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Roosevelt elk in OR or WA?

I am looking for general information on bow hunting Roosevelt Elk. Is one state better than another for a non-resident? Does Oregon have controlled hunts for Rosie's that can realistically be drawn in a few years? Is it worth building points there? Does Washington have a point system? Also are there "landowner" tags in either state? I assume there may be private land that can be hunted for a fee? My goal would be to harvest a legal bull unguided.

Yes. No. No. Yes. Yes. Yes. GL, it’s not easy. The bulls are very quiet and live in the jungle.

I killed my first elk in OR less than a mile from the Pacific. I swore I’d never go back.

You can hunt a ton of public land in Oregons coastal range with an OTC archery elk tag. I don't know why a NR bowhunter would apply. Although, they did have some draw only, trophy units back when I lived there. They are tough to get on, to say the least.

I think Oregon has a longer season than Washington.....tags are OTC for the most part.

Brushy as hell.....usually steeper than crap.......and contrary to popular belief...they bugle really well.

That being said, I live here and don't hunt them because i really dislike the brush.

Willieboat is correct. They bugle very early. I can see them often on my way to town but I don't hunt them. Too much private land around here and they shut you off for fire danger as soon as things get a little dry.

I hunted OTC WA, both as NR and Res., and both during Modern Rifle and bow seasons for nearly 20 years, and they are not easy, but the brushiness is not that intimidating if you know where to go. If not, it can be a downright nightmare. That said, you have to do a lot of homework and scouting to find both elk and accessible areas. It took me years to figure it out, but I ended up taking five nice bulls and three cows during those years. They do bugle, but I found that they are less vocal than Rockies in MT., and they grunt more and whistle less. There can be some really big bulls occasionally, which makes the whole effort worthwhile knowing they are there somewhere. Mostly you are going to encounter raghorn 4x4s though. I like hunting Rosies best over Rockies since they do not light out for the next five sections when they are bumped. And if you do spook them, they are more likely to be back where you found them within the next day or a two. They are more closely tied to their home ranges and less migratory than Rockies. As for coastal vs transition zones, I like the transition zones better. But I like both, and the coastal mt. areas are more forgiving steepness-wise, than the areas further east. The Cascades are some bitchin' places to get a bull down sometimes.

So, it sounds like Oregon is better than Washington? Also it appears that building points in either state is not worth the time/money for a chance at a better hunt?

I grew up in Oregon near the coast range and now live in western Washington. You do not need points to hunt Roosevelt elk in either state. Do not fall into the trap of points for NR’s in these states! Oregon is a better state for elk. As thick as the coast range is, it can swallow up sound easily and bugles can’t be heard as well from distance. I think that’s why people say they don’t bugle as much. Gotta be closer to hear them.

One more thing....if your worried about record books you must hunt west of I-5 to have them accepted.....the cascade elk while mostly roosevelt do have some rocky blood in them in some areas

The west side WA elk season runs in the later part of sept and into Oct., so the rut is in its later stages by then. And there are a lot of road hunters riding around with bows strapped to the hoods of their Jeeps or tops of their PU cabs. So you have to find some remote areas where no one goes or the bulls will shut up quick when the goons start bugling at them. I'd bet Oregon is better but I didn't hunt there. My bow hunts for elk in WA were often sabotaged by idiots.

Oregon is probably the better bet because of the 100's of sq miles of national forest, plus bull tags being OTC for the most part. This year season runs Aug24 thru Sept22. Afew drawings mostly for late season cow tags. Most of eastern Oregon is OTC for that matter although some northeastern units take 20+ points. West side is just too tough for me; a rain forest in country too steep to raise mtn goats. Clearcuts/burns are your friends if you can get away from the road hunters.

wildwilderness, if you want some tips on where to bow hunt in Western WA (its OTC for NR's and Res), pm me. I can show you where to go to get away from the crowds. The elk aren't super abundant, but they are there and its nice country, somewhat open and not all a brushy cluster of tangles.

when I hunted coastal Tule elk the rut was earlier - starting in August, Do these coastal Roosevelt also start eurting earlier than Rocky Mt elk? When is the best time to go hunting?

They are usually going pretty good by the 7th of September.

Not hard to find; just hard to shoot from inside your car.

Easy to find around Reedsport. They rut from the time they lose velvet, from early Sept. into Oct., but the season in WA runs after and past the best part of rut I feel.

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