I got to admit there is one half of the elk hunting equation I don't work much and that is still hunting. Our basic premise has been "Put a man in the woods moving around and an elk in the woods moving around and the elk will figure out you are there first."

Our group's main focus is to focus on two primary times of the day: (1) be to the ambush stands and hour before sunrise and (2)leave the ambush stand when it's black. On the first day of the season we stay up and out all day since the elk are in a panic and you can run into them anytime anywhere. Days two, three, four, and five we focus on the morning/evening ambushes but at mid day we sleep in the field if the weather allows to catch up on sleep loss. The downside is one is always walking in the dark both ways which makes the nights pretty short. So I'm thinking of trading of the evening ambush stand for mid-day stalking and get back into camp later in the afternoon, so....

What is the deal with still hunting at mid-day? I assume you're hunting them in the black timber or on the cool side of ridges trying to catch them asleep. Or is this just kind of a "moving ambush" mode? We haven't had any trouble getting our fair share of elk, but I'm getting a little restless and am looking for something different. I assume a low power scope setting, a fast cycling rifle, and stopping in a shooting posture each time would be part of it, but...

If you'd be so kind, enlighten me......

EKM

Good judgment comes from bad experience! Half of elk hunting is knowing what NOT to do!

Edited by - ELKampMaster on 02/01/2003 22:07:56

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Wow that's a pretty big question. The animals are used to a certain amount of sound so that's not really a problem unless you go running through the woods yelling and screaming. Move slow, stop long and often. The main thing is look and listen. Work into the wind. You might catch them sleeping or feeding a secluded area. What burns most hunters trying to still hunt is movement and scent. If you hear something STOP! Stay still until you can ascertain without a doubt exactly what made the sound. If animals around you get alarmed STOP. Stay put til they calm down. When you do stop, try to stop next to a tree, bush, or rock. Anything that will provide some cover and maybe a shooting rest and still give you a good view of the area. You don't have to stop in a shooting stance because that hinders your ability to look. Not to mention it will tire you out very quickly. Stay relaxed but alert. Most times you will hear them before you see them. If you move slow then you should be able to hear them before they know you're there. This in no way covers everything, but should give you a base to work with. Still hunting is a great way to break the monotany fo sitting on a stand and is my prefered method of hunting for anything. I have found some very productive stand sites while still hunting and have taken some very nice animals while still hunting. It is IMO harder and more challenging than sitting on stand but is more rewarding and stisfying whether I kill something or not. Give it a try. I think you'll enjoy it. Good luck!

I hate sitting. Back when I was guidin', my clients allays got a lesson in gettin' in on bulls, lessin' they was lame or real old, then I sat with 'em. Now I ain't sayin' thet's the right way fer mos' people. I noticed mos' hunters don't even dress proper fer still huntin'. Show me a Cabelas rain suit or a size 11 rigid sole boot an' I'll show you a feller thet better jus' sit a spell. I came up stalkin' whitetail. They didn't have treestands back then, least not so I remember. Grandaddy learnt me how to sense a critter. Not hearin, not seein', not smellin'. Jus' knowin' there's game about. The only thing 'bout stalkin' elk is thet you gotta be high up, where there ain't no nimrods stirrin' 'em up. They gotta be doin' what elk do when there ain't a bunch of people 'round. Sittin' can produce elk, but its more a matter of luck then skill, an' it works better when game is pressured a lil'. I know, yall are gonna say it takes skill to know whar to sit. Maybeso. But mostly its luck. If there's fresh snow, I'll track. If its hot an' the elk are beddin' early, I'll kill one in his bedroom. I don't like stalkin' beddin' areas though. I prefer catchin' 'em movin' to an' from someplace. Huntin' early when you can call 'em, move in, call 'em agin an' eventually git a bull to come check you out is my favorit elk huntin'. The way I figur, huntin' is self-sufficiency. Ain't nobody gonna feed his family sittin' in a tree fer days or weeks waitin' for a meal to pass. For me huntin' is an' action verb. When I'm too old to stalk in the mountings, or when there's too many peoples for it to be fun, I'll jus' hang up my mocersins an' rifle an' think 'bout all the bulls I've come to know up close an' personal.

BJ

BJ You hit the nail on the head with your explanation. Anyone that's hunted elk (especially bulls) for sometime will see your know how and wisdom in your comment. It spells sucess. elknut1.

www.elknut.com
Bugling Bulls & Beyond!

Of course, the essense of sharing knowledge is in the details rather than the vague generalities.... BJ, appreciate what you mentioned so far plus what I've picked up in bits and pieces here and there in different threads over the months.......

(1) Do you still hunt from first light to sunset or do you mix up the ambush and still hunt? Or will sunrise find you near a ambush quality location but slowly on the move following your senses to what "feels" like the best spot?

(2) I hunt first season, and here lately after a drought summer and before the snows the forest is very noisy especially if the aspen leaves drop early - how do you handle noise while moving?

(3) The heavy sole boots usually go hand in hand with insulation which means warm feet for people sitting on ambush (like me) and they have good traction but they for sure aren't moccassins. So what do you wear for moderate weather boots so next time I'm in the shoe store I can size them up?

(4) Do you wear your pack while still hunting? If so any thoughts there as to type and material?

(5) What is your favorite vegetation - or put another way where do you find still hunting working the best? Pinon? Quakies? Mix? Black Timber? (Probably NOT sage brush).

