Tactic for hunting long rows of drainages

[Neckbone]

Planning my September elk rut hunt 2025 and scoring OnX and google maps. Backpack archery hunt.

I have been to this area before in 2019, my first year ever hunting out west. I have a lay of the land.. To paint the picture there is a large river bottom and road running North/South at 7500ft. Perpendicular to the main road are multiple rows of East/West drainages that are on average 2.5 miles long that you can walk up and gain roughly 750ft-1k in elevation. (Fairly steep but walkable ridges on either side 600ft up) When you reach the end of the drainages things get steep with passable routes to the higher up peaks. The higher stuff offers good glassing points down into the drainages. Would you...

A. Get up high into the higher stuff and glass for elk, then make your play from there when you find animals?

B. Start at the road before daylight and work your way up the drainage calling and glassing through the morning and into the day? Then hop to the next drainage/ridge top and work our way down from there..

We would like to spend nights up top the drainages or up in the high stuff, but I am afraid that the thermals will be working against us during early morning and evening prime time as our position would likely be from above.

How would you all work this area?

 

[RELIANT]

I would go with A. Get high and glass in the morning. Then drop in on them when the the thermals switch.

 

[Yoteassasin]

CAn you glass(spotter) from across the fingers to rough locate first ?

 

[Indian Summer]

A. Nothing beats a bird’s eye view.

 

[Neckbone]

CAn you glass(spotter) from across the fingers to rough locate first ?

Since the drainages run east to west, it’s mostly north facing timbered slopes across from more sparsely covered slopes across the drainage. Glassing from one hillside to the next can be done in few areas, mostly at the top/end of the drainage. I’m worried I’ll always be above the elk as thermals move down slope at prime time.

 

[Neckbone]

A. Nothing beats a bird’s eye view.

Im all about a Birds Eye view being more of a rifle hunter and having more experience with deer. I’m questioning this as it’s an archery elk hunt in the rut. I don’t want to get too stuck in one spot spend all day glassing a valley with no elk.

 

[Neckbone]

I would go with A. Get high and glass in the morning. Then drop in on them when the the thermals switch.

I. E. Spot them in the morning and make a play when it warms up, or spot in the evening and get below them at zero dark thirty next morning ?

 

[Yoteassasin]

well not totally understanding exactly where you are at I'd find a way to increase the gassing distance so you don't have a chance at disrupting elk . Your sent is absolute kryptonite to filling your tag . I'd do anything to avoid spreading it .

 

[TaperPin]

I take it you were camped at the road hunting up hill in 2019 and you’ve always thought if you could just be up high first and last light glassing, all the elk would be easier to find? Maybe.

2-1/2 miles from the road to top of the drainage isn’t a big barrier to guys used to hiking in the dark and the elk are probably bedding within a mile of the river and may or may not be glassable during daylight hours as they work through broken timber edge to feeding areas early and late. We scout our mule deer area during archery elk season and looking down drainages much like you’ve described for moose, bears and elk is fun while looking up higher for bucks. In a dozen years it’s rare to see elk out of the timber first or last light, even though a couple bulls will usually push each other around 400 yards from our tents at night. They are there, but easily glassed elk don’t live long. Staying in timber as long as possible, and staying in the drainages that are hardest for people to access, or glass is what the old cows have done to survive this long.

However you hunt it, have a plan if you aren’t seeing hooves or steaming poop, and don’t spend a week looking for elk that aren’t there. With good wind direction, walking the timber edge looking for fresh sign isn’t going to push bedded elk. Of course it helps to have a good feel for how close is too close and how mountain winds are carrying your stink.

Should be fun, just have plans for all the what ifs.

 

[Indian Summer]

Im all about a Birds Eye view being more of a rifle hunter and having more experience with deer. I’m questioning this as it’s an archery elk hunt in the rut. I don’t want to get too stuck in one spot spend all day glassing a valley with no elk.

The idea is to locate elk. You can still call from vantage points. Locating by calling alone will leave you wishing you were up high glassing if the elk aren’t talking.

 

[Indian Summer]

I. E. Spot them in the morning and make a play when it warms up, or spot in the evening and get below them at zero dark thirty next morning ?

When you make your move, depends on lots of factors. It might be within five minutes of seeing them. It might be that evening. It might be the next morning. That is something you have to play by ear.

One thing for certain, though, if you spot elk glassing, you can get in close to them before calling. That is always way more productive than calling from a distance and then moving toward them. That can cause bulls to round up their cows and go the other way.

 

[nphunter]

A lot of elk never come into glassable terrain where I hunt. If it were me I would pick the best looking ridge and start hiking up the ridge top in the dark while bugling. Most likely elk will be working their way up hill in the AM and your wind will be good walking the ridge top as long as your down drainage. Bugle off of both sides, start before daylight and listen, you may have to drop off either side to get out of the wind and listen. If you don’t find elk once you get to the top up or down drainage two ridges and hunt the evening back down a ridge bulging off of both sides. Do this each day until you find the elk, remember to use the thermals, elk will be going up hill and drainage in the AM, bed near the top somewhere where they can get the wind of anything down drainage. The often wait until almost dark and move up as the thermals shift again and feed in opening on ridge tops. A lot of areas they will work down toward water during the night and repeat the next day.

