Best Opportunity for an Elk Meat Hunt

I'm looking for an opportunity to hunt elk somewhere outside of my home state of Washington. The elk hunting here has been on the decline for years with the piss poor at best management by our game department. We used to take at least one elk in our group every year, but now we feel fortunate to take an elk every 2 or 3 years.

With that being said, I am looking for a new state or two to spend some time in the woods hunting elk. I have looked into CO, ID, MT, UT and WY, but its a lot of information to process and it seems like most information is geared around bulls and trophy caliber. Antlers are great, but I like the taste of elk meat and would harvest a cow anyday of the week without hesitation. I also haven't been playing the point game for elk like I have for mule deer, so I'm starting from scratch in most states. I'm continuing to research, but I'm leaning towards CO or WY based on shear populations and the opportunities from what I have found so far. I know I just missed the CO deadline, so maybe I should be focusing more on WY this year and possibly ID or MT as a backup because how close they are to me.

I'm in the construction industry, so I can't realistically hunt outside of the weekends until October or later when things slow down at work. I'm looking for an opportunity fill the freezer, so any advice would be appreciated on what opportunity hunts I should look at or what states have the best opportunity hunts to offer.

Feel free to message or email me any information you're willing to share. Thanks in advance and happy hunting!

If a muzzleloader is a possibility, look at Utah for November. And you just want a meat hunt.

Put in for a LE cow permit, and you will draw NR.
Then buy the over the counter spike tag.
You can hunt 2 elk if you want. First week of November.

LAST EDITED ON Apr-07-19 AT 03:07PM (MST)[p]I'll look into that for next year since the UT drawing has already past. Muzzy is an option for me, so I appreciate the advice. I'm still looking for something this year, but I'm leaning towards WY or MT.

Actually the general muzzleloader tag is sold over the counter starting mid July and the application period for antlerless opens early June with results posted early July.

You can buy elk B tags for cow elk in Montana, many areas have the shoulder seasons which can run from August 15-Feb. 15, you need to apply for these tags by June 1. Also, there may or may not be leftover elk combo licenses for sale in a couple of months.

>LAST EDITED ON Apr-07-19
>AT 03:07?PM (MST)
>
>I'll look into that for next
>year since the UT drawing
>has already past. Muzzy is
>an option for me, so
>I appreciate the advice. I'm
>still looking for something this
>year, but I'm leaning towards
>WY or MT.

Utah antlerless draw isn't for another couple months. It is separate from the antlered draws

Thanks for the advice guys, this gives me a couple of ideas to look into further.

Wyoming deadline is past for NR but we do have good reduced price cow tags.
Make sure when applying they do not have restrictions like private land only etc.
You can get 2 cow tags in Wyoming.
Beware of leftovers as they are probably ones without much access.

Lots of late muzzleloader cow Hunt's into Dec in Idaho.

I agree, plenty of great cow hunts available in Idaho and the draw hasn't happened.

>I'm looking for an opportunity to
>hunt elk somewhere outside of
>my home state of Washington.
> The elk hunting here
>has been on the decline
>for years with the piss
>poor at best management by
>our game department. We used
>to take at least one
>elk in our group every
>year, but now we feel
>fortunate to take an elk
>every 2 or 3 years.
>
>
>With that being said, I am
>looking for a new state
>or two to spend some
>time in the woods hunting
>elk. I have looked into
>CO, ID, MT, UT and
>WY, but its a lot
>of information to process and
>it seems like most information
>is geared around bulls and
>trophy caliber. Antlers are great,
>but I like the taste
>of elk meat and would
>harvest a cow anyday of
>the week without hesitation. I
>also haven't been playing the
>point game for elk like
>I have for mule deer,
>so I'm starting from scratch
>in most states. I'm continuing
>to research, but I'm leaning
>towards CO or WY based
>on shear populations and the
>opportunities from what I have
>found so far. I know
>I just missed the CO
>deadline, so maybe I should
>be focusing more on WY
>this year and possibly ID
>or MT as a backup
>because how close they are
>to me.
>
>I'm in the construction industry, so
>I can't realistically hunt outside
>of the weekends until October
>or later when things slow
>down at work. I'm looking
>for an opportunity fill the
>freezer, so any advice would
>be appreciated on what opportunity
>hunts I should look at
>or what states have the
>best opportunity hunts to offer.
>
>
>Feel free to message or email
>me any information you're willing
>to share. Thanks in advance
>and happy hunting!

I can connect you with some pretty good cow opportunities in Oregon that are cost effective and pretty much guaranteed. They're typically Dec/Jan opportunities..

Thanks for the reply, but I'm not really into that sort of hunting and like to get out there to do it on my own.

>Thanks for the reply, but I'm
>not really into that sort
>of hunting and like to
>get out there to do
>it on my own.

Lot's of easy to draw cow tags in Oregon as well..