Spike Camp Location

[JGH]

Suppose you want to spend a night or two away from base camp (wherever that is!) to keep track of elk, or wake up near them to ambush them.

What do you look for in an "ideal" spike camp location? High on a ridge ... low in a valley ... downwind of where you expect elk ...

What're the key ingredients that are "must-have"s of a spike camp location?

[cnelk]

John
Like I mentioned in another post, I have a spike camp location already picked out.
Its on the edge of a small meadow, in a small valley, with a ridge on each side.
Its lower in elevation so I can hunt up on each side about a mile or so

Here is short vid of the location I took when I found it last summer

http://s207.photobucket.com/user/cnelk/ ... 7.mp4.html


Nice huh?

[JGH]

Just what I had in mind ... though I'm also tempted to stay up higher, to listen for nighttime bugles ... and glass.

[Indian Summer]

I'd assume you'd be low key there as in quiet. So my main concern would be scent. If I was up high, it wouldn't be on the ridge line but over the top on the opposite side of where the elk are. But you could also have elk on your side. My pick would be a flat spot in the very bottom of a draw where I knew my scent was going to funnel right down the chute. No scent would go up ether side of it or obviously toward the top. It wouldn't blow right or left either. Just stay pretty condensed and go right out the bottom. That's a good low key spot if you know there are elk nearby. The question would be how far down the draw? Obviously you would try to make sure they didn't cross it below you. If there was a trail that stood out crossing the draw anywere I'd make sure I was below it.