Road trip to Oak Creek (pics)

sliverpicker · 02-08-2008, 08:59 PM

Santiam338, his brother Ken, and I went up to Naches, Wa. today to check out all the elk and sheep at the feeding area. It was sunny but extremely windy, so it made it tough to get sharp photos!

This is my favorite bull we saw, just love the long tines!

When the 1:30pm feeding time got close, all the elk came pouring off the hill and waited impatiently for the alfalfa trucks to roll. Cows were mewing, and the bulls were bugling!

This youngster was hoping to get a bite or two without a bigger bull poking him with a tine!

Some of the ram's kept jumping on this rock.

We saw a bunch of Bald Eagles perched in the trees along the river. The high winds had them grounded?

I'm sure Bill will add a few pics when he gets a chance.

No Fences · 02-08-2008, 09:03 PM

Great post, thanks for sharing.

Wak · 02-08-2008, 09:13 PM

Looks like a fun trip!

That bull with the tag in his ear looks like he has some sort of growth going on in front of his hip.

jmg · 02-08-2008, 09:27 PM

About that bull with the ear tag...a few issues ago in Eastmans rifle i think it was...there was a guy who tagged a very good bull that came out of that area I thought that had been ear tagged. Anyone willing to go out on a limb and say that bull is from the same group that feeds there? In the article I thought it said there were a few bulls that were good sized that had been tagged and so far only the one had been taken.

Nice pics BTW

HunterXtreme · 02-08-2008, 09:33 PM

Some VERY respectable bulls! AWESOME photo of the eagle also! Thanks for sharing.

Ryan Pultz · 02-08-2008, 09:48 PM

Wow I need to take a drive out there to see that. Time to dust off the Camera rp

beardbuster · 02-08-2008, 09:53 PM

What lens are you shooting with? Did you upgrade to a higher telephoto?

Nice pics too, BTW... Love the sheep photo

Santiam338 · 02-09-2008, 02:46 AM

It was a great trip....Long drive but well worth it...

Here is Sliver lining up a shot on the long tine bull...The wind was brutal and you needed all the support you could get...

This pic is for OSUlogger...He won't be able to sleep now wondering where the other side might be laying..

Who's king of the rock??

No close ups for this guy...I'm getting out of here...

It was a great trip...Next year we ought to get a Ifish roadtrip going and a bunch of us head up...Might become a annual event..

Ryan Pultz · 02-09-2008, 03:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Santiam338

It was a great trip...Next year we ought to get a Ifish roadtrip going and a bunch of us head up...Might become a annual event..

That would be awesome I can fit four in my car rp

micah · 02-09-2008, 04:08 AM

Awesome pictures. Thanks for sharing.

redfish89 · 02-09-2008, 06:38 AM

Those are some great pics...

Thanks for sharing...

sooslaw · 02-09-2008, 06:52 AM

nice pics guys, thats quite a jag of elk there, about how many head would you say feed there?

sliverpicker · 02-09-2008, 09:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmg

About that bull with the ear tag...a few issues ago in Eastmans rifle i think it was...there was a guy who tagged a very good bull that came out of that area I thought that had been ear tagged. Anyone willing to go out on a limb and say that bull is from the same group that feeds there? In the article I thought it said there were a few bulls that were good sized that had been tagged and so far only the one had been taken.

Nice pics BTW

There's DOZENS of bulls sporting ear tags and collars...

Quote:

Originally Posted by beardbuster

What lens are you shooting with? Did you upgrade to a higher telephoto?

Nice pics too, BTW... Love the sheep photo

Nikkor 80-400 VR ... Had it about 18 months. I didn't even take my 35mm gear on this trip!

Quote:

Originally Posted by sooslaw

nice pics guys, thats quite a jag of elk there, about how many head would you say feed there?

