Checking out your elk country

[Lefty]

How often or trips do many of you spend in the area you elk hunt during the off season?
I know some of you it is just a trip out the back door. Others it is states away!
Im only a couple hours from where I hunt and try to hike ski, coyote hunt, ATV camp and truely scout 4,5,6 times between
seasons
How about the rest of you ? ( oh and no fish where Im at )

[FemoralArchery]

Never, this will be the first time.

This is the first year that I've ever planned to go up there out of season. I will be shed hunting and probably put out some trail cameras.

Its funny you ask this, I was thinking of posting the very same question.

[JimKirk]

I check my areas out on anywhere from 6 to 10 weekends between may and sept. maybe more this year since I just ordered a few more trail cams.

[Swede]

I usually make the eight hour trip once a year with my brother George to look things over, and set up cameras, etc. Then we go five days before the season opens to check the cameras, set up camp and tree stands and torcher our bodies by eating red meat, mostly elk.

[TetonStorm]

My family and I spend a lot of time, in the country I hunt, all summer. It's behind my house and we regularly camp and peruse the woods. It's funny how I can spend so much time there but yet always find new nooks and crannies. As the years go by their hidey holes are being snuffed out by my brother and I. In the winter I backcountry ski in the same area and regularly hang out in our summer elk camp and revive the fire pit from its winter burial!

[pointysticks]

my NM hunts..i go often. i fly home to mountain bike with friends, and spot for the elk.

we have some land over there..non huntable, so i go to check on it often and dream of the cabin i will build there someday for my retirement plot. we have elk on our tiny piece of mountian..but it is sorta in town.

good luck..love how it is already burning in your brain.

[easeup]

well, it is a long way to elk country from here.
my trips are based upon a hope and a prayer

[Broken arrow]

This year will be my first year hunting elk. But I did spend a couple nights in my area last May couldn't see planning a 10 day trip without at least seeing the area in person. I'm already addicted and I haven't even hunted yet!

First trip I saw 23 elk and a handful of mulies. I thought that was pretty good for a greenhorn!

[WapitiTalk1]

Not as often/much as I should or would like to. In WA, I visit my elk area in late July or early August to confirm their presence. As far as my main hunts in either MT or ID, I don't make the late summer/early fall journey to scout. It makes a world of difference to truly "know" the country you hunt. It's like night and day for sure. When I lived in MT, it was numerous trips to my hunting areas after the snow receded up to the season start dates.. Makes a difference for sure.

[FemoralArchery]

This year will be my first year hunting elk. But I did spend a couple nights in my area last May couldn't see planning a 10 day trip without at least seeing the area in person. I'm already addicted and I haven't even hunted yet!

First trip I saw 23 elk and a handful of mulies. I thought that was pretty good for a greenhorn!

I usually don't see a handful of mulies in 2 weeks of hunting my area. So you are doing better than me.

This year I'm not going up to scout for elk, I'm going to scout for a specific bull. Usually I am just hunting a bull, but this year I am looking for a certain someone.

One guy from my group has been hunting the same area for 37 years, he's been there the longest, I've been hunting there for 13 years and I've been there the shortest amount of time. I've never been there without some kind of tag in my pocket. I guess I'm lucky in that I can keep hunting the same area year after year. Its really a great feeling to wake up opening morning, drive for 2 hours and be confident that you will see elk after not stepping foot in the unit since last season.

[cnelk]

I hunt elk about 2 hours from home.

We head up there probably a couple times each month in summer to camp, fish, ATV, dirtbike
In the winter we hunt coyotes, ice fish, snowmobile.

Ive been hunting the areas for 23 years. And I also try to find something new...

[Vanish]

So far I've only gotten up the the area once before the season each time. Backcountry fishing is a big thing of mine, and though the area I hunt has some good fish, its not the "trophy fish" I am searching for, unless I had a float tube ... hmmm, maybe that's an excuse to buy one!

[elkmtngear]

I tried hunting a new area last Season with just a single weekend scouting trip in. And that's about all I have to say about that

I learned my lesson and I'm going back to my old area that I have hunted for years. It can take many Seasons to truly "learn" an area in the elk woods.

Getting to a place where you know you can find elk consistently, or hooking up with someone who does, is like gold.

[njord4]

Along these lines, I plan on heading out to southwestern Montana this fall for a first time self-guided hunt. I am debating about heading out in July/August just for a week or so to go fishing and scouting. But if I understand elk behavior correctly, the elk would not be in the same spot in late October as they will be in early August.

Any thoughts?

[Lefty]

Along these lines, I plan on heading out to southwestern Montana this fall for a first time self-guided hunt.,.... But if I understand elk behavior correctly, the elk would not be in the same spot in late October as they will be in early August.Any thoughts?

If you have the coin think about a pack trip in the summer,.. good trip for the whole family

[elkoholic]

I live near unit 10 in NM, about 15-20 minutes before I'm in the mountain. I am lucky in that sense! It's not a quality unit, but it's quality enough for me! I'm up there every weekend...