I cannot find elk!

[beardedbowhunter]

Ok not entirely true. I got onto one first week but he winded me early. Other than that, my trips have consisted of me hiking about 10 miles per day and not hearing any bugles or seeing any elk. What am I doing wrong? I keep seeing posts on social media and on here about being in elk every day and being in the heat of the rut. I have experienced zero rutting action. For reference, I have hunted(bow hiked) units 51 and 29 here in Idaho.

 

[DAOutfitters208]

I will share some wise words given to me my first year in Idaho after not seeing animals for awhile...
Its not a private ranch. It takes time man.

 

[GregB]

I think one of the things that helped me was being mobile. If I'm not hearing or seeing elk, or some very fresh sign I'm moving on. I threw out a backpacking tent at night and packed it up in the morning so I could move and stay close to where I was going to hunt next. I didn't hear a single bugle and didn't see any elk till the third day. Mix in some cow calls and wait a little bit to see if one comes in silent. It definitely takes time, and a fair amount of luck.

 

[KHNC]

Idaho can be tough when bulls are quiet. If you arent into VERY fresh sign after that much hiking, its time to move again. Look for wallows to sit evenings with the weather so hot this year. Rut sucked for us in Wyoming, but we still found elk eventually.

 

[Ucsdryder]

Ah, social media, where everyone lives in a fantasy world filled with butterflies and rainbows. It took me 8 years to kill and elk with my bow. Look at KHNC signature line. Read it...then read it again...then believe it because it’s true!

 

[rayporter]

sometimes ya got to pay your dues.

again


and again and

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

In the last 4 years, my partner and I harvested 4 elk. Two bulls and two cows. In a unit completely crawling with elk. I have heard approximately 7-8 total bugles during many many days in the field. This year, we saw a few dozen elk and didn’t hear any at all, yet both got bulls. From opener to the third week. I’m not sold on chasing bugles. I’m glad the “pros” do it so I can watch the videos. But personally, not working for me.


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[insanelupus]

Whiskey Fish,

How would you describe your methods if not chasing bugles? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

Scout the major game trails, water sources and benches/saddles in your chosen area. Game cameras are a huge part of our process as well. If we aren’t in an area where movement or water seem to create a pattern we will relocate until we find somewhere that will. And if after a few days we don’t get into animals we move again. By the time the season starts I’ve got a list of high probability locations.

I’m not sure how you’d do it if you couldn’t scout. I don’t know how anyone does.


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[Whiskey_Fish]

I will say, in our unit this year, it was dry and crunchy but the elk can still move so silently. Guys who were putting on heavy miles each day were not seeing as many animals as others we talked to who were more still.


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[archer wapiti]

I think one of the things that helped me was being mobile. If I'm not hearing or seeing elk, or some very fresh sign I'm moving on. I threw out a backpacking tent at night and packed it up in the morning so I could move and stay close to where I was going to hunt next. I didn't hear a single bugle and didn't see any elk till the third day. Mix in some cow calls and wait a little bit to see if one comes in silent. It definitely takes time, and a fair amount of luck.

Yup. Keep changing spots. Keep moving. Luck caught up to me by doing this - my first elk since 2014. Change elevation, habitats, etc. Get to vantage points and glass. Sounds like your work ethic's not a problem - sometimes reigning yourself in and spending an evening glassing the habitat you'd normally be hunting in can pay dividends.
Good luck!

 

[Ross]

Gotta move on if not into elk sign by day three......this can be rubs, wallow, poop, bugles anything that tells me elk live in this area...when I am scouting new country I am looking for prior year rubs you don’t find many rubs your typically not in an area they frequent in September.....and yes social media makes it look easy and like everyone is shooting a bull.....reality not so much and if not in a special draw elk hunting on average is not easy year in year out...would recommend more scouting in the off season and use of cameras if possible....good luck....as a side note I am laid up and could not archery hunt for first time in 32 years an up and comer 25 year old asked me about two drainages I have hunted for 30 years so I told him in this otc unit what ridge to hit in both and he called me and said do you have gps’ on the bulls as he got into 7 bugling bulls and had a great time....these elk have security plenty of food and water and require walking at 5 am to get into them boots on the ground and time in the woods will garner you the opportunities you want. As noted it takes time

 

[mossyhorn]

I’ve killed a few elk, been at it for quite a few years. Partners and I have done well the last three years. Mostly covering ground just trying to locate vocal elk. We got completely skunked this year. First time to Montana, hunted three different areas in western MTV cause we couldn’t find sign or any elk to speak of. Only elk we heard and saw was on private ranches. Hunted high, low and everywhere in between. Couldn’t find an elk to save our lives. If you can’t scout an area due to living too far away, I don’t know what to tell you cause I don’t know what we could have done differently. The elk just didn’t seem to be anywhere we were and the lack of sign suppported that. I don’t know how to hunt elk in dense cover unless they’re talking...

 

[Matt W.]

