What pace when searching in archery season?

[lifeisgoodsteve]

Hi All,

As a side-shoot from talk of how many miles one hunts in a day, what kind of pace are you setting on trails or timber when trying to locate elk during archery season?

It seems that when I'm off trail in timber, it'd be hard to go over 1mph without making too much noise. I'm in ok shape, so this has the added benefit of not wearing me out too much. When I tried going faster though, I'd jump animals more.

Cheers,

s

 

[trophyhill]

Slow slow and slower. But it all depends. If im in the area i want to be then i have to kick myself on occasion as a reminder. For when i pick up the pace in an area im hunting, it never fails and i spook something. Conversely if i need to get somewhere that i want to hunt, i move out.

 

[Next Ridge]

Depends what you mean by locating elk. If I’m trying to find out if elk are in a drainage to begin with and I’m not hearing them, I don’t worry too much about it and move as fast as I can. I don’t want to waste time somewhere elk aren’t.

Once I’ve seen an elk, to include bumping one, then I change and slow down. If I know elk are in an area I’m not moving to find elk so much as moving to a good place near elk that is good to call from. I’ll go slower in that case too.

 

[Grant K]

I tend to move as fast as comfortably possible and not worry at all about noise most of the time, if I start getting into an area that feels "elky" then I slow down as needed, if it's nasty and thick that can be really slow, way less than a mile an hour... if it's pretty open that can still be pretty fast, no need to crawl through a spot you can see 500 yards in.

 

[Danny Hoey]

We know the spots where the elk like to be before hand so we go pretty quick spot to spot. If we are trolling for elk in between or before light we move pretty quick as well. If we are in the spot, we go really slow.

If we are just learning an area or trying a new spot that we are moving pretty quick to find sign.

 

[5MilesBack]

what kind of pace are you setting on trails or timber when trying to locate elk during archery season?

That should depend on your goals and how you're trying to locate them. Are you just looking for elk, or are you targeting something specific. Are you using location bugles? If you're just looking for any elk, you generally don't have to move much.......or very fast. But that also depends on your calling, time of day, location, and what you're trying to accomplish.

 

[Gerbdog]

In the thick of it? Barely 1 mph, its thick, its nasty, its noisy, and im trying to stay as quiet as i can.

Even slower if i know the elk are in the area for sure.

Ive (and im sure many have) been completely surprised bumping bulls out of areas ive never had them in before so... and as my elders are quick to point out every time i bump an elk nearby.... "your hunting as soon as you leave camp!" or "your hunting as soon as you leave the truck!" which is their way of saying, keep your eyes and ears open.

My strategy is hike up within 500 yards of where ive ran into elk before, set off my location bugle, see if i get much of a response, and then move on into the area - through the area, making cow calls here and there as i go, heading towards the next area.

I'm not booking it through the area though just because i didnt get a response on that bugle, i'm hunting, im quiet, im watching, im stopping and listening. Sometimes i'll get a late response from the area im in, sometimes the next area im aiming for will fire up and then BAM i know where an elk is.

Finding them is the hard part, finding them without bumping them into the next county is easy with patience.

 

[lifeisgoodsteve]

That should depend on your goals and how you're trying to locate them. Are you just looking for elk, or are you targeting something specific. Are you using location bugles? If you're just looking for any elk, you generally don't have to move much.......or very fast. But that also depends on your calling, time of day, location, and what you're trying to accomplish.

Good questions. While of course it depends, in many cases last season I was hunting new areas to me, saw lots of sign of different levels of freshness, with no bugles heard even in areas with shiny green soft scat.

Was using cow calls and location bugles if no response to the cow calls. Wasn't picky about which elk at that point.