New Elk Hunter Advice GMU 6

[AM_Hunter]

Unfortunately I was not able to tag out. Found lots of sign but never laid my eyes on an elk. The snow kinda threw off my original plans and I learned I was not as prepared for snow as I should have been. Still hunted hard and had a great time and learned a lot thanks to @elkyinco. Will be back next year to probably for archery though. Kinda jealous to hear about many people getting bulls in the NP area. They must have been all around the Wyoming area cuz we heard very very few shots in 171. Lots of bear tracks and a couple lion tracks though. Oh well. I started out in 16/161 bud only saw moose. The snow was knee high when I packed in. Didn’t hear any shots but a couple of hunters told me they heard some on the ridge above the trailhead. However I left 161 that day so I don’t know how it went. I saw a boat load of hunters in general. My guess is a lot of those bulls may have come from private land but who knows.

 

[Kwa_bena]

Unfortunately I was not able to tag out. Found lots of sign but never laid my eyes on an elk. The snow kinda threw off my original plans and I learned I was not as prepared for snow as I should have been. Still hunted hard and had a great time and learned a lot thanks to @elkyinco. Will be back next year to probably for archery though. Kinda jealous to hear about many people getting bulls in the NP area. They must have been all around the Wyoming area cuz we heard very very few shots in 171. Lots of bear tracks and a couple lion tracks though. Oh well. I started out in 16/161 bud only saw moose. The snow was knee high when I packed in. Didn’t hear any shots but a couple of hunters told me they heard some on the ridge above the trailhead. However I left 161 that day so I don’t know how it went. I saw a boat load of hunters in general. My guess is a lot of those bulls may have come from private land but who knows.

At least you know to check the private property as well and wait for one to slip up. I guess make sure you're a decent distance away from the property line so you would avoid having to deal with it

 

[Overdrive]

Definitely different experience for everyone up there. We had Elk walk into us while in camp at 11:30 Saturday morning, couldn't get a shot at the Bull just too much thick regrowth for a clean shooting lane. Then went out Saturday evening to where the tracks worked towards and my hunting partner shot his first bull in 8 years, made a hell of a shot thru a tight shooting lane at 200 yards. Dropping the Bull 300 yards from the pickup which was parked off the highway.
Hadn't hunted this area in 8-9 years, but still saw elk and still saw hunters making the same old mistakes remember got to go deep to get those Elk.

 

[AM_Hunter]

Definitely different experience for everyone up there. We had Elk walk into us while in camp at 11:30 Saturday morning, couldn't get a shot at the Bull just too much thick regrowth for a clean shooting lane. Then went out Saturday evening to where the tracks worked towards and my hunting partner shot his first bull in 8 years, made a hell of a shot thru a tight shooting lane at 200 yards. Dropping the Bull 300 yards from the pickup which was parked off the highway.
Hadn't hunted this area in 8-9 years, but still saw elk and still saw hunters making the same old mistakes remember got to go deep to get those Elk.

Damn was that this year that that happened? If you don’t mind sharing what GMU? Don’t know if I’ll be heading back there just curios. Understandable if you don’t wanna share. Awesome tho

 

[Ewest15]

You are correct to a point with "keep it mobile" but more importantly you have to think like an elk. In any scenario elk think about 3 basic things.
1) Safety
2) water. They have to water everyday and will.
3) Food, but they don't need to feed to max capacity everyday.
Safety from humans is a given at night and at that time they will travel what you may consider long distances through rough terrain (1 + miles) to you, but a short, easy travel time to an elk to get food and, or water and be gone before daylight.
Elk like heavy, steep, but not always, timber to bed in with benches that are relatively flat, but can be very small in size, just big enough for their body or just big enough for the herd. Ideal is a water source very close by, but when pressured they will for go the water source for SAFETY !
I have found the best ridges to hunt are ones with very steep terrain on one side and mild terrain with bedding options on the other. If you look at your topo maps you will find many of these scenarios in the area you will be hunting. How do I know ? I just got a leftover "B" tag for the units you will be hunting for the same dates. I already filled my Archery "A" tag with the bull pictured on September 24th in an unit that was supposedly a "over run with hunters and all the elk are on private". I scouted the area on my OnX using exactly what I described and could have killed an elk everyday be it a cow or bull. I passed on 2 small bulls before killing this one on day 4. I knew where he was bedded as I put him to bed in the morning and set up for him at the closest water source in a remote meadow and at 6:25 PM I put the arrow in him. He went 70 yards and dropped "dead as a door nail". This is not just a one time thing as I have killed many elk using the same concept.
Elk almost always travel ridges when moving point to point and 1 of there downfalls is they like to travel through saddles between ridges and is an awesome place to sit and wait at first and last light, especially if the saddle is between bedding and a water source. Once an elk gets out of his bed to start it's daily routine the first thing they think of is water (Rule #2 above). Water is usually the last thing they do before bedding for the day, also. Get yourself between bedding and a water source, in an area that is showing sign, and you will be golden.
And ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep the wind in your favor. I swear they have the ability to smell a scent down wind, somehow, and for sure will pick you off hundreds of yards away if your scent is blowing at them. No amount of scent lock, wind jammer or any other cover up will fool an elk's nose.
PM me if you would like and we can talk more.View attachment 333578

