Early Nov. cow elk hunt..any tips

[setter77]

Drewa cow elk tag for early Novemeber, any tips on the best way to hunt them.

[game4lunch]

Where are you hunting?

If you're in the Rocky Mountain region, chances are good that a lot of elk will already be pushed down to lower winter range from the higher snowed inelevations. So if they are low, they are likely in flatterterrain like stubble fields, sage covered prarie, and bottom land.
This ,eans they can see you coming. So scout the area, locate a group or herd, and plot their daily movement so as to set up and ambush them going to and from their feeding/bedding areas.

[wyotimberghost]

Assuming you'll be in the Rocky Mountains and there'll be snow:

Do a lot of glassing. Especially early in the morning, when they are still out on the bare, wind-swept ridges that have grass they can easily get to. You may also find them moving from the flats down off the moutain back up onto the mountain early in the morning. If this is the case, they'll either be down on the flats, on the ridges, or in the draws. For close to 20 years, my uncles and father shot many an elk by catching them moving up draws to get to the timber on the North side. Just something to keep in mind. If you don't have any lucky in the morning, find a bowl of timber or a heavlily timbered north facing slope, and slowying and very quitely start working your way through the timber. Keep a very sharp eye open for ears, legs, ect. When doing this, it works best to have a nice, slow pace, and stop often to scan the timber with your binoculars. If it will give you a better view, get down on your knees while glassing. Once you spot some elk in the heavy timber, a head shot is typically going to be your best choice given the dense trees and the fact that the animals are bedded.

Also, if there happens to be a fresh snow on the ground, and you find a nice, fresh set of tracks going down into the timber, start following them, moving through the timber like I described above. It may take you a little while, but chances are pretty doggone good you'll get up on the elk.

If you get to the evening and you still haven't had any luck, start glassing the openings again. Sometimes you can spot large herds from a distance that feed into an opening just before dark then start bedding down for the evening. Since shooting conditions are poor or even illegal at this time, don't pressure them at, go back to camp for the night, then get back close enough to see them before first light, still making sure you don't pressure them. Once light starts breaking, check to make sure the elk are still there then move in. This is how we filled two tags last year, and some friends did it a couple of years before. Occasionally you'll be close enough when you spot the elk that you can get to them before shooting hours are over. You can also pick an opening with fresh sign around to watch until dark to see if you can catch anything coming out before dark to feed.

Good luck!

[setter77]

guess i should have mentioned it is in Pennsylvania.

[jofus13]

Pennsylvania has an elk season?

[wyotimberghost]

Lol well never mind then. I've never been east of the Mississippi. But good luck!

[BareBack Jack]

WYOTimberghost,
That makes both of us never toseen the big river.

If I were you and had a cow tag for back there,I would find out where the elk are hanging around and probaly just hang a treestand.
BBJ

[gotlost]

Got some family near that area, hunt them the same way you'ld still hunt white tail, keep the wind to your nose. and move slow. try to catch them feeding at first light feeding is really the best bet.

[setter77]

Thanks guys. Yeah PA has an Elk season. only 50 tags a year, so it is like our version of a once in a lifetime hunt.

[jofus13]

Wow, I didn't know that. I knew that there were a few elk in kentucky, but didn't know that there was actually a season anywhere close.

I would imagine that you would hunt them similar to whitetail?