Cow elk tactics

[mad_angler]

I'm hoping for cow tag in Wyoming in October. It will be Oct 1-15 and the only valid tags at the time are these limited cow tags. So the woods should be pretty quiet.

The area is very heavily timbered. Last year, I found a few glassing/shooting spots but just a few.

Any tips or advice for such a hunt?

 

[Skerhunter]

I would expect the bulls to still be bugling that first week in October.

If you are rifle hunting cows why did you pick such a heavily timbered area to hunt?

 

[Maxhunter]

It most likely won’t be quiet and void of people. You’ll have people hunting deer and cow elk themselves. Also you’ll have people running around on atv’s. I live in Wyoming and that time of year there’s definitely people around. Still hunt or watch places elk like to come out to feed in the evening or morning. Good luck!

 

[wytx]

Elk live in the timber, and we have lots of elk.
Deer season may be open then but mainly folks chasing cow elk and those tags are limited so hunting should be fine for cows.
Yes atvs will be running around but elk are used to those for the most part, get off the road and no issues.

 

[D_wit22]

Once heard a wise guy say if I wanted to kill you, where would be the best place to setup and wait? Some place I would be at every day. My BEDROOM!

I think this tactic works for most game animals.

 

[Indian Summer]

No… my refrigerator! Find the food.

But there will be bulls bugling. I’ll be on vantage points, listening for that to find out.

 

[TaperPin]

I'm hoping for cow tag in Wyoming in October. It will be Oct 1-15 and the only valid tags at the time are these limited cow tags. So the woods should be pretty quiet.

The area is very heavily timbered. Last year, I found a few glassing/shooting spots but just a few.

Any tips or advice for such a hunt?

I tend to think of heavily timbered areas as fairly easy to find cows in. Elk bed in fairly predictable places and they have to eat, so moving along timber edges until fresh sign is located is pretty straightforward, then go in and whack one. In drainages you have scouted before hand, the main thing I consider is which elk are closest to the road. Cows may be lounging around 5 miles from the trailhead, but thats a young man’s folly. I’m headed for the elk that bed 1 mile or even 1/2 mile away.

 

[TaperPin]

It just hit me that you might be in one of those feast or famine areas that are pretty sparse until elk get pushed down and feeding areas are way up the hill. If that’s the case, you’ll have to search far and wide for fresh sign and avoid trying to hang a cow tag on a loner spike. I’ve still hunted areas like this where you didn’t have a choice but go directly to the likely bedding areas and travel routes and keep up a good moving pace to find fresh sign - there’s no way around it, you’ll kick up a few going too fast, but if you crawl around at a snails pace you may not live long enough to see a live elk. It’s disheartening to spend days without seeing a fresh turd, but you only need one so keep optimistic and ready for a quick shot.

 

[kcm2]

Once heard a wise guy say if I wanted to kill you, where would be the best place to setup and wait? Some place I would be at every day. My BEDROOM!

I think this tactic works for most game animals.

I'm going to disagree here but not for the reason you might think. If you leave the bedrooms alone, the elk will use them again and again. Disrupt the beds and they won't return for at least a week. Hunt them when they are leaving the beds and quite a distance away or as they are returning from a good distance. Bust them out of their beds and they may move 5-10 miles.

 

[cnelk]

Rarely will a cow elk resist a lost calf call.

I like to use the Fighting Cow call from Wayne Carlton

 

[D_wit22]

I'm going to disagree here but not for the reason you might think. If you leave the bedrooms alone, the elk will use them again and again. Disrupt the beds and they won't return for at least a week. Hunt them when they are leaving the beds and quite a distance away or as they are returning from a good distance. Bust them out of their beds and they may move 5-10 miles.

So like a Hallway hunter? Ha I like it

 

[wytx]

Don't blow them out of a bedding area, hunt travel routes to it.
We see tons of elk in heavy timber, getting a shot can be the issue.

 

[BuckRut]

Like others have said there will still be some bugling. And that time of year where there's bulls bugling there will likely be cows. Good advice on the lost calf call as well.

 

[elkocd]

If you're talking about WY then get out of your truck, walk a little bit and shoot one. Killing a cow in WY is about is almost like fishing in a trout pond. I would not over think it.

 

[roadrunner]

Chase bugles and you'll kill a cow.

 

[spike camp]

If you're talking about WY then get out of your truck, walk a little bit and shoot one. Killing a cow in WY is about is almost like fishing in a trout pond. I would not over think it.

Your name doesn’t match your answer.

 

[wyosam]

I'm going to disagree here but not for the reason you might think. If you leave the bedrooms alone, the elk will use them again and again. Disrupt the beds and they won't return for at least a week. Hunt them when they are leaving the beds and quite a distance away or as they are returning from a good distance. Bust them out of their beds and they may move 5-10 miles.

Trouble is in the first half of October if it’s warm and dry and you’re counting on them traveling to find them, you might be limiting your chances to first and last light. Locating elk in heavily timbered country is hard, I never found hunting them that difficult. Looking at maps and the country in person guides when to move fast looking for sign, and when to move slow and smart.


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[timber_ghost]

Hunt how you would hunt for a rutting bull and there will be cows if you find the bulls

 

[SleepyJones]

The best sequence I use for bringing elk in is representing a group of elk. It's the most successful tactic I use. Problem is it will call all elk in and mostly cows or spikes. Would be a good problem to have in your situation. Or lost calf calls like previously mentioned, but personally I've had better luck with the cow party.