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.

 

[dusky]

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.

 

[manitou1]

They almost always travel the trails I am not on or near... fact.

 

[The Harbor Master]

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!

 

[SEtoNWHunter]

This is some solid info on a very "it depends" kind of question! Thanks to all of you that replied so far. I think based on this I'm going to shift my opening day spot slightly to watch a specific saddle, that I know gets elk traffic. I don't know if it'll get elk when the hunting pressure starts up, but only one way to find out. I'm going to try to get a good view of some north facing side hills too. One thing I've found in scouting this area, is water is very abundant. Creeks, springs, water tanks, little lakes, so I'm mostly looking for corridors from higher (public) to lower elevation (private). Hopefully I'll have some solid updates by next week. Thanks again for all the thoughts and experiences!

 

[hereinaz]

Not gonna be either extreme, unless they are crossing them. My limited experience is the highest half of the slope, all things being equal.

Make your choice based on thermals/wind. It’s usually easier to stalk down to them than up to them. And, faster too.

 

[Indian Summer]

Neither. Where are you most likely to find people? Running the bottoms or along the tops of the ridges. They are the easiest places to travel. More often than not there is a trail on top or bottom. Look for elk on mid slope benches. I prefer the ones 2/3 or 3/4 of the way to the top as long as there is not a road at the top.