scrapes

[powderhogg01]

I am curious. while connection the dots on where the elk are and where they are going I keep coming across area with heavy scrapes. I know a lot of white tail hunters who set stands over scrapes, I was wondering if this might not be a bad pace to set up. I am hunting a fairly pressured otc unit in co, which does not have the greatest elk success. I am in the elk, i have heard them walking just out of eye sight, bugle at pre dawn and night time, found there tracks a wallow as well as spring sources they appear to frequent. My season has 3 days left and its tag soup on the elk..
my season has been filled with issues, not complaining, I have learned a lot and should have killed some really nice animals.. my peep sight moving was the icing on the cake, but its locked in place where it should be, and my groups are spot on like they were before. With all the bad out of the way, I would really like to connect.
these scrapes were fresh, still oozing liquid.. which tells me they happened at night or very early this morning, curious on the thoughts of some more season elk hunters out there.
They are between the real steep thick timbers and the closest water source..

[Navesgane]

Not to be a smart @ss but that's a tree rub. A scrape is made on the ground in the dirt and the elk urinate and sometime wallow in it. A tree rub line is usually a path of a bull in the area that's in a way marking his territory and getting ready for the daily activities where as a scrape is more of a socialization activity. Tree rubs are great to set up early season. If you think they're still being used I wouldn't hesitate to set up off the trail first thing in the morning.

[zpd307]

from what I have seen, bulls will rub where they hang out for the evening, on their way to and from, and all around their bedroom. from what I have seen in Colorado and now Idaho, they generally bed in some nasty stuff with plenty of blow downs on benches. so depending where the rub is, depends on what you should do.

[powderhogg01]

yeah your right!! I wrote this on my cell, it should have said rubs and scrapes. I had issues with the uploader from my cell phone and missed one of the pictures of the scrape itself


there is a wallow/ spring fed water hole, then a solid travel corridor, the trail leads up the hill, over 2 fast flowing streams to an old logging road, which is where all the fresh rubs are. There are tons, of them, old and new. I still hunted my way up the hill and got into some aspens and even found some beds, and a nice bull who was just not willing to play with me.
3 mornings now I have heard the bull moving from the water hole/ wallow heading up hill. I plan to get into those aspens I found the elk this evening in hopes on beating the elk to the bedding location. my goal is to set up off the logging road where the main trail meets it and where the most rubs are occurring.

[Navesgane]

What general area are you hunting?

[powderhogg01]

im hunting the western boundary of colorado gmu 38. In particular the blue creek, mad creek and billmore lake areas. I am open to any suggestions as the season is nearing an end. I have never taken an elk with my bow, while I have had the opportunity, due to a malfunction in equipment... I was unable to seal the deal. With that being fixed im really hoping to seal the deal. I feel like im getting closer.. putting the pieces together, just wish I had not spent so long chasing muleys in the high country when the elk had moved into different areas