Elk Don't Exist

[jtevanMT]

Stick with it, patience, persistence and perseverance will pay off. If the elk are not in your first spot, move to plan B, C, and D. Elk are always adapting to food, water, cover and pressure (human and 4 legged predators).

I hunted for several years before figuring it out and now we have success nearly every year. Some years are still very challenging and it seems like the elk are gone, but hard work usually ends in a full freezer.

 

[gentleman4561]

The more difficult the endeavor the greater the reward

This is true, I just killed my first black bear two weeks ago.

I tried for 4 years before I finally connected and boy did it feel good!

 

[bcjoe]

We got to camp two days early, spent five days hunting very hard, miles of dark timber climbing ridicoulus inclines, misreading topo satellite maps that look like meadows but are really aspen groves on horrible slopes, all elk sign is a week old, rubs, wallows, game trails so well used a blind man could follow them and one very close bugle that excited me something fierce. But in the end, the wind shifted at the very last moment before an unseen bull left town and all went silent quickly. That's hunting. My buddy and I came to the conclusion that we are great elk hunters, not just good elk finders, lol, as we never saw an elk either. We did see a couple squirrels though. I wouldn't trade our seven days on the mountain for much of anything. Great fellowship, laughter, awesome views and now we are already planning for our attack next year.

Stick with it Chris_in_Idaho, almost no elk were taken in the entire valley we hunted this year. Only two out of six clients for an outfitter that was near us took elk. We didn't realize the rainy summer brought dry streams and springs alive this year way up high, warmer weather made for ample high food way up high and lots of OTC archery pressure changed the 'normal' elk patterns this year. We need to adapt quicker next year and learn from our observations from this year. Looking back over our hunt, we realized some mistakes we made and will change it for next year. I do feel your pain though.

Don’t forget that

We got to camp two days early, spent five days hunting very hard, miles of dark timber climbing ridicoulus inclines, misreading topo satellite maps that look like meadows but are really aspen groves on horrible slopes, all elk sign is a week old, rubs, wallows, game trails so well used a blind man could follow them and one very close bugle that excited me something fierce. But in the end, the wind shifted at the very last moment before an unseen bull left town and all went silent quickly. That's hunting. My buddy and I came to the conclusion that we are great elk hunters, not just good elk finders, lol, as we never saw an elk either. We did see a couple squirrels though. I wouldn't trade our seven days on the mountain for much of anything. Great fellowship, laughter, awesome views and now we are already planning for our attack next year.

Stick with it Chris_in_Idaho, almost no elk were taken in the entire valley we hunted this year. Only two out of six clients for an outfitter that was near us took elk. We didn't realize the rainy summer brought dry streams and springs alive this year way up high, warmer weather made for ample high food way up high and lots of OTC archery pressure changed the 'normal' elk patterns this year. We need to adapt quicker next year and learn from our observations from this year. Looking back over our hunt, we realized some mistakes we made and will change it for next year. I do feel your pain though.

don’t forget that we had 2 friends hunting up 3 miles from us and someone who walked the entire trail and elk were only seen a day before opener lol. I think a push text went out to all the elk on opening day that the little orange men have returned and all elk need to go into lockdown

 

[ShootOkHuntWorse]

Year 10 of hunting. Only killed one spike and one cow in that time. No deer since 2012. Many close encounters. Between work, first kid, and money, hunting north Idaho is tough.

 

[3325]

Oh, elk exist. But when you’re out in the morning, they’re out in the evening. When you’re out in the evening, they’re out in the morning. If you’re out all day, they’re out all night. If you’re on public land, they’re on private land. If you have a hunting lease or landowner permission, they’re on the National Forest.

It’s simple, really.

 

[bcjoe]

Oh, elk exist. But when you’re out in the morning, they’re out in the evening. When you’re out in the evening, they’re out in the morning. If you’re out all day, they’re out all night. If you’re on public land, they’re on private land. If you have a hunting lease or landowner permission, they’re on the National Forest.

