Spike camp?

[Mathewsz7-elkridge]

I am really struggling in finding possible spike camp location. One problem is there isn't a lot of flat ground and the other is if it's flat it's a bench where I think elk will bedded. Or I think it's just to close to the elk. Typically how far away do you camp from the elk.

[Lefty]

I dont camp in bedrooms. I camp quietly sometimes within 1/2 mile . That means no fire and everything is ready and Im hunting right form camp

[Swede]

The elk believe I camp at their favorite water hole. That is likely due my being there most of the day, but I keep my tent, cooking and bedding, etc. about 1/2 mile away. It is possible for the elk to come around camp when I am there or when I am gone. Not a problem. I too pretty much avoid camps in bedding areas, but if I had no choice, I guess it would mean there are a lot of bedding areas available for the elk. It is all good.

[saddlesore]

I have seen more elk run out of the country by people camping too close to prime elk habitat. That don't necessarily mean just their bed room. It could be a prime feeding are they like, an escape route, or just one of those places like a stand of lodge pole pine that the elk hang out in during the day.

My opinions that if elk use an area or what ever reason, stay out of it unless you are hunting. An extra 1/2 mile or even more is a small price to pay for a hunt that you waited all year for and just humped your pack in 5-6 miles.

I typically camp at a lower elevation . You sleep better and your body rejuvenates itself from that oxygen deprivation you suffer during the day.

[Indian Summer]

A half mile is only 900 yards. Way to close for me. I have had elk closer to camps but just passing through.

There are so many factors that I would go by distance. Geographic features that channel elk away from camp are a better buffer. You can hike a mile in 20 minutes so why be closer than that?

[Swede]

I have been in my tree stand and could hear ATVs running around, dogs and kids in camps that were a full 1/2 mile away, and there was even a peacock in one camp. I gave up on those areas until the problems were gone. I really wondered what these hunters were thinking. Saddle-sore and I.S. make a good point about proximity to your hunting area, but it really depends on a lot of factors. Last season, I camped about 1/2 mile down and on the opposite side of a drainage. I was quiet there, and was in only after dark and was out before first light. I was by myself and the thermals kept my scent from going up to where my stand was and the bedding areas above. Of coarse I did not get anything there either. I wish I had camped about 20 miles away and hunted out of my base camp in a different area.

[saddlesore]

A good general rule to keep in mind when u out are considering where to purveyor camp is " Elk don't like people"