the open or respond to every elklike sound you produce. 4. You are old and therefore most likely -->5. You are out of shape and lazy 6. You may just not know how to hunt elk when they do not want to be found. 7. You are a rookie. 8. You are NOT from the area and thus have no idea where to start and expect elk to be around every corner much like grizzly bears. 9. You hunt in an area where the seniors and youth road hunters drove all your prey into the upper reaches of the woods. 10. You also have a high predation rate and therefore have elk that are sly.
And finally 11.you could just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Elk move around. A lot. You should move.Around. A lot.

There are tons around. If you expected elk hunting to be easy you may as well go down south for a penned/canned hunt. Talking about how the ministry has managed the elk when you have no education in wildlife biology and are basing it on the science of "if I didn't see them, they're not there." is asinine. We have people that do a good job which is why all the Elk hunters I know get their elk every damn year. So suck it up buttercups and get to work.

[coach]

Great first post, SteepCountry. You'll fit in well here.

Any chance you'll introduce yourself to the forum?

[Whonnock Boy]

It really makes me wonder if there are a few trolls in here playing reindeer games in effort to keep the out of towners away.

[markt308]

Haha haha great first post there

[oldSchool]

Hey "SteepCountry" I resemble part of that remark. Jeez quit picking on the elderly lol

[Striksfromabove]

SteepCountry,

I agree with most of your point form reasons why hunters won't score on elk generally but disagree with those being the reasons elk weren't harvested in the EK by me where I hunted this year anyway. I can't speak for anyone else but know my skillset and abilities. Start from page 1 and you'll realize there is a obvious common theme here, stated by some pretty experienced hunters.
Explain to me why I can glass an alpine hogback in the middle of the Flathead accessible only by horse trail and three other alpine areas with no access into them off and on for 3 days and not even locate a mulie doe never mind a buck or elk for that matter. This included crawling out of a tent before first light and glassing immediately. In pretty much any other area of the province we would have seen game...hands down.

I"m trying to post pics and experiencing errors and will post later and you can judge for yourself whether it is prime habitat or not.

I hunted the Flathead this year due to it's rugged and remote nature and can truthfully say I was dissapointed and concerned about the state of deer and elk.

[GoatGuy]

SteepCountry,

I agree with most of your point form reasons why hunters won't score on elk generally but disagree with those being the reasons elk weren't harvested in the EK by me where I hunted this year anyway. I can't speak for anyone else but know my skillset and abilities. Start from page 1 and you'll realize there is a obvious common theme here, stated by some pretty experienced hunters.
Explain to me why I can glass an alpine hogback in the middle of the Flathead accessible only by horse trail and three other alpine areas with no access into them off and on for 3 days and not even locate a mulie doe never mind a buck or elk for that matter. This included crawling out of a tent before first light and glassing immediately. In pretty much any other area of the province we would have seen game...hands down.

I"m trying to post pics and experiencing errors and will post later and you can judge for yourself whether it is prime habitat or not.

I hunted the Flathead this year due to it's rugged and remote nature and can truthfully say I was dissapointed and concerned about the state of deer and elk.

That is wolves + fire surpression - the flathead used to have phenomenal hunting and started to slide as soon as the wolves showed up. Has absolutely nothing to do with hunting regs.

[Striksfromabove]

4580
Here's one pic.

[Striksfromabove]

GoatGuy,

I agree with what you are saying but if the Min. of Environment continues to have GOS rather than closures or LEH they are contributing to the problem.

[GoatGuy]

GoatGuy,

I agree with what you are saying but if the Min. of Environment continues to have GOS rather than closures or LEH they are contributing to the problem.

Given the use, the current regulations for elk and mule deer in the flathead are fail-safe. We aren't actually 'managing' wildlife, just skimming a bit off where there is zero impact on the population.

[rocksteady]

Part of the issue I have seen this year is tgere is water everywhere, as well as toones of feed everywhere.
In some of tge grassland areas I hunt, usually the tallest vegatation is about a foot tall. This year, there was some sort of weed head height. Not a new weed, just perfect growing conditions this year.

[Rackem]

Not sure about EK, but WK definitely a few Elk being taken, and nice ones to boot. I lived in the WK for a year (2012) and the ridge I lived on was a daily stream of Elk walking it. I could see their feet going by my kitchen window...

[Everett]

Part of the issue I have seen this year is tgere is water everywhere, as well as toones of feed everywhere.
In some of tge grassland areas I hunt, usually the tallest vegatation is about a foot tall. This year, there was some sort of weed head height. Not a new weed, just perfect growing conditions this year.

