Whitetail to Elk

[Rug_Pub]

Finally decided to try my luck out west and start chasing elk. I have been hunting whitetail for a while, and have gotten decently successful at locating and getting shots at highly pressured deer.

My question is for anyone who has transitioned their whitetail hunting tactics to elk, or has success hunting both. What similarities in scouting and mainly e-scouting should I focus on? What are some of the differences between the species?

Anything to help shorten the learning curve will be helpful.

 

[35WhelenAI]

I'm sure you've done an Internet search or something with the web asking the same question. I learned by reading magazines and getting out in the woods 35 years ago. Same things hold true today. One source is pretty slim with respect to getting anything you're looking for.

 

[crich]

Finally decided to try my luck out west and start chasing elk. I have been hunting whitetail for a while, and have gotten decently successful at locating and getting shots at highly pressured deer.

My question is for anyone who has transitioned their whitetail hunting tactics to elk, or has success hunting both. What similarities in scouting and mainly e-scouting should I focus on? What are some of the differences between the species?

Anything to help shorten the learning curve will be helpful.

Not escouting related but..... Biggest piece of advice I can give you is move more than you think you can get away with. Apply common sense of course but don't feel you need to tip toe around for fear of bumping elk. I wasted a lot of time initially by stalking around areas without elk and then taking forever to set up on animals that I finally did spot.

 

[jpmulk]

If your tactic is calling, be aggressive. Don’t hunt elk like deer. If they think your an elk, you can get a way with a lot more movement and noise. There is a fine balance between letting an opportunity develop and letting the opportunity pass by.

 

[Rug_Pub]

I'm sure you've done an Internet search or something with the web asking the same question. I learned by reading magazines and getting out in the woods 35 years ago. Same things hold true today. One source is pretty slim with respect to getting anything you're looking for.

I’ve been listening to podcast, watching YouTube, pretty much all of the tools available. I think I have a better than average chance of encountering animals with my skill set, but just wanted to hear from anyone who has directly made the game transition.

 

[chanson_roland]

I went on my first elk hunt in 2023, spurred on by this Rokcast:

Low Country Elk with Dan Branagan

https://www.rokslide.com/low-country-elk-with-dan-branagan/ Today we’re joined by Dan Branigan to discuss his new book on low elevation elk hot spots. Dan runs through his strategies for finding elk areas in low elevation, why they are there, where they are coming from and how to shoot them...

rokslide.com

Dan Branagan: Low Elevation Elk

Dan's strategy focuses on targeting resident elk, similar to that of the eastern whitetail woods. His approach is very much a "gateway" strategy for those used to hunting whitetails ambush style on the east coast.

W/o going into too much detail, using this approach (and after reading Dan Branagan's book) I was able to find elk on my first trip west. I was NOT however able to get close enough w/o them being able to run on private land, which is the challenge of the Resident Elk strategy, IMO.

Now, all that being said, for my next trip, I'm not going to stick to Dan's strategy. As others have already said, you really have to move around and be open to switching locations. On my next trip, I'm going to have a hybrid of resident, intermediate, and migratory elk spots.

 

[np307]

I also hunt highly pressured deer on public and the biggest similarity I found between the two was that you just have to keep going until you find the fresh sign. Don't hunt where you want them to be, find them where they are.

 

[lynnk1007]

Be patient, keep your eyes open and be willing to learn from your mistakes. There can be a lot more strategy with elk hunting if you are able to find them.

 

[Rug_Pub]

The unit I’m targeting is from 2000 feet elevation to about 9000 feet over several miles of course. The elk will move from higher to lower as winter progresses, but how to know where to start looking. I mean if I’m driving in and see elk out of the window great, but should i be looking in the snow on mountain tops, or the edge of it? Where to start if everything is snow covered from valleys up? I’ll be hunting mid to late October most likely so post rut when they will be going from breeding to seeking denser cover so glassing may be hard. I guess I’m trying to ask how to know where to look from 30000 feet above?

