Wapiti Talk | Elk Hunting Forum | Elk Hunting Tips
 

Spooking Elk Before Daylight!

Moderators: Swede, Tigger, Lefty, Indian Summer, WapitiTalk1

Spooking Elk Before Daylight!

Postby ElkNut1 » 02 10, 2013 •  [Post 1]

Many times we will see topics on this very subject, how do hunters get into the woods 1 hour or one & a half hour before light & not spook elk during their travels? Too, where should we camp if bivy style hunting & not have the potential of accidentally spooking elk at dark?

Like many I've read lots of info on this subject but it really boils down to one thing! First, where do elk bed or rendezvous at night? We know they bed in the coolest/shadiest areas possible during those warmer Sept days & generally in cover! But come night elk have a fear for predators, thus they prefer to bed in openings such as meadows, parks, clearcuts, etc. They do this so they can see, sense or hear a possible threat sneaking in to them or their herds. Lone satellites & cows will bed in this fashion too.

So, as hunters do your best to avoid these meadows, clearcuts & parks during your travels at dark. Look at your topo maps if unfamiliar with the country so you can avoid these areas during night time travels or camping to close to these possible night time bedding rutting spots. Many times man made trails will lead you right through these areas so be aware of them ahead of time.

Here's a couple photos of such openings!

ElkNut1
Attachments
20 2008 6x6 Bull.jpg
20 2008 6x6 Bull.jpg (124.45 KiB) Viewed 5958 times
Scouting 12 Aug 2011.jpg
Scouting 12 Aug 2011.jpg (179.2 KiB) Viewed 5960 times
ElkNut1
ElkNut/Paul
 
Posts: 4673
Joined: 05 11, 2012
Location: Idaho

Re: Spooking Elk Before Daylight!

Postby easeup » 02 10, 2013 •  [Post 2]

check
User avatar
easeup
Rank: An Elk Nut
 
Posts: 980
Joined: 06 15, 2012
Location: TEXAS

Re: Spooking Elk Before Daylight!

Postby Huntrgathr » 02 10, 2013 •  [Post 3]

Thanks for the insight Paul ! I was really agonizing over this very thing last deer season. I was always spooking at least one group of deer in the dark and they often would blow and blow, alerting everything for miles ( I assume). It may even be more difficult with deer because they will often be up feeding hours before first light and its hard to predict where they might be bedding or feeding. I was also going in without a light and had a few falls in the dark. Finally, I decided to wait until I could see enough with my binos to ensure that I wouldn't spook anything on the way in. I couldn't get 5 miles in before sun-up like I wanted to but I scared a lot less deer...
User avatar
Huntrgathr
Rank: Satellite Bull
 
Posts: 348
Joined: 12 10, 2012
Location: Flavor Country ( ID)

Re: Spooking Elk Before Daylight!

Postby wapitibowman » 02 10, 2013 •  [Post 4]

I have found animals tend to not spook as easily in the dark. We always backpack in the dark and get into elk every day. It does help we are not walking through these types of areas as Paul suggests and we are extremely familiar with our area.

Wapitibowman
wapitibowman
Rank: Spike
 
Posts: 149
Joined: 06 30, 2012
First Name: R
Last Name: E

Re: Spooking Elk Before Daylight!

Postby Swede » 02 10, 2013 •  [Post 5]

I hate the sound of elk crashing away in the predawn darkness. Sometimes it seems a crap shoot on where to travel. Scent is normally going down hill. Staying low can put me in close proximity to the elk for a long distance of travel. Staying high may help, but my scent is still going down hill. Often I choose to go to a tree stand where I can stay on one side of a ridge, away from my stand, until I can cross over and drop directly down to my destination. Nothing is perfect, but I have minimized the likelyhood of busting out elk, that could come to me later. For me the decision is which stand to go to and how to get there with the least risk. Busting out elk on the way into a tree stand only means I will probably spend a lot of time reading a book and watching squirrels once I get set down. Obviously that is not a good scenario.
Swede
Wapiti Hunting - Tree Stand Tactics
 
Posts: 10215
Joined: 06 16, 2012

Re: Spooking Elk Before Daylight!

