Hey guys, my buddy and I are working to devise a plan to get a specific bull whose bed we have found. Just looking for any advice or insight you might have.
So while out bow hunting on opening day of archery season in MT my friend and I came across an elk bed unlike any I have ever encountered. It was worn down almost to the gravel, and surrounded by several years worth of rubbed trees (going back what appeared to be at least 5-6 years). We went back into that spot this past weekend, after some fresh snow, and followed recent (within the past 12 hours, maybe fresher) tracks from a nearby saddle right to his freshly used bed again (melted out snow, pawed up ground that hadn't been frozen yet). We were moving extremely slowly and quietly, with the wind in our faces. I don't think we spooked him out of the bed, but we may have. His tracks leaving the bed were not running or hurried looking. Our plan is to ignore that spot this last week of archery season, but hunt him for rifle opener. The question is how to approach the situation on opening day.
Wind will be the primary deciding factor obviously. His path into his bed seems pretty consistent coming from that saddle. He appears to have several paths out of his bedding area. The most logical thing seems to me to be to get to leeward (downwind) side of the meadowy area on the saddle before first light, and sit tight to wait for him to come though heading to his bed. My buddy is of the opinion that we shouldn't be anywhere near there until we can see and shoot (don't start in the trail till shooting light), and proceed as though he is in his bed and approach from whichever side favors the wind, either from uphill which would put us at the top of some minor cliffs that his bed is under to try and get a shot from there, or approaching from downhill through the more open timber that he is watching from his bed and try to spot him before he spots us.
There is nowhere elevated nearby that we can glass the area from. We have never been in a situation like this where we know where a good bulls primary bed is, that he is using regularly.
So while out bow hunting on opening day of archery season in MT my friend and I came across an elk bed unlike any I have ever encountered. It was worn down almost to the gravel, and surrounded by several years worth of rubbed trees (going back what appeared to be at least 5-6 years). We went back into that spot this past weekend, after some fresh snow, and followed recent (within the past 12 hours, maybe fresher) tracks from a nearby saddle right to his freshly used bed again (melted out snow, pawed up ground that hadn't been frozen yet). We were moving extremely slowly and quietly, with the wind in our faces. I don't think we spooked him out of the bed, but we may have. His tracks leaving the bed were not running or hurried looking. Our plan is to ignore that spot this last week of archery season, but hunt him for rifle opener. The question is how to approach the situation on opening day.
Wind will be the primary deciding factor obviously. His path into his bed seems pretty consistent coming from that saddle. He appears to have several paths out of his bedding area. The most logical thing seems to me to be to get to leeward (downwind) side of the meadowy area on the saddle before first light, and sit tight to wait for him to come though heading to his bed. My buddy is of the opinion that we shouldn't be anywhere near there until we can see and shoot (don't start in the trail till shooting light), and proceed as though he is in his bed and approach from whichever side favors the wind, either from uphill which would put us at the top of some minor cliffs that his bed is under to try and get a shot from there, or approaching from downhill through the more open timber that he is watching from his bed and try to spot him before he spots us.
There is nowhere elevated nearby that we can glass the area from. We have never been in a situation like this where we know where a good bulls primary bed is, that he is using regularly.
