How to become a better rifle elk hunter?

[Jon Boy]

Lots of great advice in this thread. And as you can tell it all varies greatly. I think regions vary greatly in the best elk tactics to be used. I admire and respect @Matt Cashell as an elk hunter but after years and years of figuring out my zone, being glued to a glassing spot just isn't going to cut it. Particularly for more mature bulls.
I roll country hard and won't even mention how many miles I put on a day as most will probably roll their eyes and think its an exaggeration. Majority of elk where I am at head to private ground. The ones that stay will find one little secluded pocket and will live there until absolutely forced out. Generally it will be dead fall timber with an occasional avalanche chute or park nearby. Covering ground, looking for tracks, glassing for tracks, and following your gut into obscure spots has been what's working for me in recent years.
The two big bulls we killed this year we glassed, covered country, looked for tracks and just hunted where we thought they would be. Both days resulted in 10+ mile days and wouldn't you know it, both bulls we killed we never even cut there track. They were living in such small zones and holding tight we were right on top of them and saw them at under 100 yards before ever cutting their track.
Both times we were hunting in familiar country we knew well and got 'lucky' i guess.
I've hunted other regions as well as wyo and idaho. And the glassing game is where its at. As far as my home country in sw montana, its a ground pounding suffer fest that I've grown to love

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[carsonkeys]

When I was teenager and wanted to do something stupid my dad would remind me the story of the “old bull, young bull”.

I found myself making a lot of stupid, long, young bull “runs” up mountains chasing elk this year where I would run out of food and water and be SOL. In hindsight, I should’ve slowed the hell down, grabbed camp, water, and food and made my way to an area to make an evening play, or set camp for a morning play.

 

[Seeknelk]

I think that tracking a bull would be a fantastic way to hunt them and my preference if possible, with some similarities to tracking mature whitetails. The differences of course is the vastness of the terrain out west and that elk travel way more than a whitetail does. Also, if I'm tracking a deer, I do not tend to worry about the wind, as a deer will normally let me get to 100 or so yards, even if it winds me. If I do jump them and don't get a shot, I can wait 15 minutes or so, get back on the track and usually catch up again. Do you worry about the wind when tracking a bull? Everything that I have read warns against having the wrong wind, so I'm just wondering how much of a factor this is when on a track.

Benoit style!

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

Benoit style!

Damn straight! I was born and raised in VT and that’s the only style I know, haha!

 

[Matt Cashell]

Lots of great advice in this thread. And as you can tell it all varies greatly. I think regions vary greatly in the best elk tactics to be used. I admire and respect @Matt Cashell as an elk hunter but after years and years of figuring out my zone, being glued to a glassing spot just isn't going to cut it.

Haha!

Now I need to clarify.

It is not my contention that elk hunters necessarily have to be "glued" to one glassing spot when elk hunting. As @Jon Boy and others on this thread have noted, tactics still vary, depending on terrain.

My point is that the elk rifle hunter's greatest advantage is the range a rifle provides. a rifle hunter needs to SEE the elk in order to kill it. The elk does not need to see the hunter to escape. The key to successfully tagging elk is maximizing the hunter's advantage while minimizing the elk's advantages.

In the example with the kids' bulls from earlier, that terrain determined that the best tactic was to spend a ton of time from a few vantage points glassing and reglassing until the bulls were located in their bedding areas. Then we made a plan and hiked about 1.5 miles to a vantage point where we had a good chance of seeing the bulls move out to a feeding area before dark. It worked out when they showed up feeding in a meadow a bit over 400 yards from our ambush spot.

More often we move from one vantage point to another as the day progresses, focusing on being in position to observe feeding areas in the mornings and evenings, while spending the midday intensively glassing possible (or known) bedding areas to locate bulls to set up on later. These days can put many miles on the boots (or horse). Being mobile is very important, because if the elk aren't in the area, you need to go where they are.

The mistake I see over and over are hunter's that just focus on covering country instead of hunting it.

When moving from observation point to observation point, I am always looking for elk, and ready (scope on low power!) for that chance encounter as well, because it happens on the regular, too. I just don't push the bedding areas, or track bulls into bedding areas. They have the advantage there.

