Elk in Canyons

[toasty tiger]

Question for you Experts. If I am hunting Canyons what side would be most likely to hold elk? ( North or South and water in the bottom and on top of both rims) The majority of the canyons run east and west. Also would you prefer hunting the main canyon or spurs that connect to the canyon? Thanks for the help.

[under H2O hunter]

As a "General" rule of thumb elk prefer North facing slopes as they are more shaded from the sun and give elk a cooler place to rest. However I have found better grass growth and feed on the South facing slopes. In my area the elk tend to feed along the south facing slopes then slip over the benches to the North facing slope to rest during the day. All of this is of course during the Archery season. Now when I am rifle hunting I have noticed that the elk will stay most of the day on the South facing slope during October because the weather is much cooler then in September and in my area there is a lot of Aspen trees on the South facing slopes which provides some cover but also has a fair amount of feed.

I hope this helps you a little bit.

[elk.addict]

I've found this to be true ^^. I hunt the south side of the mountain, and there's lots of elk there, but they still bed on the north facing area of the drainage. Just enough to get out of the sun I suppose.

[toasty tiger]

Thanks for the replies - now one more question - sorry - which water sources do you think are the best - ones at the top of the mountain - ones at middle to 2/3 or ones at the bottom? Which one would you choose if you had all three?

[WapitiTalk1]

All available water sources (low/medium/high) have their place/part in the herd's 24 hour travel routes, but, the upper sidehill water sources (2/3 to 3/4 up the mountain) can be very close to the same elevation as bedding areas and can be money in the bank, particularly during a hot September rut.

[Swede]

Honestly, I can't sit here at my computer and answer your questions. I spend most of my season hunting two canyons. They are both accessible areas within reach of my camp. Both canyons have side draws. One canyon runs north and south. The other runs east and west. Elk are on both sides and in the side drainages. Water holes and wallows can be found from the bottom of the canyons to the top. The elk can use any of them. The canyons are small enough that the elk can travel from side to side in less than an hour and along a significant length of each canyon in a day. There are bedding areas on both sides and in the side draws as well as water.
I am scouting a new area a short drive north of where I have hunted. Right now I have about three pages, listing the coordinates of springs and water holes I have found in the area. The location work has been done using GE and topographic maps. I will go out and scout these areas this summer and determine, on the ground, where the elk are. I have a few trail cameras that will get set up to help me decide which is best. On GE now I can see game trails coming into a few of the springs. I can see nearby bedding areas. I can check out roads and trails, so I can avoid being interfered with when I hunt. At this point I am not asking myself if the interesting places are high or low on the mountain, or on which side they are on. I want to locate water holes and see if I can identify game use. Later I will verify and get specifics on the use.

[toasty tiger]

Thanks for that response. That is how I am interpreting the canyon scenario for archery. I cant make heads or tails out of what side is better because they all look the same - there are some topographical features like small benches and things that I will be ground scouting but as far as water and shade it is pretty tough for me to figure out