Yakima area elk herds remain in good shape this hunting season following another mild winter and low snowpack, according to the Washington Department of Wildlife.
WDFW District 8 biologist Erin Wampole expects to see recovery continue for the Yakima and Colockum herds, although repeated summer drought conditions will likely limit population growth. Even if the area closed by this summer's 45,000+ acre Retreat Fire doesn't open for the general modern firearm season at the end of October, the district encompassing Yakima and Kittitas counties should offer plenty of hunting opportunities, especially for those willing to put in extra work to find animals.
"Get out and hike far from roads," Wampole said in an email. "Elk are known to shift their space use to areas farther from roads during the hunting season."
Although fire pushed animals out of the Retreat Fire area that's scheduled to remain closed through Oct. 23, Wampole said it won't have any significant impact on the herd. She added the burned land could provide benefits with forage habitat availability, leading to more increased elk use in the area.
Wampole anticipates hunters will once again be able to find above-average success on the Yakima Training Center, thanks to its abundance of animals and an open landscape that provides high visibility for hunters and low cover for elk. Last year hunters killed 37 antlerless elk while reporting a success rate of higher than 54% for modern firearm hunters, about 45% better than the statewide and districtwide rate.
However, the military controls access to the area, rather than WDFW, and accessibility can change at any time depending on training schedules. Hunters wanting to search for elk on the YTC must acquire a YTC Recreation Access card.
Special bull permits nearly doubled last season for the Colockum herd as the bull to cow ratio rose to 24 to 100, compared to just 13 to 100 in the Yakima Herd. Wampole said the ratio for the Colockum Herd fell significantly according to surveys last winter.
That followed the herd's typical trend of higher bull to cow ratios in high snowpack years and low ratios in low snowpack years. Winter conditions differed significantly the past two winters and led to notable fluctuation, but Wampole said biologists are confident the herd's population is increasing.
The overall number of antlered elk killed throughout the district rose from 565 in 2022 to 689 in 2023, the highest total since 2016. Antlerless numbers stayed essentially stable, as they have the last four years.
Mostly warmer winters have helped local elk populations recover following significant declines due to repeated severe winters from 2015-17, bringing the two herds back to 10,000 animals for the Yakima herd and 4,000 for the northern Colockum herd. Wampole's expecting another strong hunting season and said more surveys will be conducted this winter to assess various population parameters that determine how the WDFW sets its regulations for future seasons.
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