I'm new at all this, what should we have done?

[chipick]

So this is going to be my third year archery hunting for elk, and my hunting partners fith, and I was curious as to how my partner and I should have handled a elk incounter that we came into this year, here's what happrned .
We went out for an evening hunt after work, and about 3 miles behind a closed gate we were glassing a small clearcut and spotted two cows in the middle of it about 300 yards out. our initial plan was I was going to go around with wind in my favor and come in across them, while my partner went strate in with a cross wind. While we were making this plan I barely heard a soft bugle finished with chukels, my partner didn't here it persay, but thought there was something, when I got half way around them when the wind started to be more in there favor so I cut in strate towards them, turns out they were in a bowl in the middle of the clearcut and there was 10 cows and one bull that ended up winding me, so I guse. I was about 150 yards out from them and my buddy got to about 100 yards by the time they had bolted for the timber line. It was more of a spot and stalk plan with a lot of excitement because that area had been closed for fire danger for the last 2.5 weeks

[under H2O hunter]

IMHO. You didn't know enough about the area. If you did then you would know that there was a bowl and could have animals that were out of sight. If you knew that the bowl was there you could have approached with a slower pace and glassed till you were sure there was no other animals. You both should have got the wind blowing directly in your face. You can fool an elk's ears and eyes but never their nose. So keep that in mind next time you are faced with a similar situation.

[Wyo67]

What under H2O said... Always keep the wind in your face. You don't mention when in September, but if you see cows you can assume there's a bull nearby. If he's a juvenile bull or low on the elk totem pole, you probably won't hear him outside of 50-75 yards. He doesn't want to bring any attention to his herd from other more dominant bulls for fear of losing his cows.

[chipick]

Good information guys some of this I haven't even thought about. The area we kinda hunt is a logging road system in the saddle mountan unit in NW oregon, it is quite large and closed to vehicles, we mainly just glass clearcuts and bugle in the tumber draws, and look for fresh sign. round trip is about ten miles +-. We almost always see elk, and this year every day out we saw them, we just don't have the skill/ knowhow yet to get one, with out dumb luck that is, my partner got a nice bull at the end of the season and I got a cow.

[ElkNut1]

I'd have probably sat right there & watched the two cows. I would have been a bit more patient to see if others showed up especially a bull. Since there were other elk there they eventually will show themselves one by one. I would have tried to get a solid direction of their travel & do my best to ambush them as they came to me instead of me going to them especially with unpredictable wind directions. This can take time but once you can tell their aprox direction the odds now turn in your favor. If the wind would not cooperate for a good ambush position I would either get in their way & try to call them to me where the wind was in my favor or back out completely & try them another day! Circumstances at that time would help in the decision making!

ElkNut1

[chipick]

So patience and wind are the major items to work on. When we meet up for an evening hunt we usually get to the gate around 4:30pm, at the earliest usually closer to 5, and hoofen it on the bikes we can make the loop in about 1.5 hours, shooting light is out 30min after sunset, so if we see a legal animal we go for it, and get kinda over excited and/or stuped, as you do as a new guy. Funny you mention the wind in your favor, the elk that day when they busted they went with the wind, running directly away. Had my buddy been set up in favorable wind I would have pushed them right to him.

[GoldToyBox]

You have to play the hand your dealt. Short on time, changing winds, archery equipment, relatively new to the area......Tough hand. Probably two choices, 1) go for it or 2) wait and return later hoping the Elk & Wind cooperate.
Knowing where they are and not spooking them out of the area is an advantage to the return trip.

Congratulate yourself on finding them and keep trying .............. it's called hunting not shooting.