It’s simple, really.

U nailed that right on the head, u will see trophy elk when u have a deer tag and vice versa.

 

[wapitibob]

Fairly normal morning this year, but a long way from ID.

 

[Nickofthewoods]

You feel the same way about elk as I do barbary sheep. Maybe we can start a support group.

 

[Packer9037]

“Things you tell your wife for $500 Alex”

I don't care who you are, that's funny right there!

 

[The Harbor Master]

I've said the same thing many times! They just don't exist! And then, boom. There they are. This year we spent 5 days hiking, glassing, put miles and miles on the boots with nothing to show for it. Then one evening they more or less walked right up to us.

Stay patient. The more you're out there the more chance of an encounter. If you don't fill a tag, you learn a bit and increase your odds next year. It really is just a matter of time if you keep trying and keep learning. Good luck!

 

[woods89]

Elk are rarely where you want them to be

This is about the most complete description of elk hunting that I've ever read......

 

[Chris_in_Idaho]

So, for you successful guys:

1 How far are you typically hunting from an accessible road?

2 Are you all using dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs, pack animals or something like that to get from the road to your spots? Or is it feasible to park the truck and walk in (and back out) far enough?

3 I'm probably nowhere near the right areas, but it seems like anywhere I can walk to, so can everyone else and the areas are blown out day 1.

4 Do you guys still use bugles into mid October?

 

[TaperPin]

One of the main principles of elk hunting is acknowledging that elk aren’t distributed evenly across all drainages like they were applied out of a salt shaker. Finding where elk aren’t is a major step toward finding where elk are. Congrats, you’re on the right path, you might just need to cover more ground quicker to find them.

 

[rclouse79]

I have been in the same shoes, even after thinking I had figured some things out. It will make it all the sweeter when you finally find them! If it weren't for the struggle, I don't think my heart would beat out of my chest like it does when I finally get close.

 

[Packer9037]

So, for you successful guys:

1 How far are you typically hunting from an accessible road?

2 Are you all using dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs, pack animals or something like that to get from the road to your spots? Or is it feasible to park the truck and walk in (and back out) far enough?

3 I'm probably nowhere near the right areas, but it seems like anywhere I can walk to, so can everyone else and the areas are blown out day 1.

4 Do you guys still use bugles into mid October?

I've been successful...I've also been unsuccessful. Always learn something new on all my hunts, but I feel like the only strategy that's going to pay off more regularly than any other strategy is being the first guy on the mountain in the morning and being the last guy off the mountain at night.

 

[cnelk]

So, for you successful guys:

1 How far are you typically hunting from an accessible road?

You wouldnt believe it if I told you

 

[svivian]

So, for you successful guys:

1 How far are you typically hunting from an accessible road?

2 Are you all using dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs, pack animals or something like that to get from the road to your spots? Or is it feasible to park the truck and walk in (and back out) far enough?

3 I'm probably nowhere near the right areas, but it seems like anywhere I can walk to, so can everyone else and the areas are blown out day 1.

4 Do you guys still use bugles into mid October?

None of those questions are a factor of if I was successful or not.

 

[LongWayAround]

So, for you successful guys:

1 How far are you typically hunting from an accessible road?

2 Are you all using dirt bikes, ATVs, UTVs, pack animals or something like that to get from the road to your spots? Or is it feasible to park the truck and walk in (and back out) far enough?

3 I'm probably nowhere near the right areas, but it seems like anywhere I can walk to, so can everyone else and the areas are blown out day 1.

4 Do you guys still use bugles into mid October?

1. I have killed elk early and late within a few hundred yards of a road. Or you could be miles and thousands of vertical feet

2. We walk. Sometimes an atv/utv.

3. Anywhere can be the right area. We talked to some guys a few days ago who killed several elk by pushing the same timber on consecutive days.

4. I heard a bull bulge yesterday and frequently hear bugles in mid-late October. I have never successfully bugled up a bull in rifle season though.

