How to narrow down your hunting ground

[BKhunter]

Hey All,

As an out of towner and one who is still building points, I am mainly focusing on OTC units. Once a unit is selected I am extremely overwhelmed on how to select a hunting territory. If a unit is 1000 square miles how is everyone drilling down to the approximately 10 square miles they are hunting? When i went on my first elk hunt last year in Colorado I knew I wanted to be close to a town in the even I needed a break for a shower and a burger so I focused close to steamboat. My next hunt I have a buddy who wants to come with and he wants to hunt another state. With the year of knowledge under my belt I feel i can handle the week out without having to be near a major town, so I am feeling lost on how to focus in on territory. Any advice is appreciated.

BK

 

[snowtoy83]

Once you have a state and unit or units picked you could get in touch with the local biologist. They should be able to narrow it down a little more for you. Study maps and google earth, and look for water sources and bedding areas

 

[5MilesBack]

If a unit is 1000 square miles how is everyone drilling down to the approximately 10 square miles they are hunting?

I study the maps and usually have MANY 10+ square mile areas picked out to hunt within a single unit or multiple units that border each other. Those are the plan A through Z if that's what it takes. In my favorite draw unit I have about a dozen areas that I'll hit throughout the season, sometimes multiple times. I hardly ever will hunt the same spots two days in a row.

In 2016 I hunted a new spot within a new unit for me, and the first morning I hunted that spot I had three bulls screaming. I got below one of the herds in the timber at 30 yards and the bull was above me screaming his head off, but behind a couple trees. Several cows were visible and had no chance of moving around. Things eventually turned, and they went off up and around. That was a Monday. I left that spot alone until Thursday morning and went in and shot that bull within probably 50 yards of where he was screaming on Monday. I'll always go back to spots that hold elk......but usually not the next day.

 

[CX5Ranch]

I've been going a long time and it is overwhelming every time. That's part of the thrill.

I hardly deer hunt anymore just because I know where my stand is.

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