2023 Colorado Elk Hunting E Scouting

[spike camp]

I appreciate the advice! I feel like i have bought into the e-scouting as a way to locate elk(or any other species for that matter) a bit to much from online hunting gurus and ads. I've been whitetail hunting since I was knee high to a grass hopper, so it is definitely a change of styles. Also, without living in elk country I only get a week a year to hone my skills. Which is why I am trying to be as effective as possible. Nothing beats boots in the dirt.

Escouting is very effective, just gotta learn what to look for.

 

[eelderj823]

Check out Treeline Academy. You won't be sorry. It's worth it.

I've come across it but haven't paid for anything yet. I might have to bite the bullet.

 

[RS3579]

I’m in the same e-scouting situation as you. It’ll just take time and finally boots on the ground to know for sure. As for the others that don’t want to take the time to e-scout. If their dedication isn’t there to do this part of the trip it probably won’t be there to go that extra hiking. Been there, done that. That’s why I’m going alone. Good luck.

 

[Beendare]

I think the key factor is not feeding, bedding,etc….its hunt pressure.

I plan my hunts accordingly

 

[gostovp]

One of my biggest problems is getting into “analysis paralysis “ while e-scouting… echoing the statement above about putting too many waypoints down… by the end it looks like OnX puked waypoints all over my screen… or the other end of the spectrum you are looking at a new spot and can’t seem to drop the first one…

 

[Flatlander23]

This thread has been awesome for a beginner (3rd-4th year) elk hunter used to whitetail country y’all. Thanks to @eelderj823 for having the testicular fortitude to reach out and ask a question. I’m in the same boat with 3 kids under 5 and not much time for boots on the ground scouting. I think the best thing I’ve done is hunt the same unit every year. In the elk more and more every time. Last year I think if we did any better we would’ve shot one. Switching to archery for this year. Fought the snow and people during second rifle long enough

 

[McKolorado]

Another plug for Treeline academy.

 

[eelderj823]

I would focus more on finding areas you can glass a lot of country from than looking for specific areas to go stomping through, especially with that big a group. Spread out along a ridge that lets you glass a bunch of "spots". Stay on the glass until you or one of your group gets eyes on critters. Then figure out why they are there, and what your plan to hunt them is. With 4 people, 2 people working a spot and 2 sitting on likely escape routes or watching from up high for the 2 working an area to move animals is a better strategy than 4 people stomping through timber.

I agree with you on splitting up. That is what we did last year and will do again. We mainly split up 2 x 2. I should've been a bit more clear on that maybe. I am liking the idea of each person glassing on their own until we locate elk. Then we can make a play from there or maybe even the solo guy can get after them if they are close. It would be a hard to get 4 guys to sneak up on a bull without spooking him.

 

[NB7]

My advice to a group of four is to drop each person off at a different spot for the first couple of days until someone bumps into elk. No point in teaming up to find elk.

Solid advice. Worked for 4 us last year. Easy to do with predetermined meeting spots on OnX and with Garmins/Zoleos.

 

[Derbooze]

All of this is really excellent advice so I am soaking it in. I'll just share that my first (and only) year I spent a ton of time e-scouting, and even took a week of backpacking in the summer ahead of time to put boots on the ground to look for sign. I keyed in on what I thought were some some great places, but when the season started, I found a guide camp that looked ready for an army parked right where I wanted to be. I guess I was keying into a good spot! Luckily I had several areas targeted so we were able to adjust.

I can relate to the whitetail mindset. I hunted with my dad and brother who kept wanted to hunt like we were hunting deer. It took me most of the week to get them to change their tactics and trust me, but it paid off with successful hunt.

 

[eelderj823]

All of this is really excellent advice so I am soaking it in. I'll just share that my first (and only) year I spent a ton of time e-scouting, and even took a week of backpacking in the summer ahead of time to put boots on the ground to look for sign. I keyed in on what I thought were some some great places, but when the season started, I found a guide camp that looked ready for an army parked right where I wanted to be. I guess I was keying into a good spot! Luckily I had several areas targeted so we were able to adjust.

I can relate to the whitetail mindset. I hunted with my dad and brother who kept wanted to hunt like we were hunting deer. It took me most of the week to get them to change their tactics and trust me, but it paid off with successful hunt.

Im glad this thread has helped out people that are in the same boat as me. I was a little nervous even posting but figure what the heck. I've taken advice from several users and and am in the middle of the Treeline Academy course. It has been very helpful in terms of e-scouting and odds multiplierswhen it comes to landscape features. We will be better planned out this year and will definitely be staying out all day long!!!

