Elk all around your tent,..

by **Lefty** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 1]

For the past hour elk have been on every side of your camp. Now its time to get dressed and prepare for the days hunt

since Ive blown this twice the past 5 years
What do you do?

by **Trophyhill** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 2]

Great question! Subscribed

by pd » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 3]

Sorry. All I can think of is buckshot. Pretty hard on the tent.

by **elk-n-walleye** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 4]

this also happened to me last year around 2am. I listened to them for a little while without moving a muscle. Pretty soon I was ready to finish my beauty rest so I rolled over and that little bit of movement/sound was enough to send them running. So I don't think it would be possible to get dressed without them hearing you and spooking. So you might as well get dressed.

The good thing I got from that experience was hearing a lost cow/calf sequence. The herd left a young elk behind because pretty quickly I heard the young one start making lost elk sounds and sure enough the bull elk called back while coming back to get the lost elk. That went on for a couple minutes before they were reunited. It was pretty fun to hear.

I asked my dad in the morning if he listened to it. He didn't hear a thing. He was out cold.

by **WapitiTalk1** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 5]

Lefty, I have a feeling you were camped on a saddle or at least close to a well used trail, or, other type of transition area? I camped on a saddle last year and had way, way too many nocturnal visitors. The MD were the worst as they would walk between our three tents and pretty much mess with our sleep every night. As much as they tried, the loud snoring of my two hunting partners could not keep the critters away. Had a few guests that were captured on a game cam I put on a trail less than 70 yards from camp. I'm sure the last PIC I posted below was an enormous bull that decided to slip by camp after we'd left

We could hear bull's bugling in several directions, sometimes within a few hundred yards each night. I don't believe our spot impacted our getting into animals as we seldom hunted right by camp. Now if they were milling around our tents when we woke up, I'm not sure of the best way to proceed with that :?:

Geez, a guy's gotta get up, get dressed, have some coffee, quick breakfast snack, top off water bladder, sometimes wander off with a wad of TP in hand, etc. Pretty inconsiderate of those elk where you hunt if you ask me

by **zpd307** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 6]

I haven't had that problem yet. from 9-3 I have had bulls screaming around our camp, but not after I have gotten up... funny story, we went out to Colorado 2 days early to scout last year. after setting up I let out a few cow calls and lo and behold a cow responded 60 or so yards out. that was cool! the next morning I woke up to a cow talking just outside the tent. did we run into her when the season started, no.....

by **elk-n-walleye** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 7]

nice pic of the moose phantom!

by **easeup** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 8]

what am I missing?
lets get dressed very quietly. wait for day light and go shoot one of them.

by **jmez** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 9]

First thing I would do would be to reconsider where I was camping. I don't wan't to be camped in the middle of them.

If that happend I would get dressed as quiet as possible and try to get out of and away from the tent in the dark.

by **slim9300** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 10]

I don't know what to say other than pick the biggest sounding bull and get the wind right!

This happens to me most days in late September in MT. I can't wait to do it all over again.

by **Elkduds** » 03 30, 2014 • [Post 11]

+1 to JMEZ. I'd say you are camping in a hunting spot. Move camp, you already know where to find elk to hunt. A good problem to have :!:

by **Lefty** » 03 31, 2014 • [Post 12]

I purposely picked the locations where I didn’t expect to see or hear elk. It is 20-45 minutes to some of my glassing areas
. I posted the pic of my truck and camp on an thread a couple weeks ago. Wide open county , looking featureless with a rock berm on 2 sides. I waited until I couldn’t hear the elk and took off where I thought they were going . However the morning may have been messed up by other hunters driving into the area

by **slim9300** » 03 31, 2014 • [Post 13]

In my area moving to get away from the elk is pretty tough. The thermals come down in the morning and the elk are toward the bottom or in the bottoms, moving up toward the tops (75%) of the mountains as it gets more light. Being above them is dumb since I'm not waiting for thermals to switch in the late morning and our scent would travel right to them. I camp at the very bottom of the ridges near water, and hunt them with the best possible wind. I do pick thick pockets where they are unlikely to water or bed if I can, but they are never more than 1/4 mile away.

by **ferris bugler** » 03 31, 2014 • [Post 14]

I've been surrounded by them while just in my sleeping bag. I couldn't believe they couldn't smell me and my buddy. We were looking at each other both laughing and scared that we were going to get stepped on. They didn't spook until we got out of the sleeping bag. I don't think they heard us. I think it war the such of extra scent from out of the sleeping bags. I'm not sure there is a way to get dressed and ready when they are right on top of you.

by **Triplebhunters** » 03 31, 2014 • [Post 15]

Now that's a terrible problem to have.

by **Swede** » 03 31, 2014 • [Post 16]

I have had this happen several times. It has occurred when I parked the truck and threw out my sleeping bag or when I camped next to an open Forest Service road. The amazing thing is how quickly they vanish. By the time it is light, they are no where in sight. My advise is have breakfast and go hunting.

by **elkaholic** » 03 31, 2014 • [Post 17]

Lefty,
I'd say you where in a travel zone between A and B. Like some have suggested id try moving camp and see. I imagine they do move fast in that open country;)

by **Lefty** » 04 01, 2014 • [Post 18]

elkaholic wrote:Lefty,
I'd say you where in a travel zone between A and B. Like some have suggested id try moving camp and see. I imagine they do move fast in that open country;)

In five years I have seen few tracks( ideal tracking) and no droppings. It does parrallel some travlways north and south by 600 yards and an east west cattle trail that get some use and is less than a mile from the "main " road
I did change my camp location the next trip, sort of a little bowl 200 yards in diameter. But Im through hunting there, too many hunters/ATV riders showed up last year

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