Fairly Open Terrain Elk

[doublebow]

I will be archery hunting fairly open terrain elk country this year in September with patches of cover, best case probably 50/50 cover/open.

In general, do the elk go to cover earlier in the morning and bed earlier or is the routine the same as heavily wooded areas that I have hunted in the past?

Please compare the morning routines. TIA

 

[Beendare]

My buddy hunts a high Mtn spot in Idaho that is huge wide open sage brush meadows/tops...with little bits of cover here and there.

Those elk never go into the cover to bed...they bed out in the wide open. Nice to see them but he says calling is worthless. I've thought about trying his spot with a few Montana decoys to see If I could call those elk.

I dunno if any of the experts have a strategy for calling elk 400yds across those open areas.

The Biologist for that area told me the elk utilize that wide open to give them a buffer from the wolves.

..

 

[doublebow]

My buddy hunts a high Mtn spot in Idaho that is huge wide open sage brush meadows/tops...with little bits of cover here and there.

Those elk never go into the cover to bed...they bed out in the wide open. Nice to see them but he says calling is worthless. I've thought about trying his spot with a few Montana decoys to see If I could call those elk.

I dunno if any of the experts have a strategy for calling elk 400yds across those open areas.

The Biologist for that area told me the elk utilize that wide open to give them a buffer from the wolves.

..

I will check with the biologist for this area and see if this behavior is typical for my area.

Thanks for the info

 

[FlyGuy]

I am in a similar boat this year. Drew a tag in a unit with much more open terrain than I have ever hunted before (NM early archery elk) and I’m struggling with tactics.


You can’t cheat the mountain

 

[Wapiti1]

One area I hunt has a lot of open country in it. The elk may or may not head to timber during the day. Depends on hunting pressure, and daytime temps. If left alone, they will bed on shady slopes in the open or light cover, and just move if they get too hot. No wolves here, just the way the local elk do their thing.

They can be called, but you need a decoy to get them to come in closer than 100 yards. Sometimes, you can work them in big sagebrush and bitterbrush where they can't see you. I've shot a couple there calling, and a couple ambushing them between food and bedding. They tend to be predictable in where they bed. I have used a decoy to just walk straight to them, but couldn't get within bow shot. The cows would always get skittish before I could get in range of the bull.

Jeremy

 

[cnelk]

One thing about calling in more open/broken country is if you have 2 people, the caller set up behind the shooter has to be MUCH further behind than the normal 50-80yds or it just wont work

 

[ElkNut1]

I've hunted elk in the types of areas you are referring to. Elk are elk & my tactics don't change at all. What draws bulls to me regardless of the country still applies. The main objective is getting the elk into cover for myself before I do any calling. In general I call to locate in dark timber or any type cover then close the distance & basically play (Call) on their weakness. I apply a similar tactic if in the open & I glass them up. I've located so now I keep track of them until in the cover & move in & take care of business.

If I locate some elk via glassing & they do not leave the open terrain yet they are in a Spot & Stalk spot where I have the wind, cover & the needed undulation I will then Indian in on them not putting a time frame on myself the same as I've hunted Western Muleys from time to time. If other hunters around spotting & stalking same elk I will move on before it all blows up --- If no way I can get to them because the needed ingredients aren't there I move on & find other elk.

Even when I'm elk hunting country that is 90% open sage I still look for those small pockets of timber, you'd be shocked the bulls that will take refuge in them. It seems most hunters avoid that 10% & want that Spot & Stalk hunt, as far as I'm concerned they can have it, give me the timber & calling anyday & bulls will go down.

This bull was in that 90% open terrain 10% timber 2 years ago. No one was hunting any timber but you could see ATV'S & Side by Sides everywhere you looked on any type of vantage point. We hit the timber one morning & less than a 1/2 mile located this bull & called him in under 20 yards. This bull is 345"+ -- All the bulls we had glassed up in the two prior days were lucky if they hit the 300" mark.

Catch them in the timber & have your way with them, try calling to them in the open & they will have their way with you!

ElkNut/Paul

 

[scottmarine]

I’ve hunted elk in all different terrain and to me I do the same thing. They still are elk and have amazing noses! It seems like if you get high you can spot them longer into the morning and earlier in the evening.


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