Elk Hunting - Blowdowns

[jmh00043]

Newbie here,
Will elk bed down in pretty thick conifer blowdowns? There are still a good many trees standing and a lot on the ground.

Second question,
How long would you look into/hunt a specific drainage?

 

[Next Ridge]

The elk I hunt seem to prefer blowdown areas

 

[Hnthrdr]

1. Elk will bed down in deadfall, in some thick nasty stuff, it sucks to move through, sucks even more to pack stuff out of.

2. Depends, what season are you hunting? What kind of sign are you seeing?

 

[jmh00043]

1. Elk will bed down in deadfall, in some thick nasty stuff, it sucks to move through, sucks even more to pack stuff out of.

2. Depends, what season are you hunting? What kind of sign are you seeing?

mid october...

 

[Hnthrdr]

Depends if the elk are still rutting or post rut… if they are still rutting a bit they will be easier to locate if we are assuming you are hunting bulls. If it is post rut those bulls will hole up in nasty drainages and only come out to feed or water. Depending on the country glassing should be your best bet, otherwise play thermals and learn how to still hunt quick

 

[Rizzy]

I find them in deadfall a lot. They usually bed in the shade. I spend a morning and an evening glassing a drainage in October. If it’s an OTC unit the hunting pressure in October will effect the older bulls pretty quickly after opening day.

 

[Marble]

So far as hunting a drainage, it depends on:

Size
Ability to glass
What I see when I do look
Weather
What I see in other drainages
Past experience in said location

Totality of circumstances dictates my next move.



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[jmh00043]

I find them in deadfall a lot. They usually bed in the shade. I spend a morning and an evening glassing a drainage in October. If it’s an OTC unit the hunting pressure in October will effect the older bulls pretty quickly after opening day.

Will you spend a morning and afternoon in the same drainage if you can cover the whole drainage with binos? Or move to a different drainage?

 

[sticknmofur]

During the rut we found most like the little finger ridge right on the edge of blow downs.

 

[Wrench]

My experience says they prefer semi open areas surrounded by blow downs. Find a finger ridge on the off prevailing side of the wind with thermal potential and you're getting close to perfect.

 

[Gerbdog]

I find them bedded down in the worst deadfall you can imagine..... I call them deadfall bedding forts. They'll bed down on a high spot in the terrain, out on a finger, with deadfall on all sides except the uphill side and just sit there with their eyes and antlers above the deadfall... watching for jackaloons like me to stumble around the woods near their fortress and then boogie out if i wasnt paying attention and using my binos to find those tines sticking up

 

[Gapmaster]

They love blowdown, predators can’t sneak up on them. I’ve seen full grown elk walk on top of log piles. Really unbelievable the first time you see it.

 

[beignet]

The spot I know that's thickest with elk is in some of the nastiest combo of blowdown and dog-fur pine from a 10+ year old burn. Needless to say, it's a heck of a sanctuary as I can't get in there quietly enough to not alert them.

 

[TradLife406]

Yep especially on wallow edges and North slopes

 

[Deadfall]

Yes please...the worse it is the better I like it. My hunters not so much. After their first year with me. They accept thier fate. Haaaahaaaahaaaa....That's where giants live. Especially on public land.

It's slow methodical going. Lots of stopping and listening.

Hunting giants is a entirely different game then hunting any legal bull.

The more the torcher, the more the reward!

 

[Rizzy]

Will you spend a morning and afternoon in the same drainage if you can cover the whole drainage with binos? Or move to a different drainage?

Yes, they can get pushed around by wolves and human pressure. In these OTC units I hunt, I’m typically only interested in the upper end of the drainage where the highest water source is. I glass it in the evening after hiking in and the following morning usually all from the same spot. Sometimes a herd will move in overnight.

 

[jmh00043]

Thanks for all the input

 

[Bigborealaska]

I find them bedded down in the worst deadfall you can imagine..... I call them deadfall bedding forts. They'll bed down on a high spot in the terrain, out on a finger, with deadfall on all sides except the uphill side and just sit there with their eyes and antlers above the deadfall... watching for jackaloons like me to stumble around the woods near their fortress and then boogie out if i wasnt paying attention and using my binos to find those tines sticking up

This 100%.

 

[Hackleback]

If you find a pocket of green timber in a burn, they often bed in that deep shade.

 

[Pony Soldier]

I have seen them on the edge of the blowdown where they can run out of. In my world they prefer north side lodgepole thickets. You hunt looking for a color change when they stand up.