NE elk finding new ground

Northeastern Washington hunters are enjoying the most liberal elk seasons ever, although that still doesn’t mean the hunting is easy.

The elk are thinly populated and scattered through a huge area and the timber and vegetation is thick.

“I remember when elk hunting up here was at Sullivan Lake, and that was it,” said Steve Zender, department wildlife biologist in Chewelah. “The elk are much more widely distributed now. Pend Oreille County sportsmen who have hunted up here forever say the last few years have been the best elk hunting they’ve seen in northeastern Washington.”

“It’s still not the kind of hunting you’ll find in the Yakima region, but it’s an improvement, and that’s good.”

The northeast has lots of public and commercial timber land open to the public. Of course, many elk will hunker on private land during the season.

“If you have a cow permit, landowners might be more interested in seeing you at their door,” Zender said. “But generally speaking, there are enough elk hunters out there to make it difficult to get onto private land.”

Muzzleloaders start hunting seven days later than last year, with the season opening Oct. 7, which will move them farther out of the elk rutting period.

Muzzleloaders can hunt elk in their special season throughout much of northeastern Washington now that Unit 117 (49 Degrees North) has been added to the mix this season.

Spokane-area units can produce good elk hunting for those who secure a lease or know the right landowners. Cheney unit 130 was the best elk producer in Eastern Washington last year. But most of the 119 animals harvested went to hunters who secured difficult-to-get access on private lands surrounding the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge.

(A proposal is still under review to allow limited elk hunting inside the Turnbull Refuge. Next year, maybe.)

The Mount Spokane unit is in the second year of allowing hunters to take any elk. “The land ownership in Unit 124 is complex, and elk might be open to hunting in one field but if they cross a fence, they’re safe,” said Dave Volsen, department wildlife biologist. “There’s a lot of luck involved in where the elk will be standing when the season opens.”