E Scouting Advice

[Jimmyf123]

Hello, I’m doing some E scouting for an elk/mule deer hunt in a mountainous region of Idaho next October.

I am have been hunting whitetail in the east my entire life but I know very little about Mule and their habitat.

I have attached some screenshots of different areas within the vicinity we are planning on hunting. I would appreciate anybody willing to give their thoughts on whether or not it looks like these areas could hold Mule deer or Elk. Obviously nobody really knows by just looking at satellite pictures but I am trying to get an idea of what to look for while E scouting. Thanks!

 

[taskswap]

All of them could. But elk can walk 30mi in a day, they won't hang around like deer will. Unlike deer, though, elk water every day. Find the water, find the elk. (Find the water, then poke around the nastiest, steepest, densest gullies nearby.)

 

[Jimmyf123]

All of them could. But elk can walk 30mi in a day, they won't hang around like deer will. Unlike deer, though, elk water every day. Find the water, find the elk. (Find the water, then poke around the nastiest, steepest, densest gullies nearby.)

Thanks for the tip, I’ll make a point of marking possible water sources on my map - although a lot of the streams may not be running that time of year so we’ll have to verify those spots when we get there.

Do you walk through the deep nasty gullies that you’re referring to or do you stay outside of them and try to glass through the trees?

 

[sneaky]

Thanks for the tip, I’ll make a point of marking possible water sources on my map - although a lot of the streams may not be running that time of year so we’ll have to verify those spots when we get there.

Do you walk through the deep nasty gullies that you’re referring to or do you stay outside of them and try to glass through the trees?

After the thermals switch mid morning you better be above them or it won't matter, you'll blow everything out of those draws in short order.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[Nickofthewoods]

What season/time of year? Have you looked at the migration routes for that area?

I would agree that all of that terrain appears like it could hold animals at any given time. I like #4 the best for glassing, looks like great muley country. Without knowing the area and where there are roads, trails, water, access points etc., it's hard to say much else.

 

[Indian Summer]

Where to start… there are millions of places that look like those pictures. It’s impossible to guess what does or doesn’t live there at a certain time of year. E scouting in my opinion is nearly worthless. Especially if you have no actual experience in the area. You’re better of searching for threads with reports from guys who have already hunted there. A call to the local biologist with questions about preferred habitat would be a good idea too. Good luck!

 

[Wapiti1]

Picture 1 is of the best elk country, IMO. The other photos look like better deer country. In October, assuming mid-late, elk will be coming off the rut and the bulls will pull away to their sanctuaries. Not necessarily remote, just not often visited by humans. If it looks like a crappy hike to a bowl, or bench, that is a good place to look.

It might be steep, but there is usually something like a bench to bed on. They will bed on steep slopes, but prefer a bench, or shelf even it its only elk width. So, grassy slopes with a bench near there. Pay close attention to the map and learn what grass looks like verse gravel/rocks/shale/tallus.

Water is important, but 2 miles isn't out of the question for them to travel each day or every other day to water. More than that and you're pushing it in mountain country, IMO. Flatter country and they'll go several miles to water.

Food, water, cover. Same for deer, but different food entirely. Elk eat grass. Deer eat shrubs and less grass, and don't water ever sometimes. They'll get enough from snow and dew.

Deer in Oct in that kind of country could be anywhere, but figure mid-mountain and higher for the bucks.

Good luck and make sure you enjoy it whether you kill or not.

Jeremy

 

[TheMcRazor]

Where is a good place to learn about migration routes?

 

[MNDeerHunter 52]

Picture 1 is of the best elk country, IMO. The other photos look like better deer country. In October, assuming mid-late, elk will be coming off the rut and the bulls will pull away to their sanctuaries. Not necessarily remote, just not often visited by humans. If it looks like a crappy hike to a bowl, or bench, that is a good place to look.

It might be steep, but there is usually something like a bench to bed on. They will bed on steep slopes, but prefer a bench, or shelf even it its only elk width. So, grassy slopes with a bench near there. Pay close attention to the map and learn what grass looks like verse gravel/rocks/shale/tallus.

Water is important, but 2 miles isn't out of the question for them to travel each day or every other day to water. More than that and you're pushing it in mountain country, IMO. Flatter country and they'll go several miles to water.

Food, water, cover. Same for deer, but different food entirely. Elk eat grass. Deer eat shrubs and less grass, and don't water ever sometimes. They'll get enough from snow and dew.

Deer in Oct in that kind of country could be anywhere, but figure mid-mountain and higher for the bucks.

Good luck and make sure you enjoy it whether you kill or not.

Jeremy

Jeremy-

Do you do a lot of escouting? I’ve read some people think it’s a waste of time but given life things I won’t be able to go out to Wyoming very early before the season starts. Planning to be out there a couple days early (or more if possible). I did buy the onx package to get the various layers and will be calling the local biologist to ask questions too but I was hoping to find some benefit in e scouting throughout the summer.

 

[Trapline]

E scouting takes a little getting used to, but after you do it then go to the area and compare what you thought was there compared to what it really looks like you will get better at it. Do it locally at first where you can put eyes on how you thought it would look. Take lots of pictures of the terrain when you are out there, then you can go back and compare them to the ariel views. I actually escout more in topo view than satellite. Now after escouting when i get there i am pleasantly surprised that it looks better than imagined.

 

[taskswap]

I don't think it's a waste of time at all. I spend endless hours doing it - it's the perfect off-season activity. Sure, sure, "nothing beats boots on the ground"... but deciding where to walk IN those boots is just as important! Besides, about half the year you can't scout the units anyway due to snow and/or birthing-season closures. It's the perfect thing to do then.

I, or my hunt partners, have taken elk in areas that looked exactly like every spot or track on your maps above. There isn't a perfect answer to this one. But finding water and cover are always good ideas. If you're new to this, you can do a lot worse strategy-wise than hunting "over water" at sunrise and sunset every day, then using the middle of the day for most of your hiking and exploring in canyons and gullies.

Just bear in mind almost every e-scouting tool I've used is basically useless for this task. They love giving you layers with springs, streams, and so on but you get out there and that's all dried up during hunting season. Darker green spots on the maps can be indicators - but not always accurate either. Finding those seeps and small running creeks is a big priority for me when I arrive at any new area. You'll find water in very unexpected areas, like 100 yards below a cliff where you can't mentally figure out where it's even coming from, and zero in low basins that ought to be overflowing.

If you can't scout pre-season, try your best to get out to your target area a day or two early. It's the best time to scout anyway.