Elk scouting (on the ground) questions:

[Marble]

To scout for elk, my methods are e-scouting before choosing areas, then finding a spot to glass those areas if possible, then putting boots on the ground and covering areas where you believe the elk should be. I look for tracks, actual elk, poop, scrapes, beds, sheds, etc, and any signs that elk have been there. I'll find wallows and walk around them.

I'll also look for old camps, hanging poles, parking areas, etc. I'll also go into town and chat up the local grocery store employees, maybe a good burger spot, and then a local bar to see what people say after they have had a few drinks. I've had some of the best nuggets shared after someone has a couple of beers.

Sometimes with new areas you just have to start covering ground. After 25 years of killing elk, I have a pretty good idea of how to navigate the woods to find them.

During archery, night bugling is pretty successful....

There is no magic solution. The more work you put in, the more you'll get out of it. I think most people new to elk hunting kill their first elk 4-7 years after starting....

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[Chris in TN]

I took my daughter on a 5+ mile, 550+' elevation hike the other day. She huffed and puffed towards the top but didn't complain and said she was (mentally) ready to do that 2x in a day, wearing a pack, to get to a hunting spot. I sort of let her set the pace and gave her a 5-minute break at the top. I think once we get some trek poles she'll be ready to get ready, so to speak.

There are secondary draw 1st rifle tags in the unit I want to 'learn'. I put in for her an elk tag and also a deer tag as a backup plan - if she draws a deer tag we'll likely hunt much lower and have much lower standards. If she draws the elk tag we want, we'll turn the deer tag back in and focus on elk.

I am not totally ready to go this year, but am willing to do the things (physically and financially) to get us there, if she draws the tag, and with her being a youth in the secondary draw I'd say we had a 60-80% chance of her getting the elk tag in question.

I also threw in a backup choice that I personally would prefer - a unit 2 cow tag. I've been through and by unit 2 a couple times, been to Dinosaur, part of me sort of halfway hopes she could get one of those cow tags. Ought to be a dream hunt for someone willing to gawk at a bull while lining up on a cow (which I have done before, there were bulls with the cow I shot in 2020).

(I'm not saying which unit I want to learn....I've already learned that it's awkward and weird to be applying for an area and reading online forums where people join up to say 'hey I applied for tag XYZ this year any tips?').

 

[Chris in TN]

Would it be wise - even mandatory - for me to have multiple plans to hunt any one given area, and maybe watch the weather forecast (which I'll have to do anyway) and if I see several days of winds predicted to be out of the west, perhaps choose my camping location and hunting trails (from tent to sitting spots) based on expected prevailing winds, differently than I'd choose if I was expecting several days of E wind or N wind or whatever?

This might shift campsite by miles. But I can see how it would be worthwhile. I'd just have to have multiple access/camping plans for each potential hunting area.

I realize that the wind will blow 17 different directions every day. But, still, would it be wise to have at least some degree of anticipation of where most of it would come from and adjust plans to accommodate that?

 

[jgilber5]

I would rather have plans for multiple locations based on prevailing wind and thermals than multiple plans for one location. If the wind is different the day you're in there you'll figure it out. Just loop out downwind of em if they're in there. Unless you know exactly where the elk are gonna be, you're just guessing anyway, and the new wind might steer you to a different spot that might work out better. Find the herd first, then figure out the best way to approach.

 

[Chris in TN]

I would rather have plans for multiple locations based on prevailing wind and thermals than multiple plans for one location. If the wind is different the day you're in there you'll figure it out. Just loop out downwind of em if they're in there. Unless you know exactly where the elk are gonna be, you're just guessing anyway, and the new wind might steer you to a different spot that might work out better. Find the herd first, then figure out the best way to approach.

That makes sense.

Of course, some of these spots I'm looking at, circling downwind might involve scaling a peak. But, still, I get the point.

 

[ElkNut1]

I've elk hunted 100's of different locations in 7 different states over the years. I cannot recall even a single time where I was concerned about wind direction when scouting from home.

I choose a camp site once there, (basically anything I can find) I look for a centralized area that puts me in the middle best as possible for my pre-determined areas of interest. Once I start hunting I do the best to keep the wind in my favor & that depicts my travel of direction. Basically I worry about that once I'm there because there's too many factors that can take place that I have no control over.

