Coast Elk - late season

[SteelieP08]

Hey guys,

I have a crazy delimna this year. My wife and I are expecting our first child and it is a wonderful event. However, the timing couldn't be any worse. She's due Aug. 24th. I bow hunt elk very hard every year, so you can see my issue. So, instead of my annual trek to NE Oregon for rutting bulls, looks like I'm hunting late season coast bow cow. My wife's folks live in Newport and I've managed to angle a trip for them to see the baby in early December/ and me to hunt elk. I'm looking at the Alsea unit or Stott Mt. I was just wondering if anybody can tell me anything about that hunt. I mean, am I going to find any elk? Any hints? Should I ditch my calls and glass clearcuts? Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[drannan]

I bet they'll be pretty quiet in December....they can be pretty quiet in September.....and I think the late season only lets you shoot a cow(could be wrong.) I've never hunted the Alsea...but Stott Mt. I have hunted for about ten years.....We hunted it mainly because it was close, we knew it, and we knew where the very few elk were. We killed several bulls, mostly spikes but a few branched bulls too. Even the best areas that we knew quite well did not hold many elk......

If it was me I would get info on the Alsea and go stick a cow!

Life is about to change for you unless you have a very understanding wife! Mine was pissed I wanted to try to not have any kids born between Sept and Jan, but what a mess...
My son is the best thing thats ever happened to me though! Congratulations!

 

[bugle2me]

That is going to be a tough hunt I have hunted the rifle season in the alsea. The second rifle season ends the day before late archery season begins and the elk have been pushed around since early season if not before. In the area I hunted there is not many clear cuts any more so glassing is hard to do, but there is a power line and they keep that fairly clean and the elk seem to use that. Most of the old logging roads are all brushed in now and hard to walk and see sign as is the rest of the country there as you know. But if you could make a trip or two over this summer and maybe find some area that has a few elk in it you might have a starting point. A freind of mine had a baby a few years ago in the late season and sitting around the house drove him crazy and his wife too so she told him on night that he needed to go hunting the next day to get out of her hair. Maybe this will happen to you and you will get to go out in the early season it might be easier to find animals if they will talk to you.

 

[SteelieP08]

Thanks, guys. I figured it was going to be a tough hunt. I live down in Klamath so there are a couple of places I can hit local if I can annoy my wife enough to get her to send me out. For my consolation, I drew a Keno late archery deer tag, so that's something anyway. I just really need to do some serious elk hunting, it's like crack... Thanks again for the feedback.