What does you typical day consist of while elk hunting? Couple other ?'s too.

[Finch]

As some of you might know, a buddy and I are heading to CO early September for about 8-10 days of hunting. We will be backpacking in and setting up a spike camp and hunting from it each day (unless we don't get into elk - then we'll keep moving camp). We will be coming out about halfway into the week to restock at the truck and maybe drive into town for a decent meal. Just remember, I'm from the east and normally don't hunt all day unless it's rut prime time. I'm just wondering what everyone else's day consists of on similar backpack hunts?

-How many miles would you say you cover in a day while looking for elk?

-What never leaves your daypack while hunting? I know first aid would stay but I'm curious about stoves and other items. Obviously, H20 filter would stay.

-Would you fish to pass the time or would you mainly focus on elk? I know there will be slow periods - just trying to find something to do to fill that void.

 

[ureyes]

elk

It seemed to me like it mattered what weapon I was hunting with. Hunted all day with rifle and usually took a camp break with bow.

During rifle I would get up before daylight and have a predetermined spot to be in at daybreak. A spot that had the likelihood of offering a shot while sitting there but also with a view of areas far away to see if I can spot anything I may want to pursue immediately or in the evening.

Then the mid afternoon with rifle I would still hunt the dark timber ridge tops and benches. I didn't do this with bow....I was much more likely to go back to camp for lunch during archery.

Evening was spent at another predetermined spot or in a hot area that I might have come across during the afternoon still hunting.

Don't know if its the best strategy but its what I have done. I think all my years of hunting whitetails from tree stands makes me just want to sit and be still during prime morning and evening hours.

I always had the thought that I drove 100's of miles and planned 100s of hours to get out there and harvest my target animal. Therefore Im gonna spend as much time as possible trying to get that done.

I like getting there a couple days before you really plan to start hunting to get the fishing and stuff out of the way.

One thing I liked carrying in my pack for those all day hunts what the pocket rocket white gas stove. Its small and allowed me to quickly make a hot meal in the afternoon and replenish the energy supply..... granola and beef jerky only get me so far. A decent meal does a lot for me mentally and physically.

Good luck!

 

[Rs3003]

Great post. I'll be keeping a eye on this one!

 

[ridgefire]

I hunt from dark to dark. Usually at a predetermined area by light and usually by four or so in the evening. Typically covering ground bugling from 10-2. Will try getting a quick nap in around 3. Have had the most success in the 10-2 timeframe though.

 

[westrnwild]

Really depends. I'm usually a dark to dark guy too but if I'm spike camped near Elk I tend to sit next to my tent till I can see a bit..to many people push Elk walking into the dark..but it depends.

I will sometimes go to camp but I try to look at new areas near by if I can

As far as things in the pack. First aid food water rain gear and insulation layer. I bring saftey things like knifes lighters and others. Spare socks too if I'm crossing water alot. Batteries and game bags..if its cold I'll bring the jetboil and make coffee.

Bear spray too

Good luck in CO

 

[gmajor]

Great post. I'll be keeping a eye on this one!

Ditto. Can't wait to see all the responses and differences in strategies.

 

[Muledeerfanatic]

Cover lots of country. Find hot spots and hunt that area. If you aren't seeing much sign change areas.
Elk aren't real hard to hunt. They just suck to get out

 

[BackcountryMT]

Ill leave the truck or camp generally before light and head for a high point. The country I hunt is very thick so I'm all ears. We will spend the morning listening for bugles or eliciting them via location bugles. Once a bull has been located we will go silent and move in. If I haven't heard any elk activity or found decent sign by 9 or 10 I will generally try to push into an area I am unfamiliar with and cover some new ground. By 12-1 I am ready to get some lunch and take a nap for an hour.

While "napping" I will keep an ear open as 12-2 seems to be a great time to hear a bull bugling from bed. In the afternoons I will try to head towards likely water and food sources while still hunting the dark timber and throwing a few location bugles. If no elk can be located by an hour or so before dark I will head for a high spot to listen for elk to hunt in the morning.

 

[COlineman78]

First, I would qualify this with the info that I hunt muzzleloader on small patches of both private and BLM. As such my hunting techniques will differ from those that are on large areas of public land as glassing doesn't do me a whole lot of good when I can't get to them.