 

[Indian Summer]

I haven’t had time to read all of the comments above, but as a former guide and outfitter, I can tell you that some of the best Whitetail deer hunters are terrible at elk hunting. I hate to say it, but to start elk and you need to forget most of what you know about deer hunting. Other than patience and persistence. Good luck.

 

[Indian Summer]

The unit I’m targeting is from 2000 feet elevation to about 9000 feet over several miles of course. The elk will move from higher to lower as winter progresses, but how to know where to start looking. I mean if I’m driving in and see elk out of the window great, but should i be looking in the snow on mountain tops, or the edge of it? Where to start if everything is snow covered from valleys up? I’ll be hunting mid to late October most likely so post rut when they will be going from breeding to seeking denser cover so glassing may be hard. I guess I’m trying to ask how to know where to look from 30000 feet above?

As a general rule, elk will be as high as they can while still being able to find food. There will always be lower in that some that mid slope but if you want somewhere to start put in work and sweat and start at the top. From there drop to the next bench or two down.

Seeing elk out the window while you’re driving? I wouldn’t get your hopes up for that. I’ll say it again, it’s not a deer hunting.

 

[spike camp]

The unit I’m targeting is from 2000 feet elevation to about 9000 feet over several miles of course. The elk will move from higher to lower as winter progresses, but how to know where to start looking. I mean if I’m driving in and see elk out of the window great, but should i be looking in the snow on mountain tops, or the edge of it? Where to start if everything is snow covered from valleys up? I’ll be hunting mid to late October most likely so post rut when they will be going from breeding to seeking denser cover so glassing may be hard. I guess I’m trying to ask how to know where to look from 30000 feet above?

Seeing denser cover, is a whitetail hunter mentality.
That’s not really what elk transition to…
Elk, are where they are.

If there’s snow, they’ll be somewhat more easy to find.
Pick out 5-10 areas you’ve escouted and get boots on the ground, is about the best way to answer your question.

 

[Soj51hopeful]

The unit I’m targeting is from 2000 feet elevation to about 9000 feet over several miles of course. The elk will move from higher to lower as winter progresses, but how to know where to start looking. I mean if I’m driving in and see elk out of the window great, but should i be looking in the snow on mountain tops, or the edge of it? Where to start if everything is snow covered from valleys up? I’ll be hunting mid to late October most likely so post rut when they will be going from breeding to seeking denser cover so glassing may be hard. I guess I’m trying to ask how to know where to look from 30000 feet above?

I’m assuming you picked up an Idaho tag. The elk will be in the areas people aren’t, from top to bottom. That’s the best answer you could get. Cover country with boots and glass until you find them or their fresh sign.

 

[Gman12]

I haven’t had time to read all of the comments above, but as a former guide and outfitter, I can tell you that some of the best Whitetail deer hunters are terrible at elk hunting. I hate to say it, but to start elk and you need to forget most of what you know about deer hunting. Other than patience and persistence. Good luck

I don't buy this. A good hunter is a good hunter regardless if he is in Ohio, Georgia or Montana. I have some buddies who get buck fever and screw up the majority of the time when given the opportunity to kill a nice buck. When they came elk hunting with our group it was no different and they screwed that up as well. The guys who are killers for deer, turkeys and ducks have come with us and kill the hell out of elk. It may take a little while to figure the elk out particularly if they have never been, but killers are killers IMO and they are successful no matter the game they are chasing or the state they happen to be hunting.

 

[chanson_roland]

I haven’t had time to read all of the comments above, but as a former guide and outfitter, I can tell you that some of the best Whitetail deer hunters are terrible at elk hunting. I hate to say it, but to start elk and you need to forget most of what you know about deer hunting. Other than patience and persistence. Good luck.

Just wait until someone comes up with a packable Redneck Blind and freeze-dried Little Debbie Cakes.

Bubba's eventually comin' up the mountain, clad in his Realtree splendor...