Elk traveling ridges or drainage bottom?

SEtoNWHunter

Lil-Rokslider
Joined
Feb 17, 2017
Messages
175
Location
SW MT
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

WKR
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
5,489
Location
Durango CO
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.
 
Joined
Sep 13, 2016
Messages
2,387
Location
Idaho
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

WKR
Joined
Jun 12, 2019
Messages
3,623
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.
 

dusky

FNG
Joined
Dec 6, 2020
Messages
57
Wherever they're safest. They like having multiple escape routes. I see them travel on hill sides mostly. Never on ridgetops except to cross over through a saddle.
 
Joined
Apr 17, 2022
Messages
46
Location
SW Idaho
I was going to say, "too many variables." Then I saw the first 3 posts beat me to it lol.

That said, here's a tidbit I learned this year. Hunting early October was warm, high 70's in the afternoon. LOTS of hunting pressure in this unit, especially this area. We hunted high, thinking higher altitude would be colder (8000ft), therefore more elk, right? We ended up lower, around 5500ft, and those draws were significantly colder than the higher ones. Like, go from sweating to seeing your breath. It was crazy. We harvested our cows at dusk, walking down a draw to drink from the flowing water in the bottom at 5500ft.

Personally I prioritize glassing from high spots, and do see a lot of sign crossing ridgelines and saddles... but don't discount still hunting the dark draws. Go slow, listen a lot.

Good luck!
 
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