A friend has invited me to hunt Roosevelt elk on Washington's Olympic peninsula, near Forks, this coming November. There would be two guides for three hunters over five days; the fee would be $1750 (per hunter, I believe), not including food, lodging, and licenses.

I did some searching on the Internet and AR about such a hunt and encountered mention of scarcity/suboptimal quality of trophies in that area.

I have never hunted elk out West. May I have your comments about the proposed arrangements and trophy quality in that area?

Thanks,

MVR

Bring heavy duty rain gear! you will need it. The hunting should be good.

quote:

Bring heavy duty rain gear! you will need it. The hunting should be good.

I'll second that motion. It's probably the wettest area in the entire U.S. Lake Quinault records over 400 inches of rain a year.
I hunted not too far from there at Humptulips on the Penninsula. It rained like hell the day we got there and got set up. The hunt started the next day and the rain stopped. It didn't rain again until the day we left and the elk headed for the deepest nastiest jackpots they could hide in. Needless to say we got skunked. I do believe that if the rain had not stopped, we might have score on an elk. Roosevelt elk have shorter antlers and heavier bodies. I guess that's a good trade off. I dunno what the success rates are but where we were it was tough hunting.
Good luck on your hunt.
Paul B.

I know someone who has been getting a bull every other year in that area via archery. He says the Olympics have big bulls with small racks.

The WA state elk hunters average ~5% success with archery, muzzle loaders, and modern rifle.

The trouble with the 5% is that includes pack in with guides, drawing a big bull or cow tag, and the super hunter mentioned above. Average hunters [spike only] are more like 1%.

The 5% average also includes the late season big bull tags given to landowners with property damage. I know someone who gets 4 tags/ year. The tags are worth ~$10,000 each.

The 5% also includes the "expert hunters" [who helped the state make and maintain trails] given special access to elk outside the elk fence.

During the regular 9 day elk season, there are many areas with so many hunters, the camping looks like Woodstock- the movie.

What does it all mean?
The chance of getting an elk in WA in one lifetime is small, unless you have some special advantage, like a big bull tag, a cow tag, or access to some exclusive private property.

I fish out of Forks and the surrounding area is more hilly than mountainous. The brush is thick and challanging with thick undergrouth. Busting the brush will be hard and exhausting. A lot of guys float the rivers for sign and then go after them. Lot of big bulls and a pretty good herd over there. There is alot of clear cuts over there as logging is still pretty popular on that side of the state.
Check the clear cuts in the mornings and you will do alright.. The last time I went to Forks, one of the biggest Elk herds I've seen was standing on the airstrip runway right in town! Good luck.Where will you stay and what type of camp will you stay in? There is a great bed and breakfast if you are going for a short hunt. If interested pm me.
PS- Lots of bears over there, too.