Don't Leave Elk to find Elk

[doc holiday13]

But then what?

I'm not chaising elk this year, but last I left Elk to find Elk. It was hot the 2nd week of Sept. and My buddy and I hike in 3-4 miles, setup camp and start doign boots on the ground scouting. We find a bunch of old tracks. We split up and hunted a few points of interest, but no sightings and no bugles. The next morning we're up early and tried bugling locating 2 or 3 different locations over a hiking trail of about 3 miles. Still nothing so we head back to camp. On the way back we discover fresh elk tracks directly on top of our boot tracks. This was both of our first time hunting elk, but we talked ourselves out of staying to try to find these elk. Our logic was that they definitely would have picked up our scent and we likely spooked them because we didn't know they were there. We went to another location to try to find some bugles.

So back to my original question. Technically, we "found" elk at our first spot. Since there were no bulges how should we have approached/pursued what we had? They weren't talking and there wasn't any amazing glassing points. Should we have just been patient, burned some shoe leather to find some other fresh elk paths of travel?

I do 100% believe had we waited 36-48 hours they would have been talking because a storm system did move in and we had bugless not long after the storm system broke we chased a bull at another location.

 

[GunsAreFun]

Was this a single track on top of yours or a bunch of tracks? In other words, did it seem like one elk or a bunch of elk? Also, how much time has elapsed between you leaving a boot track and you finding the elk track?

I would not expect them to have been blown out by crossing your path. We’ve bumped elk…by noise, smell, and/or movement…countless times and found them back in the general area again. There is only so many places for them to go and so many other hunters out there bumping them this way or that way.

 

[TaperPin]

There’s now thermal drone footage reinforcing what experienced hunters already know. Elk aren’t sprinkled across the forest like pepper on your eggs, but they cluster in areas they like. Not even all in the same herd - some areas are just more liked by elk. In the one video from Colorado if one elk was spotted, odds are other elk are within a 1/2 mile radius.

Drones should be outlawed over national forest. Don’t be surprised if blacked out thermal drones are flying over your elk this year.

 

[HunterGatherer]

I actually completely disregard the whole idea of not “leaving elk to find elk” probably 90% of the time. I think this saying must have come from mainly rifle hunters in low elk density areas

I leave elk to find other elk pretty much every day during the rut. I leave them because they’re not hunt-able for some reason - wind, terrain, etc or if there is not a mature bull in the herd for example- he probably IS nearby and I want to go find him…

The whole “run and gun” style of hunting is based on having as many contacts or encounters in a day as necessary until a “workable” bull is located…

In the broader sense, it always pays to have plans B through F in addition to your plan A. I never invest all my scouting or hunting time all into one drainage or specific area, even if I find a target animal in that drainage. Elk move A Lot - I think it makes sense to do the same

 

[fatlander]

Finding an elk or two or three isn’t finding elk. A canyon or two with 50+ head of elk and multiple bulls bugling is finding elk, in my experience.

The only way I’m “leaving” those elk is to check something else out on foot because the conditions render those elk unhuntable at the moment. I’m definitely not pulling stakes and driving to new country if I’ve found the above.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[midwestcowboy]

There’s now thermal drone footage reinforcing what experienced hunters already know. Elk aren’t sprinkled across the forest like pepper on your eggs, but they cluster in areas they like. Not even all in the same herd - some areas are just more liked by elk. In the one video from Colorado if one elk was spotted, odds are other elk are within a 1/2 mile radius.

Drones should be outlawed over national forest. Don’t be surprised if blacked out thermal drones are flying over your elk this year.

Man, hearing this pissed me off and I didn't really believe you lol. A quick youtube seach revealed a video from some newbie hunter 2 weeks ago who ate tag soup - because of it he decided to study elk movements using a thermal drone

 

[midwestcowboy]

Just because something is "legal" doesn't mean it's ethical...

 

[doc holiday13]

Was this a single track on top of yours or a bunch of tracks? In other words, did it seem like one elk or a bunch of elk? Also, how much time has elapsed between you leaving a boot track and you finding the elk track?

Hard to know but we discovered the tracks about 3 hours after having passed through that area

Finding an elk or two or three isn’t finding elk. A canyon or two with 50+ head of elk and multiple bulls bugling is finding elk, in my experience.

