Driving back from a moose hunt in the Peace River area a few years ago, we drove straight through (21 hours) to get home in a reasonable time with two moose in the back of the truck so we could get them processed. We came south through I believe it was Glacier Park - it was 2:30 AM and I wasn't real awake at the time- and we had to keep an eye out for elk constantly. Some of the biggest elk I've ever seen were eating away in the ditches of the highway barely paying any attention to the vehicles going by. I thought sure it would be like mule deer and they would jump out at the last second into the road so I was keeping a sharp eye as we went....any of them would have been wall hangers...
Jud, Up until a couple years ago I carried my 338 WM for elk after my son took over my 300 H&H AI, but just for kicks and giggles had a 26 Nosler built for the cross canyon shooting I find is most common on these public land hunts any more. With all the pressure they get in the couple units we hunt in the Blue Mountains you have to be prepared for anything. Shot a medium spike last year and dropped him in his tracks, but won't know if this will be my full time elk cartridge yet until I knock a few more down and see how they do. When the only tags we can draw any more are spike only tags I'm pretty much stuck with what I can shoot at. Kills me to watch huge bulls wandering away while I am still looking for a spike to fill my tag....
Tried to hunt the coast range a few years and between practrically drowning from all the rain during elk season and getting run over by crowds of hunters I gave it up and started to hunt East in the mountains exclusively.... hills are pretty big but I'm getting too old to climb down into those canyons any more so I let the younger guys go down and I wait on top for the elk to come up....
Bob
Last edited by Sheister; 12/27/21.
Never underestimate your ability to overestimate your ability.
