Elk traveling ridges or drainage bottom?

[SEtoNWHunter]

I'll be hunting an area with a lot of elk AND hunters. This is an area I've scouted quite a bit but never hunted. I'm expecting that when the trucks/hikers/shooting starts on opening morning, the elk will move from the pressure (around higher elevation roads on public) towards private and difficult to access spots. I've identified some prime travel routes and was planning to get up on a main roadless ridge and wait/watch for moving elk. Now I'm second guessing and considering trying to work up the bottom of a drainage and catch them moving down toward private.

In your experience are elk more likely to move down along a ridge or the bottom of a drainage? Or are there too many other variables to predict? My only other thought is a I can definitely see more from up high...

Thanks for any input

 

[Poser]

Too many variables. If I had to go with one or the other, I'd lean more towards near the top of a ridge, but there are surely many examples of them travelling along a drainage so long as they aren't trapped by the terrain and the creek isn't too loud.

 

[Customweld]

Lots of different variables. One thing I found, (in Idaho wolf country) they avoid the bottom of deeper draws or canyons. They will cross through them if necessary but it seems they prefer being up above the bottom and run side hill towards saddles.

 

[WCB]

Too many variables but in my experience trails rarely follow the top or bottom but are part way up or down...depending on how you look at it if that makes sense.