Hello / Woodsmanship

[toasty tiger]

Hello everyone - new to the forum -
As this seems to be the most realistic forum I have seen I would like to ask for some advice. I will be going with my dad to a unit in southwest Colorado this year. He and 6-8 of his buddies have hunted this unit for the past 20 years. I am going because he is getting older and I dont know how many more trips he will be taking. I can tell you that they have killed animals - not consistently and probably have not been more than a mile from their camp at any point. I am going during archery season as they all muzzleloader hunt for mulies now.

This unit has easy access, lots of roads, and I am sure lots of people. I have been in the woods my entire life and have no problem with boot leather. My challenge is that I am almost 90 percent positive that calling an elk is out of the question. I am also pretty sure that a majority of elk will be mostly nocturnal after the first week of bow season just from pressure. I am not very naive when it comes to animals that are crepuscular. Early and late tends to turn into all night and no day.

With that being said can anyone help me with locating land features that might be better than others. I dont mean bench vs saddle vs finger ridge etc. I am referring to advice on things such as edges of timber or suttle elevation changes or whether or not that a bench with a small draw is better than a bench with no draw. This might sound overbearing but this is my first elk hunt - it is archery - and in a unit that is probably one of the last choices I would select. Although the odds are completely stacked against me I absolutely refuse to roll over and play dead.

[ElkNut1]

Rick, welcome to the Forum! Don't diss calling to quickly, it's a tremendous tool when used correctly! Thanks!

ElkNut1

[Wyo67]

Welcome to the forum Rick... As ElkNut said, don't dismiss calling. We've killed several "call educated" bulls in general units in Wyoming that also get a lot of pressure.

Take the time to search through the forum, as there are several threads discussing topography of the land and how best to access them. One of the most recent ones was here: http://www.elknutforums.com/Hunting/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=4454. Don't be afraid to ask specific questions either... My advice would be to see if you can find the highest water source for where you'll be hunting and go from there.

[toasty tiger]

Thanks for the replies. I am sorry about the calling thing. I have actually been playing with Elk calls for 20 years now. I grew up calling Turkeys so when my dad came back with elk calls it was only natural for me to try and figure it out. I will be calling ----after reading all the good info on here --- way more educated than just making the sounds. I am just trying to figure out how to find some areas to key in on. I have 5 spots picked which will put me covering miles on foot. I am trying to locate some areas that might be places to pinpoint slow movement through. I understand the timber aspect and the terrain feature aspect but I am just wondering if there are some specific areas that might be better than others. Maybe like double benches or is there a location where one pinch point is better than an other? Am I better off trying to utilize edges like aspen to spruce to locate animals or is it better to do the typical 3/4 way up the mountain? I do realize that they travel a lot but I am sure that there are terrain features that they might key in on more than others possibly? My other dilema is that at almost every point that has a saddle - or a bench - or double saddles or any other path of least resistance there is a trail right on the spot.

[Swamp Buck]

First Welcome, NICK....

I will echo, calling works. Maybe not 90% of the time, but all you need is ONE TIME for it to work. If the area you are going to is really that crowed and pressured, perhaps you should look for the "unconventional" spots and not where they should be. Also study maps and look for "escape routes" and where they may head to when the pressure does come and push them around. Instead of looking at the edge of the timber, work the edge of the crowds and pressure.

Good luck and it is a great thing to be able to spend time hunting with your father. It will mean a lot to both of you I am sure!

[Lefty]

,.......With that being said can anyone help me with locating land features that might be better than others. ,.... I am referring to advice on things such as edges of timber or suttle elevation changes or whether or not that a bench with a small draw is better than a bench with no draw. ,....d.

I seem to be pretty good at locating game when others dont.
Very steep areas where the ground drops or goes nearly straight up near the roads, main trails, or rivers .
Sometimes the real thick stuff next to busy places can be a sleeper.
Hunt in ways others dont

I use to hunt the Klicktact river in Washington.3000 feet from the top to the bottom, a long walk in from either ends. Nobody came down from the top. I used a duck boat or my 14 foot V bottom to cross the river
Check out the places that seem inaccessible, and could be by most.
Some isolated places. The last over 30" mule deer I saw lived in a 20 acre parcel of overgrowth that couldn't bee seen from the road and on the opposite side of the Bear River

a few years ago my wife and I saw 3 big bulls living in the willows along a river just upstream of a busy fishing lodge Not much cover and a very open pasture. You could expect a whitetail to live there but never an elk

the only person that knew the bulls were there was the guy running cows

[Swede]

Toasty: I hunt an area in Oregon that sounds like it is very similar to what you are going to experience. I don't call much. The area is over called and the elk have become very call shy. The people in the area do not refer to the Hoochie Mama as a call, but rather as a "cow scare". A little calling is okay, but you need to be very selective with it.
I hunt from tree stands at water holes, but whether you hunt from a tree or on the ground, it is best to be very patient and wait where you can expect to have elk come near. The water holes I sit at are next to good bedding areas and have several well used trails coming near where I wait. Generally while sitting and waiting, I would not utter a sound. Think about it: how quick would you be to come to a cal,l if several times in your life you saw or smelled a hunter, when you heard that sound in that same area?

[toasty tiger]

Guys I really appreciate the responses. I lived in Seattle for about 4 years and walked all over the Olympic Mountains and Mount Ranier. My first elk Bugle ever was on top of a clear cut hunting black tails on the peninsula - the bull bugled from about 30 yards on top of a ridge behind me - that was the most scared and most awe inspiring moment ever. I have a true Boone and Crockett whitetail that lived in an area that you wouldnt believe. Animals have different ranges but they arent different in the fact that the ones who have habits that keep them alive keep them alive because it is different from what humans perceive to be ideal places. I really just want to find some cows to learn how to call from. The best reward ever was the first animal I called in for someone else... The look on their face was absolutely priceless...

[Indian Summer]

A couple folks on here will tell you I'm not too bad at finding elk on a map if you want shoot me a PM with some place names or coordinates and I'd be glad to tell you what I think. I'd be thrilled to hear that I put a few Xs on your map and you connected near one of them. I just grilled a map for Wagon89 yesterday in southwest Colorado. I think, or at least hope I helped. At the very least boosted his confidence in some of the spots he already had in mind.

It sounds like there are elk... and that you have the kahunas to run them down. So all you need is a bit of a game plan and you should have a good hunt.

Welcome aboard partner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Wagnon89]

A couple folks on here will tell you I'm not too bad at finding elk on a map if you want shoot me a PM with some place names or coordinates and I'd be glad to tell you what I think. I'd be thrilled to hear that I put a few Xs on your map and you connected near one of them. I just grilled a map for Wagon89 yesterday in southwest Colorado. I think, or at least hope I helped. At the very least boosted his confidence in some of the spots he already had in mind.

It sounds like there are elk... and that you have the kahunas to run them down. So all you need is a bit of a game plan and you should have a good hunt.

Welcome aboard partner!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This^^^^^^

Joe helped me a ton at understanding a little more about what to actually look for. I'd definitely recommend it.

Welcome aboard!!!