I was watching Elk Country Journal the other night and saw the show on hunting Roosevelt Elk in California. It was a real neat show and WOW, what an elk. Anybody here hunt them? How hard is it to draw a tag?

I hunt Rosevelt elk up here in Washington. They really are a spectacular animal. Non-resident tags are sold over the counter in Washington, but they sure aren't cheap. Check out the WDFW web page.

http://www.wdfw.wa.gov


I just got serious about hunting them last year, and that was with a Contender pistol. There's nothing quite like being 30yds from a nice 5x6 Rosevelt bull. I would have taken this this bull, but he had a cow 10yds behind him. At this range, I'm pretty sure the 405gr hard cast from my
.45-70 would have gone right through the bull and hit the cow. It was definately a hunt to remember.
I would highly recomend hunting Rosevelts if you get a chance. Let me know if you have any questions.
Andrew

In BC,Roosevelt's Elk are all on the LEH system.Except for a couple of liscences available on the Sechelt Penninsula,they are all found on Vancouver Island.The odds on drawing a liscence where I apply have ranged from 80 to 1 up to over 200 to 1 last year.Several outfitters have liscences available but the cost of a hunt on VI runs up to $17,000US.The odds,however, of getting a bull that scores in excess of 350 B&C points is pretty good.
Dave

6.5, I lived in Kalif. for nearly 36 years. I put in for Roosevelt Elk there for 12 years, before moving to Idaho. I was never drawn. I still regret it, even though I've been fortunate enough to hunt and kill Rocky Mountain Elk in four western states.

If you can draw a Roosevelt tag, go for it. The are a magnificent animal.

Good luck. L.W.

Well Mark:



Since no one in Oregon has piped in on this....



IN Western Oregon, on the west side of the Cascade we have Roosevelt Elk. For a resident in general season, it is pretty much just go down to Wally World and buy a tag.



ON the east side of the Cascades, you have Rocky Mountain Elk. Much of that area is Draw Tag, like a Lottery

I meet out of state hunters all the time.



We also have some Tule Elk here in Southern Oregon and in Northern California. The Roosevelt Elk are larger in body but smaller antlers than a Rocky Mountain Elk. The Tule Elk are smaller in both stature and antler size.



If you have the desire, I can drop you an Oregon Game Regulation in the mail. Just send me an email with your address on it. For a non resident hunter, Oregon would be cheaper and a better chance for a tag than Washington or California by a long shot.



Success rate I think is about 17 to 20% each year. The animals are out there. But the terrain is very mountaineous and those Elk are a lot smarter than any Whitetail or Mule Deer ever could be.



Just this past Friday when I went out to shoot ground squirrels over near Klamath Falls Oregon, the ranch that I shoot on has about 4700 acres. IN the distance in an alfalfa field at the bottom of a hill side, that leads off of forest service property, at a distance of 700 to 800 yds or so, there was a head of about 40 Elk out there feeding at about 2 in the afternoon.



There are herds all over the place. I have even seen them come down a bed down at 700 yds on our local range's, long range. They were having it tied up with a pistol silohuette match. Here are 40 guys out here shooting at 25 to 200 yds, and not one of them noticed about 30 Elk coming out and bedding down at 700 yds, up the gentle slooping hill side.



I was on the bordering range. Finally after 10 minutes I walked over and pointed it out to the range master of the club.

Of course they had to stop the match.



But understand, unlike Deer hunting, they are herd animals.

Usually you see now, or you see a whole bunch of them.

And they know how to charge down a hillside that looks like you need a parachute to go down, and here they charge off of it at a dead run.



They can humble the best of hunters in my book.



Cheers and Good shooting

seafire

I'm in ( have been) in California for 11 years. I apply for an Elk tag every year and have never been drawn. The guys I've met that hunt, not one of them have ever drawn. It would be fun but the chances are slim.

I hunted Elk in Oregon when I lived there. And have gone back as a non-resident. Same with Idaho, It cost some money to apply, and if you don't get what you want go with something else. We hunt public land, no guide or help from anyone. I enjoy my time hunting regaurdless of where I'm at. Some places just make you want to get back more often.

mark, I have hunter them in Wash and Oregon and as the others have said, its not a walk in the park. As seafire said, you would think that these ol' boys are cross bred with Mt goat and it is not uncommin for them to cover a 10 mile stretch in short order if pressured. If I can be of any help about areas in Wash, let me know