Does anyone on here have experience with river hunting in thick bush country for elk?

[Elite]

Would love to ask a few questions and possibly get some tips.


Thanks


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[wytx]

Probably like hunting in alder thickets in the mountains, not real fun but elk like them.

 

[Bull_n_heat]

People hunt in the Breaks that way all the time. You can glass from above and then stalk in, or find likely game trails and sit on them to ambush those that pass.

 

[Elite]

I was hoping to ask a few questions with how to hunt elk from a river that is straight thick bush with really no glassing opportunities.

Would be using a jet boat


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[madcalfe]

I was hoping to ask a few questions with how to hunt elk from a river that is straight thick bush with really no glassing opportunities.

Would be using a jet boat


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drift and bugle. beach the boat and bugle. pick a spot and hike.

 

[Elite]

drift and bugle. beach the boat and bugle. pick a spot and hike.

I was curious about where to set up camp. It’s dangerous jet boating in the dark so I am curious how everyone gets to the location early in the morning or boat back to camp after dark


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[madcalfe]

Just gotta get ya some good high beams lol
But I have a camper top and diesel heater in my boat so I sleep in it a lot.
If it’s a mellow deep river night boating isn’t bad at all with decent lights.

 

[SleepyJones]

Act like your boat is a pickup and the river your backroad: Travel and look for tracks or the elk themselves. If you spot elk the boat WILL spook them from a good distance but that's fine. Shore up a little ways away and put a stock on and set up if you feel you're within 150 yards (or whatever your style/ preference is). Don't over complicate this, keep it simple: Spot and cut the distance. I don't call from the boat, but I have also not tried either. If you're not comfortable boating at night then bring camping gear and pre-scout for a camping spot for base camp. Your base camp could be a starting point where you just need your boat to get there and then do the rest of your hunting on foot, as the best thing about a river boat is that it can get you to extremely remote areas of the backcountry. If you can't get back to base, prepare for a night out, whether in the boat or pitch a tent on shore. River boat hunting is a special way to hunt that gets you into areas others can't, good luck!

 

[WRO]

I used to hunt the Oregon coast a lot, we hunted tracks if we were going in blind, follow fresh ones with the wind in your face and work slowly. Listen allot elk are loud.


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[Wrench]

I've found that elk will water in rivers, but typically if the river noise is cover sound.....they're not bedding there.

Remember that rivers tend to drift scent pretty hard so don't expect to coe in from above in the morning.

 

[chanson_roland]

Would love to ask a few questions and possibly get some tips.


Thanks


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Coming from the East, this book helped me a lot. Found elk in river bottoms on my first trip west. The hard part is the access, though.

Amazon.com

 

[Weldor]

No rivers here, but the Manzanita. Elk love the cover, sometimes impossible to see them until they blow out. As my partner says"exercise in futility" LOL.

 

[Brushroach]

Would love to ask a few questions and possibly get some tips.


Thanks


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I just started hunting this way this year. We just drift along quietly and look for sign. Typically they find a beach along the river and you can track them back to where they hang out. I found an incredible spot scouting this way a few months ago. Elkiest spot I’ve ever seen. Some of the trails are cut 3-4 feet deep because they use them so much and for so long. You can also smell them quite often in the mornings as the cool air rolls down the hills into the river bottoms.

 

[ArcheryWowzers]

I was wondering the other day if technology has gotten to the point where they have electric powered lithium boat motors.....

 

[Brushroach]

I was wondering the other day if technology has gotten to the point where they have electric powered lithium boat motors.....

They have trolling motors

 

[madcalfe]

I was wondering the other day if technology has gotten to the point where they have electric powered lithium boat motors.....

they have electric trolling motors. there also making electric wake board boats now to..

 

[Elite]

View attachment 716369
Just gotta get ya some good high beams lol
But I have a camper top and diesel heater in my boat so I sleep in it a lot.
If it’s a mellow deep river night boating isn’t bad at all with decent lights.

Do you have much success with elk from the rivers? I’m in northern Alberta


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