Shit loads of food and water and a hot September big surprise not a lot of Elk shot in early September. Last week of September it gets wet and cold and bingo Elk are dropping like flies. But regardless of the season the EK whiners club will be out in strength. Basically these people are crap hunters and like to blame someone else for there failures(wolves, other hunters, the ministry take your pick).
Now we do have a large wolf problem but the reason there is a large wolf population is the fact we have a large Ungulate population

[Husky7mm]

LOL I had to join this forum just to post in this thread after it came up in a search while googling some you tube vids. I'm sorry you guys can't buy an elk if you had to. The butchers in MY neck of the EK woods have told me they have had 2-3 times the elk than last year. Last year sucked. It was too damn hot. This year is awesome. The cooler I used was chock full. I have seen a lot of action as has every Elk hunter I know. If YOU are not having any luck here are some points possibly why.
1. You are a road hunter. You drive up and down expecting the Elk to turn into giant Kootenay Asian carp and jump into your truck bed. 2.You camp in areas where you should be starting your hunt.Driving Elk out of your proximity since you hunt close to camp. This is you LML's. 3. You expect elk to be in the open or respond to every elklike sound you produce. 4. You are old and therefore most likely -->5. You are out of shape and lazy 6. You may just not know how to hunt elk when they do not want to be found. 7. You are a rookie. 8. You are NOT from the area and thus have no idea where to start and expect elk to be around every corner much like grizzly bears. 9. You hunt in an area where the seniors and youth road hunters drove all your prey into the upper reaches of the woods. 10. You also have a high predation rate and therefore have elk that are sly.
And finally 11.you could just be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Elk move around. A lot. You should move.Around. A lot.

There are tons around. If you expected elk hunting to be easy you may as well go down south for a penned/canned hunt. Talking about how the ministry has managed the elk when you have no education in wildlife biology and are basing it on the science of "if I didn't see them, they're not there." is asinine. We have people that do a good job which is why all the Elk hunters I know get their elk every damn year. So suck it up buttercups and get to work.

A wise and long time member builds a second profile to share how he really feels....... Priceless:mrgreen:

[Whonnock Boy]

A wise and long time member builds a second profile to share how he really feels....... Priceless:mrgreen:

That is VERY funny.

[WKCotts]

Not sure about EK, but WK definitely a few Elk being taken, and nice ones to boot. I lived in the WK for a year (2012) and the ridge I lived on was a daily stream of Elk walking it. I could see their feet going by my kitchen window...

How do you know this? And what is a lot? Please share.

[Rackem]

My friends from the WK have been sending me pictures of them. What do you mean "what is a lot"? I said a "few"...

How do I know that the Elk walked past my kitchen window? Because I observed them with my eyes...your questions are weird...:confused:

[Rackem]

This made me laugh out loud!!! such a funny visual!!


expecting the Elk to turn into giant Kootenay Asian carp and jump into your truck bed.

[hunter1959]

well i did get an elk in east kootenys and yes i hunted my ass off no road hunting lots of walking climbing just wasnt seeing any game at all no white tails no mule deer going into alpines valley bottoms then went for quad ride and parked to watch a slash and bingo down below me very large 6 point but took 12 hard days hunt probaly 8 hours or more each day yes you have to work at it but they just not there like any other years if they wanted to thin out cows they should have did it with leh so they could manage this better thats my two cents. good luck hunting

[Rackem]

Wow, breathe! or use some kind of punctuation lol....did you actually get the Elk???

[upncomer]

Ive spent the last half hour of my life going through all these comments back and forth on here and having quite a good chuckle to myself, as I am quite a young guy still and not quite as experienced as you "old bucks" on here but that being said i have been hunting for 13 years and have been hunting elk for about 5 or so, both myself and my brother year after year go out hours on end, book weeks off work trying to find these elk, and year after year we have both come up unsuccessful. And yet every hardcore hunter i know that gets an elk, gets an elk year after year after year. So i was too in this boat of where the hell are these elk at? seems like everybody else can find them and we cant get our chance for the life of us? And then this year hit and at the beginning it wasnt looking too hopeful, until one morning i finished my night shift of work and figured i think its a good day for a hunt. boom couple hours later i find myself gutting my first ever 6x6 elk. My brother(older brother) of course was happy for me when he heard the news but also reaming with envy as hes working out of town. Exactly one week later i decide Im gonna try my luck looking for a muley and wouldnt you know it I find myself face to face with another 6x6 bull elk not even 40 yards. I tell my brother and we make a plan and next morning boom! hes gotten his first ever elk. $ days later my neighbor and also hunting buddy...boom! we get his first elk. And yet only one of my other friends and people i know that get them year after year have yet to get one, and all are complaining theyre gone. Moral of the story is turns out the elk arent gone, theyve just adjusted to being over hunted and pushed out and just all around adjusting to the land around them as it changes each year cause how else could you explain this story?

[hunter1959]

yes i did and it was worth the time i put into hunting. did a lot of hunting see very nice areas the east kootenys is a great place to hunt and vacation

[cassiarkid]

Not sure where the Creston Area fits in to the East and West Kootenay scenerio, but it has been a great year for big bulls this year. Some of the old timers are saying they have never seen hunting like this before. I personally know of 4 bulls grossing from (380's to 350's). Had a friend who shot a 325 bull and it was no big deal. Usually that would win you a buckle at awards night??!! The vegetation must have had a great year to help in antler growth. It also seems that the amount of elk shot is way up from last year. It's weird how area's not so far away can differ so much. Maybe those West Kootenay hunters are chasing all those monster bulls across the lake!