How would your strategy change if you were on private land and had a specific area to stay in? The owner says lots of elk sign, and the elk will eat his trees, but once the season starts all the scouts (his family) are saying they never see the elk in daylight. My plan is to hunt visible traffic areas and be set in place before light, and sit there through visible shooting light in the evening. I'm new to Elk hunting, so just sense checking my plan. Thanks!

 

[MIKEYB]

My starting level are the basics that elk need, food water cover or sanctuaries.

Look for the RECENT sign. Tracks, droppings,activity at water source. and rubs. Like Ross says old and new rubs, with many reflects a historic rutting area. If I don't find any of this move on!

It there is sign and pressure look for the hidey hole sanctuary, tough to access, places humans don't want go.

Rut Location strategy, get out in the middle of the night. If your backpacking and you here them from the tent your in a good spot if not move. if you camped low take a walk higher to see if you can hear or get something to answer a call. If you are in a camper or away from your hunting area, get out and listen, makes some calls. If you get responses at night they should not be too far in the EARLY morning, talking first light or before to get in position and relocate.

I was deer hunting this year and tent camped close to where I was hunting,heard elk every night in all directions from my tent. Elk hunters I talked to that where not camped close had the impression that the elk passed through and were only in the area periodical. These elk were pretty tight lipped during the morning and evening and further they stayed in cover so were difficult to glass.

Glass early and late. A good tripod system should not be under valved in this situation.Get a good vantage and glass the moving times late and early. you usually can hear a faint bugle or two as they star moving to and from bed. if you find elk make note of the movements and where they might be bedding, drinking and eating.

During midday I like to either scout new terrain for sign and throw an occasional call. Be ready though. it wont happen the first 20 times but the 25th time when you aren't ready and tired a bull will pop out right in front of you, trust me I know. Sit an active water source or wallow instead of going back to the truck or camp for a nap or lunch. I have not had much success with this but people do every year.

Cold calling sequence, be stationary for 45 -1 hr.

Cover ground and call. rinse repeat. sooner or later you will get a response. usually later and maybe human LOL! Don't give up! The ones that get it done this way don't till they kill.

Last resort is still hunting suspected bedding areas. Wind is important and usually not your friend in this situation.


If a bull winded you early, you must not have had it in your favor. If moving do you best to always have it in your favor. If you are covering 10 miles a day and not seeing recent sign, time to relocate. I have hiked out to what in my mind was elk meccas, perfect place and nothing! Moved on.

 

[Gatorgrizz27]

Scout the major game trails, water sources and benches/saddles in your chosen area. Game cameras are a huge part of our process as well. If we aren’t in an area where movement or water seem to create a pattern we will relocate until we find somewhere that will. And if after a few days we don’t get into animals we move again. By the time the season starts I’ve got a list of high probability locations.

I’m not sure how you’d do it if you couldn’t scout. I don’t know how anyone does.


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I will say, in our unit this year, it was dry and crunchy but the elk can still move so silently. Guys who were putting on heavy miles each day were not seeing as many animals as others we talked to who were more still.


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I had a similar experience in CO this year. We saw 20 cows glassing the first night from behind camp, found 5 of them the next morning and saw a bull with them, he bugled and we crossed paths and shot him.

The rest of the trip was rough since the elk stayed bedded down in small patches of timber. We would see them out on the mountain before dark, but they can move so far so quickly we weren’t able to get on them in the mornings. We finally figured that they seemed to be jumping across the ridges from the clearings and aspen to the timber on the other side. It was tough to move without making a ton of noise and calling wasn’t productive. Going back I would dedicate the first 2 days to looking for fresh sign, then slip along game trails through it and glass for bedded animals.

The funny thing is we actually packed in 2 game cameras and almost put one up at a small pond where I missed a cow on the second to last day. We dedcided not to, but the timber right next to it looked like a barn yard. I’d like to see the photos if it had been up there the whole trip.

 

[5MilesBack]

I ran into a guy this year that was running all over the place looking for "fresh poop". If he couldn't find any......"there aren't any elk here".

I will say that after two weeks of hunting this year I saw exactly TWO fresh piles of elk poop with all the hiking I did. Yet I got into elk almost every time out. The elk were there.......I have no idea where they were pooping.......but they were there.

 

[Whiskey_Fish]

I have no idea where they were pooping.......but they were there.

I would also love to know how this works. I’ve looked at trail cam data and I know that on one of our saddles about 4-6 elk crossed 2x a day the whole week we were out. And there’s one little pile of droppings and that’s it. How do they do that?


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[LandYacht]

I would also love to know how this works. I’ve looked at trail cam data and I know that on one of our saddles about 4-6 elk crossed 2x a day the whole week we were out. And there’s one little pile of droppings and that’s it. How do they do that?


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They are house trained.


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[nebraskaarchery]

I spent 7 days hunting unit 29 in Idaho in mid September. Hunt as high as you possibly can and you should find elk. Of the seven days we hunted, we didn't hear a bugle until the 5th day, and called in 4 different bugling bulls on the 5th, 6th, and 7th day. All at high elevations. I wouldn't even bother with anything under 9400 feet out there, unless the weather has changed drastically in the last week. Good luck