Quote:
Originally Posted by Buck_Hunter
Spent a week camping and hiking everyday in upper 402 last year. In 7 days we seen 3 elk, 2 spike bulls and a cow. We hunt hard, out before the sun and back to camp in the dark. 3 passionate guys in late 20's in shape and we got beat hard. Very very tough hunt without the weather, and the weather changes out there daily by the hour at times, be prepared for every type. This has been a good post. These guys are not bluffing about the wolves and bears so be prepared. Fish & Wildlife releases problem/trapped bears at the gate in the north end of the zone so yea there are lots of bears, mostly big brown ones. You'll cut more paw prints than hoofs guaranteed. Bring spray and carry a defender and be prepared to use both. Hopefully the new 6 point rule will recover the elk in that area but it's going to take some time. Do the elk a favor in that area and dedicate your hunt to a wolf hunt. I would honestly avoid this hunt if you're only on foot and especially if you're solo.
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This basically mirrors my experience two years ago. Spent 8 days, split between 400 and 402 in mid Sept archery. We hunted hard from dark till dark, clocked huge mileage on foot and glassed a lot. Didn't run into a single other hunter, but we were a good ways back the whole time. We ran into elk on three days, but they were very quiet, and elusive. Lots of bear sign, but didn't run into any. The terrain was awesome and we had a great time, but very little elk action for the significant effort we put in. It's great to get some other perspectives in this thread.