 

[Ross]

Year 45 in Idaho. I will say I am one of the few who uses a bugle early in October for my success. No cow calls bugle only. I will use the last 3 years on how I hunted. 2022 I was out 5 days prior to season found two bulls bugling. Had done some calling in September for friends as well. Day 1 2022 used forest service trail hiked in 4 miles. Got a bull to start bugling across the canyon at 10 am. Hiked back out and drove around the canyon hiked two miles in that afternoon called in small 5 pt let him walk. Day2 got one of the scouted bulls to bugle and called him in at 11:30 to 45 yards. This was 10/10 and 11. 2023 knee replacement in May. Opening day called in 2 small bulls in the same canyon as 2022. Let them walk no other shot opps this season. 2024 knee now doing very well was out many days calling for friends in September. Day 1 hiked in 5 miles and bumped herd. Day 2 got two bulls to bugle at noon. At 4 pm shot him at 12 yds after bugling him for 4 hours. Never could see him till 15 yds out. Won’t bore you with all the other scenarios over 45 years. Each elk country is different, but the elk need the same things. Food, security, and water. The country I hunt is super dense and there are very little options to shoot long distance. Elk will find pockets and live their until disturbed or move on their normal routes. This is typically very expansive and requires a lot of leg work. Experience says most guys simply don’t cover enough ground. You don’t have to go 5 miles in, but you need to be able to walk a lot up and down in the right manner. Bull 1 was 1 mile from the road but was a 1000 ft drop. Bull 2 was 2 miles from the road and a 1000 ft drop. Over the 3 years I have not seen one hunter in the woods start planning 2025 now and each month check something off the list Someone can tell you how to do it, but it is best learned by trial and error. Success, breeds more success and you have to learn what style works for you, in the type of country you hunt.

 

[TaperPin]

I'm probably nowhere near the right areas, but it seems like anywhere I can walk to, so can everyone else and the areas are blown out day 1.

There are 8 or so trailheads in a particular part of my state - 6 don’t usually have elk within 3 miles, and two do. No matter how many times I’ve been to them, the areas elk like have elk and the places they don’t don’t. If you’re on foot those 6 make hunting a lot harder than it has to be. It’s much better to not reinvent the wheel, and simply hunt like a local.

When the shooting starts day one elk will go somewhere - if they only go to where you can’t reach them on foot, move. Some areas have one way elk movement until the season is over. If they are pushed a drainage away, and hunters there push them back, you need to understand that and hunt escape routes between the two areas. Maybe there’s three or four areas that elk ping pong between when pushed.

I have a nephew that hunts wherever he can draw a tag - many marginal areas he has no clue about, and often for only a few days of hunting on the weekend. If I don’t tag along, we’ll sit down and come up with a plan for getting as much local knowledge as possible, where to set up camp before the season to best quickly identify elkish areas, then secondary spots if fresh sign is nowhere to be seen, and a Hail Mary if all else fails. Sometimes elk are predictable, but sometimes they have routes that I didn’t anticipate, but the locals know.

Drive a forest service road if you don’t know anything and aren’t seeing anything. Ignore out of state hunters and teenage kids, unless hooves are sticking out of a pickup bed. If there are ten local trucks parked along different parts of a FS road, look on the map to try and understand why each hunter choose that specific spot. They already know more than you, so try to gain something from them. You’ll find some guys don’t have a clue, but others are parked there to access a specific type of terrain. I’ve done this at 10:00am, seen likely escape routes and big benches those day hunters might have pushed elk to, drove a few miles down the road, walked in a short distance, saw one lone cow, then a couple more, and finally walked up on a meat bull that was pushed my way and bang bang.

Don’t be intimidated with big trailheads loaded with horse trailers if there are pockets of dark timber close by that can’t be easily hunted on horseback. Many hunters on foot avoid an area that looks like a rodeo parking lot, but 3 miles in, a single drainage that has too much blow down for horses can be full of elk.