When to Move-When to Go Home

[Swede]

What will cause you to move camp and what will motivate you to go home early from your elk hunt?

[Lefty]

Killing game

Ive been driven out by deep snows.
Lots of rain
Part of the reason I left the area I hunted in the desert was a combination, the area burned, and a group moved in who really disturbed the elk,.. and with a new hip I could side hill.But lack of coming across elk one day I would go to another area.

We will see what happens this year. Last year, being retired I really expected my daughter and I to both kill our elk. It didn't happen last year
I would go up generally head up for a 1/2 to 1 1//2 days., then when she would come up Thursday night or Friday night. I had Sunday obligation I would head home for those then be back in the woods Wednesday or Thursday night.
This year with a trailer and shower Ill likely spend more time in the woods going up earlier in the week. Ill also bring Sunday clothes

[Swede]

Ill also bring Sunday clothes

I do not know how to break this to you Lefty, but the elk really are ok with casual camouflage or even khakis. Dressing up is not necessary.

[Indian Summer]

I don’t move camp. That costs valuable time. Instead I can hunt in different directions from ine spot either on foot, by driving, or on horseback. Go home? What’s that? I do that after work most days.

[saddlesore]

I don’t move camp. That costs valuable time. Instead I can hunt in different directions from ine spot either on foot, by driving, or on horseback. Go home? What’s that? I do that after work most days.

Yep, I go home when my tag is filled or the season ends. A few times I got sick and went home and if there was a storm brewing maybe the last two days of the season which would mean I could not get out, I went home. I don't ever remember actually moving camp. I can hunt a ten mile radius if need be. It just means another hour of saddle time. If packed in with a big wall tent type camp, it would mean two wasted days tearing it down and moving to another locataion and setting it back up

[Swede]

I always have out at least three tree stands. Moving is a minimum of two days work. If I decide on Monday, the hunting is lousy, I can start pulling stands then and move out on Tuesday. As an alternative I could continue to hunt where it is poor and bring in one stand at noon, another in the evening ,and another on Tuesday. Hunting where there are no elk is a waste of time, so I might as well get it over with and start the move. If I pull my stands that day (Monday) I can break camp on Tuesday AM, reset camp in the new location that afternoon. Wednesday AM I can hang a stand or two. If I start pulling stands late morning on Monday, I can be hunting late morning on Wednesday. I will be tired enough then to really enjoy sitting and watching that trail and water hole for awhile.

[Lefty]

Ill also bring Sunday clothes

I do not know how to break this to you Lefty, but the elk really are ok with casual camouflage or even khakis. Dressing up is not necessary.

I shot my moose in my “church clothes”

A Nd I’ve attended church s few times in camo

A neighbor kid “won” some Sitka clothing for a buck he shot, That was his Sunday best fore over a year but out here it’s common for lawman to attend church in uniform. One building in elk country had a mud scraper for getting cow crap off of boots another church building during elk season nearly 1/2 of the congregation came from elk camp

[Lefty]

The kid I mention above they moved camp to get away from the growing size and relatives in camp they pack up camp at the end of season they also use a spike camp . People come and go all season. The wife’s tend to go home after the end of the first week

[Swede]

One building in elk country had a mud scraper for getting cow crap off of boots

My wife and I wear a number of hats for our church. One is for being the janitor. You could scarcely believe what we have had to clean up over the years.

[Indian Summer]

I’ll say this... it’s not just about me. I have a commitment to my partner. So if I punch my tag or even if I’m sick I’m not leaving until his hunt is done. I’d probably feel sicker at home anyway.

Like many I travel to hunt. Also schedule time off from work. So the dates are set in stone. If... er ih WHEN we both punch tags we go into vacation mode. I might explore another area looking for potential for new hunt plans. We might fish. I know we’ll keep enjoying the mountain camp life one way or another until our planned departure date.

[Swede]

I like Joe's approach to things. Probably because I think of how long I will have to wait to come back. Still after a month in the forest there are people I begin to miss from around home. I normally stick around with friends and my son until they are done, but after they are gone and the tags are filled, I drag up camp and head home. Now that I am in a new area, I have a lot more area I can scout, so maybe I will hang around a few more days and explore. I don't fish, so scouting around is what is left when the hunt is over.

[7mmfan]

I’ll say this... it’s not just about me. I have a commitment to my partner. So if I punch my tag or even if I’m sick I’m not leaving until his hunt is done. I’d probably feel sicker at home anyway.

Like many I travel to hunt. Also schedule time off from work. So the dates are set in stone. If... er ih WHEN we both punch tags we go into vacation mode. I might explore another area looking for potential for new hunt plans. We might fish. I know we’ll keep enjoying the mountain camp life one way or another until our planned departure date.

This is the deal. My wife always asks why I don't come home after I fill my tag, which often happens on the first morning because I have no self control. I have to explain to her every year that it's not about me. We just traveled 600 miles as a group, we'll travel that 600 miles back home as a group and I'll work my tail off to help the other guys while I'm here. If we all fill our tags, then maybe we come home early, but likewise, we'll probably explore new areas and expand our knowledge of the ground. You only get so many scouting days when the ground is that far from home, so take advantage of every one you get.

I have moved camp before, because we were risking getting snowed in where we were, 25 miles back on a road that we had to cross a 9000' pass to get out of. Since that experience, we now set camp in an area where weather won't run us out most likely, even if we have to travel a little further daily to get to our chosen hunt area. It also taught me to not put all my eggs in one basket but to have 2, 3, 4 back up areas that we can strike if one isn't producing or becomes otherwise unavailable. Some of those spots are still on my map, never explored other than via Google Earth.

[lilshootergirl]

7mmfan, I just learned that lesson, no game move. It's hard when you live so far away, and your the only one to move that camp, need to have a back up plan I'd #1

[elkstalker]

For me it depends, I live in close proximity to the country that I hunt, so I can afford to be a weekend warrior (or a weekday warrior if I can get off work), and be fairly mobile. If the elk aren't using the area I'm in, or the pressure is too high, I can move. During rifle season I can wait for some tracking snow to fall, and hunt the day after a storm. I still plan week-long trips, and in those cases I'm hunting until I punch my tag or my time runs out. The only thing that can chase me out of the mountains is terrible weather.