Of the seven bull kills I was on this year, 6 of them were glassed from a glassing point, and shot from an ambush point. The other kill was an archery kill which, as I have mentioned, is a different game entirely.

This is my approach learned from trial and error, and it works in a wide variety of terrain types, but certainly other types of terrain will lead to other tactics as well.

 

[Marble]

Yeah, I like that approach, and just wish I lived closer to the elk grounds. I was seeing elk everyday on my second trip to CO, but not legal bulls, but I think I was just a step behind. We may end up driving back to CO this fall, or my brother might decide to hit MT for archery. I'll go without a tag and do the calling, which will be just as fun.

Those are all good ideas. The more you learn and are experienced with studying what the elk do, the more knowledge you'll have to apply elsewhere. In my experience, Elk acr the same everywhere and are driven by the motivations. There will be subtle differences in behavior, but bedding, feeding and escape methods will all be very similar.

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[Marble]

While this may be Seamaster‘s experience in his hunting area, my experience is essentially the opposite. I hunt several districts in Montana, and most of them have moderate to high hunting pressure in the general (rifle) season.

Even in the highest pressure areas, the biggest factors that lead to success for myself and those in my hunting group are extensive glassing sessions and the ability to persevere. This season my son and my buddy’s son doubled up on bulls right before dark after glassing with spotting scopes literally all day. We did have a large area to glass, and would occasionally move to get different angles into the same country.

BTW, this is a pretty great thread that can save new elk hunters years in tough lessons.

This is my experience too.

The first two days of CO 2nd season we didn't have much action and needed to locate huntable elk. So the third day we glassed all day, found a hillside with several groups of elk. We watched them until dark. Went back in the morning and filled both tags at first light.

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[Fetty Wapiti]

Lots of good info and ideas. Just want to throw out glassing mid day in post rut elk hunts. The big boys like to sleep in some days and may cover miles between feed and sanctuary during the middle of the day while most hunters have given up or are taking a siesta. Also, springtime scouting can teach you a lot about transition zones the elk will use in the fall. I often see the same bulls in the same areas year after year, both spring and late fall/early winter. Lastly, old sign is old sign. While it may only be a few days old, the elk are gone and probably not coming back for a very long time. Find where the elk are at that moment or anticipate where they will be and hope to get lucky.

 

[Indian Summer]

Haha!

Now I need to clarify.

It is not my contention that elk hunters necessarily have to be "glued" to one glassing spot when elk hunting. As @Jon Boy and others on this thread have noted, tactics still vary, depending on terrain.

My point is that the elk rifle hunter's greatest advantage is the range a rifle provides. a rifle hunter needs to SEE the elk in order to kill it. The elk does not need to see the hunter to escape. The key to successfully tagging elk is maximizing the hunter's advantage while minimizing the elk's advantages.

In the example with the kids' bulls from earlier, that terrain determined that the best tactic was to spend a ton of time from a few vantage points glassing and reglassing until the bulls were located in their bedding areas. Then we made a plan and hiked about 1.5 miles to a vantage point where we had a good chance of seeing the bulls move out to a feeding area before dark. It worked out when they showed up feeding in a meadow a bit over 400 yards from our ambush spot.

More often we move from one vantage point to another as the day progresses, focusing on being in position to observe feeding areas in the mornings and evenings, while spending the midday intensively glassing possible (or known) bedding areas to locate bulls to set up on later. These days can put many miles on the boots (or horse). Being mobile is very important, because if the elk aren't in the area, you need to go where they are.

The mistake I see over and over are hunter's that just focus on covering country instead of hunting it.

When moving from observation point to observation point, I am always looking for elk, and ready (scope on low power!) for that chance encounter as well, because it happens on the regular, too. I just don't push the bedding areas, or track bulls into bedding areas. They have the advantage there.

Of the seven bull kills I was on this year, 6 of them were glassed from a glassing point, and shot from an ambush point. The other kill was an archery kill which, as I have mentioned, is a different game entirely.

