Who is hunting a new area in 2014?

[pd]

Phantom16 (RJ) is doing such a great job in posting provocative and interesting topics, I decided to take up the challenge with another important issue. I don't write as well as he does, but I will attempt an RJ-knock off!

Perhaps you changed partners, or decided to go it alone this year. Maybe this coming season will be your first time chasing Colorado elk with a bow. Perhaps a change in employment brought you to another state. For whatever reason, 2014 will bring you to a new hunting ground. What are you going to do to ensure success?

There are obvious places to start: Research the game units by studying maps, scouring Google Earth, calling the biologist at the state game department, asking for help in 'The World's Best Elk Forum" and so forth. Maybe you are lucky enough to get out before the season and hike & camp your new area. What else will you do?

This is a relevant topic for me. 2013 brought me to 2 new areas, not just one. My family's camp was moved to a new area last year, one that nobody really knows well. We have all been in the general vicinity (literally for the past several decades), but the specific area was completely virgin territory. We relied upon distant relatives for advice, but it turned out to be a fruitless year for all of us (the distant relatives did very well, as they always do). We simply did not do enough pre-season scouting of the area. 2014 will be better.

My own base camp (another state) was new in 2013, too. I spent days & days & days in the field before the season, hiking/scouting, hanging cameras, marking sign, &c. Come the 2013 season, I was ready. Well, it turned out that I made too many mistakes. I wasn't able to forecast where the elk would be during the main season (hint: they were not in the same place they were in the summertime). 2013 was very hard for me in this new area, but I didn't give up at all. I have been back already, scouting and hiking, and I have a much better idea of what I did wrong, and have a better plan of attack for 2014.

We all should be prepared to spend 2 to 3 years learning a new area, before we can expect success--this is true for a truly "new area" and not some place shown to you by a buddy or a relative.

What say you? What are you going to do in your new area in 2014?

[Fridaythe13th]

Not a new area but like you only 1 year under the belt. It took us a few day to find elk but when we did they seem to stay in the same valley. So this year I can only hope there in the same spot. I hope that is common for elk to live or to stay put for years. No scouting for us 21 hours away, one of our member might take a family trip and hang a camera and tree stand.

[elkmtngear]

I'll be scouting a new area that is a reasonable distance from home. This (early) Season will be all recon, so I will only be buying a muley tag for the area. I plan to take multiple pre-season scouting trips, install a trail cam, possibly treestand if I find the right spot.

I have potential bedding areas marked on my GPS, and I will be looking for high water sources. Since I'll be muley hunting, I plan on doing a lot of glassing as well.

I'll be deer hunting early September in this area, and heading back to my old "honey holes" in Colorado for the last half of September.

I'm hoping the recon will pay off, and I will be able to find enough elk to make a possible harvest next Season. So I'm on the "two year plan".

This is a bull only unit, but spike or better is legal.

[Trophyhill]

I hope to be hunting 2 new areas this year. Right now I've hunted at least 6 different units in 6 years and fully expect to kill elk on virgin ground. I think if we have the attitude that it will take 2-3 years of hunting an area to be successful, we are defeated before we ever get started whereas if we go into a unit expecting to kill elk each morning when we head out then good things are bound to happen.

[Toby]

We switched to a new area in 2012, and being 20 hours away could not get there to scout. We ended up changing camp twice in 8 days, a little frustrating, but finally found a decent area for the last three days of our hunt. We were barely able to scratch the surface in that amount of time only two of us, but saw enough to make me want to return in 2013. We did with five hunters in our crew, this really helped as we were able to cover much more ground and compare notes. We ended up,taking two bulls and missed another, everyone saw elk in decent numbers. I am excited about returning this year, although I may be solo since all our guys don't get an elk vacation every year. I am excited since I now know some good elk hang outs and am much more familiar with the territory. It really helps me to study GE after having boots on the ground, seems to make more sense to me.

[WapitiTalk1]

Great thread pd. Very good food for thought here. Even with insider information (friends, family members, forum tips, etc.) about a given new area, you really never know what you're going to find. I believe a lot of remote hunters (live XX states away from MT, WY, CO, ID, etc.) do not ensure they exhaust "all" available resources when researching/targeting a new area. Internet mapping (and understanding what they're looking at/for), obtaining hard copies of 7.5 topos, personal phone contact with biologist, checking game department harvest reports, and one of my favorite methods.... talking to USFS employees at the Ranger Station your area lies within are all important steps when targeting an area to spend your precious vacation time in the elkwoods. Hmm, may be time to kick in some more map reading threads to follow up your thread

[Steve G]

This topic applies to me, as I am planning my first elk hunt in a state that I have never visited. If time allows, I plan to take a flight to the airport nearest my planned hunting area with nothing but a loaded back pack and wallet, rent a care and drive to the area some time in the month preceding the season and hike the area. Hopefully, I will be able to glass some elk and find some sign; but if nothing else I hope to hike my boots up every ridge and down every valley in my targeted area with my eyes wide open.