You can't really comprehend how many animals are in that small of an area. Here's the smaller herd...

a small portion of the BIG herd...

some more King of the Mountain jousting pics...

fishinpox · 02-09-2008, 09:36 AM

I'd love to go up there and check that out sometime. I have an aunt and uncle that actually live in Naches.

gweedo#1 · 02-09-2008, 10:38 AM

Pic. #1 would look good on my wall...

RSquared · 02-09-2008, 11:00 AM

Awesome pictures, thanks for sharing!!

hunt em up · 02-09-2008, 11:08 AM

I was there on Monday, a pretty neat place, but not real great for pictures, not a very natural setting with piles of feed, and tractors in the back ground. But I will still go every year, there numbers are down this year from last year, I think the herd is about 1200 for elk, and 50 for the sheep. You can get some neat pictures of the snowy creeks on the way up but you have to get off the road and snowshoe in.

traks44 · 02-09-2008, 04:39 PM

I bet the Anti's dont even know that is hunters dollars that go towards feeding programs keeping tens of thousands of elk alive over the west every year.

Shame on us

jmshave · 02-09-2008, 07:57 PM

Great pics. Time to get outdoors..........

Fool4FishnHuntn · 02-09-2008, 09:47 PM

Ron,

There was another bull up there when I was there at the end of the year that had a huge rack as well as that big one of yours. My wife and I saw that one as well. I was very impressed with his length as well. The other one had the walk of a grand patriarch and nobody bugged him at all while he was eating. He had a pile all to himself.
The only problem with this other big bull was that his 3's weren't very long but all the others were pretty decent. I will have to dig up a photo of him and see if you saw him as well. The wife and I were planning on heading up there once more ourselves this year before they start packing up and heading for the hills. (That might take awhile with all the snow in those mountains).

osulogger · 02-10-2008, 07:19 AM

Very nice pictures SP & Santiam.... that looked like it was a fun trip. Thanks for taking us along for it via pictures!

Santiam: I think that bull dropped it just down the road from your place; I might find it this spring

From the land of Big Sticks,

Osulogger

DRUNK COWBOY · 02-11-2008, 02:17 PM

Wow, very impressive G3s on that bull

I can't believe the length.

Thanks for sharing.

DC

Cornbread · 02-17-2008, 04:21 PM

Well after reading this and seeing the pictures I thought this would be a great place to take my boys this weekend before I have to go out of town for a little over two weeks. We went up yesterday and stayed in a hotel in Yakima and then today we went and watched the sheep get fed and then the elk. We had a blast, got a bunch of pretty good pics for how tiny my digital camera is and the weather was incredible. Warm, sunny, and no wind to speak of. My youngest was so excited about being that close to the big horn sheep he was hoping up and down squeaking and a couple people backed up and took some pictures of him because he was so animatedly happy about seeing big horns that close. He is six and a big horn sheep fifty feet away from you at that age is apparently something everyone in the parking lot needs to know about

I'll put some pics up in a bit. many thanks to Ron for posting this as before he did it I no idea this place existed.

Cornbread · 02-17-2008, 05:09 PM

Santiam338 · 02-17-2008, 06:32 PM

I bet them boys had a great time...Very cool...

Wish the wind wasn't blowing when we were there

haugenna · 02-17-2008, 08:35 PM

are you allowed in that area to gather any fallen sheds? Just curious.

Super Fluke · 02-17-2008, 08:37 PM

thanks for the awsome pictures

Fool4FishnHuntn · 02-17-2008, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haugenna

are you allowed in that area to gather any fallen sheds? Just curious.

They open a horse gate at midnight on May 1 of every year. From what I know, if they lose them on the feeding grounds then they belong to WDFW, but in all other areas they are free to find. There are many people that scour these hills after May 1st. They do open a road on the morning of May 1st also and it remains open until November 1st.

johndeeregreen · 02-17-2008, 09:37 PM

Thanks for the pics guys. Lets wait a month or so and string a cable up about 5 point high and get'em running. Sheds for all!

ellusivebull · 02-17-2008, 11:37 PM

I Love that place.