Scouting for Elk from Home
07-09-2010, 09:14 AM
#1
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 417
Scouting for Elk from Home
You may not have to be there to scout for elk. Find some local people and use their knowledge to help you locate elk this fall.
Thi is from my copyrighted book the Elk Addict's Manual.
Information Network
Once you've found a unit where you think you'd like to hunt make a call to the local conservation officer or forester, to find out how many elk they see and where they see them. You should also call the local taxidermy shops and locker plants to find out how many elk they take in and how big the bulls are. Check with the local fly shops and trout fisherman - they often see elk when they are out fishing; when you can't be there. Talk to anyone who might see elk in the area. Put together an information network of local people and let them do most of the observing and scouting for you. Then record all the information in your journal.
Pre Season Scouting
If you plan to hunt that year, and you have the time scout in late August or early September, look for drainages and meadows the elk are using at that time. By this time some of the older bulls will begin bugling in preparation for the rut which makes them easy to locate. Older bulls begin bugling earlier than young bulls, so they can attract cows earlier and breed more cows. Even if the bulls aren't bugling you may spot them, or a herd of cows, and find the areas they use. If the bulls are bugling it helps you find them and their favorite bedding and feeding areas. From August to November the forage patterns of the elk remain relatively the same, and they use many of the same areas, which means you may find elk in the same areas where you saw them when you scouted earlier that fall.
When you are scouting you should also look for areas the cows use, because when the rut approaches the bulls will travel to those areas to find the cows. You should also look for wet wallows near streams, rivers and other wet areas, and dry wallows along ridges and in low-lying areas where bulls wallow and bugle to attract cows. Do a lot of listening and observing on these early scouting trips. Then use your maps to determine where the bulls are, even if you can't see them. When you hear a bull shoot a compass heading, then look for good habitat along the heading on the map - that's probably where the bull is. If you spot bulls feeding or bedding mark the area on your map for use when you hunt later on.
If you can't scout before you hunt be sure to contact your information network when you arrive in the area. Find out where the best places to look for elk are. This cuts down the amount of time you have to scout yourself; the less time you spend scouting for elk, the more time you have to hunt. For this reason you may want to arrive 3-5 days ahead of your hunt, so you can scout, observe and pattern the elk yourself. The more time and effort you put into locating elk and their high use areas before the hunt, the more time you will save locating the elk once you arrive, which will give you more time to hunt, and the better your chances of a successful hunt will be.
Scouting
Scouting is important for hunting any animal. Unfortunately most non-residents, and many residents, do not have the luxury or time to scout an area for elk. For those who cannot scout there are some ways to increase their success rates. The most obvious way is to use the services of an outfitter. By using an outfitter you eliminate the need to scout, because the outfitter does it for you. They scout the area before the hunt, choose the best places to hunt and do the guiding. If you like to become more involved in the hunt you can choose a semi-guided hunt. Some guides offer pack-in and pre-scouting services to lessen the amount of time you have to scout during the hunt. A semi-guided hunt usually involves one guide for each four hunters, with the guide telling you where to hunt, rather than actually guiding you and going along. In this case you do your own daily scouting.
Another option for those who like to do their own scouting is a drop camp. A drop camp is exactly what the name implies: you are taken to the area by the guide, usually on horseback, and dropped off in an area where the camp, tents, cooking gear and firewood are ready for you. You provide your own sleeping gear and food, cook your own meals, and field dress, quarter and pack your game into camp, where the outfitter will pack it out to his headquarters. Usually you will not have horses in camp, and you have to do all of your scouting and hunting on foot. If you choose this type of hunt you should be in good physical condition, have First Aid, CPR and survival training.
If you have the ability and the time to do your own scouting, do it a couple of weeks before the hunt. For archery hunters this may be as early as late August. By this time some of the older bulls have begun to shed their velvet; making rubs and wet or dry wallows; and they may be bugling and associating with the cows. However, many of the bulls may be in bachelor herds by themselves in high alpine meadows.
