steep & deep & thick, how to hunt (rifle)

[davsco]

not going to see them a mile away, do you just still hunt super slow and look ahead as far as possible (which might be 25-50 yds in spots)?

 

[Wacko]

Pretty much....except I still use binos as well.

 

[IdahoElk]

Is this thick timber or scrub oak type terrain? what state?

 

[One-shot]

Yeah, that's about all you can do, coupled with glassing and listening for twigs, steps... Had cow tag one year in the steep and deep, was in a grove waiting, and a spike was behind me, maybe 50 yards chowing down the whole time about 40 minutes - I never saw him until I moved and he trotted out of cover and off over the mountain.

 

[davsco]

Is this thick timber or scrub oak type terrain? what state?

well i guess either could apply, but prob more thick timber (pines, firs, etc). NW Colo.

 

[BAKPAKR]

The only place I have ever elk hunted is North Idaho and a lot of it is steep & thick and some of it is deep. I have probably always done it wrong, but I just cover ground, at a pretty good pace and without too much worry about the natural type noises I might make, until I get into elk. When I get into them (confirmed by sound, sight, or maybe even smell), I will slow down and start looking for pieces of elk.

Although I think you can fool their ears, you can’t fool their noses so you always have to watch the wind.

 

[Wrench]

When you get on fresh track, think about what time it is and the stride. If they're approaching bedding areas they'll spread out if in a group or start meandering if a sole bull. They're looking for that spot they can see what they can't smell. I've walked to within 20 yards of bedded bulls in the snow.....but it's critical that you look all around. It's common to have more elk blow your stalk if you get tunnel vision on one.

 

[kad11]

Are there any openings you could glass from and into? Like glassing cross canyon from a mid-slope boulder field into small openings?

Still hunting benches works. Tracking works if there's snow or wet ground. You could probably also sit a saddle and ambush if the elk density is high enough. Good luck!

 

[kad11]

When you get on fresh track, think about what time it is and the stride. If they're approaching bedding areas they'll spread out if in a group or start meandering if a sole bull. They're looking for that spot they can see what they can't smell. I've walked to within 20 yards of bedded bulls in the snow.....but it's critical that you look all around. It's common to have more elk blow your stalk if you get tunnel vision on one.

Yep! Good advice. When tracking, stay as far off the line as possible while still maintaining a visual or good sense of general direction of travel... don't follow right on top of or get tunnel vision on the tracks.

 

[11boo]

That’s where I find the elk. This is what works for me in the thick stuff.

 

[AaronMColeman]

A few things that work (and don't work).

As usual, get up high and glass. Even thick stuff is usually broken up by meadows, burns, dead trees, or a number of things you can glass into.

Cover lots of ground. Just walk and look for sign, tracks, and don't forget to use your nose to smell for them.

If you hunt the same area at least af few days in a row, or for a season, you'll get a feel for where they bed, what saddles they move through, what high ground they get to when they're spooked etc. One thing I do is in the morning I'll get in position and see if they move into a bed down or movement area. If I don't see them, then I'll cover ground. If I do see them, then I'll find a plan to get into that area.