Hunting tactics

I hunt elk once a year most times in sept with a bow. This past oct i drew a muzzy hunt . Tag soup the last three years. My success rate has dropped to about 60%. I normally cover about 3 to 5 square miles a day in dark timber and very rough terrian and then move on the next day if I don't see an elk. I was wondering how long ya'll stay in an area before you move on. I don't have time to scout and can only hunt 5 consecutive days so I hit the ground running and don't stop moveing until I have to go home. But giving the past three failures I'm beganing to wonder if I should stick around an area longer than a day. Any thoughts or advice would be welcome. :-k
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firefighterbraun
Well first off, I've never hunted elk but I think a lot of the same principles apply as do to deer. Scouting is probably the biggest thing that might be able to help your success rate go up. Even if it is only a couple times before the hunt starts so you have an idea if there are elk in the area at all where you will be going when the hunt rolls around. Is there lots of signs of elk in the area where you go? Beds, tracks, poop? If not then maybe you need to focus on finding that first to give you an idea of the area. Have you considered using a trail cam? That has been a huge help for me. Let's you know if anything is in the area and when they are there. From there you can scout or begin to glass. And then regarding your ? about how long to stay in one area. It just depends IMO. I will glass an area for an hour and make sure I haven't missed anything bedded down and given them a chance to move around. Just depends on the cover, what time of the day, and the weather. Hope this helps. Best of luck in the coming year and hope you can have some elk soup instead. :))
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Default Avatar
Elk can move long distances in the matter of a few hours. Being able to read the sign they leave and know that it is brand new is important. They can be 5 miles from the day old sign you found if they have been disturbed. One spot I hunted for years was a challenge because the electical storms would move them around alot. The bull I shot this year we heard the night before so we knew exactly where to start.
Mark
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Hiker
If I'm hunting a familiar area and know the herd. I'll check the normal areas and try to pin point them. I'll keep moving until I find them. I do my best to stay out of their bedroom/bedding area. If I'm hunting a new area, I try to cover as much ground as needed to find fresh sign. I then try to figure out where they are feeding, getting their water and bedding. During earlier seasons, when it's still warm, I will check out the cooler areas. i.e. north side of the mountains, etc.
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