Stressin a little -- help!!!

[TIREBUSTER]

I've got my first elk hunt coming up here shortly and haven't had as much time to scout as I would've liked. I came across one bull a couple weeks ago. Went back to that same canyon last Saturday, put in close to 10 miles and not a fresh sign of anything. It was crawling with fresh deer sign before and not even that was there. Literally nothing. I've hiked a few other areas and nothing fresh. I've spent countless hours researching tips and ideas online and there's so many different stories and opinions out there which one do you follow first! I've got onx and basemap but I'm struggling knowing what kind of area I need to be shopping in. I'm not asking for any honey holes or any hand out crap, just wanting to know if anyone is willing to help me out as far as what type of areas I should be looking for. Pics of similar terrain on a map would be great! Something like that. I'll be going up 2 days before the hunt so I can put in some good time there. I'm just stumped and I'm stressin a little and would love a little help to help me relax haha it's been on my mind non stop to the point of me almost going mad!! Thank you in advance for any help! And I was going to post what unit etc... but I've read alot of posts lately all over about posting units and other info has been looked down upon so I figured I better leave that out.

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[Stubborn_bowhunter]

Elk need three things all year. Water, feed, cover.
Cows during the rut.

Elk don't like people.

Put all those things together. You'll find elk.

 

[ridgefire]

I would look on the North faces in areas that have food, cover and water. Like said above, look where people are not. I would move until I found fresh elk sign. Here is a good example of where we found hundreds of elk this season.

 

[ridgefire]

Here you go.

 

[Venom One]

Welcome to elk hunting. Just because you don't see any sign doesn't mean they're not there. Just because you see lots of sign, doesn't mean they're STILL there. I've spent time in areas and decided they aren't there, only to see them as I'm getting ready to leave. I've been in areas with LOTS of hot sign, but they've vanished. Success favors effort, but never guarantees it. Since it's your first time, you might get lucky, but it's a 10% game so expect to encounter a lot of disappointment.

 

[Gerbdog]

Stubborn hit the nail on the head, all elk need those 3 things, mark off 10 spots with those features before you head out because Venom hit the nail on the head also, elk move, and they move a lot, and there is plenty of hunting pressure in the mix now too. Dont get discouraged if the first spot you hit is out of elk, jump over to the next spot and keep looking, theyre somewhere. Dont stress the process though, you'll drive yourself nuts, the elk are out of your control, all you can control is you and your mindset so focus in on that. Enjoy your time in the Mtns/Woods and just because there isnt an elk behind every tree doesnt mean your failing.

 

[TIREBUSTER]

Pretty much everything I've already been told. I'm probably just way overthinking and stressing it. So 2 more questions and they might be dumb but since I'm struggling with these maps like an idiot, small creeks are enough of a water source correct? And #2, how do you tell what the sources of food are on a map like on x? Just green areas or what? I know that's a really stupid question, I just wanna make sure I'm not chasing a dead end ya know. I think I've got the topo lines all figured out and I'm definitely not afraid of putting miles in, I'm just struggling with the food sources on the map.

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[neil.hansford]

Relax. You're not going to find super special elk spots on the map. Just pick a few areas, go hunt, and enjoy it. It's not supposed to be stressful. Putting that much pressure on yourself to kill an elk can cause you to make poor shot decisions, poor decisions about safety, etc. Just go hunting and enjoy it.

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[AaronMColeman]

Maybe find a couple nice glassing spots up high for the two days prior and just look and listen. I would definitely prioritize morning and evening for glassing and maybe hike during the day looking for sign.

I think it was Remi Warren said something about Elk are always hot. Look for cool spots they can hang out in during the day. I see a lot on the fringes between feeding areas and heavy dark cover, almost always nibbling on grass in the shade within a few yards of the dark stuff.

 

[Super tag]

Find some good vantage points and sit all day and glass, glass, glass. Then when you’re done glass some more, you’ll learn more doing that then traveling around on foot trying to find them. It will take some years to learn and get the experience needed to be a successful elk hunter, once you put the time in you’ll find satisfaction and success.

 

[PhotoHunter]

My advise: keep moving until you find elk. Hopefully you don't bump them out. I've always had good luck following the transition where aspens meet the spruce. They feed on grass down low and bed up in the spruce during September. Good luck!

 

[TIREBUSTER]

Thanks guys. I got myself relaxed a little and did some digging on my general area and found at least a couple spots so far that I think will be worth looking at! And thank you Ridgefire for the picture!

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