Cheers

[bforce750]

Meat cutters in the West Koots probably wont see 1/2 or a 1/4 of the game as they did in the past 2 years....its only been GOS for elk the last two years....what are they comparing to? And yah there should have been lots of elk shot the first and second year of it being opened from a trophy management zone:confused:

[bforce750]

And the elk hunting has been pretty good in the EK ,meat cutters are fairly busy but a little slower than last year....they don't have a couple thousand cows showing up this year to spread around that's all.

[j270wsm]

West kootenay GOS for elk started in 2010, so that makes 4yrs not 2

[bforce750]

West kootenay GOS for elk started in 2010, so that makes 4yrs not 2

Correct me if im wrong but 2010+4 =2014 :-D

[bforce750]

They have only had 3 seasons so far .....im right u a r wrong j270wsm :mrgreen:

[goinghunting]

They have only had 2 seasons so far .....im right u a r wrong j270wsm :mrgreen:

Your both wrong boys, theres been 2 seasons of oct.1-20 gos and this is the 2nd season of sept.10-oct.20th gos so we are in the 4th season of gos

[WKCotts]

Your both wrong boys, theres been 2 seasons of oct.1-20 gos and this is the 2nd season of sept.10-oct.20th gos so we are in the 4th season of gos

Nailed it!

[bforce750]

Nailed it!
my internet is slow 3 seasons I edited

[Whonnock Boy]

Nailed it!
So, it was the fourth season of GOS that you and your pal got two "good bull's" then? :-D

[WKCotts]

So, it was the fourth season of GOS that you and your pal got two "good bull's" then? :-D

I don't even know how to respond to this without getting banned from hbc lol step away from the computer and go kill something you geek

[j270wsm]

Regardless of the dates for the GOS season, the west kootenay's gos elk season opened in oct 2010. So wouldn't that mean there has been 4 seasons( including this year )

[WKCotts]

Regardless of the dates for the GOS season, the west kootenay's gos elk season opened in oct 2010. So wouldn't that mean there has been 4 seasons( including this year )

You are correct

[Whonnock Boy]

i don't even know how to respond to this without getting banned from hbc lol step away from the computer and go kill something you geek
lol!!!!!!!

[Everett]

Well it only be a couple years before WK Elk hunters are as big a whiners as EK elk hunters.

[d6dan]

No disrespect to Wayne on that last post just I know that were Wayne hunts has a high desity of wolves for a good decade now. Wayne has no problem pulling good quality animals out of the bush.

Your right. Lots of dogs in there. last year we heard them howling every night. When you hunt an area as long as H47 has, your know it well. The elk are getting smarter as well the predators and so are we. Different tactics needed to be successful each year.

[Husky7mm]

No disrespect to Wayne on that last post just I know that were Wayne hunts has a high desity of wolves for a good decade now. Wayne has no problem pulling good quality animals out of the bush.
Wayne hunts for 3 mths straight too so its stand to reason that he is successful albeit in country full of wolves.

[Husky7mm]

Do you have a month straight to hunt? Did you scout all summer prior to that? Are you running 13 cams? Wayne earned his game through a mountain of effort and returning year after year. H is living his and many of our dreams but his Ek hunting experiences are far from the norm, and he has had the odd elk less year..... Probably helping others to get theirs. Heck of a gentleman.

[Vinny]

Went for a quick drive after getting off work and in the 2 hours we had, me and my son saw multiple whitetails, a few mulies, a legal 6 point bull too far to get to, and 2 bull moose. All that and basically from the truck window, maybe I should look elsewhere that has more animals.....

[GoatGuy]

The boys killed a 330 bull on the weekend and saw a couple more legal bulls.

[SteepCountry]

4580
Here's one pic.

I'll Give you a hint about this spot. If you see an elk here at that time in that weather you will be lucky. If you shoot one there at that time in that weather do not expect it to be a regular occurrence. Look in the transition areas in the thick Shit.

[SteepCountry]

There's another thing you unsuccessfuls should realize besides my previous 11 commandments. Elk are not Whitetailed deer. You cannot pattern them. They are smart and use the entire herd as sentries. When you kill all the stupid ones..you are left with intelligent small herd creatures who only get together to orgy and fight in the deep dark night. So you have to change tactics.
One call to the local WB will tell you about the numbers and why the cow hunt was a good idea. I assume by the comments not one of you have.He can also help you find where to go. If you really want an easy elk hunt go to the USA in a managed plot or maybe Alberta. DO not expect to see animals year after year in the same places. Animals adapt.

[Husky7mm]

Husky I scout my ass off. I hunted the entire month of September. I back pack and sleep right were the elk are .Was on bulls almost everyday. From my observation the elk were nocturnal since the aug 31st 90 present of the bugling I herd was at night . I don't have 13 cams but I have six and have been trailcamin for along time. There are lots of elk out there. I also know Wayne and realize how much hard work he puts In. All I'm trying to say is with effort comes reward that's all.
Sorry Bearass no attack on you. I don't know you to know different than what you are saying. Where I am disagreeing with you is that you stated that hunter1947 had "no problem" getting a quality animal every year.... That really paints an untrue picture of what it's like to the folks that will not or can not match his huge efforts. The ek can produce some pretty good elk hunting experiences for one camp and group and some huge disappointments for others.