Elk scouting.

Just some scouting info I wrote and figured now would be the time of year to post it up.


Im going through the same deal as I think the good majority of us go through every year. Looking for that holy grail of elk hunting. That holy grail means something different to everyone. Im sure the majority of us would like to see few if any hunters and many elk. Some of us would be willing to walk miles with our camp/gear on our backs to get away from hearing an atv or a vehicle. Others would like to be able to get off work and be able to scout or hunt the same night. Altitude make a difference to me... I know that elk are spread out in their habits and some can be found at 5k ft. Some GOOD bulls I might add. While others are obviously all the way up to timberline. I would rather have 20 Good bulls to hunt in my area than 2 huge bulls. My point being that we all have personal preference some of those preferences are worth not losing to having the other. Find out what is the MOST important factors of what you want in your hunt and go from there. Many people I know ask me for advise on scouting techniques so Im gonna lay some down.

This year I am going to start at the "Drawing Board" again. The first thing I want to know is where I can get tags (I prefer to have a bull tag every year vs. waiting for a unit.) So Ill go to the DOW webpage and start with OTC units. Some draw units take no points for residents but do for non residents (this is important bonus to me as it cuts out nonresident hunters and yet I can get a tag every year.) Mark all of them on a map... from there I will start then marking important info to me. Bull to cow ratio... number of hunters per year number of animals taken, success rates and hunter pressure. I can mark record book animals if thats important to me that year. Some of these stats mean very little by themselves but with all of it laid out in front of me its alot easier to focus on a unit or group of units to begin. Start searching the web... google has helped me fill the freezer many times, where do the outfitters go in those units? Do they advertise drop camps in a certain drainage? If so whats their advertised success rates? Any info from DOW about the area...espnoutdoors, local newspaper hunting articles on line? Info on bowsite for the unit or a specific area? Is it overly advertised? Take all this raw data and you can narrow down to a few units that the numbers,info,location match best for what you are looking for.

Then break out those maps. Satellite, Dow, Vegetation, migration, Topo. What I specifically look for may not be important to you. Each year changes for me. This year I wanted to get back in there far so I specifically looked for areas that where "X" miles from a road. Then I looked for areas that met this criteria and then added also "X" miles from the closest trail. And that narrowed down my area even more... at that point I looked at the elevation and vegetation (biomass) I wanted to hunt. This season was getting away from roads, trails and hunters. If I wanted to shoot a decent bull by the road I would look for features that would dissuade other hunters from going into. Is it real thick or steep initially. Does it look worse than it is. These are places that will hold elk close to the road by keeping hunters out. I then mark my gps on points of interests that I think will attract or hold elk.... water holes, a thick patch in the middle of alot of open ground or aspens, obviously ravines. Specifically on my favorite side of the mountain to hunt. (In my experience the North side.) Also adding in what I know about elk habits bedding areas, travel routes, feeding areas and escape routes from other mountains ive scouted previously. With these GPS points and my printed maps I can confidently say I will find elk on each new area I go into. And I havent even left work yet.

Good old ground time is very important for learning new areas, Walking time and Glassing is essential, but as we all now this isnt always obtainable with work and family. Pre-scouting is essential for this, because going into an area blind can cost you money, energy and days that could have been very productive if you had a good idea on where to find elk already. Its great when you get out of your truck on a new mountain and unit and consistantly get into elk in a hour or two later. Even had a entire herd of bulls laying 20 feet from my gps point I premarked once though id never laid eyes on the unit before. Lucky? Probably some but when you do it frequently you know you are starting to become proficient at finding and picking new places to hunt. No matter where you go an elk is still an elk. They are herd animals and creatures of habit not the elusive ghost that many believe the wapiti to be. Its not hard to pattern elk just remember they are diverse and they cover ALOT of ground. The unfortunate part is you will only have an idea of what to expect come hunting season... number of hunters and weather determine much of this. But this is the same with any area. 1 year can be packed with elk and no hunters and the next year the opposite. Have a plan B close by and be versatile come hunting season if you learn where to find elk no matter where you go then you will find the place that suits you best.

Hopefully someone will get some tips out of this that they didnt previously have. A full bag of tricks and knowledge lead to full freezers.

Next years hunt always starts the day I get home from this years hunt