This is my approach learned from trial and error, and it works in a wide variety of terrain types, but certainly other types of terrain will lead to other tactics as well.

THIS!

There will always be timber hunters. It takes self discipline for f you expect to be successful at it. You can do it without knowing an area. But if that’s the case and you’re in search mode in unfamiliar country the bulls really do have the advantage.

But I think there are also still hunters because guys are still learning their area. Even with whitetails you still have to stomp around a little before you zero in on the 3 or 4 trees in the area with the best odds of seeing bucks. Likewise once you really know an area like the back of your hand it’s time to slow down. Every area is different but I purposely find areas that are at least semi open to allow for glassing. I have one area that’s about 3 miles north to south and 4 miles east to west. Within that area there are about 5 spots that are the creme of the crop vantage points. Sit there mornings and evenings and you’ll see elk. Before they know you are there too which is priceless.

I have lots of experience in areas that are all timber. The only openings were burns. I’ve killed plenty of bulls there too. But my odds were lower. I saw way less elk and it took longer to punch a tag. There was a lot more luck involved.

So my best advice to become a better elk hunter is to pick your area with care, learn it, then slow down.

 

[Dsnow9]

Don’t give up and be in the field if it’s light out.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

THIS!

There will always be timber hunters. It takes self discipline for f you expect to be successful at it. You can do it without knowing an area. But if that’s the case and you’re in search mode in unfamiliar country the bulls really do have the advantage.

But I think there are also still hunters because guys are still learning their area. Even with whitetails you still have to stomp around a little before you zero in on the 3 or 4 trees in the area with the best odds of seeing bucks. Likewise once you really know an area like the back of your hand it’s time to slow down. Every area is different but I purposely find areas that are at least semi open to allow for glassing. I have one area that’s about 3 miles north to south and 4 miles east to west. Within that area there are about 5 spots that are the creme of the crop vantage points. Sit there mornings and evenings and you’ll see elk. Before they know you are there too which is priceless.

I have lots of experience in areas that are all timber. The only openings were burns. I’ve killed plenty of bulls there too. But my odds were lower. I saw way less elk and it took longer to punch a tag. There was a lot more luck involved.

So my best advice to become a better elk hunter is to pick your area with care, learn it, then slow down.

Whitetail hunting for me was just natural and I was in the woods all season, either flyfishing, bird hunting or hunting for deer. That's not the case with hunting out west, and I don't have an experience "mentor" so to speak, but that's ok. My elk info comes from lots of reading, what you guys post here for tips, etc, and even the guys from the east coast that have been going out west for a decade or so, have a ton to offer. And the rest just comes from my own success and failure experiences.

How many of you guys prefer to hunt alone? I don't mind being in camp with my hunting buddies, and these guys are all competent hunters and good around camp, but I might prefer to be in the woods alone. Less pressure for sure, it's my own fault if I'm gassed (I don't like waiting for people) and I'm on my own clock for time.

 

[Seamaster]

I hunt alone. Some guys like to get a crew of helpers to spread out and find elk. Having a crew to help find the elk and then watch through their spotting scopes to call shots for the shooter has become popular with some fellows, but not for all of us.

 

[Indian Summer]

How may of you guys prefer to hunt alone? I don't mind being in camp with my hunting buddies, and these guys are all competent hunters and good around camp, but I might prefer to be in the woods alone. Less pressure for sure, it's my own fault if I'm gassed (I don't like waiting for people) and I'm on my own clock for time.

In the very early years we hunted in pairs. I guess back then 2 heads were better than one. We were learning. And it was safe. But after only a few seasons we went to hunting solo.

I definitely enjoy company in camp. In addition to talking about what happened that day and what our plans are for the next day we also have a few laughs. I’ll have one drink while I’m looking at topo maps. I’ve done solo hunts. Hated it. I still hunt solo out of a spike camp. I’ll stay up there 2-4 nights. But I’m happy to get back to base camp when the time comes. It’s also nice to compare notes vis Garmin Inreach from time to time.

