Bubba
Congrats on drawing a cow tag .
I drew muzzleloader cow tag, for the Umtanum B area ,just south of you . Hunt the Barber springs area and close to Bald Mountain , but not that far south .South West Corner of unit 340 . We will be doing a lot of scouting in September .
Good Luck

Rockslide
Thanks for your help I have never been in that part of the unit. If I do any good I will let you know. I will go and do some scouting the end of July and see what it looks like. Thanks again.

Bubba
Do you have the Game Dept. Green Dot Map of that area ?
It will Show pretty good how to get in there . Elk will be pretty high in July and in the deepest holes they can find . If the weather turns off cooler by hunting season with a little snow up high they will move down pretty good . I have seen them pretty low in 342 some years and then other years they will be really high yet at hunting season , so watch the weather real close from the 1st of October on .
Frost Mountain , Tanuem Lake , Hereford Meadows should all be good areas on this earlier hunt . Quartz Mountain is right on the unite line 340-346 .
I used to ride after cattle in this area 40 years ago , worked for the High Valley Ranch that is now the L.T. Murray Game Range .
I live in unite 342 South end of the L.T. murray Game Range ,and watch Elk all winter from our back door .
"Aim small miss small"
Good luck to you

Rockslide
Sounds like you are in a great place. My hunting partner got pulled for a doe tag in 335. That is where we do most of our hunting for the early season. So I will be driving back and forth until he fills his tag. For the late season we found a nice little BLM spot in GMU 130 that has private land all around it that holds deer and elk. Well thanks again.

Bubba
Sure is a small world . We used to live in unite 139 and 142 and still have family in 142 . I know the BLM area you are talking about . Have a couple of friends that have ground next to it . They farm and run cattle up there .
Great spot to hunt . I used to hunt the 284 Ritzville area for late Muzzleloader Deer . Have a friend there that farmed 4000-5000 acres .
Good luck to you and your partner

Bubba,
Rockslide's information is dead on. Barber Springs, Frost and Quartz mountains, SW "corner" (if you can call it a corner) of 340. That's where I would be with a 340 tag.

Rockslide, my 12yr -old and I will also be up in 342 with cow tags. Love that area, we usually hunt pretty high on Cleman's....Milk, Evans etc.
Not many elk in there last year, but as you say, different years find them in different spots. Then after the first day they become a bunch of runners and could be anywhere.

Keep in touch and maybe we'll see you out there somewhere.
Moe

Oh hey, Rockslide,
Since you're a resident of 342, I'm just curious, historically ,how well you've done when you've drawn a cow tag. Do you usually fill your tag?

I heard that last year only 9% of the ML cow tag holders were successful.
Let's see, 9% of 250 permits...what's that? 22 cows out of unit 342?

Do you remember the big "shootout" down along Wenas Creek, maybe 10-12 years ago? (Jeez! Has it been that long already?) I was higher on the mountain that day, but obviously should've been down in the fields. Sounded like a war zone down below!

I've drawn 2 cow tags in 342 and was sucessful once and skunked the other.
Nothing so frustrating as an unfilled cow tag! And now this year, with my boy up there, he's really counting on Dad to put him onto some cows. Pressure's on for me!
Moe

Hello Moe
Ya I sure do remember that big shootout had a buddy that was right in the middle of it . I was hunting the north side of the wenas road that day .
Retired 1/1/04 and for one thing or another I haven't been able to hunt for the last couple of years . Supposed to have time for hunting after retirement . Got the cow tag this year and hopfully will get to go . My wife and I have be riding the Quads going in at Hardy and going over to Jones Rd. and up and have seen quite a bit of elk sign low . This is my 4th cow tag for this area. First tag was in 1955 and have been drawn 3 times in the last 12 yrs. took a spike bull one year and one cow in the last 12 years (Flintlock muzzleloader) I grew up here and have been here most of my life and have rode horseback over dang near every rock on it . My Great Grandfather homesteaded in the wenas and I grew up a horseback here . I generally don't hunt Clemens to High . Try Pine Canyon and the South side of Clemens . Ya I know you are going to say Sagebrush and no Elk , but their there in the brushy draws . Can be a long hike and hard work after you get one . We are going to keep scouting and will let you know what we find . I used to hunt with my 4 sons but they are all skattered around the country now , 2 in Idaho 1in eastern washington and 1 in Alaska .
I can tell you it is great to hunt with your kids and grandkids .
I can still here my younest son when he didn't want to go in an area that I did , and when I showed him 300 head of Elk with 25-30 BIG BULLs , 5and 6 point and one 6x7 in muzzleloader season and not at the feed station .
His reaction was WOW POPS this is hunting . yup it was in 342.
Good Luck to you and your son .
Feel free to PM me any time .

Did a little scouting and I think I found a god spot. Seen a couple of big bulls and a lot of sign. Now all I have to do is waite for the muzzleloader season to get here and get a little lucky and I will get my cow tag filled.

Bubba
Good luck to you on gettig the cow tag filled .
I have been down for the last 10 days had gall bladder removed . But about good to go now . Hopping to get out this weekend , heck maybe tomorrow my son was by tonight and said he might come by tomorrow and get me and my ATV and we'll do some scouting in 342 where I have a cow tag for muzzleloader . I think the Boss wants me out of her way for a while .