 

[Neckbone]

I take it you were camped at the road hunting up hill in 2019 and you’ve always thought if you could just be up high first and last light glassing, all the elk would be easier to find? Maybe.

2-1/2 miles from the road to top of the drainage isn’t a big barrier to guys used to hiking in the dark and the elk are probably bedding within a mile of the river and may or may not be glassable during daylight hours as they work through broken timber edge to feeding areas early and late. We scout our mule deer area during archery elk season and looking down drainages much like you’ve described for moose, bears and elk is fun while looking up higher for bucks. In a dozen years it’s rare to see elk out of the timber first or last light, even though a couple bulls will usually push each other around 400 yards from our tents at night. They are there, but easily glassed elk don’t live long. Staying in timber as long as possible, and staying in the drainages that are hardest for people to access, or glass is what the old cows have done to survive this long.

However you hunt it, have a plan if you aren’t seeing hooves or steaming poop, and don’t spend a week looking for elk that aren’t there. With good wind direction, walking the timber edge looking for fresh sign isn’t going to push bedded elk. Of course it helps to have a good feel for how close is too close and how mountain winds are carrying your stink.

Should be fun, just have plans for all the what ifs.

2019 I went straight to the high up stuff and was living amongst the mule deer glassing down. I spotted elk this way, but think I was seeing way fewer elk than were actually in that area. I then bumbled along the drainages hearing elk and spooking elk. Had a few close calls but I felt like I was in the right place doing the wrong things. We killed a small bull opening day of rifle that year that was with some cows up at almost 10k 10/15. (This felt like more luck than skill)

I'm thinking I want to spend more time on the move searching for fresh sign, and when I find some, slow the heck down and work those areas carefully with the wind and thermals in my face

 

[nphunter]

2019 I went straight to the high up stuff and was living amongst the mule deer glassing down. I spotted elk this way, but think I was seeing way fewer elk than were actually in that area. I then bumbled along the drainages hearing elk and spooking elk. Had a few close calls but I felt like I was in the right place doing the wrong things. We killed a small bull opening day of rifle that year that was with some cows up at almost 10k 10/15. (This felt like more luck than skill)

I'm thinking I want to spend more time on the move searching for fresh sign, and when I find some, slow the heck down and work those areas carefully with the wind and thermals in my face

The thermals are going to be the most important, your almost always better to start below elk in the AM unless you know exactly where they’re going. Sidehill works too if your prevailing wind isn’t to bad.

It doesn’t matter if your wind is right if your already upwind from the elk in the AM or downwind mid day. If your just looking for sign start in the bottom in the AM and work your way up or even across drainage glassing and listening. The best time to find elk is after the sun goes down, they are very vocal at night and less spooky too. Finding them in the dark and keeping with them is a good tactic but can be tough. Bulls with cows will bugle almost the entire time they’re moving, if you hear them in the dark and then lose them it’s probably because they are moving out of hearing range. They will typically bugle and answer bugles until they get to where they are going and then they will shut up, the key is keeping close enough you can keep track of all of this.

 

[Skerhunter]

The biggest mistake I see every September is dudes (ridge walkers) pushing up to a high glassing point at first light above elk or camping above them. It doesn’t always blow them out, but it will definitely shut the bugling down and mess up the hunting in that area.

Hunt the prevailing wind and use thermals to your advantage to get into a good position to locate elk at first light. It may not be a high elevation glassing point you can see for miles, but a good spot to listen from and see a decent amount of terrain. Then make a plan from there! Sometimes that means a 2 mile loop around an area in the dark to get the wind right and other times you may not leave the truck until legal shooting light.

 

[Oakman]

My target area is shaped kind of like a fishbone, so for my upcoming rifle hunt, I’ll apply plan A.
Personally, when in doubt, I go higher.
Best of luck to everyone

 

[Ross]

Be up high at daybreak calling and listening, as the bugles and elk sounds will carry miles on a clear crisp day. Get to to the mid elevation and starting jumping ridges and pockets. Don’t worry about the wind until you are in to sign or start the game Two examples in dark timber country. Started my last two bulls from opposing ridges across the canyon at 9 and 12 both were in dark north slopes on little benches 200 yds off the top. Both hillsides were littered with beds and droppings. Did not play the wind until I got within a few hundred yds and had to adjust as I got close due to changing conditions as I climbed up to them continuing to engage trying to get to their level, with both coming down slightly to check me out. 10/11 for both, 40 yds and 12 yds at the rifle shot, with wind checker using continuously as I moved. Literally 5% glassing in this country, so you rely on knowledge and your senses most the time.