Elk Sign?
 

Scouting for elk and bear I found a lot of these scrapes that I think are elk rubs but I'm not sure, I'm a turkey hunter trying my hand at big game hunting so any help would be appreciated. These look like they may be done by their teeth if so why would elk do that? www.huntingnet.com/forum/[/IMG]
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Yup those are old scars from elk chewing on quakie bark. If you are in elk country and find a stand of aspens they will often look like that. Elk were there at one time for sure.

During winter elk will eat the bark of aspens. Doesn't do you much good for hunting season since the seasons are usually closed before they do this. Put it is an indicator of healthy winter range.

Thanks guys ! always good to learn new things but what a bummer it wont help me this fall.
I have heard that elk eat aspen bark in winter when food is hard to get, a long time elk hunter told me cows eat the bark after giving birth to ease their pain, he had chewed some for a headache and it worked.

Looks like some hungry elk.
-Jake

Oh it can help you anytime of the year. Aspen groves are normally grass covered which is prime elk food during the fall. Find a good stand of aspen and look around you will find tracks and droppings. Find fresh and you are into elk. They often bed on a ridge near quakies especially if there is water nearby. Aspens offer a transition from the impenetrable dark timber where they spend most of the daylight time and the grass meadows where they feed. My hunting buddy Rob has a cabin for sale and the inside is aspen tongue and groove. What beautiful wood.

Great info, thanks ! I knew they liked aspen but now I know why.


I will be hunting an area with S. facing slopes with scrub oak and trails leading to dark timber on the North slope with aspen groves in the dark timber and I believe a spring and creek in 2 of those aspen groves, one for sure. My plan would be to hunt high on their trails in the am and hunt low late afternoon, maybe it would be good to stake out an aspen grove w/ water early and late depending on what sign I find. 5 pointer on one of my cams.
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