I will get up well before light and get into my spot between where I think the elk are and they want to be before the sun comes up. I used to wait until light but too often would we either see them in front of us, but have a hard time getting close enough or just come in right behind them as they ducked into the thick stuff (the guys on the other side of the valley would tell us they had seen them right in front of us). I sit still till 8:30 or 9 (sun comes up at 6) as long as the bugles are still in front of us. If all of the bugles shift to behind me I know they have sneaked past and I need to try and sneak up on them. Too often though when I try this I often find them bedded down right on the edge of a steep, thick oak brush filled slope and you get to see a head for 2 seconds as it pops up and over the edge with no hopes of following.

I find it interesting to hear people say that they hear bugles throughout the day because in the last 10+ years I have never heard a bugle between 10am and 4pm. It is during this time that we have two choices: try and bust through some thick oak and service berry in the hopes of jumping something or pushing it into others in our group, or heading back to camp for an early lunch/late breakfast and a nap. I prefer the later for one very simple reason: if you leave them alone they will keep their pattern for the next day. With that same justification we rarely hunt the same area in the evening as we do in the morning. We have found that the best approach is to figure out where they want to be and let them come to you.

If I were to hunt during the day I would do one of 3 things: 1) Find a nice comfy spot near/overlooking some water and read a book and/or take a nap. 2) Find a well traveled game path in thicker high canopy timber and sit there, preferably in a tree stand. 3) Find a path through timber where you can move stealthily (preferably a 4WD road) in the hopes of stumbling across one.

In the evenings we usually head out around 4. Get to our spots and sit until you can no longer count points if the elk was 20 feet from you. This way you won't spook them on your way out. I have a very good comparison here as one of the guys we hunt with has an issue sitting still and will usually get up and walk around and he is significantly less successful than the rest of us. I will do some cow calls both in the morning and evening, but am fairly timid about it and don't do it very often as I'm not very good.

Now all of the above makes the assumption of a standard CO day: mostly sunny, fairly calm breeze and maybe a quick afternoon shower moving through. If it is any different than that such as sustained rain and/or wind you can pretty much forget about it for at least the first day. If the bad weather persists they will begin to move around some more in the open, but they prefer to stick to the timber. If it's cool, foggy and overcast I have run across them in the open all day, so wandering around isn't such a bad idea.

-How many miles would you say you cover in a day while looking for elk?

-What never leaves your daypack while hunting? I know first aid would stay but I'm curious about stoves and other items. Obviously, H20 filter would stay.

-Would you fish to pass the time or would you mainly focus on elk? I know there will be slow periods - just trying to find something to do to fill that void.

1) I don't cover hardly any, but as I have said: I know the area quite well and I don't have a ton of area to hunt in. If I remember right, you are going to be out for archery and are going to be on big public land, so I would say that a good 5-10 mile day would be about right. I would spend the mid-day hours exploring and trying to find somewhere good to sit for the evening. Either that or find some water and nap.

2) My daypack consists of post-kill gear, paracord, insulation layer, rain layer (only if it looks like I'm going to need it, CO mountain storms usually move through too fast for DWR to be ineffective), hat & gloves, flashlight, first aid and some snacks. I am almost never far enough to consider bringing a stove or water filter (do you ever go through 3L in a day). One thing that I have found good to have is hard candy as it's something that doesn't really smell, but gives you enough sugar to hold you over till your next meal.

3) This is a tough one. You are coming all this way to hunt so obviously I'd make that the priority, but over 10 days you are going to want a break and this would be a good thing to do. Also, if you fill your tag early it'd give you something to do after you've finished processing and done all the camp b!tch duties. The last thing you want to do is go home early .

 

[tttoadman]

As some of you might know, a buddy and I are heading to CO early September for about 8-10 days of hunting. We will be backpacking in and setting up a spike camp and hunting from it each day (unless we don't get into elk - then we'll keep moving camp). We will be coming out about halfway into the week to restock at the truck and maybe drive into town for a decent meal. Just remember, I'm from the east and normally don't hunt all day unless it's rut prime time. I'm just wondering what everyone else's day consists of on similar backpack hunts?

-How many miles would you say you cover in a day while looking for elk?

-What never leaves your daypack while hunting? I know first aid would stay but I'm curious about stoves and other items. Obviously, H20 filter would stay.

