Hunting mid morning and into the afternoon

[tuffcrk14]

Whether you overslept your alarm or had other obligations that kept you from being in the elk woods at 0 dark thirty to locate a herd of talkative elk, how have you approached hunting elk after they’ve bedded for the day? Step one is knowing there are elk there, but step two getting them to be vocal from their bed has kept me on the struggle bus. I can make all of the elk sounds with a tube/reed/mouth call proficiently, but I feel like maybe my timing is off or I’m not using the right strategy. I’ve brainstormed a few thoughts like trying lost calf sequences and moving up to the slow play instead of just letting out locator bugles or cow calls like I’ve done in the past. I’ve thought maybe the best thing would be to try and glass into that bedding area(s) until noon or shortly thereafter and then move in to try and do the calling after they’ve been in their bed for a while instead of just after they’ve settled in. Would like to hear from anyone who has had success during the (seemingly) slowest part of the day.


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[BigAntlerGetter]

Your “slowest part of the day” is my most productive part of the day. I’ve killed more elk between 11 and 3 than I have morning and evening combined.

Ur biggest issue is ur trying to get them to scream at you and give away their location when they are “sleeping”. Bulls get up here and there at this time to wallow and get food/water. Some locate before they leave but a lot of OTC units they won’t make a sound…. Why give away ur position especially when you know there’s bugle happy hunters in your area? Get in close and either work them bedded or set up for an ambush when they leave. Quit trying to use the tube and calling so much it’s the last tool in my arsenal I use when hunting elk in the rut.

Focus on the elk and how they are acting vs what these influencers “show” you happens on TV


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[Gerbdog]

If the woods are quiet, just sit and listen for awhile, get in the area you think theyre bedding and theyll eventually make noises from their beds and you can pinpoint where they are located. It probably isnt gonna be a full bugle, but it will be an elk noise.

 

[tuffcrk14]

That’s exactly the advice I was looking for, so thanks BigAntlerGetter and Gerbdog. I’ve thought that it could be good, I just needed to approach the whole situation differently instead of doing the same thing over and over trying to get a different result.


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[Gerbdog]

make sure you got a steady wind before approaching a bedding area... dont try it when winds are switching / swirling mid morning

 

[Speck1]

Why do you assume they are bedded during that time? I hunted the first nine days of the season in southern Colorado. 90% of the elk I saw were on their feet between 10:00 and 1:00. I saw very few elk before 8:00 am and almost none in the late evening.

 

[justinspicher]

I am rarely in the woods before the sun comes up, I see the majority of the elk between 0800-1200. If I am feeling extra bad ass I might try to sneak into their bedding area, but I generally screw that up and blow them out of the area. SO, I will sit and wait for them to come back out into a feeding area. I rarely call as everyone else seems to do plenty of it and it has educated the elk here to the point that they don’t talk much unless its dark out.

 

[tdoublev]

Your “slowest part of the day” is my most productive part of the day. I’ve killed more elk between 11 and 3 than I have morning and evening combined.

Ur biggest issue is ur trying to get them to scream at you and give away their location when they are “sleeping”. Bulls get up here and there at this time to wallow and get food/water. Some locate before they leave but a lot of OTC units they won’t make a sound…. Why give away ur position especially when you know there’s bugle happy hunters in your area? Get in close and either work them bedded or set up for an ambush when they leave. Quit trying to use the tube and calling so much it’s the last tool in my arsenal I use when hunting elk in the rut.

Focus on the elk and how they are acting vs what these influencers “show” you happens on TV


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Is this when you know elk are in the area? If you aren’t sure and they are non-vocal, are you covering ground or watching wallows/water?

 

[Ucsdryder]

I must be hunting the wrong areas. I want to be more productive between 10-6pm but when the wind blows in 4 different directions in 4 minutes I don’t understand how you guys are sneaking into bedding areas.

