My 1st Hunt: Archery Coastal Elk

[SpikeChaser]

First things first, I'd like to introduce myself. My name is Brad and I'm a new hunter but a fairly dedicated outdoorsman. I am 34 years old, in very good shape with no health conditions. I've spent at least 1 day a week on average in the coastal mountains or on the bays. Some years much more. Over the years I've encountered lots of elk. From huge herds to lone trophy bulls.

For the last year or so, I've had my mind set on harvesting one for my family. Over the last 2 months I have become obsessed. I've spent a shameful amount of time studying and e scouting and have seen tons of fresh sign with my own eyes recently. I've been practicing shooting and calling daily and feel very confident up to 35 yards out. Although my calling could definitely use improvement.

I am hunting two elk heavy units. I have several promising spots either scouted by foot or marked off on OnX to check out throughout the season. I plan to arrive before light Saturday and start in on trails I've mapped in thick timber around the edges of clearcuts. I'm physically and mentally prepared to hike as many miles as it takes to get a shot on an elk.

With all that said, I know the odds are strongly stacked against me.

I'd love to hear the advice and opinions of some of the experienced knowledgeable hunters here.

Thanks a ton for reading this and sorry for such a long first post. Wishing everyone luck on Saturday!

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Welcome! Good job doing your homework, it will pay off for you.

There's only one issue I see here:
1. "No health conditions"... see, we're all a little crazy around here. As evidenced by the fact that we would never be caught dead saying "I've spent a shameful amount of time..." when it comes to elk hunting. Yard work? Sure! Barbecues with friends? What friends? Family dinners? Definitely. Elk hunting? Uh... yeah... don't let my wife hear those words!

[Indian Summer]

Welcome aboard Brad. I’d tell you to glass but I’ve hunted western Washington and that’s not how it’s done there. The ferns were taller than me! Elknut will tell you to call which is wise and I’d look into his educational materials including the Playbook. Swede is swinging from the vines down in Oregon or he’d chime in with “Set a treestand along a well used trail near a clearcut or water” which is also good advice.

All I know is it rains way too much for me over there so my advice is to wear the best rain gear you can afford. Best of luck and please give us a report when you get back.

[Billy Goat]

welcome to the forum, and great first post!

I have ZERO coastal elk experience. So I have no wisdom to offer you. Sure sounds cool, though.

if you've been burning bootleather and putting eyes on elk, then you are ahead of me.

glad to have you on the board, Brad.

shane

[WapitiTalk1]

Welcome to the forum Brad, glad to have you on board. I used to hunt the coastal elk quite a bit. I found that locating after dark worked well for me.

[Lefty]

Welcome aboard Brad. voice up often!

All I know is it rains way too much for me over there so my advice is to wear the best rain gear you can afford. Best of luck and please give us a report when you get back.

Early archery is often very dry

My wife and daughter are somewhere out that direction. She sent a picture of a spike walking by somewhere along the Columbia

[Lefty]

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Ssssss thwack!

daydreaming.jpg (369.99 KiB) Viewed 4186 times

[WapitiTalk1]

Some fine artwork Malachi but I think your shot is a hair low

[Lefty]

I could smell Dwarfs steak from here! I was told he didnt even need to track it, just bleed out standing there, then dropped to the ground. I guess Swede was upset. He had his treestand in the next neighbors front yard

So far he has the only elk on this years meat pole

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Some fine artwork Malachi but I think your shot is a hair low

Psshaw! I smoked him right through the heart. I know because that was what Lefty smelled me grilling. Left a nice 3 blade slash right through the intersection of the aorta and left ventricle.

[7mmfan]

Some fine artwork Malachi but I think your shot is a hair low

Psshaw! I smoked him right through the heart. I know because that was what Lefty smelled me grilling. Left a nice 3 blade slash right through the intersection of the aorta and left ventricle.

Little far forward for a leg back traditional archery shot isn't it? Even from the front window of a Honda civic? Now, if it was a bowtech from the back of a Ford, that's a sure thing...

[Trumkin the Dwarf]

Some fine artwork Malachi but I think your shot is a hair low

Psshaw! I smoked him right through the heart. I know because that was what Lefty smelled me grilling. Left a nice 3 blade slash right through the intersection of the aorta and left ventricle.

Little far forward for a leg back traditional archery shot isn't it? Even from the front window of a Honda civic? Now, if it was a bowtech from the back of a Ford, that's a sure thing...

I shoot big boy bows for a reason 650 grains @185 fps will go through like the proverbial hot knife and butter.

[WapitiTalk1]

Some fine artwork Malachi but I think your shot is a hair low

Psshaw! I smoked him right through the heart. I know because that was what Lefty smelled me grilling. Left a nice 3 blade slash right through the intersection of the aorta and left ventricle.

Just teasing ya mister. You got him all right…..then he spun to his left, climbed the stairs 1/2 way up to that apartment, and croaked right there. Just back the truck up and load that big bull in the bed

[SpikeChaser]

Thanks, y'all!

I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome and report back on my hunt so far:

I got out opening day right before dawn and made it to the edge of a clearcut I had scouted earlier as the sun came up. With barely enough light to see I spotted a big grey brown spot about 100 yards away. I got out my glass and I realized I was staring at a big bull with his head down eating. I keep glassing and spot 6 or 7 cows nearby. I have to admit that I got a little shaky at this point. The bull looked to be a giant spike just beginning to branch but just as I was getting a better look, two of the noisier hunters you'll meet came up the trail behind me and the elk took off.

I spent about 10 hours that day creeping through thick timber hoping to sneak up on a bull. Fresh sign was everywhere. Shiny wet piles of scat, untouched scrapes, wallows, rubs. The air smelled like a combination of BO, goats and urine. I knew for sure I would see a legal bull soon enough.

Around 7:30 that morning, as I'm walking along an old logging road cow calling I hear something grunt back at me from inside the timber. I call again. It talks back. So I call again. Now its moving in my direction and in a hurry. My heart stopped at this point but I wasn't shaky this time. Instead I dropped to one knee crouched beneath the brush line and grabbed a broad head from my quiver. I can hear the animal try to circle around to the side of me just behind the brush. It pauses. I nock an arrow and give one last call. 5 seconds later a curious doe pokes her head out from behind a thicket of alder and blackberries before seeing me drawing back my bow and disappears into the timber. My heart sank but I felt the most positive and wild feeling imaginable after having such a close and intense encounter with a wild animal. I'm hooked.

I'm hoping to get right back out there as soon as things open back up. Otherwise I'll be taking the advice and heading out east. It looks like amazing country to hunt.

Thanks again for the welcome and I hope everyone is safe, well and still able to hunt with all that's going on with the fires.

[Roosiebull]

How did the rest of your season go? If you have any roosie specific questions, I would be happy to do my best at answering them, and if I don’t know, I won’t act like I do, haha

Hope you had a good season, I love chasing coast bulls!

[Swede]

I do not know how I missed this thread. Anyway welcome to the forum Spike. It is good to have another hunter here especially one that chases Roosevelt elk.