If you are hunting private land that you can drive on, be sure to stop far enough away from where you expect to see elk that you don't disturb them. If you are using ATV's to get into back country on National Forest land realize that it will alert the elk and drive them out of the area for you and every other hunter who has worked so hard to get into the area without disturbing the elk. If you really want to be successful as an elk hunter don't go into elk country with a motor vehicle. To do a thorough job of scouting you will have to cover a lot of territory; elk home ranges may cover as much as forty square miles. Because of these large home ranges elk don't leave a lot of sign in some of the areas they use. Not finding recent elk sign doesn't mean there are no elk in the area, or that they won't be using it the next day, or the next week.
I hope it helps someone.
God bless,
T.R.
Thi is from my copyrighted book the Elk Addict's Manual.
Information Network
Once you've found a unit where you think you'd like to hunt make a call to the local conservation officer or forester, to find out how many elk they see and where they see them. You should also call the local taxidermy shops and locker plants to find out how many elk they take in and how big the bulls are. Check with the local fly shops and trout fisherman - they often see elk when they are out fishing; when you can't be there. Talk to anyone who might see elk in the area. Put together an information network of local people and let them do most of the observing and scouting for you. Then record all the information in your journal.
Pre Season Scouting
If you plan to hunt that year, and you have the time scout in late August or early September, look for drainages and meadows the elk are using at that time. By this time some of the older bulls will begin bugling in preparation for the rut which makes them easy to locate. Older bulls begin bugling earlier than young bulls, so they can attract cows earlier and breed more cows. Even if the bulls aren't bugling you may spot them, or a herd of cows, and find the areas they use. If the bulls are bugling it helps you find them and their favorite bedding and feeding areas. From August to November the forage patterns of the elk remain relatively the same, and they use many of the same areas, which means you may find elk in the same areas where you saw them when you scouted earlier that fall.
When you are scouting you should also look for areas the cows use, because when the rut approaches the bulls will travel to those areas to find the cows. You should also look for wet wallows near streams, rivers and other wet areas, and dry wallows along ridges and in low-lying areas where bulls wallow and bugle to attract cows. Do a lot of listening and observing on these early scouting trips. Then use your maps to determine where the bulls are, even if you can't see them. When you hear a bull shoot a compass heading, then look for good habitat along the heading on the map - that's probably where the bull is. If you spot bulls feeding or bedding mark the area on your map for use when you hunt later on.
If you can't scout before you hunt be sure to contact your information network when you arrive in the area. Find out where the best places to look for elk are. This cuts down the amount of time you have to scout yourself; the less time you spend scouting for elk, the more time you have to hunt. For this reason you may want to arrive 3-5 days ahead of your hunt, so you can scout, observe and pattern the elk yourself. The more time and effort you put into locating elk and their high use areas before the hunt, the more time you will save locating the elk once you arrive, which will give you more time to hunt, and the better your chances of a successful hunt will be.
Scouting
Scouting is important for hunting any animal. Unfortunately most non-residents, and many residents, do not have the luxury or time to scout an area for elk. For those who cannot scout there are some ways to increase their success rates. The most obvious way is to use the services of an outfitter. By using an outfitter you eliminate the need to scout, because the outfitter does it for you. They scout the area before the hunt, choose the best places to hunt and do the guiding. If you like to become more involved in the hunt you can choose a semi-guided hunt. Some guides offer pack-in and pre-scouting services to lessen the amount of time you have to scout during the hunt. A semi-guided hunt usually involves one guide for each four hunters, with the guide telling you where to hunt, rather than actually guiding you and going along. In this case you do your own daily scouting.
Another option for those who like to do their own scouting is a drop camp. A drop camp is exactly what the name implies: you are taken to the area by the guide, usually on horseback, and dropped off in an area where the camp, tents, cooking gear and firewood are ready for you. You provide your own sleeping gear and food, cook your own meals, and field dress, quarter and pack your game into camp, where the outfitter will pack it out to his headquarters. Usually you will not have horses in camp, and you have to do all of your scouting and hunting on foot. If you choose this type of hunt you should be in good physical condition, have First Aid, CPR and survival training.
If you have the ability and the time to do your own scouting, do it a couple of weeks before the hunt. For archery hunters this may be as early as late August. By this time some of the older bulls have begun to shed their velvet; making rubs and wet or dry wallows; and they may be bugling and associating with the cows. However, many of the bulls may be in bachelor herds by themselves in high alpine meadows.