The only way I’m “leaving” those elk is to check something else out on foot because the conditions render those elk unhuntable at the moment. I’m definitely not pulling stakes and driving to new country if I’ve found the above.

Well here is the thing, we didn't know if they were unhuntable. We just never saw them and they weren't making noise. So animals moving within a mile or two of you in the same morning should mean something. We were walking what basically amounts to a ridgeline, so there could have been elk on both slopes

 

[Hnthrdr]

It all “depends” elk will concentrate in areas they like, they also often make big loops through areas could be 2 days could be 2 weeks… generally in Sept I’m trying to hunt them a certain way, if they won’t play ball I’ll go find some that will, not every elk or herd will want to work, if I find them and they are quiet I can either a. Sit tight and ambush hunt b. Still hunt or c. Back out and find other elk that might want to play. Weather and time of month ect usually dictates what I do.

 

[North Idaho Stickbow]

It depends. There’s so many factors to that statement. I think the better statement is “don’t leave elk that are participating to find other elk.”

If I were backpacked in 3 or 4 miles and saw sign, I’d stay and try to work it. If you’re talking car camping and you did 3 or 4 miles walking in from where you parked, I wouldn’t have much of a problem leaving that and maybe coming back to it later.

If I find them and they’re not patterning like I want and not vocal, I have no problem leaving them for a couple days and coming back. At least you know you have a plan B if you go off somewhere else and it doesn’t work out.

 

[Harvey_NW]

We were walking what basically amounts to a ridgeline, so there could have been elk on both slopes

This. IME after the first couple hours of light you can hedge your bets they're bedded in some sort of cover. If they're not vocal it's just a gamble. In this situation I typically look for heavy sign and try to target benches in steep timber, and usually north facing slopes with some sort of water source reasonably close. I have seen them bed just up from the bottom of a drainage before, but mostly over time have found them about 3/4 of the way up the ridge. If you've got a ridgeline trail I would be dropping down into the timber and slow hunting through. I've found that letting them know you're coming is usually the best way to not blow them out of the country, so I do a lot of soft lost calf calling and listening.

 

[fatlander]

Well here is the thing, we didn't know if they were unhuntable. We just never saw them and they weren't making noise. So animals moving within a mile or two of you in the same morning should mean something. We were walking what basically amounts to a ridgeline, so there could have been elk on both slopes

I’d say it’s readily apparent that they are in fact there when you’ve “found them”. You should be seeing, hearing, and or smelling lots of elk if you’ve found “elk”.

If you’re not hearing, seeing, or smelling lots of elk, there’s somewhere that you could be hearing, smelling, or seeing lots of elk.

One set of tracks on a long ridge in early September might very well be a bull covering 10+ miles a day looking for the same thing you are: lots of elk.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Skerhunter]

I’m not leaving a basin full of bugles but I’m not wasting time on a spot with minimal activity or elk.

Most spots I give it a day to get a feel for what’s there and what’s not. If all I see are some small groups of cows or maybe a few rag horns I’m leaving.

Some areas only get a half day. If no actual herds are in there by noon I’m covering ground to find them before dark.

If I see older sign or it’s a known spot that herds like will come back in a few days.

 

[doc holiday13]

....................

If I were backpacked in 3 or 4 miles and saw sign, I’d stay and try to work it. If you’re talking car camping and you did 3 or 4 miles walking in from where you parked, I wouldn’t have much of a problem leaving that and maybe coming back to it later.
.........................

Could you define what you mean when you say "work it" ? Because thats kinda what I'm asking. If the Elk are there, but not talking and easy to glass; how would I pursue them?

hang tight and thoughtfully scout?
Try to follow the fresh tracks I've found?

This. IME after the first couple hours of light you can hedge your bets they're bedded in some sort of cover. If they're not vocal it's just a gamble. In this situation I typically look for heavy sign and try to target benches in steep timber, and usually north facing slopes with some sort of water source reasonably close. I have seen them bed just up from the bottom of a drainage before, but mostly over time have found them about 3/4 of the way up the ridge. If you've got a ridgeline trail I would be dropping down into the timber and slow hunting through. I've found that letting them know you're coming is usually the best way to not blow them out of the country, so I do a lot of soft lost calf calling and listening.

Sounds like a good approach