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?

[Bulldog0156]

Deer hunt unless your only intention for elk scouting is to figure out access.

 

[Greybeard]

I would say go to Montana and stop at a little place in Wallace, ID on the way, but I hear that it's closed now.

 

[Hem]

Montana > Washington in every way.

Not much saltwater opportunity in Montana.

 

[Pagosa]

You may likely never draw this tag in MT again. A lot of these limited tags are really becoming a once in a lifetime opportinuty even for residents.

 

[Irrelevant]

Montana > Washington in every way.

Shot across the bow!

 

[Forkyfinder]

Montana > Washington in every way.

You must not have tried seafood

 

[mtmuley]

You must not have tried seafood

Seafood isn't anything that makes Washington state better than Montana. At least not to me. mtmuley

 

[TN2shot07]

Having not hunted mule deer I don’t think I’d pass up the opportunity, even a subpar one

 

[Southern Elk]

You must not have tried seafood

It’s alright. I would definitely do it again. I will award Washington 1 point for saltwater fishing. @Hem

 

[Hem]

It’s alright. I would definitely do it again. I will award Washington 1 point for saltwater fishing. @Hem
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Anybody who doesn't like eating LingCod or halibut i dont understand.

 

[Irrelevant]

It’s alright. I would definitely do it again. I will award Washington 1 point for saltwater fishing. @Hem
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A dare you to kill a limit of chukar in Montana

 

[Southern Elk]

A dare you to kill a limit of chukar in Montana

I’m built more for river bottom whitetails. Does Washington have any of those?

 

[mtmuley]

Washington > Montana. So hilarious. Not even close. mtmuley

 

[Gerald Martin]

Some of the best scouting I have done is learning the logistics of roads, access, camp spots as having a much familiarity with a unit as possible before the hunt begins.

It gives way more options for when you’re seen elk and even more importantly of having alternate options for when you aren’t seeing elk.

It’s always hard for me to do that when I have a tag in hand. I tend to get tunnel vision and focus harder on a spot I have in mind even when it’s apparent there’s not a lot of elk there. If I don’t have several backup options, I tend to not leave what I know for what I don’t know. That’s a terrible strategy for a transient elk population.


Go scouting. Forked horn mule deer will be available next year. This bull tag will not.

 

[Hammsolo]

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.

I have not. I was loaded twice this summer for scouting, but life got in the way. Death… crap…

 

[Hammsolo]

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?

I have the first week off, and more time planned for elk late season if necessary. If I kill a bull the first week that will be for Montana deer.

 

[Hammsolo]

I've seen pics of your "Mediocre" scabland deer. I'm pretty sure you have that gig figured out.
If I wasn't too tight to play NR in Washington, I would be there. I love all the coulees and basalt cliffs.

Then I would head to Montana

I love hunting it because most people are clueless how to hunt it. It’s an ambush game mixed with glassing. People just walk around and stand in the open. My prayer, I know this sounds terrible, is that no one kills the buck I saw last year. I named him Claude and he was on the list this year until I got bumped down the list. The biggest non-typical I’ve seen on the hoof. I bumped him off a cliff in high wind while working the edges in a high wind. I nearly stepped on him, literally. He exploded out, and never stopped. I searched all day for him. He was smart. He had to have buried himself in a hole. I was sure I had him. I can still see his two front trident forks.

 

[Jnasa]

Normally I would say go deer hunting. It's good to take advantage of opportunities even mediocre ones.

However, since you have not been to the area before and you have a good tag. It would be worthwhile to go scout. I wouldn't focus on looking for elk as the will likely be in different areas. Instead look for areas they may be in that time of year. Also look for access points, where you could camp, etc.

Just a little familiarity with the area can save you a lot of time come season.