Scouting for late season bulls?

[mustelid_master]

Anyone know of scouting tactics to get a feel for elk in the late season; November in timbered Montana? I know of a ridgeline with a small handful of hanging basins that hold elk through the summer and fall, but I have never been there in the late fall and winter. I can hang cameras, but I don't know how far they move when the snow flies; this is the info I am trying to find. I have a suspicion that they migrate to winter range around the 1st of December, although this can vary wildly based on snow conditions. I'm just trying to give myself the best odds for a late season rifle hunt. Any advice?

 

[wyosam]

Probably varies a lot by area and what’s available. Sanctuary in some form is where they tend to be in my experience. Might be a haystack where they know they don’t get messed with, or might be far from roads and trails. They need to put pounds back on though, so keep that in mind.


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[mpb21]

Where ag isnt a factor its going to vary depending on snow pack greatly. From what I've observed, your rag horns and smaller bulls are going to follow the big herds down to winter range once the snow flies and it gets cold. If the snow doesnt fly and its a mild fall, those bulls seem to move as little as possible and hole up in over looked or hard to reach places. Its amazing how much snow bulls seem to tolerate if they arent bothered. If they can carve out a living up high on a wind swept slope they seem to prefer to do that even if there is 2+ feet of snow.

 

[Jon Boy]

Cameras, lots of cameras. And you will have them hanging all year to try and gather data for a very small window. I always have a camera in my pack in the late season. December, January and February are your scouting times. They start to loosen up from there sanctuaries and become more visible.