Postby Indian Summer » 02 11, 2013 •  [Post 6]

I guess it goes without saying that to know these areas before you get to them in the dark you have to be familiar with your hunting area and the habits of the elk. I know meadows where they bed at night... and ones with trails right through them where I can cover big distances without bumping bedded elk very often if at all.

In the morning I'm usually looking for a higher vantage point from where I can hear. If I'm in an area where glassing is possible then my morning spot will allow that too. Yes my scent is going downhill but hey... it's always going somewhere right so that's what prayers are for. At that point I'm trying to locate elk at longer distances anyway. If I see or hear elk directly below and down wind I'll move left or right in a hurry while I'm closing the distance.

If I want to cross an opening where I think elk might be hanging at night I have a choice I guess. If I know for sure there are elk somewhere else & my #1 priority is to get there early I'll stop, listen, and even glass in the dark (where quality binoculars pays off) and then I'll make my move to where I want to be risking getting busted on the way.

If I have nowhere special to be I might try to pick my vantage point somewhere just before the opening, or... move to the edge if I have the wind and wait til light to see what's up before crossing. Even if I don't know the area that well but have been there for a few days I should know if the elk have been using the opening or not. No sign I'll stomp right through maybe. If there's sign the answer is obvious.... get there early and keep your eyes and ears wide open and wait.

Alot of this may depend on the size of the opening too. Spot 1 hard to say. Water looks clear and grass is clean so if there's no other recent sign I'd be on my merry way in the dark if I wanted to.

In pic 2 I wouldn't cross. Just too sweet looking and lots of country for elk to appear out of. Surely some cows are treating their calves to the greenest grass around in that bottom which happens to have some nice dark timber right next to it! I'd try to find a spot where I could sit where my scent wasn't flowing like water right into the basin. If there wasn't such a spot I'd get lower in the dark and peek into it from the side. I also want to glass that far hill to see if there's anything crossing the top at first light to a bedding spot, or moving into the timber below. Looks like there may be some feed on that slope.

As far as where I camp.... up high, near water, and a reasonable distance from the edge of the area where I expect to be doing most of my hunting. Also... up over the top and on the opposite slope if possible so I'm not camping above my hunting area.

Are my answers too long? I'm an elk junkie that could go on all day. :)
User avatar
Indian Summer
Wapiti Hunting Consultant
 
Posts: 5247
Joined: 06 14, 2012
Location: Pennsylvania
First Name: Joe
Last Name: Ferraro

Re: Spooking Elk Before Daylight!

Postby cnelk » 02 11, 2013 •  [Post 7]

One of the areas I hunt requires a hike of 2 hours.
It's an area laced with old logging roads.
If you want to get to a spot I call the 'Bull Pen' before sunrise, I HAVE to dissect thru area where elk are traveling.
Sometimes I bump them, sometimes I don't.

Sometimes they are not where you think they are going to be are they???!!! ;)
User avatar
cnelk
Rank: An Elk Nut
 
Posts: 2164
Joined: 06 30, 2012
Location: N. Colorado
First Name: Brad
Last Name: K

Re: Spooking Elk Before Daylight!

Postby elkmtngear » 02 11, 2013 •  [Post 8]

Like cnelk, we have a couple of honeyholes that require a long walk in before daybreak, and occasionally we bump elk, usually whenever the trail opens up into a small park. We know where those parks are, and we have started using our decoys for shields when moving through them.

On a couple of occasions we have had bulls charge into bowrange while we are hunkered down behind the decoys before shooting light. Usually they eventually end up moving back to the treeline and gathering their cows to move on, but sometimes they just stand there and watch us walk by. It's exciting and usually over with quickly.

Now that we have released the Moo Cow Decoy, I am thinking it would be a much better way to move across those small parks, since there are range cattle in almost all our hunting areas. We could easily swap the cover to an elk decoy when we get into position to hunt.

One good thing...if you are bumping elk, you're in the right place ;)
Image
Best of Luck,
Jeff (Elknut Forums Sponsor)
http://elkmtngear.com/blog/elk-mountain/introducing-the-worlds-most-versatile-blind
the Elk Mountain SLIP System...SLIP it on, SLIP in, and get the SHOT!
User avatar
elkmtngear
Site Sponsor
 
Posts: 959
Joined: 06 11, 2012
Location: State of Jefferson