My goal is to become familiar with the landscape so that I can know it in a way that no map can provide at a time when I'm not distracted with hunting. If I have been to a place before then I know how to get there again and more importantly how to get out. It will also give me a better foundation for making an educated guess on where elk have moved to. I hope.

[stringunner]

We all should be prepared to spend 2 to 3 years learning a new area, before we can expect success--

This is very true. It took me three years in the same area before I finally started putting animals on the ground. Hunting season lasts for 30 days, I "hunt" the area all year long. Particularly for these very pressured otc units with low to mid elk populations.

[Indian Summer]

I think if we have the attitude that it will take 2-3 years of hunting an area to be successful, we are defeated before we ever get started whereas if we go into a unit expecting to kill elk each morning when we head out then good things are bound to happen.

I guess that depends on what you know about elk hunting and what you know about the area from research and better yet, tips from others who have been there. I don't think anyone necessarily says it takes 2-3 years to be successful but it certainly takes that long or longer to learn the area in detail and how the elk use it in different conditions to the point where you think you can kill them every time. For a novice to stroll into an area they've never seen thinking they'll kill one for sure isn't very realistic. A positive attitude and self motivation are great but getting one's hopes up too much is a recipe for disappointment.

I'll start off in a new area this year. But I sent a guy in there before who killed a bull in 3 days after we made a plan for him on the map. I've actually looked at the area from a distance too. But if things aren't on the right track after 3 days I'll be pulling camp and heading to places I do know where I can make it happen instead of just hoping things go my way. It's not easy to just "make it happen" if you don't have prior experience somewhere.

[zpd307]

new area for me this year. went from Colorado, 2 years there, to Idaho. but.... we are going out to scout in august! this time I will have a plan on where to scout, I am looking for sign!!!

[pd]

We switched to a new area in 2012, and being 20 hours away could not get there to scout. We ended up changing camp twice in 8 days, a little frustrating, but finally found a decent area for the last three days of our hunt. We were barely able to scratch the surface in that amount of time only two of us, but saw enough to make me want to return in 2013. We did with five hunters in our crew, this really helped as we were able to cover much more ground and compare notes. We ended up,taking two bulls and missed another, everyone saw elk in decent numbers. I am excited about returning this year, although I may be solo since all our guys don't get an elk vacation every year. I am excited since I now know some good elk hang outs and am much more familiar with the territory. It really helps me to study GE after having boots on the ground, seems to make more sense to me.

Toby, that's a great story! I think the extra guys (eyes, ears, legs) in 2013 really helped out your cause. It is too bad for the other guys that they can't harvest the fruit of their efforts this year, but you can. Go get 'em, and bag an elk for the team!

[Elkduds]

3 years ago I moved from CO's west slope to CO Springs. Now I am 6-9 hours away from my old hunting spots, and a giant slice of new country is within 1-3 hours. However, I have found many more hunters and more difficult tag draws east of the Divide. I have been researching via internet and getting boots on the ground around Pikes Peak, San Luis Valley, South Park, La Veta/Cuchara, even North Park, seen some great country and a few elk. Last fall, due to nostalgia and an empty freezer, I hunted an old favorite spot outside Grand Junction and came home w a cow. I am trying to transition all my hunting to this east side, but the familiar spots I hunted for 15 years keep tempting me back west. Maybe its my age that veers me toward the old familiar places. It takes a lot of time and effort to really learn how to hunt new spots. None of this is complaining, I recognize I just have different opportunities now. It would be overwhelming to learn this new country if it weren't for this and other forums, GE, and hunters who are generous in sharing their experience. This year I am returning to archery along w rifle hunting so I can hunt more country every autumn. Looking forward to it!

[elkaholic]

For the 2013 season my partner and I hunted a new area and began trying to learn the ins and outs of the elk that call the area home. This year we will be hunting some new territory within the same unit as well as keeping tabs on the areas we hunted last year. Its big country so there is a lot of travel. The area we plan on learning this year is roughly 20 miles as the crow flies from where we hunted last year. Can't wait!!

[tvbrewster]

Wyoming Wind River Mountains. First time for us in the state of Wyoming. Going in on horseback the day before the rifle opener. Should be quite the adventure.

[Ghost]

Hunting the East Fork of the Bitteroots in Montana for the first time, with alot of help from Joe, Ive hunted nearby in Idaho in the Selway, but from the looks of things, this will be a completely different hunt, looking forward to not have a 3 plus hour climb every morning.

[Csrbowhunter]

I'll be hunting all new state this year. I've got some help from this site and my hunting buddy lives in CO now,that's why we're hunting there now. I hunted MT for the last 4years and knew lots of good spots there if the elk moved out of the area. I always felt confident that I could find the elk but this year I'm trying to do recon from 23hrs away so to say I'm worried is an understated! I really want to kill a huge bull but I think this year I'll just be happy to get anything.

