Oklahoma DOW used to deny any sightings of mountain lions. When cameras became mainstream it became hard to deny them. I live in OK and know a guy that killed a wolf a few years ago less than 2 hours from me. He reported it to the DOW and I never heard another word about it. Nothing from a news...
I’m not expert but I see no reason for anything other than a base camp, unless that’s your preference. I have no trouble finding elk less than 2 miles from the truck. Many times 600 yards.