-Would you fish to pass the time or would you mainly focus on elk? I know there will be slow periods - just trying to find something to do to fill that void.

I rifle hunt only. I am close to my target destination before light. I try to make small setups where I will sit for a few minutes at a time at a good spot with shooting lanes. Sometime in the middle of the day, I will strip off my boots and sit at a good spot to air my feet out. I will go slow and steady to cover ground during the whole day. I am a waypoint whore. I will tag waypoints all day whether it is a shooting stand, a scoping stand, or a bedding area. If I blow one out it is a bummer, but my stealth is improving.

I will cover 6-8 miles on a busy day, but that is not preferred.

I pack my sleeping bag, tarp and bivy all the time so i can spike out if I want to. I carry 2 days worth of food.

If I am hunting, I am only hunting. If I do take an extended break in the middle of the day, I will usually setup in a prime shooting area and stay alert for passing animals. Napping is never completely out of the question whether intended or not.

 

[rayporter]

dark to dark for rifle-- but i have stock to take care of so only one of us can stay out. i carry a cup and fuel bars to have hot coffee and a hot lunch. if the snow is deep and cold this really helps one to keep going. i have killed 2 and dawn and my old pard killed 2 at dawn. the rest were killed between 9 and 2.

even when we could pattern and knew of night activity we could never catch them coming out in the evening. frequently we could see them at dusk less than a mile away every night. sometimes they would bugle all night with in 200 yd of the tipi.

pressure pressure pressure. the reason for so many afternoon kills. we knew our area and got ahead of the pressure. i feel the same way about deer season. if you take a break at lunch you miss the best chance of the day to get a buck. every hunter going or coming moves game they never know about. if you sit tight at that time you increase your odds significantly.

 

[5MilesBack]

On rifle hunts I'd cover 10+ miles a day, every day, without exception......well before sun up to well after sun down. I am NOT a sitter in any regards of that word. I absolutely have to be doing something regardless of whatever else I'm doing at the same time.......ADHD, ADD, OCD, AAA. Thought I'd grow out of that eventually, but at 50 still pressing on. So I'm constantly moving even when I'm not.

For archery, that's a tough one for me. I know where the elk are, and I don't want to bust them into the next county, but I still can't sit and wait until they're ready. It really depends where I'm hunting, and if I'm trophy hunting or just any bull will do. If any bull will do, I'm pressing on until I find one that wants to play so I'll hunt all day. I also like to explore new territory, so covering 10+ miles for archery is fun for me as well. But if I'm hunting a specific bull, I will hunt other areas in the middle of the day and come back to that bull at prime times.

I also don't have a problem taking a break for some fly fishing depending on where I am. Nothing like a meal of fresh brookies in the high country.

 

[bz_711]

-How many miles would you say you cover in a day while looking for elk?

-What never leaves your daypack while hunting? I know first aid would stay but I'm curious about stoves and other items. Obviously, H20 filter would stay.

-Would you fish to pass the time or would you mainly focus on elk? I know there will be slow periods - just trying to find something to do to fill that void.

I would say I average 8-10 miles per day, and have done much more and much less. I try to move at whatever pace the terrain will let me and still be quiet. Dry conditions with lots of deadfall the pace is much slower...damp/wet conditions with some decent game trails and you can really cover some ground quietly. I do not hear bugles everyday to pursue, so primarily still hunting and looking/searching.

Things always in pack whether full day or quick hunt: water, food, raingear, game bags, knife, sharpener, headlamp, batteries, gps, 2way radio, duct tape, pain reliever, calls, cell phone...tag.

last year was first time fishing license was included with elk tag, so before that it was a non issue. I brought pole, but only fished for about 15 min one mid-day while I was waiting by stream for buddy to meet for ride back to camp. Others took an afternoon off to fish, I can't get myself to give up any time away from pursuing elk as I think about elk hunting all year...I now just bring a pole in case I'd tag out early, or if we decide a mid-day lunch by a stream.