 

[tuffcrk14]

Why do you assume they are bedded during that time? I hunted the first nine days of the season in southern Colorado. 90% of the elk I saw were on their feet between 10:00 and 1:00. I saw very few elk before 8:00 am and almost none in the late evening.

I guess I say “bedded” in regards to them being in their bedding area. I know they move around, get water, and the like, but they have an area that they primarily hang out in until evening when they transition to their feeding area.


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[Curmudgeon]

After the magic hours of early morning are over, I'm a big fan of get on a good vantage point and start using your glass. My experience is that even after elk bed they still get up occasionally and browse for a bit or get a quick drink of water. Once located I can make a plan for the afternoon/evening hunt. I really don't like the idea of "sneaking" into their bedding areas as thermals and lots of eyeballs usually make this a futile endeavor. I

 

[bow_dozer]

I must be hunting the wrong areas. I want to be more productive between 10-6pm but when the wind blows in 4 different directions in 4 minutes I don’t understand how you guys are sneaking into bedding areas.

Truth. lol

 

[BrentLaBere]

I agree, I would go fishing if I slept in or just organize camp. Get ready for the evening hunt

 

[Marble]

Is this when you know elk are in the area? If you aren’t sure and they are non-vocal, are you covering ground or watching wallows/water?

I would do both. If I haven't seen or heard them, then I'm covering ground, always with the wind, and I look for fresh sign animals are there. If it's a decent herd, they aren't hard to follow as they move through the woods. You can pretty much look at a map and pick bedding areas. Doesn't have to be north facing, but it helps.

I can't stress the following too much. Before you even set foot on a hillside, unless it's the first time, you should have an idea of what the prevailing wind will be. Study what wind does in certain spots, what times of day it changes, what happens at ridge tops, if you're in a thick timber canopy, be ready for it to suck up and down.

One good shift in the wind, going right in the direction you are going, will clear out the hillside.


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[Dos Perros]

I must be hunting the wrong areas. I want to be more productive between 10-6pm but when the wind blows in 4 different directions in 4 minutes I don’t understand how you guys are sneaking into bedding areas.

I've noticed some areas are just like that. And some areas are like that on some days. Those are wasted times/days, IMO. Not much you can do.

In my experience tho once the sun is high that is the best time for a consistent wind.

 

[TheTone]

I must be hunting the wrong areas. I want to be more productive between 10-6pm but when the wind blows in 4 different directions in 4 minutes I don’t understand how you guys are sneaking into bedding areas.

Certain areas and locations obviously have much more normal/predictable winds. I feel your pain on wind that just does whatever whenever. I hunted the other day and never had any close to predictable wind direction and it totally messed up the only decent chances I had

I think of middays as a good time to either sit somewhere with good visibility, somewhere you think elk might wander by like a wallow or a good time to make a hike into where you want to be in the evening

 

[Fetty Wapiti]

Elk will often feed mid day in and around bedding areas. We have had consistent luck glassing up elk in small meadows around the noon hour. Especially on chilly wet days. The whole wind thing seems to come up a lot. If you think you know which way the wind is gonna blow, you will be wrong and if you get it right it will change. Always try to play the wind, but don't prioritize it. I have had plenty of elk come in upwind of a lit cigarette and bed within bow range... not a care in the world. Scent control and wind direction are extremely overhyped imho.

 

[svivian]

Steeper and thick timber areas are usually more consistent with wind/thermals.

 

[tuffcrk14]

Steeper and thick timber areas are usually more consistent with wind/thermals.

I definitely noticed this yesterday.


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[Read1t48]

IMO on wind…

I understand thermals. I like to start out low and work my way up in the morning. But I don’t pay much attention until I locate elk, usually by bugling. Then I play the wind like my life depended on it. Until then, I’m just working to locate and I think many people don’t venture into spots because the wind is “bad” from their perspective. If I get to a known bedding area and there is lots of sign, and the sign is fresh, I’ll treat that as a bugle and get serious about the wind. Locate elk. Then play the wind. That’s my strategy.