Let's help some guys/gals get their first archery elk!

[OregonSteeler]

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......

 

[khunter]

Sitting for 3hrs sounds like torture to me, but if it means killing my first elk......

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.

 

[hibernation]

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.

 

[OregonSteeler]

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.

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.

 

[OregonSteeler]

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.

Have a story about that! I also bring a good along to read during the heat of the day or at night. I was reading after I finished lunch, and I was really into the book. I looked up and a small spike snuck up on me and was literally walking towards me about 20yds away. Yup, screwed that one up pretty good!

 

[khunter]

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.

you will benefit from napping too. just not trekking back to camp for it

 

[cnelk]

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

 

[asimpso94]

This has been an awesome read. I’ll be chasing elk in Montana this September for the very first time

 

[bz_711]

This has been an awesome read. I’ll be chasing elk in Montana this September for the very first time

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!

 

[hibernation]

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.

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.

I keep my bow within reach and ready, because you never know when an elk might pop up, but that's not usually what I'm going for. I do this when I'm confident that there's elk in the immediate area but I don't know EXACTLY where and need to pin it down better. As in, you followed bugles at dawn but couldn't get close enough before they shut up and bedded down. If it's only 0900 and I'm confident there's a bull in there, why would I leave? I've got all day and they're probably not going anywhere for awhile. Might as well wait for the thermals to switch, winds to stabilize, and one of the elk to make a noise so I can dial in their location better. THEN it's time to get in there and kill one, either calling or just still-hunt till you see them and either stalk the final distance or lurk and let them come to you.

 

[OregonSteeler]

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

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?

 

[asimpso94]

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!

Archery, and I actually do have a spot picked out that I managed to spend some time in last week (I live in Ohio)
Thank you, I’ll be sure to do that!

 

[hibernation]

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?

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.

If I stayed where I was below them, they would've smelled me as soon as the wind fully switched. Moving off to the side gave me some room to keep my scent away, climbing up to their elevation and finding a good spot to chill kept me within earshot. I sat down, ate some breakfast, let the wind switch and stabilize, and around 1100-1130 heard a light bugle and this bull was getting up to push his cows around a little. That was enough to stalk in on elevation, spot the elk moving around, and I didn't even really call, just got in position above a good trail as they came my way. Didn't get the big herd bull but did get one of the smaller ones as they all moved around the timber.

Are you leaving an area if you're not on elk?

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.

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?

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.

 

[NMBigGame]

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.

 

[bz_711]

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.

That's gold! Way further ahead to hunt a couple times OTC or general tags than to wait for the perfect hunt...especially with all the learning curve required just to be able/ready to tag one once the opportunity happens. Being I had only hunted midwest whitetail prior to elk...that first close elk encounter just about put me in shock...those things are huge!

Have fun - and Good Luck!

 

[Silverback]

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.

 

[huntercooper84]

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?

 

[bz_711]

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?

Look up MVUM maps for your area as a good start to open roads and seasonal closures.

Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee National Grassland - Maps & Publications

Arapaho & Roosevelt National Forests Pawnee National Grassland - Maps & Publications

www.fs.usda.gov

Then look up the CPO for that area and give them a call. They have always been a big help for me on answering road condition questions and general elk questions...particularly where they see the most pressure during certain dates. Call the regional office to get direct line to CPO: https://cpw.state.co.us/aboutus/Pag...=Call the nearest Regional or,at 303-239-4500.

Does your unit have huntable ground above treeline? All things being equal (and if there was no pressure) I lean toward elk at or above treeline that time of year. But pressure changes everything. My first couple years I focused above treeline...then year's 4 and 5 I shot my first two archery bulls in the 9,000's elevation because I noticed there were no hunters/trucks in those areas so I gave it a shot...the elk were there.

Good Luck!

 

[NMBigGame]

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?

 

[bz_711]

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?

I don't have experience scouting them in early summer then returning to hunt them in fall.
Some things I'd be considering:
-Did you also find rubs and wallows (usually from late Aug - Sept)
-Are these areas you expect increased pressure in during season (from hunters or recreationalist) and how close to major trailheads, etc.

If pressure would be the same and that area still holds food, water, and cover in Sept then I'd think there's good chance they will still be there.

Even if not I'd still like knowing there are good numbers in an overall area and that gives you good place to start in fall.

Good Luck!