Unfamiliar Territory

[OkiechasingElk]

I've spent my first few years western hunting Elk in a specific unit in CO. I chose that unit initially because a friend had a cabin there and familiarity with the unit and gave me somewhere to start. It's also only about a 9 hour drive from home. 2022 - OTC 2nd Rifle. 2023- 0PP Draw - Archery. I've spent about 10 days total over 2 years in the unit and I continue to add days in the field to up my base knowledge. Planning a 3 day scouting trip early summer, before a 10 day archery hunt in the same unit this Sept.

I bought a PP in Montana last year, not really understanding how their system works. I've since figured it out. So instead of losing it, I decide to buy another and put in the draw for the General Big Game combo this fall. With odds favoring success with 2PP, I'm pre-planning towards a November rifle hunt.

Which puts me in my first Western Hunt where I need to pick an region and a unit, before I can take an Escouting Deep Dive in to potential hunt/camp locations. Keep in mind, we are talking Montana General, so it's pretty wide open as far as where you can hunt.

For you guys who regularly hunt outside of your primary hunting area and go to states that you have no first-hand knowledge or opportunity to pre-scout.

- What draws you specifically to a unit as you browse OnX? Elevation, Terrain, similarity to what you know?
- Once narrowed to a Unit/Region, what characteristics do you focus on to further narrow down your search to an area, drainage system, etc.?
- How do you pick potential truck camp locations from satellite imagery?
- When you start your hunt: do you focus on glassing points or go with your gut and dive in to a drainage?

Basically, I'd love your input on how you decide where to point the nose of your truck when you head out from home. Thanks in Advance.

 

[Skerhunter]

For base camps in new units, I choose a location easily accessible to start with (good main road or trailhead). That is closest to the most spots I chose to hunt (hub to get to various spots). I just use sat images to find them and usually pick them last once I have hunting spots picked out. From there I plan to keep an open mind and be prepared to move, if I need to change areas.

Truck camping (sleep in truck) you can bounce a lot faster and typically just stop the first good place you can pull over closest to the area I want to hunt.

I also pick a direction to hunt (example - start in far west unit and work back east).

Finding an area to hunt - finds some units that have good public access, with decent harvest/population numbers, then start picking areas to hunt that I can access (not drainages 10 miles from road or roads that may require an atv to access).

Pick a spot and start hunting. You can’t control the hunting pressure, animals or weather, so make multiple back up plans.

 

[Marble]

I look at a combination of success rates and chances of draw. Then after Im successful, I narrow down the area based on a totality of circumstances.

1. Access
2. Terrain
3. Places to camp
4. Likelihood of people


I choose places to hunt based on where I know elk should bed, feed and travel. I'll make an initial trip there usually, confirm the basics and if I can, look around the woods for actual sign.

Glassing locations are sometimes difficult to find, but I'll look for those too.

I also know if I am scouting in July or even August, I'm not looking for elk per say, I'm looking for rubs, wallows, trails. If they rut there before, they should be there again.

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[IDbrushswimmer]

Do you have an atv? Something 50” or less, not one of the monstrosities that get trails shut down. Any more, I try to find areas that are only accessible by atv/dirt bike. Yes you will still deal with some people, but I figure you eliminate at least 50% of the competition right off the bat.

 

[Grant K]

I try to hunt new units/states every year, given your conditions I'd look at harvest stats and get a feel for units that have a good success rate and not a ton of private land to muddy the waters, look at a map/sat imagery to see if it loosely looks like you could hunt it how you like to hunt, then if it does, talk to a biologist and describe how you want to hunt and ask if the terrain in X unit is complementary to that style of hunting, and if not, where might be good for that style, I 100% pick units and terrain based on how I like to hunt, for example I hate creeping around in the timber, I'll pick a place where I can get up high and glass, even if it has less elk.

When you go to pick individual drainages or spots it's worth noting, elk behave differently in different places, what you think you know might work against you, pick a place where you have flexibility and can hunt different aspects, elevations, etc. without packing up and driving 2 hours if you can...

being November I'd be looking for sanctuary spots, and being that I don't know the area I'd be looking to cover ground, I'd be spending my time glassing as many north facing hellholes as I possibly could, pretty much zero walking in places I couldn't see unless it was to get to another glassing spot.

I'd pick a hunting spot and just plan to drive around and find a camp spot close to that, you never know if you're plan A is going to work anyway, most of the time as I figure things out I end up moving camp closer to where I ended up finding elk anyway, just keep moving until you turn up elk then make a note of where they are and start looking for similar terrain/vegetation, there are probably elk there as well...

 

[OkiechasingElk]

Do you have an atv? Something 50” or less, not one of the monstrosities that get trails shut down. Any more, I try to find areas that are only accessible by atv/dirt bike. Yes you will still deal with some people, but I figure you eliminate at least 50% of the competition right off the bat.

Yes, I have an ATV. Use it in CO.

Prefer not to drag it up to Montana. But definitely could provide access to areas, I otherwise wouldn’t get to.

 

[OkiechasingElk]

I try to hunt new units/states every year, given your conditions I'd look at harvest stats and get a feel for units that have a good success rate and not a ton of private land to muddy the waters, look at a map/sat imagery to see if it loosely looks like you could hunt it how you like to hunt, then if it does, talk to a biologist and describe how you want to hunt and ask if the terrain in X unit is complementary to that style of hunting, and if not, where might be good for that style, I 100% pick units and terrain based on how I like to hunt, for example I hate creeping around in the timber, I'll pick a place where I can get up high and glass, even if it has less elk.

When you go to pick individual drainages or spots it's worth noting, elk behave differently in different places, what you think you know might work against you, pick a place where you have flexibility and can hunt different aspects, elevations, etc. without packing up and driving 2 hours if you can...

being November I'd be looking for sanctuary spots, and being that I don't know the area I'd be looking to cover ground, I'd be spending my time glassing as many north facing hellholes as I possibly could, pretty much zero walking in places I couldn't see unless it was to get to another glassing spot.

I'd pick a hunting spot and just plan to drive around and find a camp spot close to that, you never know if you're plan A is going to work anyway, most of the time as I figure things out I end up moving camp closer to where I ended up finding elk anyway, just keep moving until you turn up elk then make a note of where they are and start looking for similar terrain/vegetation, there are probably elk there as well...

Tons of great stuff in here. Appreciate the input.

Honestly what I’m most familiar with is Thick Timber, steep slopes, and high elevations. And I don’t necessarily love it. It just happens to be the terrain I’ve spent the most time in.