Open Bull Pine Valley and... wild horses?

[runnin350]

After a landslide up Cedar Canyon, it takes a long time to get to the Zion unit for open bull so I have decided to try the Pine Valley unit. I know that the elk there but few and far between but I can get out to Enterprise MUCH quicker. So the other day there were a lot of tracks that sort of looked like elk prints but sometimes didn't and there was poop everywhere! Again, some looked like elk poo and some didn't. My dad then ended up coming to a wild horse and we assumed that is what was making all the tracks- but only one horse was seen. Does anyone know if horses and elk stay away form each other or if they can sometimes run the same territory?

[DeadI]

First I would like to tell you Welcome to the forum hope you stick around for a long time. Second don't take this the wrong way, But if you can not tell the difference between an elk track and a horse track you need to do some studying. They are completely different and not even remotely similar. As for if an elk and horse will share the same area I believe they do. Again sorry about my comment but the two tracks are not even close to the same.

Again welcome to the forum its great to have ya.

[runnin350]

Nope, not taken the wrong way. It is my first year hunting... I knew they had different prints, but maybe what was seen was prints overlapping and looking like an elk print, I don't know. I'll keep looking and hope I find some distinct elk prints.

[The Ox]

like stated elk vs horse tracks way way diff! elk look more like a big deer tracks. horse are round and flat no creases like elk and deer. horse scat is in piles and bigger than elk scat. elk scat are marble sized droppings often flat on bottom and pointed tips . im sure you have seen horse scat before it looks the same with wild horses. horses and elk co exist in the same areas. so make sure its an elk your shooting at. pinewalley is very very low numbers elk and very hard. but there are a few there. good liuck you'll need it

[The Ox]

like stated elk vs horse tracks way way diff! elk look more like a big deer tracks. horse are round and flat no creases like elk and deer. horse scat is in piles and bigger than elk scat. elk scat are marble sized droppings often flat on bottom and pointed tips . im sure you have seen horse scat before it looks the same with wild horses. horses and elk co exist in the same areas. so make sure its an elk your shooting at. pinewalley is very very low numbers elk and very hard. but there are a few there. good liuck you'll need it also there are cattle on alot of the unit elk prints look closer to cattle prints than horse. and many people mistake them so keep that in mind. best sign is droppings if you cant tell tracks

[JimmyB]

I've been told there's elk in Pine Valley but very very few! I've been all over those mountains and I've never seen any sign of elk but I was never looking for it either. As for tracks, dropppings, ect here's a page to help ya out.

Good luck ;)

http://www.elk-hunting-tips.net/elk-sign.html

[runnin350]

Good news and bad news... today was the last day that I had to hunt and I saw one! My dad and I came over a ridge very slowly and didn't even know he was there. I think we startled him just as much as he startled us! It was pretty thick and I caught a glimpse of him and he was huge. Aside from the monster rack he was a big bull. We tried to flush him out three times but didn't ever see him again. It took several trips but I think we finally figured the area out and next year he'll be bigger.

P.S. thanks JimmyB!