In 2004, 52,000 hunters in Wyoming killed 21,000 elk for a success rate of 40 percent. "That's right in the ballpark of what we've been doing," Langston notes. "We've known for a long time that the elk population has maintained very well, and there have been a number of situations where we had to give extra permits. It appears some of those types of things are working."

Traditional hotspots such as Bridger-Teton, Shoshone and Medicine Bow national forests should continue to be good bets.

Jim Unsworth of Idaho Fish & Game says the Bear Lake area was about the only region in the state that experienced winter, "but even there, elk are doing pretty well."

Last year's harvest was the highest in four or five years, and elk numbers appear to be strong and growing in units throughout the lower reaches of the state.

"We have some elk hunting there that we didn't have 15 to 20 years ago," Unsworth says. At press time, some highly productive general units still had tags available, but Unsworth urges hunters not to wait until the last minute to get one.

Biologists in Montana didn't realize just how mild a winter they had until they observed the low mortality on game populations. "In even an average winter, we would have seen mortality," says Don Childress of Fish, Wildlife & Parks, "but it was so mild there was none."

Elk remain at or above population objectives throughout much of Montana, and permits continue to be dispensed liberally in several key districts. Either-sex opportunities are plentiful again this year--particularly in southwest units--and there remain good numbers of second elk antlerless licenses.

Nevada remains one of the tough states to draw a tag for, but it appeared the state might significantly increase the number of bull tags it allots for the 2005 season, pending approval.

Calf recruitment has been strong, says the state's Chris Healey, and the 2005 statewide spring adult elk population estimate was 7 percent higher than the previous spring's. Seventy percent of the bulls killed last year carried at least six antler points.

Washington has been plagued by drought in recent years, but the situation could be improving. Fish and Wildlife's Dave Ware says herds throughout the Yakima and St. Helens areas are doing well and should provide plenty of action this fall. Management efforts in the Blue Mountains are beginning to produce good numbers of large bulls as well."We only offer a limited number of permits, but the people who draw have a high success rate," Ware says.

Oregon's elk hunters are seeing improvement on the horizon, a year after a tough winter and reduced tag numbers.

"There's a mix of things around the state, but it's definitely better than last year," says the state's Tom Thornton. He says there may be a slight reduction of antlerless permits--particularly in the northeast--but it does appear herds are closer to reaching objective levels.