Early September elk Hunt strategy

[CMack376]

What’s your typical day look like in the OTC public land elk woods those first 5 day or so of the season? What are you doing? Where are you going? What time are you going there? Where are you camping? (If back packing in) what’s your calling strategy? Are you calling at all? Is water the focus? Wallows? Meadows? Bedding? All of the above?


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[EVD]

44.4280° N, 110.5885° W

 

[cgasner1]

I find elk then let them decide how they will die. Sometimes I sneak sometimes I call sometimes I ambush. Personally I don’t hit the woods with a I’m gonna call me in a bull idea. I do what I feel has the best odds of success for the situation


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[Hnthrdr]

Gonna hear this a bunch but totally situational dependent. If a cow cycles early they could be going nuts in the first week of sept. Or they could still be bachelored up feeling out who else is in the area. Is it hot? Maybe water is your friend, did it just drop 9 inches of snow… maybe not. Not gonna spill all the goods, but I think you match the elk with what they are doing, if they are bugling how intensely is it? Is it totally quite? Match it. Half the fun of elk hunting is going out and failing miserably and then reflecting, learning from it and getting better. I don’t think I can pass that on via a forum, you have to live it.

 

[CMack376]

I was kind of leaning on what’s your morning strategy look like. What’s your evening strategy look like and where do you camp to tie it all together.


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[Hnthrdr]

Depends on the area, if I know there is viable water where I am I’ll hunt with camp on my back, wake up early chase bugles, hunt all day, when shooting light is done find a spot to camp catch some sleep and then rinse and repeat. If I am stuck near a water source then I’ll drop camp, wake up early and chase bugles, hunt till dark, and head back to camp If it’s hot I may sit a wallow. Hope that helps. It’s really not a complicated thing. Stubborness and super basic hunting skill kills elk, keep the wind at your face, glass ahead while in timber, ect.

 

[Marble]

I was kind of leaning on what’s your morning strategy look like. What’s your evening strategy look like and where do you camp to tie it all together.


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Too many variables to answer. I'll make the call when I have all of the info. Weather, animals, pressure, terrain, water status my mood....

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[CMack376]

Depends on the area, if I know there is viable water where I am I’ll hunt with camp on my back, wake up early chase bugles, hunt all day, when shooting light is done find a spot to camp catch some sleep and then rinse and repeat. If I am stuck near a water source then I’ll drop camp, wake up early and chase bugles, hunt till dark, and head back to camp If it’s hot I may sit a wallow. Hope that helps. It’s really not a complicated thing. Stubborness and super basic hunting skill kills elk, keep the wind at your face, glass ahead while in timber, ect.

Im trying to mainly figure out where to set my camp to not booger up the spot. Ill paint a picture, Say i start up the mountain in the morning, headed to a believed bedding area. dropping thermal. I hunt that spot and turn up nothing. The thermals are about to switch so i head for a safe spot to hang out or at least get above where i believe the elk should be to avoid my rising thermal running them off. Play the same game in the evening with thermals always (Trying to at least) in my favor. Time to camp. Do i stay below them? or the next draining over? Figured this would be the place to ask and not get smart ass comments like GPS coordinates sent my way. So thank you for giving some good feedback.

 

[CMack376]

44.4280° N, 110.5885° W

 

[Hnthrdr]

Im trying to mainly figure out where to set my camp to not booger up the spot. Ill paint a picture, Say i start up the mountain in the morning, headed to a believed bedding area. dropping thermal. I hunt that spot and turn up nothing. The thermals are about to switch so i head for a safe spot to hang out or at least get above where i believe the elk should be to avoid my rising thermal running them off. Play the same game in the evening with thermals always (Trying to at least) in my favor. Time to camp. Do i stay below them? or the next draining over? Figured this would be the place to ask and not get smart ass comments like GPS coordinates sent my way. So thank you for giving some good feedback.

Gotcha, well for starters the fact you are that concerned with your scent tells me you are on the right track. It depends if I know or just suspect there are elk in said drainage. If I know they are in there I will go to great lengths to keep my scent from blowing up or down it to where the elk are at. It seems like if you get far enough away 800+ yards your scent gets so dispersed by the time it blows to the elk that they don’t exactly blow off the mountain. As far as camp, don’t camp next to a wallow or an active bedding area, but I’ll camp on a ridge line that gives me access to several drainages, I just have to remember in the morning my approach while thermals are down, but really I camp where I can sometimes. The mountain doesn’t always offer a nice flat meadow. I have had elk walk through my camp at 3/4 am before and they didn’t seem to run off so there is that. Some of this is just my experience but I’m sure there are other good ideas about. A lot of times there is a lot of gray space in elk hunting. Not 1 right and 1 wrong answer. The gray space is where it becomes an art form

 

[Coveyleader]

Plan is simple and works every year and has little to do with elk.