Nice bull on what sounds like a really great hunt!

 

[Hnthrdr]

You are correct to a point with "keep it mobile" but more importantly you have to think like an elk. In any scenario elk think about 3 basic things.
1) Safety
2) water. They have to water everyday and will.
3) Food, but they don't need to feed to max capacity everyday.
Safety from humans is a given at night and at that time they will travel what you may consider long distances through rough terrain (1 + miles) to you, but a short, easy travel time to an elk to get food and, or water and be gone before daylight.
Elk like heavy, steep, but not always, timber to bed in with benches that are relatively flat, but can be very small in size, just big enough for their body or just big enough for the herd. Ideal is a water source very close by, but when pressured they will for go the water source for SAFETY !
I have found the best ridges to hunt are ones with very steep terrain on one side and mild terrain with bedding options on the other. If you look at your topo maps you will find many of these scenarios in the area you will be hunting. How do I know ? I just got a leftover "B" tag for the units you will be hunting for the same dates. I already filled my Archery "A" tag with the bull pictured on September 24th in an unit that was supposedly a "over run with hunters and all the elk are on private". I scouted the area on my OnX using exactly what I described and could have killed an elk everyday be it a cow or bull. I passed on 2 small bulls before killing this one on day 4. I knew where he was bedded as I put him to bed in the morning and set up for him at the closest water source in a remote meadow and at 6:25 PM I put the arrow in him. He went 70 yards and dropped "dead as a door nail". This is not just a one time thing as I have killed many elk using the same concept.
Elk almost always travel ridges when moving point to point and 1 of there downfalls is they like to travel through saddles between ridges and is an awesome place to sit and wait at first and last light, especially if the saddle is between bedding and a water source. Once an elk gets out of his bed to start it's daily routine the first thing they think of is water (Rule #2 above). Water is usually the last thing they do before bedding for the day, also. Get yourself between bedding and a water source, in an area that is showing sign, and you will be golden.
And ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep the wind in your favor. I swear they have the ability to smell a scent down wind, somehow, and for sure will pick you off hundreds of yards away if your scent is blowing at them. No amount of scent lock, wind jammer or any other cover up will fool an elk's nose.
PM me if you would like and we can talk more.View attachment 333578

Frontal shot? Nice bull

 

[Hnthrdr]

I PM’d you, I think? Lol still learning this forum. I’ve spent countless hours on OnX and Google maps as that’s all the “scouting” I can do this year aside from packing in a day early and scouting my surrounding area. Weather says it may lightly snow the first few days for the area I plan to be so that’ll be interesting. I picked up a couple diaphragm cow calls and have been trying to learn on them in the mean time as well. Let me know if you see my PM.

Weather forecast won’t be relevant until 3 or so days before… be prepared for lots of extremes in mid October, lots of public and lots good places to hunt in those units. I’d go with the stay mobile strategy

 

[AM_Hunter]

Weather forecast won’t be relevant until 3 or so days before… be prepared for lots of extremes in mid October, lots of public and lots good places to hunt in those units. I’d go with the stay mobile strategy

Yea I learned that firsthand last year. Going to be returning this year but a different GMU. Hoping to take what I learned last year from experience and @elkyinco and try and get a bull down. Unit Im in should have less hunters this year but its full of ATV roads and outfitters. Likely going to pack in this time and hunt from there.

 

[Ultraheight]

Yea I learned that firsthand last year. Going to be returning this year but a different GMU. Hoping to take what I learned last year from experience and @elkyinco and try and get a bull down. Unit Im in should have less hunters this year but its full of ATV roads and outfitters. Likely going to pack in this time and hunt from there.

Just DM'd you

 

[illbell]

This is a great thread. How'd it go this year OP? I just got back. Couldn't handle the temps this year in NP and packed it up after just 3 days. Too cold for me. Heard maybe 2 shots in three days, and didn't lay eyes on anything.