Rifle elk

[MTLongdraw]

For the last few years I've kinda always thought that I should hunt archery elk in the dark timber and rifle elk in the more open country. Don't ask me why. I guess I just correlated it to how I learned to hunt in the specific area I learned to hunt. I love to glass but have very few spots that I hunt that I can actually glass any considerable distance. The other day I was talking to a guy who has killed 28 public land bulls. 18 with a gun and 10 with a rifle. After talking to him a bit I was surprised to hear they have all come from dark timber inside of a 100 yards. He told me the only years he didn't kill something is because he passed bulls up. He did shoot 1 bull at 300 yards but it sounds like that was a freak deal where he just happened to have a little opening across a draw. I'm curious how many of you have had good luck rifle hunting the timber for silent bulls?

[Kleinpm]

Let me qualify this by saying this is my third season and I haven't killed an elk yet.

You have to hunt where the elk are and that is where they are after the guns go off (and before) where I hunt. With that being said, I have a much harder time finding elk in the timber during rifle season. The down timber is usually slick from snow and ice and getting around is more difficult and dangerous than during archery season.

The only places I have found bulls in the open is private property that doesn't allow hunting and the occasional place they are moving from one piece of timber to another and have no choice but to cross some open ground (getting pushed by hunters etc.).

Patrick

[elk.addict]

In rifle season, all the bulls I've killed have been in the timber. I don't seem to have enough patience to sit and glass, so I usually end up hunting the timber. I just go super slow and glass a lot; it's been productive for me in the past. But my last 10 bulls have been killed in archery season, so it's been a while

[MTLongdraw]

^^^ must be nice. I would just rather get it done during archery season but that hasn't worked out to well for the last two seasons. Glad to hear others do well in the timber!

[Indian Summer]

I've killed my share of bulls still hunting the timber. But mostly in spots I knew well enough to know where to expect to see them so I slowed down at the right time. I've shot two in their beds. Snow sure helps. But I'll be honest.... I HATE jump shooting elk. 9 times out of 10 they see you first and it ends up nothing but a sad story. For that reason I have made a move to intentionally hunting more open country where I always see the elk before they see me. Spot and stalk. Way higher success rate. But during archery I hunt the same places and stay in the timber. Trails, major bottlenecks, and wallows. But even then I can see a lot so I may see elk go into the timber before I go hunt it. In a way it's still spot & stalk hunting. It's a lot different when you know for sure they are there. You hunt it better.... your pack feels lighter... and your legs just seem to have what it takes no matter what. I like that.

[POk3s]

I'm trying to think of a "bull" I've killed not in the timber. I killed a spike in a clear cut but I was walking right down a closed road. Shot him around 200 yards. Probably not quite. This year's bull was 60 in the timber. Last year's was 15 yards sleeping in a sun spot as I came up over a bench. That spike is the only one i can think of that I didn't kill in the timber.

[elk.addict]

I'm trying to think of a "bull" I've killed not in the timber. I killed a spike in a clear cut but I was walking right down a closed road.

That reminded me...I have shot one in the open before, it was a bull feeding in a clearcut, back in WA.

[MTLongdraw]

I feel kinda dumb fighting this. I know better. Of course they would want to hang out in the timber. I guess I just like spotting them. I've heard enough to know I need to give it a legitimate shot....