 

[Coveyleader]

Send me a 150$ gift card and I’ll tell you some areas. Best 150 bucks spent, and you can call it e scouting. One OTC area, couple draw areas.

Just kidding, sort of.

 

[jgilber5]

If there's any interest, I'm a GIS professional and there is alot of valuable information you can create from free data if you know where to look. Feel free to PM, its fun to teach the basics

 

[taskswap]

You might be hiking too much as you hunt. Elk can walk way farther and faster than you can in the mountains and they're not territorial like deer so nothing really holds them to one specific area. Trying to target specific areas and hoping to see elk there can leave you missing the action. It's very possible you were surrounded by elk, they just knew you were there and hid from you. There's a reason a common quote among elk hunters is to "walk with your eyes." It's not just to save your feet. It's to stop you from blowing them out before you even see them.

Try getting out much earlier, 4am-5am tops. Hike at least 3-4 miles to your spot while it's dark and plan to arrive at least an hour before sunrise. Then hunker down and start glassing. And don't just glass valleys. Pay attention to the woods around you, too. I regularly have elk walk right by me as I'm having a snack or glassing, as long as I've been quiet and motionless for awhile. Don't be afraid to use trails - you probably won't see anything while you're on them, but you can move much faster and more quietly.

 

[BCSojourner]

You might be hiking too much as you hunt. Elk can walk way farther and faster than you can in the mountains and they're not territorial like deer so nothing really holds them to one specific area. Trying to target specific areas and hoping to see elk there can leave you missing the action. It's very possible you were surrounded by elk, they just knew you were there and hid from you. There's a reason a common quote among elk hunters is to "walk with your eyes." It's not just to save your feet. It's to stop you from blowing them out before you even see them.

Try getting out much earlier, 4am-5am tops. Hike at least 3-4 miles to your spot while it's dark and plan to arrive at least an hour before sunrise. Then hunker down and start glassing. And don't just glass valleys. Pay attention to the woods around you, too. I regularly have elk walk right by me as I'm having a snack or glassing, as long as I've been quiet and motionless for awhile. Don't be afraid to use trails - you probably won't see anything while you're on them, but you can move much faster and more quietly.

So true. I like the saying "You overlook more than you overtake" and it certainly applies in the elk woods. Seems like a lot of hunters feel they have to put miles and miles on to find elk, and when they don't, they hike out to go hunt a different area. This seems to be a recurring strategy, probably from watching too many Youtube videos actually stating this type of strategy, instead of just staying in an area and learning it inside-out (i.e., where local elk bed and feed and travel patterns). Maybe it's because of the pressure they put on themselves to kill an elk in a limited timeframe. For those of us that choose to stay in an area and learn it there are always elk to be found once the marathoners have moved on. Another bonus is that you can really gain an appreciation for the area and its ecosystem that you hunt. Always cracks me up when a hunter in a video refers to just about every tree in the elk woods as a "pine", even when they are hunting dark north-slope spruce/fir overstory areas.

 

[eelderj823]

So true. I like the saying "You overlook more than you overtake" and it certainly applies in the elk woods. Seems like a lot of hunters feel they have to put miles and miles on to find elk, and when they don't, they hike out to go hunt a different area. This seems to be a recurring strategy, probably from watching too many Youtube videos actually stating this type of strategy, instead of just staying in an area and learning it inside-out (i.e., where local elk bed and feed and travel patterns). Maybe it's because of the pressure they put on themselves to kill an elk in a limited timeframe. For those of us that choose to stay in an area and learn it there are always elk to be found once the marathoners have moved on. Another bonus is that you can really gain an appreciation for the area and its ecosystem that you hunt. Always cracks me up when a hunter in a video refers to just about every tree in the elk woods as a "pine", even when they are hunting dark north-slope spruce/fir overstory areas.

Great input!

 

[sanders3663]

2022 was our first year and it was DIY. We struggled with the escouting to. Roads were one problem (Not knowing what was actually passable by truck or what was public, private, or public but being played as private). True size of an area, and understanding elevation/slope was another. Two things I certainly agree with is doing the best you can to stay out all day (We didn't) and boots on the ground is really the only way to truly understand what you are looking at on the computer. Good Luck to everyone in 2023. Hoping we learned enough in 2022 to actually see some elk this time!

 

[Medicore_ethan]

Just a bit of info since you’re a NR is that we’ve gotten a ton of rain this spring. Everything is green this year and the grass is super tall. May or may not help you while you E-scout and plan for your hunt this year.

 

[sanders3663]

Just a bit of info since you’re a NR is that we’ve gotten a ton of rain this spring. Everything is green this year and the grass is super tall. May or may not help you while you E-scout and plan for your hunt this year.

Thanks for the information!