[horseshoe]

I started my addiction 3 years ago. We have hunted 2 very different units. But, we have had close encounters and shots taken every year, with the most action in the unit we moved to the second year.

BUT, I have a hankering to see some more of the state! And tho I'm no elk hunting expert, i, like Trophyhill, feel good about getting out almost anywhere and getting into elk.

I hope to be hunting 2 new areas this year. Right now I've hunted at least 6 different units in 6 years and fully expect to kill elk on virgin ground. I think if we have the attitude that it will take 2-3 years of hunting an area to be successful, we are defeated before we ever get started whereas if we go into a unit expecting to kill elk each morning when we head out then good things are bound to happen.

One of the things driving me, is reviewing the past encounters. Looking back on that first year, we got into areas that the elk had obviously used as their home turf...bedding areas and the sign all over the place! The trouble was tho, we could not find the critters, at least not in the numbers that the sign indicated. I don't kno if they were blown out of there by opening day crowds or just moved off by themselves. I don't think it was us, as we could not smell em at all....at least not like we have in the next two years! In the end, I missed a shot at a bull and there were a few other opportunities.

When we first arrived in the new spot, I was ready to leave after two excursions. When we got back to camp after seeing such terrible sign the second time out, I was shocked when another of our party reported seeing 5! The action has been pretty consistent since, with chances at some pretty good bulls and last year I took a good cow.

BUT, the thoughts of all that good sign the first year makes me want to go back for a look see. Maybe we learned something since then that might help us figure that herd out! We also haven't yet encountered herds out in open alpine meadows, as some have posted here and elsewhere, and that is one of my goals. Somewhere else we might find a spot like that!

[pd]

I started my addiction 3 years ago. We have hunted 2 very different units. But, we have had close encounters and shots taken every year, with the most action in the unit we moved to the second year.

BUT, I have a hankering to see some more of the state! And tho I'm no elk hunting expert, i, like Trophyhill, feel good about getting out almost anywhere and getting into elk.

I hope to be hunting 2 new areas this year. Right now I've hunted at least 6 different units in 6 years and fully expect to kill elk on virgin ground. I think if we have the attitude that it will take 2-3 years of hunting an area to be successful, we are defeated before we ever get started whereas if we go into a unit expecting to kill elk each morning when we head out then good things are bound to happen.

One of the things driving me, is reviewing the past encounters. Looking back on that first year, we got into areas that the elk had obviously used as their home turf...bedding areas and the sign all over the place! The trouble was tho, we could not find the critters, at least not in the numbers that the sign indicated. I don't kno if they were blown out of there by opening day crowds or just moved off by themselves. I don't think it was us, as we could not smell em at all....at least not like we have in the next two years! In the end, I missed a shot at a bull and there were a few other opportunities.

When we first arrived in the new spot, I was ready to leave after two excursions. When we got back to camp after seeing such terrible sign the second time out, I was shocked when another of our party reported seeing 5! The action has been pretty consistent since, with chances at some pretty good bulls and last year I took a good cow.

BUT, the thoughts of all that good sign the first year makes me want to go back for a look see. Maybe we learned something since then that might help us figure that herd out! We also haven't yet encountered herds out in open alpine meadows, as some have posted here and elsewhere, and that is one of my goals. Somewhere else we might find a spot like that!

Horseshoe, this kind of proves the point that I wanted to make. When you get into a completely new area (where you don't have the luxury of advice from an experienced hunter about that area), you really do have to spend a couple of years busting your hump to learn the territory. There is no need to be discouraged or pessimistic, but I think it important to try and try once again. If there is sign and smell and whatnot, you eventually will learn what to do and not to do. Keep at it, you are already successful there!

[horseshoe]

pd,

ya, I thought of that as I was writing and it is true of both areas we hunted. We could go back to either and start off in good areas...assuming the weather and moisture conditions did not change activity of the elk in those areas. So it does pay to learn an area. Same goes for any game we pursue, anywhere in the country.

But, my point is that you can go anywhere in the west and get into some fun. Of course, that is if you are out for a good hunt and not just out for the kill! If you really just want the kill and meat, any local will tell you to wait for the snows to push the animals down and shoot em by the road with the rifle!

As you have pointed out, with online scouting available these days, ability to find likely areas before a boot hits the ground is tremendous! To pour thru the data on the Colorado web site is a blast. We were, and still are elk hunting newbies, with one elk for 9 hunting seasons between us, but found elk every time we went. Both areas were very busy with people, hunters and non-hunters, but the elk were there.

You did not do so well on the initial moves, but you may have been only one ridge, one basin, one drainage or only one chunk of timber away from pay dirt. If you had the sign, you may have been unlucky. If you did not have the sign, did you stay put? Did you move? Are you going to beat the same turf again this year? A lot of variables come into play.

Me, I like to explore. Even without an elk the first two years, those were great vacations!