(6) When you are the ramrod for a group and they're still hunting instead of ambush hunting it seems like it will be more of a challenge -- any thoughts?

(7) In your mind, what is the "runner up" to wool?



Don't Pretend When There's Things You Don't Know----
EKM

Good judgment comes from bad experience! Half of elk hunting is knowing what NOT to do!

I would add to get a cow call and learn how to use it. Blow it occasionaly in addition to anytime you make a noise. Always have at least 2, because with one, especially when you get excited, you will get spit in them and it may not work as well.

All fair queschuns. Lets see ifn I can anser 'em.

1. I like to stalk elk in the mornins mostly, then jus' afor dark. Durin' midday, I gotta be pretty hard up fer an' elk to move into a beddin' area. I'll generally water the horses, change their pickets, an' take a snooze.

2. Simple, don't make no noise. Stick to the dark timber. If you stray out in the quakeys, yer gonna get seed anyhoo, so all thet noise don't make a hill of beans differnce.

3. I carry mocersins with me fer stalkin'. I can get by with my Danners (elk hunters) in all but the worst stalkin' conditions. Danners lace to the toe, givin' good toe control, which is what mos' hunters lack. Trick is to be conscious of how you step. Somtimes toe first is right, sometimes heal first. Always start with the right foot (right hander) an' take even number of steps. Thet way yer in a position to shoot with the least movement when you stop.

4. I wear a Bianchi pack, real narrow an' soft. Mos' packs are too noisey. Mine is empty when I start, an' I stuff my clothes in it as it warms up.

5. I like huntin' margins atwixt the black timber an' a burn, or some quakies an' meadows.

6. More people makes still huntin' harder. Specially if they ain't quiet folk. Some fellers will drag a foot, or clear their throat ever 5 minutes. I'll sit a feller an' stalk with the quietest hunter. Stalkin' with noisy hunters is takin' a walk in the woods, nuthin' more. Some fellers think they're bein' quiet when they ain't. I've made fellers strip their gear down an stash it cause I heard noises. Some of thet quiet camo stuff they sell ain't all thet quiet. Best to wear green long johns when huntin' with me.

7. Ain't no runner up to wool. There's wool, an' there's clothes thet require you to sit on an' ambush. Oh, I reckin' some of thet fleece stuff is quiet, but it won't keep you warm enuff if it should rain or if you work up a sweat. Anyhoo, I ain't 'bout to mess 'round. If I do wear an outter layer thet ain't wool, you can bet I got my wool longhandles on unnerneath, an' a wool sweater in my saddlebag.

BJ

EKM,
You have gotten some very informative responses on this topic. Good stuff. I will add a couple cents worth.
IMO it varies with the conditions you are hunting in.
If you are hunting private land and the elk are going to remain undisturbed and are following a pattern leave them alone and let them come to you. Go play cards during the day.
If you are hunting public land the elk may be moving around a lot as hunters are pushing them. Then midday becomes as much a scouting exercise as anything. While you are covering ground looking for elk sign, be careful to maintain scent control and don't let your scent blow up to likely looking pockets blow your cow call once in a while and try to sound like a couple elk walking along and don't worry about making walking noises.
In heavily hunted areas elk will sometimes tend to gather mid slopes on the cool N or NE slope so look for likely areas to still hunt down slope or into the wind during the day. Where we hunt the elk move up at night to the meadows on top and then down to mid slope before first light.
Once you get to a likely looking area with fresh sign then slow way down and stay quiet, quiet clothing is a must, fleece works great, and watch the wind, at the slightest scent of you they will be gone. If the elk see you first they will blow out of their bedding areas giving you at the most about a 3 second opportunity for a shot. I have even seen a lone bull freeze and let a hunter walk right by within 40 yards of it. If you are unable to stalk quietly in likely areas stay out of them and go back in the morning and try the ambush.
Definitely wear a day pack with essential gear, but leave the noisy meat packing pack or frame in camp.
If nothing else still hunting/scouting during the day increases your time actually hunting which adds to the fun factor and that is what it is all about. If you are on public land and are getting bored during the day go for it.

BJ,
Not to be anal about this still hunting thing, but I want to get my understanding right, not just sort of right! A few follow up questions:
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3. Mocassins: Cover the distance in the Danners and then pull the mocassins out of your back pack and switch if things are noisy and you're approaching a good stalking area? Don't know squat about mocassins! Any mocassin tricks? How calloused do you feet have to be for them to be comfortable - something you got to work at a bit? Socks - No Socks? What degree of padding in them? How tight/loose a fit? What seperates a "tourist trap mocassin from a BJ special?
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5. Quote: "I like huntin' margins atwixt the black timber an' a burn, or some quakies an' meadows." Does this mean "A" or "B"?

"A": Margin between black timber and a burn -- Margin between black timber and some quakies -- Margin between black timber and a meadow.....

OR does it mean....

"B": Margin between black timber and a burn -- Margin between some quakies and meadows.

Worried because I have still hunting in quakies as being a nixed from #2 Getting seen in the open, plus the aspen leaves make it too noisey - or is there an exception to the rule (beyond common sense).
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6. I've seen white and red long handles. Are "green long handles" just as its name suggests or a "slang" term for olived drab wool pants and wool shirt like what you can get at the Army Surplus Store?

Don't pretend when there's things you don't know!
EKM

Good judgment comes from bad experience! Half of elk hunting is knowing what NOT to do!