If you are hunting private land that you can drive on, be sure to stop far enough away from where you expect to see elk that you don't disturb them. If you are using ATV's to get into back country on National Forest land realize that it will alert the elk and drive them out of the area for you and every other hunter who has worked so hard to get into the area without disturbing the elk. If you really want to be successful as an elk hunter don't go into elk country with a motor vehicle. To do a thorough job of scouting you will have to cover a lot of territory; elk home ranges may cover as much as forty square miles. Because of these large home ranges elk don't leave a lot of sign in some of the areas they use. Not finding recent elk sign doesn't mean there are no elk in the area, or that they won't be using it the next day, or the next week.
I hope it helps someone.
God bless,
T.R.
07-10-2010, 09:32 PM
#4
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Kittitas, Wa.
Posts: 462
Yes I see bunches of elk there, all down in the sage brush, and low elevations... I have never hunted above 4500ft ...I have gotten 14 elk in that area, all pretty much in a 1 mile sq area!!!! never more than a few hundred yds from the road! last years elk just pretty much just walked up to me!!!
07-11-2010, 10:22 AM
#5
Typical Buck
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Colorado
Posts: 797
Okay two flaws in your topic.
One you don't pack in people into scout in september during archery season so they can tromp around and ruin someone else elk hunt. It's ideals like that which makes hunting and hunting pressure even worse than it is. Idealy it would be great if everyone could come out spot your particular herd of elk and hunt them down. It doesn't work that way in most elk states. DIY'ers that are successful are usually going back to the same area's to hunt after they have either got an elk from there or learned more about the area. I for one don't not like the idea of encroaching on someone else's time to hunt. I've seen hunters come in a week before their season opens set up camp and travel around through the woods looking for elk. Two things are wrong with this. One your running your own elk out of the area. Two you ruining someone else's hunt. Hope I made a point on that.
By late August all of the Bulls have shed their velvet except for spikes and immature bulls I.E. raghorns.
Mostly you can some information on elk numbers by contacting a local Division of Wildlife Official. But bear in mind most Officers do all their research on the computer now too!!!! So how many elk in the woods are there? Ask a cattle man or a sheep rancher that has livestock on the mountain they will know more than anyone else. Not all guides are going to talk to you honestly about elk in their area.
I hunt elk in units 80/81 in Colorado OTC unit. It's not so easy to do day after day and archery season has been over ran with hunters the last three years. Making the elk hold tight in the trees even through the rifle season. I don't see alot of hunters being very quiet as they go about their business of trying to hunt. As far as ATV's go I think they should be banned during hunting season's all together in certain area's and trails. That should of been done years ago. I don't mind giving out information to hunters but I'm not going to tell you where I'm exactly going either. Almost 30 years I've paid the dues to kill elk on the first morning of the hunt by knowing where to be and when to be there. I think people have some dues to pay if they want to hunt elk. That's why I like elk hunting you have earned the knowledge or you have to pay for it. Either way sometime people do get lucky.
One you don't pack in people into scout in september during archery season so they can tromp around and ruin someone else elk hunt. It's ideals like that which makes hunting and hunting pressure even worse than it is. Idealy it would be great if everyone could come out spot your particular herd of elk and hunt them down. It doesn't work that way in most elk states. DIY'ers that are successful are usually going back to the same area's to hunt after they have either got an elk from there or learned more about the area. I for one don't not like the idea of encroaching on someone else's time to hunt. I've seen hunters come in a week before their season opens set up camp and travel around through the woods looking for elk. Two things are wrong with this. One your running your own elk out of the area. Two you ruining someone else's hunt. Hope I made a point on that.
By late August all of the Bulls have shed their velvet except for spikes and immature bulls I.E. raghorns.
Mostly you can some information on elk numbers by contacting a local Division of Wildlife Official. But bear in mind most Officers do all their research on the computer now too!!!! So how many elk in the woods are there? Ask a cattle man or a sheep rancher that has livestock on the mountain they will know more than anyone else. Not all guides are going to talk to you honestly about elk in their area.
