Pre Season Frustrations

[MTLongdraw]

It's easy to get on here and see what everyone else is up to and get excited about bow season. I know it's all I have been thinking about since last October. With that being said, today was a frustrating day. So have the other four scouting trips I've been on this year where I haven't even turned up as much as a deer. Not to mention this has been the first year I have actually got to put boots on the ground prior to the season (I guess this is only my second year bow hunting elk).

Today I went into an area that I have never been to, but I've hunted within sight of forever. I spent a ton of time this spring and summer looking it over on Google and Acme Mapper and have been very anxious to check it out. On paper it seems like everything an elk would want, and I've heard of at least one really nice bull coming out of there in the last year. From what I've gathered it a quanity not quality type of place. It's 6500 feet, with mature lodgepole. It was at least 10 degrees cooler than the valley floor which was about 3000 feet below. It's on a ridge top and there are open shooting lanes everywhere you look. Not to mention there is a significant source of water close by. It just seems like the Shangri La I 've been searching for.

We started the hike by going straight up for about 500 vertical feet before reaching the ridge top. On the way up we saw no sign. Then we walked the ridge top for about another mile or so. Again no sign whatsoever. Game trails all over though. On the way back we took the other side of the ridge and you guessed it, nothing again. Finally on the way back to the truck I spotted a nice clump of day old sign. Then we saw two rubs from at least last year if not 2010.

I guess what I'm trying to get at is I want to know what you guys think. After looking at some of the pictures posted on the forum, it looks like the bulls still have their velvet. That would explain why there are no rubs anywhere. Second, I know there is sign that they were in the area, but are they staying or is this a transition area? I'm assuming you really need to spend time in an area to figure that out. Unfortunately, I don't want to be there waiting to have them never show up. Another flaw I realized is that there is nowhere to glass. This is a place that will only be effective if they're talking.

One of question we thought of was can elk eat bear grass? If they can then we're golden. I just didn't see much grass other than that and wonder what effect that would have on the place.

I know elk hunting is full or trial and error as well as frustration. What do you all think I should do? In the mean time I'm going out again in the morning to check out another area I saw earlier this summer. It was full of older sign, and I know of two very nice bulls that were killed there (15 years ago...)

[Bullnuts]

Food, water, and shelter. If the elk have been there historically, they should be there now unless something has changed. A dry spring and dry early summer have pretty much closed down a lot of good watering areas for the elk and, as a result, they have moved on to an area that has more water and better grass. Elk won't stay in an area just because it looks good on paper - it has to offer all the things that they need for survival. Consider what the weather was like when they dropped calves. Was it hot and dry? What other factors would push elk out of that area? Logging, heavy weekend traffic, etc? It sounds like, if you had to hike up 500 vertical feet that you're probably not dealing with a lot of other foot traffic, so what else could be going on? I've found that elk may only have to move a mile or so to find better conditions, and it may be as simple as crossing another ridge or checking another drainage. At this point in the game you're pretty much committed to this area so I would try the following:
1. Scout dirt roads. Elk cross roads with regularity and if you have any that cross through your area, drive them and pay attention to the soft dirt on the shoulders. Sign shows up pretty good there.
2. Walk logging roads. When you're not hunting, walk logging roads, game trails, or whatever other, easy access you can find. Elk like to take the easy way when they're just walking around, so you should turn up some sign.
3. Find water. Check water holes, streams, bogs, etc for tracks and other fresh sign.
4. Call at night. If you find an area that looks good, find a high place where sound will travel and do some locating.
5. Expand your hunting area. Take the time during the middle of the day and get on some more roads and do some driving. You'll cover a lot of ground in a vehicle, see a lot of country, and more importantly, you'll be able to scout for sign as you do it.
6. Last resort is to abandon the area. If you spend a few days in the area and you aren't finding anything, despite all your in-season scouting, pack up and hit the road. Get 10 miles down the road and start over. Check your maps for good looking country and hunt it while you scout.
Being under the gun like this can make you crazy, especially when you 'know' elk should be there and you might feel compelled to stick it out regardless of what your scouting is turning up. I would give it no more than 3 days and if I didn't find anything in the way of fresh sign I would be looking for something different. Sucks, yes, but it's better than mining a dry hole.

[easeup]

The scouting trip sounds pretty successful to me.
you know where they are not.
There is plenty of time to look elsewhere too.

[Bullnuts]

I guess what I'm trying to get at is I want to know what you guys think. After looking at some of the pictures posted on the forum, it looks like the bulls still have their velvet. That would explain why there are no rubs anywhere. Second, I know there is sign that they were in the area, but are they staying or is this a transition area?

If you're not seeing any rubs, that's not good either. Elk will use the same rub areas year after year and I've seen stretches of timber that are literally torn apart by old and new rubs.

[eltaco]

I don't know if this will help you or not, but I've put about 750 miles on boot in my area over the years... I have a pretty good handle on where they like to hang out. On paper, I can't figure out why one drainage is better than the next in my area, but the elk certainly have preference.

I've run into a fee herds scouting this season, and almost every time I didn't see fresh sign before running into the elk. It could have been 10yds away, but I didn't see it. I've also not yet found a new rub, and do know that they held velvet until only about a week ago. So I haven't run into as much sign as I would have liked, but have seen quite a few elk. Sometimes it goes just the opposite... I see sign but can't find the elk.

Sounds to me that you're in a heavily wooded area, maybe not far from the road? I hunt heavily wooded areas, too, and I rely heavily on my calls to locate elk throughout the season. You did find some day old sign, which means that elk have been present. Old rubs are always a good thing and as long as they have food and water you are in an area that they want to be in.

I run into guys in my area every year that don't see an elk on a 7 day trip, and we see them almost daily. Knowing the country is key to your success... with a bit of luck in your favor.

[LckyTylr]

MTlongdraw, Bullnuts seems to have hit it on the head. I'm new to this and was in your situation until last weekend. I was in an area that was the Google Earth Elk Heaven of the West, but no elk. There was year old sign and LOTS of it, but NOTHING from this year. It was pretty frustrating. I got mad and decided that I'd hike until my boots fell off or until I found elk. I did one bonzai day of 3 miles of mt biking, 6 miles of hiking and a lot of bushwacking and sidehilling before I FINALLY found a basin with several springs that hadn't dried up as all the previous ones had. I passed 4 cattle troughs on the way that were bone dry and countless streams that had water in them last year, but none this year. Even though your area had water in it, it doesn't mean that all of the springs that used to water the feed that elk rely on were still flowing. Keep walking.

[ElkNut1]

Yep, I agree with Bullnuts, no sign now & no old sign shows it's not a natural hangout or breeding area. A quick indicator for you was with what water was in the area you found no activity, move on, they are not far from it during these hot spells, find where they are using!

How big of an area is this you scouted out? Don't limit yourself to a small area or drainage, make sure you expand your travels & cover lots of country, your internet searches will aid in finding several, check them all out!!

I too checked out an area over the weekend that generally holds elk, it was vacant which was unusual, you won't find me there until some pressure hits & moves them into the area, yours could be similar! Rubs are a nice sign but not crucial to their existence! This area I checked out as the fewest rubs as any area we hunt but yet it's a great spot when elk are there!



ElkNut1