When I’m hunting I don’t want anything at all to disturb my train of thought or influence my decisions. I don’t want anything affecting my pace either. I glass at first and last light. During the day I’m playing it by ear. I’ve had days where I never left my morning spot. When I do as I’m moving along I’ll stop here and there. I might only sit at a spot for 5 minutes. I might sit there for a half hour. I might bed down and nap for an hour. Maybe longer if I’m really wiped out. My instincts are what decides all of that not a friend asking things like are you ready to roll or which way do you think we should go. It’s all me. And when it’s over I like the fact that I have no regrets. I did what any other predator does and lions and hawks don’t kill every day either.

 

[tuffcrk14]

A trick of the trade I started doing while following fresh elk tracks in timber was opening onX and recording my track when I cut fresh tracks. After following them for a while, I’ll pull my phone out and analyze their general heading. When I get that figured out, I look closely for little benches or flat spots big enough for elk to bed on the upper 1/3 of the mountain (most often on a north face) that they are heading towards. This helps me anticipate better when to slow down to a snails pace. It has given me the drop on multiple herds of elk.


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[35WhelenAI]

A trick of the trade I started doing while following fresh elk tracks in timber was opening onX and recording my track when I cut fresh tracks. After following them for a while, I’ll pull my phone out and analyze their general heading. When I get that figured out, I look closely for little benches or flat spots big enough for elk to bed on the upper 1/3 of the mountain (most often on a north face) that they are heading towards. This helps me anticipate better when to slow down to a snails pace. It has given me the drop on multiple herds of elk.


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That right there is a good system. I've been hunting elk 30 years and I just learned something today.

30 years in the same area has made it likely where the best chances will be. Nothing like knowing tendencies and habits that are revealed with time, but dang this is a very common sense approach.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

A trick of the trade I started doing while following fresh elk tracks in timber was opening onX and recording my track when I cut fresh tracks. After following them for a while, I’ll pull my phone out and analyze their general heading. When I get that figured out, I look closely for little benches or flat spots big enough for elk to bed on the upper 1/3 of the mountain (most often on a north face) that they are heading towards. This helps me anticipate better when to slow down to a snails pace. It has given me the drop on multiple herds of elk.


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I really like how simplified this approach is. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

For all you guys that head off for the day from camp, and without your camp on your back, what is your comfortable straight line distance from your camp? We all put lots of miles in during the day, but I’m just wondering how far from camp you guys wanna be when the sun starts going down , or to pack an elk back?

 

[Jon Boy]

For all you guys that head off for the day from camp, and without your camp on your back, what is your comfortable straight line distance from your camp? We all put lots of miles in during the day, but I’m just wondering how far from camp you guys wanna be when the sun starts going down , or to pack an elk back?

As far as it takes. That may sound simple but hunting areas that are comfortably close to camp but have no elk is simply a waste of time.

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[Indian Summer]

For all you guys that head off for the day from camp, and without your camp on your back, what is your comfortable straight line distance from your camp? We all put lots of miles in during the day, but I’m just wondering how far from camp you guys wanna be when the sun starts going down , or to pack an elk back?

It’s not just about miles. It can be elevation gain that put you where you need to be. For me that’s about 45 minutes to an hour in or up.

 

[35WhelenAI]

For all you guys that head off for the day from camp, and without your camp on your back, what is your comfortable straight line distance from your camp? We all put lots of miles in during the day, but I’m just wondering how far from camp you guys wanna be when the sun starts going down , or to pack an elk back?

I've been out well after dark dealing with downed elk, and had a decent hike back to camp. Other years shot the elk within shouting distance of camp.

My plan is typically to go out early and during the day, cover ground to farther away spots I want to hunt and make it back closer to camp for the evening sit.

You are probably seeing it's not a hard and fast answer, and every hunter has their own comfort level. YOU are the great decider for that. Never "hunt above your head" and put yourself into a position that compromises what you are mentally and/or physically able to accomplish. The dark plays with your senses especially if it's not familiar territory despite a map/compass or GPS.

Carrying gear to make a fire and be out late or in worse case, if you get stuck out there is vital and goes without saying. Not many nights you can't get through when you have a fire.