Otherwise our day is typically walking in at first light, find a road around 1:00pm to be picked up, back to camp for lunch, then back out about 4:00 for evening hunt. I started off doing more full day hunts but found out that mid day heat and lull was getting to me and did not keep me sharp...plus if I found myself 4+ miles from camp in late afternoon, I spent the evening mostly walking back to camp before dark and not hunting. Both of my bulls the last two years have been taken in the last hour of light...I now hunt much harder during that last hour than I did my first few seasons. Like most game, if cloudy/cool or lower visibility conditions I'd spend the whole day hunting...but typically mid day is full sun and warms up, not the best for finding elk on their feet. At least your first day or two, I would not end up anything over a mile from camp after dark...especially if hunting the really thick deadfall/timber...and have a good back up plan with your buddy if one of you don't show by a certain time (another reason I really like the 2way radios).

 

[rayporter]

sometimes it is a lot of miles. well it used to be. 10 mi was not unusual, this is compared to buds that had a tracking system and knew what they were covering. this still floors me. i had no idea.

 

[Finch]

Interesting to hear the different strategies. Thanks to all, it gives me a better idea of what to expect! I've envisioned our hunt going a little like this. Wake up, eat breakfast, and hopefully hear some elk talking. I guess it's pointless waking up and moving in the dark if we don't know where any elk are, right? If we hear some, try to sneak in closer and go from there. If we wake up and don't hear any elk, then we do a little calling while still hunting and covering some ground. Sounds like what a lot of you guys do I guess. Maybe sit on a wallow mid day if its really warm?

Those of you that hunt with another person or group - do you find yourselves hunting together (side by side so to speak) or do you split up? I know it's beneficial to have someone set up behind you calling while trying to coax a bull into range but I'm kind of a loner when it comes to hunting. I don't see anything wrong with splitting up and hunting on our own but was curious with what others did.

 

[muledhunter]

Interesting to hear the different strategies. Thanks to all, it gives me a better idea of what to expect! I've envisioned our hunt going a little like this. Wake up, eat breakfast, and hopefully hear some elk talking. I guess it's pointless waking up and moving in the dark if we don't know where any elk are, right? If we hear some, try to sneak in closer and go from there. If we wake up and don't hear any elk, then we do a little calling while still hunting and covering some ground. Sounds like what a lot of you guys do I guess. Maybe sit on a wallow mid day if its really warm?

Those of you that hunt with another person or group - do you find yourselves hunting together (side by side so to speak) or do you split up? I know it's beneficial to have someone set up behind you calling while trying to coax a bull into range but I'm kind of a loner when it comes to hunting. I don't see anything wrong with splitting up and hunting on our own but was curious with what others did.

When hunting with a buddy we split up middle of the day and sit and cow call

 

[jmez]

Up early at a predetermined spot at first light. Glass and listen from there. Generally will see or hear an elk and then go after them. If I don't locate any then it is up and moving until I get into fresh sign. Will stop and cold call occasionally. Eat lunch about 12 and nap for an hour or so. Then back to moving, cold calling, and trying to locate elk. I usually don't have a predetermined spot for dusk as I have no idea where I'm going to end up by that time of day. The distance depends varies from a couple miles to 10+. If in a brand new area I would plan on 10+ a day until you find them. I hunt pretty much dark to dark.

When group hunting we split up until we find elk. Once we have located them then we usually try to partner up for calling situations. Often end up splitting up later in the day if the calling doesn't work out.

My day pack is pretty light. Kill kit (knife, zip ties, BOMB bags), Space blanket and fire starter, water, lunch, camera, headlamp. I use a Sawyer in line so no longer pack a filter.

 

[rhendrix]

How are your strategies different if you're bivy hunting in a large wilderness area?

 

[jmez]

Mine would be the same.

 

[AMann]

Here's my two cents... Leave the fly rod at home. You should pass your "free" time with trying to kill an elk. Most of the more experienced elk hunters on here cover less ground because they know their area intimately and have a good understanding of where the elk are and what they'll be doing at certain times of the day. You don't have this luxury. So how many miles I put in on a day of hunting and how many you should isn't relative. My advice would be to drop pins on the best looking areas you can find through your google earth scouting and keep cruising until you find fresh sign. When you find an area elk have been using slow down and try to determine when and why they've been in that area. If you spend all day going ninja style you're not using your limited amount of time wisely.
When you do find the elk, the chances of killing one will most likely be greater if you and your buddy are together. One front shooter and one guy hanging back calling. Splitting up may be beneficial if you absolutely cannot find elk.
Best of luck. Some excellent elk hunters on this site