unit 11 elk

bolsen · Jul 1, 2012

hey guys i drew the nov 1-24 elk tag, just wondering if anyone here has had the tag before and kind of looking for some pointers on what to expect. what kind of bull should i be holding out for? what kind of access is there in the unit? thanks for any info!
brandon

IDbones · Jul 1, 2012

i have the unit 11 early deer tag, i will be able to give you good info after my hunt. i spend a lot of time in waha and i wouldnt shoot anything under 300''. I have honestly seen bulls that are 350-360+. if you want one of those you gotta be willing to hike over the breaks though and that is no small task with hunting gear. the access is great in craig mountain area and in my opinion that is where most of the big bulls are. in october they are on top and much easier to get to but come november they are starting to bachelor herd up and move into the breaks. google earth will be your best friend if your familiar with it.

hope this helps and best of luck

fly4fish · Jul 2, 2012

I hunted the unit with a friend who had both the early mule deer and elk tags last year. His standards weren't high as he'd done very little scouting. He hunted hard on top for several days and saw very few elk. He went down over the breaks one day and got into a heard and shot the first branched bull he saw; a 5 point rag. We then heard other bugles while I helped him pack it out of the hellish area.

I went with him on his mule deer hunt as well. We started from the river and I spotted an elk heard with a decent (280-300 inch) 6 point bull. I then found a decent 165 inch mule deer that I could not talk him out of. While taking pictures of him and his buck, gun shots rang out and the elk heard came running across the hillside, minus a bull.

The unit has gone down hill a lot in the last 10 years, especially for elk. With that late tag, you are best to start from the river (you'll need a boat or be ready to hike from the top, it is deep) and shoot the first six point you see. If you have time to scout you may be able to turn up something bigger, but it will be after the early season, so anything big and visible will have been chased.

Good luck! It is awesome country. You'll enjoy it regardless of the bulls you see.

MichaelJ · Jul 2, 2012

In 2009 they started more than doubling the bull tags in that unit. Shoot the first 300" bull you see unless you have local help or a lead on a specific bull. There are a few monsters left in there but they have not survived the last 3 years of constant pressure from Oct through December by being stupid or in easy to kill places!

Mike

nezzy · Jul 3, 2012

I spend alot of time in this unit. I would stick to the breaks, snake river side. Should not over look captian john creek,china, fry point, or fort simon ridge. IMO

John

bolsen · Jul 3, 2012

thanks guys! im hoping to get over there to scout the area soon. headed to unit 40 this weekend to scout for deer.

IDbones · Jul 11, 2012

I was up there yesterday and saw a bachelor herd. 15 bulls and no shooters. Biggest one was maybe a 290 class 6er. There were 4 or 5 6 points.go as close to the salmon river as possible and dont be scared of droppin into the breaks. If yo stay on top bring a gps and backcountry off the road as much as possible. Also id grab a whitetail tag ive seen 3 bucks that will go over 140 this year and one will definately break 160. Hes already bout 28 inches wide

bolsen · Jul 13, 2012

Thanks for the update IDbones! I will definitely look into getting a whitetail tag. I know if i don't have one i will see a dandy. Hopefully there will be some nice bulls left by the time my hunt gets here!

NickM · Jul 13, 2012

28" wide whitetail... Now that I would like to see!

Good luck on your hunt!

IDbones · Jul 16, 2012

heres a unit 11 whitetail deadhead i found this on top of waha. just to reinforce that you should seriously consider buying a whitetail tag also. he scores 156 6/8 hes a 6x6

http://www.monstermuleys.info/photos/user_photos/8434img_20120506_151331.jpg

bolsen · Jul 16, 2012

That's a dandy! Im sure i will end up buying one. Many people in there hunting whitetail that time of year?

bolsen · Aug 24, 2012

Anyone been scouting unit 11 lately?

woodsy10 · Sep 4, 2012

i've hunted unit 11 the last two years, it definetly has gone down hill for big bulls. Hunted hard off many of the major breaks both Salmon and Snake side. The best bull I saw last year was a 270 bull. Do you're homework it is not a slam dunk for a 300 bull. There are lots of bulls, but the older bulls are either very limited, or very secretative. PM if you want more info.

IDbones · Sep 10, 2012

goin out there today for my first over night scouting trip, let you know how it goes

bolsen · Sep 10, 2012

Nice! ! Keep me posted! Thanks again for all the help!

IDbones · Sep 11, 2012

well it ended up being a day trip, i blew out my ankle bout 100 yards from the truck on a damn pinecone! saw a couple of spikes by themselves, i didnt see any cows or branch bulls. i dont know where they are, wind was blowing very hard though. i also talked to a blm fellow that was up there that said hes been seeing them in the greenest grass around. i feel bad for whoever hunts the opposite side on oregon, it is a black wasteland over there. saw a couple medium size muleys on the hoof, probly escaping the wind.

IDbones · Sep 13, 2012

called in 2 bulls today, a 300 class 6x6 real long beams and great mass but shot points, the other was a 320-330 class bull with great all around everything. the if the first one had come in any closer he would have spit in my face when he bugled at me. the second one hung up bout 300 yards out, i tried to coax him in and he just kept covering the hillside, neither one of them had many cows so theres a giant in there somewhere with 100+ cows. every time the second one bugled every surrounding canyon blew up with bugles. going ape $hit right now. first one was bout 1200 feet off the river and second one was bout 3000-3200 above the river. i took the jet boat out and hiked from the river, it was a dandy. pm me if u wanna know the canyon, theyre up high and ive heard them still bugling beginning of october in past years.

bolsen · Sep 14, 2012

that's encouraging theres a couple good bulls around! ! Hopefully your ankle is good to go. Getting pretty pumped for the hunt! Its looking like I'm going to go straight from colorado mule deer, to dayton rifle elk with my uncle then to idaho! Should be a fun couple weeks! Sending you a pm

125nontypicalforky · Sep 24, 2012

idbones, i sent you a pm. thanks

bolsen · Oct 27, 2012

Good luck on your deer hunt IDbones! Any snow in unit 11?

125nontypicalforky · Nov 8, 2012

Hows the hunt going, any bulls down. I have the late muzzleloader hunt coming up, i'm pumped!

Lovethewoods · Jun 29, 2022

woodsy10 said:
i've hunted unit 11 the last two years, it definetly has gone down hill for big bulls. Hunted hard off many of the major breaks both Salmon and Snake side. The best bull I saw last year was a 270 bull. Do you're homework it is not a slam dunk for a 300 bull. There are lots of bulls, but the older bulls are either very limited, or very secretative. PM if you want more info.

We are now in 2022 and I drew the elk tag. Not sure if you are still on this site but what are your thoughts about China Creek? Stay high, drop low? I often camp in Waha especially around huckleberry season.