40 days out.

[11boo]

But who’s counting.

 

[Sadler]

Im not but Im at 36 and a wake up...

 

[Fullfan]

At 47 for me. Time to step up the workouts.

 

[Mdfowlman2]

44 days and then 10 days to hunt.

 

[11boo]

I spent Friday/Saturday up cutting tent poles, fishing and looking around. Looking good in my neighborhood.



A teaser. I took a noob hunter on 4 years ago. We went in every drainage around and had some close calls with elk, but no deal.

I had to get back to GJ for that dam wine festival with the wife, and left the noob in camp, worn down and with just a couple days left on his hunt. Tired, he said he might just fish the last of his trip. I said we keep seeing fresh sign not far from camp, just go there and sit. He did, and stuck this nice bull 2 hours after I left, mid afternoon. 800 yards from camp no less. I offered to come back up and help, but to his credit he insisted on doing it solo. Only had to pack his quarters 400 yards to a road. We still hunt together every year, and he takes all September off for it.

 

[11boo]

Hey, you guys who have knowledge, do the smaller Aspen poles in my pic look big enough for a 10x12 wall tent? I have confidence in the bigger ones I cut for the A-Frame, but the ridge pole openings on my tent have pretty small openings, 3”. So I have some possible ridge poles at 3” max and the small end is 1.5”.

I can open up the ridge pole opening a little, but not much.

 

[Ucsdryder]

40 days from now it’ll be a full moon, 75 degrees and feel like 95 and every hippee hiker from the city will be tromping around the woods. Have fun!

 

[Gerbdog]

40 days and i'm still evaluating plans for the year. First 2 weeks of September in the Gila and then gotta get a bull for myself here in CO. I'm searching out new hunting locations currently. Scouted this weekend and didnt find anything that i would consider worth hunting. One rub at the very top and... that was about it... walked through miles of barren Pine ... not even a squirrel or bird. Got into what i consider good elk looking area but... just... like i said, nothing that got me excited for the area. So next weekend is spot B that i got marked.

5 mile loop. Good practice for the season. Got caught in a hailstorm near the top, hunkered under a pine for an hour, exciting being up that high in those thunderstorms.

Anyone ever find any elk in these pine barrens where grass doesnt even grow? Just so void of life everywhere ive ever been.

 

[3forks]

40 days and i'm still evaluating plans for the year. First 2 weeks of September in the Gila and then gotta get a bull for myself here in CO. I'm searching out new hunting locations currently. Scouted this weekend and didnt find anything that i would consider worth hunting. One rub at the very top and... that was about it... walked through miles of barren Pine ... not even a squirrel or bird. Got into what i consider good elk looking area but... just... like i said, nothing that got me excited for the area. So next weekend is spot B that i got marked.

5 mile loop. Good practice for the season. Got caught in a hailstorm near the top, hunkered under a pine for an hour, exciting being up that high in those thunderstorms.

Anyone ever find any elk in these pine barrens where grass doesnt even grow? Just so void of life everywhere ive ever been.View attachment 432065

Last year I found elk consistently in an area that looks like the pic you posted above.

I bumped into those elk I found because I was moving pretty quickly through that area on my way to what I thought was a better area.

This was archery season and I was into those elk consistently for a week in the area I mentioned. The week I was into them could have been an anomaly, but these elk weren’t heavily pressured and I don’t know why they stayed i there as long as they did.

Despite finding those elk in there, I’m not convinced elk are going to hang in area with very little feed, but I will try to pay more attention when moving through that kind of country.

 

[Mdfowlman2]

40 days from now it’ll be a full moon, 75 degrees and feel like 95 and every hippee hiker from the city will be tromping around the woods. Have fun!

It’s crazy how elk just go into hiding for the full moon. Everyone should just stay home

 

[11boo]

Yes, there will be a lot of people, hunting and dirt riding. Full moon. Probably a few smelly hippies too.

The odds are against us, the situation is grim.

Perfect.

 

[Ucsdryder]

It’s crazy how elk just go into hiding for the full moon. Everyone should just stay home

Definitely don’t go into hiding but when they stop talking (if they’re even talking at all) before sunrise and I’m sweating buckets looking for them as the sun beats down on me, it makes for a less enjoyable experience. September 2 you’re likely to find bulls in bachelor groups still, not even thinking about cows.

 

[11boo]

It is likely to be hot, but I shall endeavor to persevere.

Anything is possible. This was early season a couple years ago.

 

[Jbehredt]

Opening day might not be much fun but I refuse to spend it at work thinking about all of the out of staters killing MY elk!

 

[bozeman]

40 days and i'm still evaluating plans for the year. First 2 weeks of September in the Gila and then gotta get a bull for myself here in CO. I'm searching out new hunting locations currently. Scouted this weekend and didnt find anything that i would consider worth hunting. One rub at the very top and... that was about it... walked through miles of barren Pine ... not even a squirrel or bird. Got into what i consider good elk looking area but... just... like i said, nothing that got me excited for the area. So next weekend is spot B that i got marked.

5 mile loop. Good practice for the season. Got caught in a hailstorm near the top, hunkered under a pine for an hour, exciting being up that high in those thunderstorms.

Anyone ever find any elk in these pine barrens where grass doesnt even grow? Just so void of life everywhere ive ever been.View attachment 432065

I know where this is based solely on the pic...... LOL....

 

[Mdfowlman2]

Definitely don’t go into hiding but when they stop talking (if they’re even talking at all) before sunrise and I’m sweating buckets looking for them as the sun beats down on me, it makes for a less enjoyable experience. September 2 you’re likely to find bulls in bachelor groups still, not even thinking about cows.

I’ll be out 7th-18th could care less about the full moon.

 

[PVHunter]

47 for me. Didn't think I'd hunt elk in CA before my kids were in high school. Good luck, everyone.

 

[11boo]

I just figured out how to calculate my A frame pole lengths.

 

[Ucsdryder]

I’ll be out 7th-18th could care less about the full moon.

Full moon isn’t my 1st priority when picking days but last year I hiked into my hunting spot multiple days in a row well before first light with no headlamp. Psychologically wandering around at night with no head lamp because the moon is so bright puts me in a negative mind frame as I imagine the elk feed and messing around all night! And in my experience elk are absolutely less active in the mornings on a full moon.

 

[11boo]

Full moon fever!