I stay out of the dark timber when scouting and try not to leave too much of my scent around. Glassing at first and last light from a considerable distance does not move the elk out of the hunting area, but disturbing their safety areas will make them vanish. Elk relocate with changing weather and human intrusion so finding an area with a lot of tracks, rubs, and droppings may not mean very much. They often bed in cool areas away from the sun which is often quite far from water and their feeding areas.

What general area of Colorado will you be hunting, and what is the terrain like?