Longer trip during season Vs taking time off to scout before

[Npike4040]

I have the same issue so i've been looking at maps and researching everything i can online. I hope to catch a holiday just right and get boots on the ground but now my unit is on fire. My luck the whole unit will burn and I wont even get to hunt but there are worse things in life.

 

[Slick8]

longer hunt, fresh intel is always best.

I agree with the above. Lots of e-scouting available. Go early and get the recent info.

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[Still Hunter]

Longer hunt

 

[Wyobohunter]

I do both. But if I had to pick I’d take more time during season. Just because you find them in the summer doesn’t mean they’ll be there in the fall. I’d rather have the extra time when I can move to another area and fill my tag.

 

[NickyD]

Last year I hunted a unit 7-8 hours away and that drive takes up alot of valuable hunting time on a short hunt. We only had 5 days including travel. It felt very rushed and we were hunting one of the better units out west with a 70-80% success rate with a rifle.

I scouted for that tag Labor Day weekend and it was very beneficial. I thought about bringing my bow that weekend but I think I made the right choice because it prevented sucking me into hunting the first elk we saw, which allowed us to find more spots for the actual hunt.

 

[PNW bow hunter]

For a September archery hunt, spend the time during the season.

I would also plan to get to the area around the 8-12 September

Unless your hunting an area with really high bull to cow ratios and high numbers of elk
The odds of getting into vocal elk is way better around or after those dates.

Hunts during the end of august/beginning of September are a lot harder if your not experienced in an area in my opinion.

The exception is areas with high elk numbers, and high bull to cow ratios. Areas like this there seem to be lots of vocal bulls competing for the cows

 

[CMF]

I'd do longer hunt, just seems all around more efficient and I'd rather have a weapon in hand as many days as possible. but if you're only 8 hours away I would use july 4th weekend to get a couple scouting days in without burning vacation and at least get a lay of the land, roads and look for sign from previous seasons.

 

[Indian Summer]

I commented before but I’ll add… living 7-8 hours away is as good as living where you hunt. You can leave after work on a Friday and be hiking on Saturday morning. Burn the candle at both ends. Hike hard Saturday and most of the day Sunday and get home at midnight. Your time doing that would be priceless. Coming from a guy who drives triple that, 25 hours, you have it made man! I’d be out there on Memorial Day weekend, the 4th of July long weekend, Labor Day weekend etc just for fun! Labor Day weekend you can hunt too. How bad do you want it? Priorities…..

 

[Wyobohunter]

I commented before but I’ll add… living 7-8 hours away is as good as living where you hunt. You can leave after work on a Friday and be hiking on Saturday morning. Burn the candle at both ends. Hike hard Saturday and most of the day Sunday and get home at midnight. Your time doing that would be priceless. Coming from a guy who drives triple that, 25 hours, you have it made man! I’d be out there on Memorial Day weekend, the 4th of July long weekend, Labor Day weekend etc just for fun! Labor Day weekend you can hunt too. How bad do you want it? Priorities…..

Sheesh. You are hard core. I hate that I have to drive 2 1/2 hours from home to hiking.

 

[Indian Summer]

O

Sheesh. You are hard core. I hate that I have to drive 2 1/2 hours from home to hiking.

lol yes I am. I’ve actually flown out to work on a trail to my spike camp and packed a chainsaw and fuel to cut firewood for the upcoming season so I didn’t have to make a bunch of noise or waste time when it was time to hunt. I actually convinced the wife that we were going on a romantic vacation. She loves to hike but I didn’t get her to carry the chainsaw. Lol

 

[Wyobohunter]

O

lol yes I am. I’ve actually flown out to work on a trail to my spike camp and packed a chainsaw and fuel to cut firewood for the upcoming season so I didn’t have to make a bunch of noise or waste time when it was time to hunt. I actually convinced the wife that we were going on a romantic vacation. She loves to hike but I didn’t get her to carry the chainsaw. Lol

Reminds me of a present I bought for my wife once. We lived in a shack outside of Ninilchik AK and mostly heated with wood. She was 7 months pregnant and still splitting logs with a maul out in the snow. After work I brought her home a gold colored splitting wedge. She wasn’t impressed. Women can be weird.

 

[WAB]

Lots of great (and entertaining) advice here. I'd take the longer hunt for sure.

 

[5MilesBack]

I always prefer to do my scouting with my bow in my hand, even areas I had never been in before.

 

[IdahoHntr]

For September elk hunting I’d take the longer hunt for sure. Elk move a lot anyway and real time info is the best you can find.

Other than running a few trail cameras and doing a summer camping trip in the country I was planning on hunting, I have never scouted for elk and never felt hindered by it. I would have had the same success without the cameras or camping too, but those are just fun. Ha.

 

[klj100]

Use all your time for season, depending where you are, the zone the activity at the time, the private land, outfitter camps ect the elk may not be there. Elk at least where I am are not where they have always been and their routine has a longer duration or returning to that location you once saw them then deer.

 

[Keener22]

I’m kind of in the same boat because I got lucky this year and have a great set of tags.

I plan on hunting for 10 or so days which will use my admin leave and comp time, and will be supplemented with my annual leave.

I’m planning on doing a 3D shoot and two scouting trips. For those, whether my bosses like it or not, I will be using my sick leave to create three day weekends. I love my job and it’s important, but not that important.