 

[Chris in TN]

I've elk hunted 100's of different locations in 7 different states over the years. I cannot recall even a single time where I was concerned about wind direction when scouting from home.

I choose a camp site once there, (basically anything I can find) I look for a centralized area that puts me in the middle best as possible for my pre-determined areas of interest. Once I start hunting I do the best to keep the wind in my favor & that depicts my travel of direction. Basically I worry about that once I'm there because there's too many factors that can take place that I have no control over.

I needed to hear that, and thank you.

I am used to e-scouting public land a day or even an hour before I drive 1-5 miles to go hunt it or walk around on it. And then it's usually 10-400 acre blocks and I'm not camping. This is going to be a huge adjustment for me.

 

[spike camp]

I needed to hear that, and thank you.

I am used to e-scouting public land a day or even an hour before I drive 1-5 miles to go hunt it or walk around on it. And then it's usually 10-400 acre blocks and I'm not camping. This is going to be a huge adjustment for me.

Even though an Elk is just a big Deer, there is so little that applies to whitetail hunting, I often have said..it’s not even the same activity (Elk hunting vs WT hunting).

I’ve hunted WT in IL and PA for many years, and have hunted Elk many times with lifelong Whitetailers.
One thing I’ve learned after 25 years of hunting both Elk and WT?
It’s almost impossible to take the whitetail hunter out of their thought process, and insert an Elk hunters thought process.

If you can do that, you’ll be way ahead of the curve.

 

[Marble]

I agree. I would even make it broader by saying the application of deer hunting tactics to elk are rare. They are just very different animals.

The thing I tend to focus on is just finding the elk. After I find them, it's much easier to make a plan and execute it.

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[Chris in TN]

Even though an Elk is just a big Deer, there is so little that applies to whitetail hunting, I often have said..it’s not even the same activity (Elk hunting vs WT hunting).

I’ve hunted WT in IL and PA for many years, and have hunted Elk many times with lifelong Whitetailers.
One thing I’ve learned after 25 years of hunting both Elk and WT?
It’s almost impossible to take the whitetail hunter out of their thought process, and insert an Elk hunters thought process.

If you can do that, you’ll be way ahead of the curve.

I agree. I would even make it broader by saying the application of deer hunting tactics to elk are rare. They are just very different animals.

The thing I tend to focus on is just finding the elk. After I find them, it's much easier to make a plan and execute it.

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Again, I needed to hear that.

When I was a kid we went out west a couple times and I did scratch down a small mule deer, and missed a much nicer one, and I remember sort of how those hunts played out, though we're talking 35 years ago now.

I am almost certain that I'm going to look at aerials all summer then drive out there and realize that what looks like a golf course on the aerials is actually head-high brush interspersed with timber pockets and likely very good elk habitat, and what looks like brush and downfalls everywhere is likely also full of 30' or taller aspens that I cannot glass into from any angle. It's going to take a couple days to reset my brain when we get there.

Two years ago dad and I both killed bulls on private land and while we were waiting on meat processing we did a lot of driving around and even a bit of hiking in an area that isn't where I plan to hunt this year but almost certainly *looks the same* due to beetle kill. I'm trying to prepare myself that when we get there we'll see stuff that looks like that, and what looks open on the aerials won't be so open (except the obvious meadows). But, again, I won't really have all of that click into focus until I'm there. Which is why I really want to get out there early. I'm hoping a few days of scouting on the front end can boost our chances of nailing one on day one. And we might stay in a cabin or hotel for the first couple nights so we aren't fatigued from camping when season opens.

 

[jgilber5]

As others have said, yep, its totally different. You won't fully get it till you do it but try to wrap your head around public land elk scale. I learned how to hunt growing up with whitetail on public in MN, my first time elk hunting was pretty eye opening. What you might consider as your target bucks entire range, might be a general evening feeding area to elk. And they'll travel miles to get there. And they'll leave it just as fast because they know of 10 others within 10 miles of there. Think micro when you're moving in for the shot, but otherwise everything is just so much bigger than you'll expect. On the flip-side though, I was also surprised at how small an area could hold elk. Everyone escouted the same giant beautiful basin, and they quickly made their way into adjacent tiny cliff-surrounded pockets that had food, water and cover. Still large scale to get into those areas, but if it has what they need don't rule it out.