I hunt elk in units 80/81 in Colorado OTC unit. It's not so easy to do day after day and archery season has been over ran with hunters the last three years. Making the elk hold tight in the trees even through the rifle season. I don't see alot of hunters being very quiet as they go about their business of trying to hunt. As far as ATV's go I think they should be banned during hunting season's all together in certain area's and trails. That should of been done years ago. I don't mind giving out information to hunters but I'm not going to tell you where I'm exactly going either. Almost 30 years I've paid the dues to kill elk on the first morning of the hunt by knowing where to be and when to be there. I think people have some dues to pay if they want to hunt elk. That's why I like elk hunting you have earned the knowledge or you have to pay for it. Either way sometime people do get lucky.
07-12-2010, 08:22 AM
#7
Fork Horn
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location:
Posts: 417
There is a comment I probably should comment on. Scouting does not have to spoke elk out of the country. It might , but it might not. I've hunted eldk form the salmon river in Idaho, the White River and Uncompaghre of Colorado, to the Sand Juans of Colorado and New Mexico. Many state and national public lands have elk that either do not see anoguht humadn often to spook them, or have seen enough that they are nto taht bothered that they wil go to the next unit.
And I'm not talking about packing in a bunch of peopel nd tromping all over the palce. I'm talking about 1-2 people walkijng or riding, and looking and listening from high up enough to see into meadows, benches and watercourses.
Many of those forests hawe grazing rights on them, so elk see and hear vehicles, horses, cows and humans, through much of the spring and summer. And there are hikers and fisherman, Forest ranger and conservation officers. Elk to not leave the country just because of that activity.
What spooks elk out of a unit is the inundation of hunters, coming in to setup camps, roaring around on 4-wheelers, during the week prioer to any opening weekend.
If I can't get in, look around and get back out without, without spookkg all the elk, then I'm not much of a woodsman. And most archery hunters are very good woodsman.
I'd sit up high and galss as much as possible, never needing to get anywehre near the elk, mulies, bears moose or lions.
If I was going on a one-time, or first time elk hunt, let say for 4-7 days, and I actually wanted to actually see elk, I'd spend as much time scouting as possible. I would not worry about how other people might react, but I would consider the fact that if I insist on getting within photography range, I might spook the animals that other hunters would like to hunt. So, I would not get that close. It is called judicious scouting an glassing.
And anyone has the right to hike, fish, bird watch, or scout dnytiem of year they want.
So go ahed and scout, do at least some of it during the 2 weeks befor eyou paln to hunt, so you are fairly sure the animls will still be in that vicinity whe4n you hunt, and try not to spook the animals, for youself or others.(I never use a 4-wheeler to scout, they are the biggest "spooker" out there.) And enjoy the time in God's Great Outdoors.
God bless,
T.R.
And I'm not talking about packing in a bunch of peopel nd tromping all over the palce. I'm talking about 1-2 people walkijng or riding, and looking and listening from high up enough to see into meadows, benches and watercourses.
Many of those forests hawe grazing rights on them, so elk see and hear vehicles, horses, cows and humans, through much of the spring and summer. And there are hikers and fisherman, Forest ranger and conservation officers. Elk to not leave the country just because of that activity.
What spooks elk out of a unit is the inundation of hunters, coming in to setup camps, roaring around on 4-wheelers, during the week prioer to any opening weekend.
If I can't get in, look around and get back out without, without spookkg all the elk, then I'm not much of a woodsman. And most archery hunters are very good woodsman.
I'd sit up high and galss as much as possible, never needing to get anywehre near the elk, mulies, bears moose or lions.
If I was going on a one-time, or first time elk hunt, let say for 4-7 days, and I actually wanted to actually see elk, I'd spend as much time scouting as possible. I would not worry about how other people might react, but I would consider the fact that if I insist on getting within photography range, I might spook the animals that other hunters would like to hunt. So, I would not get that close. It is called judicious scouting an glassing.
And anyone has the right to hike, fish, bird watch, or scout dnytiem of year they want.
So go ahed and scout, do at least some of it during the 2 weeks befor eyou paln to hunt, so you are fairly sure the animls will still be in that vicinity whe4n you hunt, and try not to spook the animals, for youself or others.(I never use a 4-wheeler to scout, they are the biggest "spooker" out there.) And enjoy the time in God's Great Outdoors.
God bless,
T.R.
