OregonSteeler
WKR
Sitting for 3hrs sounds like torture to me, but if it means killing my first elk......Change that to 3 hours or so when you feel elk are in the area and you are on the right track.
Sitting for 3hrs sounds like torture to me, but if it means killing my first elk......Change that to 3 hours or so when you feel elk are in the area and you are on the right track.
What do you do otherwise? My point is simply making a long hike back to truck or camp is a waste in many situations. So to me it is still hunt, glass or sit where you know or suspect elk may be expecting to hear a mid day call.Sitting for 3hrs sounds like torture to me, but if it means killing my first elk......
What I meant is sitting completely still for 3hrs like I was in a tree stand for whitetails. That would be hard for me. Still hunting (super slow walking), glassing, or even light cow calling would be better than just sitting for 3hrs and listening.What do you do otherwise? My point is simply making a long hike back to truck or camp is a waste in many situations. So to me it is still hunt, glass or sit where you know or suspect elk may be expecting to hear a mid day call.
Stalking around is fine too of course.
I started bringing a small paperback. Days in September are pretty long, it's pretty easy to burn myself out if I get antsy and just keep hiking until I get a bugle or spot an elk. I'd end up with 15-20 mile days that weren't very productive, compared to getting on elk and then patiently waiting for them to make a mistake.
you will benefit from napping too. just not trekking back to camp for itWhat I meant is sitting completely still for 3hrs like I was in a tree stand for whitetails. That would be hard for me. Still hunting (super slow walking), glassing, or even light cow calling would be better than just sitting for 3hrs and listening.
This has been an awesome read. I’ll be chasing elk in Montana this September for the very first time
It's not as bad as sitting for deer, mostly because I'm not really trying to ambush one right there. For deer, yeah, I'm going to sit motionless and alert in a place where I can draw and shoot. For elk... I'm going to lay down on a hillside in some cover by a tree, quietly snacking, looking at maps, reading a book, glassing the next hill if I can see anything, maybe even a quick catnap if it's really slow. Especially if I'm with a partner.What I meant is sitting completely still for 3hrs like I was in a tree stand for whitetails. That would be hard for me. Still hunting (super slow walking), glassing, or even light cow calling would be better than just sitting for 3hrs and listening.
Always been curious about what people mean by "backing out" of an area? How far away are you getting from that area, and how large is the area? Are you leaving an area if you're not on elk? I do my best to not walk with the wind on my neck but when it's switching around so much and you aren't on elk, what do you do?If you’re gonna stay in the woods all day, be sure to be in a place where the wind is stable.
I have to back out about 11am in some of the places I hunt due to fickle winds
Archery, and I actually do have a spot picked out that I managed to spend some time in last week (I live in Ohio)Archery or Rifle?
Do you have a spot picked out?
Good Luck! Make sure to post a hunt recap in the elk section when you get back!
I'll give an example from a couple seasons ago. Got on some elk at first light, bugling their way up the mountain. Morning cold air was flowing downhill and they were talking on their own so I just kept up with them, they climbed maybe 1500' before they got quiet. Got close enough to see one smaller bull leaving the group (or at least, where I thought the herd was) and almost called him in, but I could feel the wind starting to swirl on the back of my neck with the sun getting higher. He left and I "backed out"... meaning I sidehilled about 150-200 yards and climbed to about the elevation I figured the elk were bedded, based on the terrain and where I last heard them.Always been curious about what people mean by "backing out" of an area? How far away are you getting from that area, and how large is the area?
Pretty much, yeah. I put nearly all my effort into finding elk. If it's an area I really know well, expect elk to be there consistently, and didn't get on anything at dawn, I might spend more time bugling into a drainage and giving them 15-30min to respond - I expect quick responses around dawn, but not midday. Otherwise I'm going to start cruising for sign. Maybe sitting water if I'm beat and need a break.Are you leaving an area if you're not on elk?
There's no perfect answer for every situation so just do your best. Sitting treestands, trails, and water can be effective, but so can the "Corey Jacobsen" approach where you just cover miles and miles until you find the elk that is responsive and ready to rock. I try to be somewhere in the middle. Can't do much until I figure out where the elk are, so I pretty much focus on that and then play the situation from there. Sometimes you hear/spot one and just go straight in, sometimes you wait for the wind to switch or the elk to stop moving, and sometimes there's no good move so you just leave them until the next morning.I do my best to not walk with the wind on my neck but when it's switching around so much and you aren't on elk, what do you do?
Love this thread.
I have my first archery elk tag for this September in CO. Appreciate all the advice.
One thing not mentioned here is learning how to play the tag game. Wasted 5 years not hunting elk because I only put in for resident NM tags. Finally decided I was going to be in the woods in September no matter what and started putting in for multiple states and started the points accrual game.
Good for you. I made that decision this year, but it was too late to buy into points. I reckon OTC CO is better than nothing, and I’ll hopefully learn enough that when I do get some points saved up I can be more effective.Love this thread.
I have my first archery elk tag for this September in CO. Appreciate all the advice.
One thing not mentioned here is learning how to play the tag game. Wasted 5 years not hunting elk because I only put in for resident NM tags. Finally decided I was going to be in the woods in September no matter what and started putting in for multiple states and started the points accrual game.
1st time elk hunter this September. Planning to go the 2nd week of archery finishing up before the muzzleloader hunt starts.
I’m planning to take more of the mobile approach and have the capability to tent out for a night or two if we get on elk.
The most difficult thing I’ve had issues with so far is determining access. How much of the road can I actually drive, the road goes through private will I be able to drive on it still, etc.
The other difficult being a newbie is trying to determine if the areas I’m looking at are too low. I’ve read a bunch that high ground is the place to be in early season but then when researching these areas I find posts about the road being so full of vehicles there’s no where to park. I’ve been looking at more of the fringe areas, a lot of these are 8000-9000 ft. There’s even some BLM land connected to this forest that’s 7000-8000 feet. These show to be in the elks “summer range” based on the states website. But is it realistic to find elk in these lower areas this time of year?
Question for you seasoned vets.
I went scouting in CO this weekend and got into tons of elk in multiple areas throughout the unit. Got me excited about my eScouting abilities and my upcoming hunt.
My question is, should I expect significant elk behavior/location changes from early summer to opening day of archery? Assuming no crazy changes like fires, droughts, etc. Should I be able to use these elk heavy areas I found in the fall?