Should I stay or should I find another area

[MtnOak]

OK wapititalkers……….give me your advice.
After being out of the elk hunting game for over 20 years I got back into it in 2016 and I have had a ball ever since but still haven’t sealed the deal yet, I’m in a area I’ve been in now since 2017 and I’ve turned down cows every year because a good bull was always right there but just couldn’t get a clear shot, it’s a combo nightmare of where the aspen and spruce meets scrub oaks and guess where they like to stay………..mostly in the scrub oaks, but occasionally they hit the aspen/spruce, I know this area like the back of my hand now and truly love the beauty of this area not to mention the elk are there but man they are tough to get in range (bulls).

So my question is do I move on to a new area and start all over again or stick with it and eventually it will all come together????
I’m turning 51 in a couple weeks and in better shape than most but I’m not sure how much grit I’ll have down the road, this area is some of the toughest terrain (steep/thick) in the Rockies.

The 2016 year I was in a different area (Lone Cone) and it absolutely sucked even though we finally caught up to a good herd and good bulls with 2 days left on that hunt but we ran into all kinds of problems that year…

[saddlesore]

Never leave elk to go find elk. To find elk now days,you need into go into that rugged terrain

[Jhg]

Stick with it. You have 5 yrs invested and every year yields more local elk savvy.

The fact you are having encounters as described tells me you are in the right place. It can be very difficult/frustrating with encounters such as yours- the cow shot is there but the bull is there too, so close and so you pass on the cow.
How many times have I passed on a cow when the bull was in sight or just behind some trees? Many many times.

I think if you can adjust your encounters just enough to give you the bull first or access to him before the cow, the shots will come. How can you put yourself in that transition zone that tilts encounters your way? One thing I have done is put myself on the outer perimeter of what I think is the bulls "circle of tending". Almost never will a bull walk right in path with the cows. ( "almost never"). He will walk parallel if following, or circle them if he is really tending, keeping the cows bunched to his particular satisfaction at the time. Use that to your advantage.

It works, but it is often a game, testing of your patience and stealth.

Knowing an elk area well is gold. Don't let second guessing yourself throw that away. Keep at it. Elk knowledge for an area is hard earned and good for you having earned it.

Never leave elk to find elk. Wise words there.

[Elkhunttoo]

It can sound tempting to go somewhere else. I switched areas around 8 years ago. I switched to a more local area because of work. I love this area now and don’t want to switch out although numbers in my little area I hunted last year seemed down. Not sure if it was due to weather, predators, or something else. But I will be back this year sitting in a tree.

From what it sounds like you are finding elk. Unless you have a great tip on a spot to switch to, I would say stay. Good luck

[Swede]

I agree with Saddlesore. Don't leave elk to find elk. Learn how to more effectively hunt the ones you know inhabit the area you have been in. Passing over adult elk to get a bigger one is the main stock in tag soup.

[MtnOak]

Thanks for the input gang, y’all answered the question I kinda already knew the answer to, guess I just needed to see or read it, I am in the most beautiful mountain range on earth but it’s a tough mofo compared to most of em and I know I don’t have that many years left to be able to tackle such a task before I have to find a easier place holding elk ….

[Lefty]

Not that I am " the grass is always greener " But I often find a new area refreshing and exciting. but knowing the ins and outs of an area has huge advantages.

If the new area provides you more days to hunt ( closer?) or different or easier access. I hunt deer near my inlaw small lake cabin,,, because cabin sleeping is easier than the RV life in that situation. . Or you are hooked up with someone to hunt with in a new area, or just the excitement of a new place.
Maybe your current area just needs a closer review,,, spend your free time scouting it during the off-season

[MtnOak]

Not that I am " the grass is always greener " But I often find a new area refreshing and exciting. but knowing the ins and outs of an area has huge advantages.

If the new area provides you more days to hunt ( closer?) or different or easier access. I hunt deer near my inlaw small lake cabin,,, because cabin sleeping is easier than the RV life in that situation. . Or you are hooked up with someone to hunt with in a new area, or just the excitement of a new place.
Maybe your current area just needs a closer review,,, spend your free time scouting it during the off-season

I spend a lot of time on google earth looking over the area I hunt, kinda like now it’s 4:10am and I’ve been looking at it for about 30 min with some coffee, it’s about the only scouting I can do short of catching a plane out of Nashville and flying out there for a weekend.

A friend of mine had been hunting the same area for 20+ years it got slow the last few years and after hunting there last year for a couple weeks with no luck at all he moved camp to a different area and in another week or 2 he’d killed a monster of a bull, guess it got me thinking about doing the same thing.
Another thing that bothers me ……when I found this place in 2017 I had that entire mountain range to myself for 7 days not another person around ( I know strange/rare) and elk were running crazy all over the place while I was trying to figure out the land, since then it’s gotten crowded at times and I’m tired of that crap like everyone else I guess.

I missed last season due to a close friend passing from pancreatic cancer now I’m more anxious to get out there this year and spend as much time as I can in the elk woods.

[Swede]

Sometimes elk change their routine and the places they inhabit. Logging, fires, stock grazing, wolves, weather issues, and/or hunting pressure can make it easy enough to see why. Sometimes it is more subtle or a combination of different things that makes it harder to figure out. A harsh winter earlier or poaching plus cougars etc. make it tough hunting and you may not see anything to indicate what the problem is. I watch the numbers published by the game commission. A lot of hunters don't trust the game commissions numbers, and they don't tell you where the elk will be when you are out hunting, but they are still a good indicator on what the elk trends are like.
One of the easiest traps to fall into is seeing fresh sign and thinking you will find elk in the area. Fresh sign only tells you elk were recently there. If you see fresh scat, rubs, as well as less recent sign, you can get the picture of what is happening. Where I hunt it would be easy to not see an elk by hunting where you first see fresh elk poop. They are gone and won't be back for 10-12 days. If they leave to gather up cows, they may be gone even longer. We have not even considered winter migration.
One of the toughest things I have observed is how hard it is for bow hunters to give up seeing or hearing elk nearly every day, to go sit in a good tree stand and wait, where they will see elk only once or twice a week. There is a huge difference between seeing elk and shooting elk especially with a bow.

[Old school]

If I was in elk I’d stay there. I enjoy hunting in different states but generally hunt the same areas within that state. Learning the ins and outs of a particular area is satisfying to me.