I' m new to elk hunting and need some help from some of you more seasoned hunters. I know what to look for as far as elk sign goes, but when I get to an area where (what type of habitat) do I start looking for that sign. I hunt in Colorado in Sept. and Oct. during rifle seasons in the Buford area of the Flattops.
Go to: http://wildlife.state.co/us Get the previous years' harvest stats. Next: Pore over topos of your chosen area and get a feel for the lay of the land. Then: Get out, climb up, and glass, glass, glass. (especially early AM and Dusk) Post rut, they' ll be all over the place, and when other hunters come in, chances are they' ll be moving. If you can locate them in the evening, Try to move towards them well before dawn. Keep looking for movement in the area with naked eye and glassing even if it is pitch black. If you get on ' em, stay on ' em.
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On the ground, start with meadows. See if there' s fresh sign from the night before. Then check around any lakes for tracks. Once you know there' s elk usin' a park, stay outta the open, stick to the woods. Identify trails leading to the parks and determine where the bedding areas might be. Don' t pay attention to old sign, as elk don' t pattern good. Lurk in the shadows and watch meadows and burns in the morning and afternoons. Call then too. If you get an answer after 9AM and before 5PM, try to get within his discomfort zone. Inside a certain range, a bull will come to you. If he keeps moving away into dense timber, let him go and stay quiet until the evening. He might come to you when he gets up to feed. If he' s got cows with him, you have to get real close for him to abandon his herd, and getting real close is harder cause of all the sentry cows lurkin' about. Watch the wind ALWAYS. Make as lil' noise as humanly possible. In general, d on' t chase elk. Outsmart them. Know the lay of the land, and you might be able to guess where they are heading. In general, wait for a better opportunity rather than blow them out of the area. There you have it, all I know ' bout elk hunting in one paragraph.
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One additio...when bugeling an Elk try to sound like a young whipper snapper. The Big bulls dont like the young ones around during the rut and will come and chase them off. Sounding like a big mature bull might chase off a nice 4x4 or 5x5 bull.
If you only want a bull, any bull, then Bauer is right. If you want a whopper, use a herd bull diaphram. A herd bull won' t bother with puny bulls, he don' t feel threatened. He' ll come in for a big bull though. Now you don' t wanna scare him, jus' get him good an curious. Big bulls will rarely come hard to a small bull call. Once you get in their discomfort zone and sound like real competition, they' ll come stormin' . The keys are get close enough to matter, and be big enough to concern him. If I really want a bull to come to me, I sometimes mix in a cow call or two with my bugles so he' s got sumthin' to fight for.
Okay, so it took 2 paragraphs. Wish I knew thet much bout the stock market, an' I wouldn' t have to winter huddled ' round a pot belly stove eatin' jerked elk an' meltin' snow fer my coffee.
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BJ is exactly right, I' ve said the same thing for years. You want the bigger bulls, then bugle big. Everyone' s got it backwards when they say you' ll scare them off if you' re to big. Get within that 80 yd zone and let him have it, if you start your challenge 250yds away and come at him screaming, you' ve given the bull to much of a cushion and if he wants he can pull up stakes and avoid a confrontation, but within that 80yds or so, he feels if he wants to keep what' s his he' ll have to defend against this overzealous intruder. Make sure when in that zone you cut the bull off in the middle of his screaming and that' s usually more than he can take. elknut1
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Thanks for your input BeaverJack and elknut1. I am relatively new at this, and am wondering if you think those techniques work in late season, or just earlier bugling season? Thanks.
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No. These are early season techniques. Late season gets more involved with pressure and weather variables. I don' t care for late season elk hunting. If the weather' s not too bad, the bulls will stay up high and you can still hunt without dodging ATVs an' hoards of blaze orange. But, the bulls will be wary an' you' re better off glassin' them up an' stalking them. Cows get easier in the late season and bulls get harder, as a general rule. In the early season, you gotta find all the cows to find one. They also move down sooner with less snow. I prefer to hunt cows after the herds break up.
__________________ "When one finally arrives at the point where schedules are forgotten, and becomes immersed in ancient rhythms, one begins to live." (Sigurd F. Olson)
What if you have good sign in the area, and you' ve even seen the elk the night before. How long would you set up on a given trail? I' ve read different things that tell you if you don' t hear any bulls, you shouldn' t spend too much time in that area. Would you sit out the morning and then start scouting for the evening? Not sure how long to give a certain area before moving on. Thanks
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