Old growth

[Swede]

When do you elk hunt in heavy, dark old growth timber? Me? Almost never.

[RanchoSueno]

Every year I find myself in thick timber where you can't see beyond 10yds in front of you. Some of my coolest encounters have been in thick timber but I also tend tonpop out and startle whatever is there as I'm creeping forward

[Swede]

Rancho, I believe we are talking about two different things. Where RJ hunts there is heavy brush and dark timber. Both are readily available. Where I hunt there is plenty of brush, many openings and some heavy dark timber. In the dark timber I refer to it is open under the canopy, but due to a lack of light there is very little ground vegetation. I welcome opening the conversation to include a discussion on hunting large areas of heavy brush as I do not hunt that much either.
Where I hunt there is open timber, a few areas of what I call "dark timber, brush patches and openings. I hunt the patches and corridors where the elk have cover moving from one area to another. There are trails and water holes that I can use to focus on exact ambush locations.
Some hunters focus on vegetation and try to find places where the elk feed. I do not pay a lot of attention to feeding areas but focus on travel corridors with some feed in them. I do not know if that makes a lot of sense,
I think as a rifle hunter I would prefer places where elk go from place to place through corridors. I would like small open areas between timber patches.

[RanchoSueno]

Hmm... yes, I can't place the difference in old growth timber where I hunt. I have found though that elk favor dark timber with spongey, mini pine looking footing. I look forward to this fall as colorado had a slightly below average snowfall which results in less abundant forage and pushes the elk into these patches. If you can, add a photo of what you're describing

[Tigger]

Not too often, but once in awhile it is on the way from one spot to the next. Rarely see concentrations of sign. I think mostly travel corridors. But beware! It can transition quickly to what Rancho is describing and that does hold wapiti.

[Swede]

This is not a very good picture, because you can't see much of the surrounding area and it is too light. I think of old growth as having many trees and being dark under a high canopy. There is little vegetation on the ground except for the tall trees. Sunlight rarely reaches the ground, but you can have dead and down material. I have seen deer and elk in these places especially in storms.

[Lefty]

Around here the old growth, thick and nasty is generally above 8000, Spruce fir mix in my area, toss in lots of downfall some raspberry,, 30 yar shots often dont exist. Guaranteed leg cramps that evening.

Then some old growth is too "open" to hunt Our old growth is 200-350 years old,,, yep Ieve countedrings plenty of times

[Lefty]

Yesterday I took a hike into what I thought should be big bear hidy hole hole, 500 feet higher , 1000 yards ip a steep rock canyon,,, old growth stunted trees growing in granite rock I hiked in 30 lbs of bear food,,, 16 lbs of T bone steak, 10 lbs of walnuts, 8 lbs of dried papaya , mangos and apples
Steep steep canyon walls,,, some places just cliff out. 150 yer old trees,,, , 40 foot tall I looked for a possible blind to set up for bears the topps were so thick shots would be very limited....

lots of elk poop