No mountains here just forest and forest fringe to hunt elk.

Our main camp is situated near a long, dense valley that leads from the provinicial forest and jutts out into the agriculture lands in the eastern portion of this province. We own or have sole permission on several tracks of land in/amongest this valley. We own 2 choice 1/4 sections of land right in the bottom of the valley along the small river that split's the dense valley side bush. This is always plan A for our crew to wtach the rich alfalfa and oat fields planted on each section, the elk tracks leading to and from these are deep and worn right through. In this particular land we set up (during rifle) with one shooter to the north over looking 2 major travel trails to the alfalfa field, put a caller on the point close to the river and a second shooter on a finger which is located on the edge of the oat field/meadow, the elk travel from the east to west and vice versa. The whole idea is to call out bulls to the shooter but on several occasion the caller becomes the shooter as directly in front of him is a birdnest of travel trails that can pop an elk out anywhere along either fields edge. Our main technique in the other properties is sitting in meadows in the valley or the actual food sources(aka field in which the elk come and fill up on). If we have the rut going we will call from certain areas to draw elk out in the openings for a shot during rifle season, if no call it is sit and wait.

For archery we set up on trials, etc in the dense bush that surrounds the valley by using calls as our aid in locating or drawing elk. Often archery falls on pre rut so getting these settlement elk beside the spike within range is a tough task. We actually spend a majority of the time during bow chasing the Forest elk, where they also call earlier and seem to react better for a bowhunter in way of shot distance.

We refer to the elk near camp as settlement elk and forest "big bush". The settlement elk are really vocal and on the move in low light/darkness times, but during the daylight hours quiet and impossible to move up on. The big bush elk will call in the heat of the rut almost all day long and moving on them although can be very difficult is at least possible. We will often start and finish off with settlement elk and head north to the forest for daytime tangles. By far the biggest bulls have come out of the valley or settlement herds but sheer numbers the Forest is a place to be.