I don't think most people who live in elk country actually scout elk. If you know the country, why scout? Human activity will run the elk out of an area. Besides that, an elk can go 40 miles just by thinkin' about it. They ain't likely to be where you scouted 'em when the season opens. Maybe a hole to the right, a mountain to the left. I prefer to rely on my knowledge of the area, what the elk do when pressured, and where they go when their feet get cold. Scoutin's for people who don't know the area they're hunting.