What would you do? One weekend of hunting mediocre Washington scabland mule deer or one weekend of scouting for elk for a solid bull tag in Montana?

[Hammsolo]

Morning All,

I hope it finds you and your crew well. Here’s a long story very short. What would you do? I drew a solid elk that in Montana. I have lost the privilege to hunt a solid piece of ground for mule deer in Washington. My scouting trips for Montana have been thwarted by life. I have scouted new areas in Washington and have seen lots of does, but no shooter bucks. Opening weekend for Washington deer coincides the weekend before the Montana rifle opener. Do I hunt one weekend for deer here, or go scout for elk?

 

[MTGomer]

The title is really trying to sell the audience on the WA deer.

 

[Charlie Bob]

The answer is ……42 !

Good luck whatever you decide, but the Elk aren’t going to find their selves.

 

[rmyoung1]

There’s a reason besides population that you see many WA plates in MT but few MT plates in WA. Good luck on your elk hunt.

 

[Song Dog 2224]

Deer. I think scouting the rifle tag will be a futile effort unless you will have bow in hand. Where the bulls are now (rut) likely will be a different spot than where they go, alone, post rut. Plus, it’s anyone’s guess where that bull you may have scouted went, once the long guns start banging, unless you have a large private land chunk to hunt all by yourself. And with your goal of just shooting a mature representation of the species with your brother, not sure scouting a specific bull is that beneficial.

Plus I’m a mule deer guy

 

[MTLabrador]

The elk in the area you’ll be hunting (if I remember correctly) are very transient, here today and gone the next. I’d lean towards having a tag in your pocket instead.

That said, if it will add to the enjoyment of your elk tag I’d still happily go. Just know they might move a lot in a week.

 

[Southern Elk]

Montana > Washington in every way.

 

[Hammsolo]

The goal resting on hunts whenever possible is mature animals. I’ve been lucky in Washington to have a spot that I could track down bucks that fit the bill. I will be hunting the next weekend, and scouting will allow me to find a good camping spot and test a few theories. I love hunting the scablands. The deer are there. It takes patience, and brings patient glasser. It isn’t nearly as flat as it appears. Deer appear and disappear in seconds.

 

[Forkyfinder]

Best chance to kill an elk on public is on opener. Once the guns go off - the elk hunting is harder because the bottoms/valleys are full of private. Best way to find them is before opener.

 

[Hammsolo]

I may also be able to get my bro out another weekend too. He’s been through a ton lately. More sickness in the lineage… blah.

 

[crock239]

Montana. Sounds like any WA mule deer hunting you do will pale in comparison to the deer hunting you've already done.

Assuming you dont already know the unit in MT, you could learn a lot about the Montana unit in a weekend that will make you much more efficient with your actual hunting time there.

 

[JLDemo]

Montana.

The probability of drawing a good unit out of state again is slight. Make the most of it. Crap mule deer Hunting will be there when you get back, or have time.

 

[rmyoung1]

Whatever you decide, good luck. Looking forward to hearing about it.

 

[jimh406]

You could always hunt Washington after you finish in Montana. I'm assuming it's a lot closer than Montana.

I believe opening day of deer is a bit over-rated. Others may disagree.

 

[Irrelevant]

You're being generous with the mediocre label

 

[Rogerdoger]

Have you been to the area before where you will be elk hunting? If not, I would say go scout, not necassirally for animals. Look at roads and access, what trailheads have a bunch of camp spots that look like they have been used recently. You can verify motorized trail dates as they are listed on onx, are the trails 5' wide and looks heavilly travelled. Look for some good glassing points, water sources, etc. If you know there is a lot of water you know you don't need to pack a bunch and can move fast, if no water you know you will extra weight so you can allow more time to hike into glassing area. If there ar BMA's in the area take a drive and see if it looks like good country. A lot to look at scouting other than where the elk are, as many have said they will probably move. The last thing you can find a good burger joint for after your packout your elk, good luck.

 

[Matthew57]

That’s a tough one. As a fellow eastern Washington guy, I love hunting the scablands as well. If you get the chance to hunt the last weekend of deer season though, I’d probably lean towards elk scouting. How many days of elk hunting have you allotted?