How would you hunt this area?

[Brendan]

Here is the scenario, talking about an area in Montana, and I'm wondering what your strategy for hunting it would be. I am poring over maps of almost every drainage in the area making plans A, B, C, D, E, F....... etc... I will be prepared to camp at the truck, or bivy out for 3-5 days at a time if needed. I will be starting my hunt 9/15, and finishing up no later than 9/26. I have been busting my tail running, lifting and hiking, so should be in decent enough shape where if I take it slow and steady, I can manage the distances and the altitude.

Forest roads and parking are around roughly 6500-7000' above the valley floor, with a series of drainages running northwest with higher ridges in between. Many different drainages running from the valley floor over a 20 - 25 mile mountain range, all in the same general northwest direction (Drainage / Canyon walls facing NE and SW). Drainages go from streams and choked with trees with sparse clearings here and there, all the way up to transition zones, basins and alpine lakes, to bare rocky summits and ridges over 10,000 feet. From the areas where I would park, to the peaks, range from 3-6 miles one way. Some drainages have trails, others do not. To head to a different drainage, it's either out and back in, or up and over a ridge to the next...

Some things I'm thinking about, if I camp up high, my scent and thermals may blow out the entire drainage... If I camp down low and want to hunt high, I have a good walk ahead of me in the morning. Is it worth camping high, and then heading up and over a ridge to the next drainage to glass, and then hunt down as the thermals start to rise?

In any case, I've got 5 weeks, so am trying to really nail down the specific hunting plans...

Thanks ElkNuts!

[BRazz]

Sounds like you've got a ton of area to cover. 20-25 miles of mountain range is about 10-times the size of the area I actually hunt. Rarely do we cover more than a couple horizontal miles (but you can hike 5 miles to do that). So I'd try and focus on a drainage or three where you have the perfect storm of elk habitat, security from other hunters, and reasonable access for you. Then really isolate transition areas, bedding areas, saddles, trails, feeding areas, etc.

Some things I'm thinking about, if I camp up high, my scent and thermals may blow out the entire drainage... If I camp down low and want to hunt high, I have a good walk ahead of me in the morning. Is it worth camping high, and then heading up and over a ridge to the next drainage to glass, and then hunt down as the thermals start to rise?

I've never worried too much about that. If your camp is really loud and stinky maybe it matters, but we sometimes have elk not too far outside our bivy camp at night. Find a campsite that's close-ish to several of these hunting areas, and don't be afraid to move your camp if a couple of days turn up big blanks.

If you don't know the area, I'd recommend you start up high and glass. Bugles carry a good ways, but not nearly as far as our binoculars can see. Sounds like your area is conducive to locating that way.

Whatever the case - have fun!

[Brendan]

Thanks for the input. Just to clarify, I have no intention of trying to hunt the entire 25 mile section. Right now I'm looking at a 10 mile section and trying to pick out a primary area and backup options within that area.

For anyone who hunts a similar area - do you prefer the high basins? The dark timber? Clearings in the timber? Or let what you see and hear dictate your approach? If I come across any wallows that appear to be getting use, those will be an option as well.

Working on my calling to where I can make cow calls, estrus buzz, locator bugles / bugles with growls and even a lip ball bugle decent enough. Chuckles and grunts aren't happening yet - almost swallowed a mouth reed last time I tried

[Lefty]

,.....
Some things I'm thinking about, if I camp up high, my scent and thermals may blow out the entire drainage... .

Thanks ElkNuts!

My thoughts on camping, thermals and scent
I try to camp outside of the area elk will be in I dont want to drive into my area in the morning because the elk disappear when they hear vehicles, sometimes ithe elk are running for miles or slipping into areas where they cant be seen.
Ive said a number of times Im a scent reduction freak.
Last year I had elk all around my tent for a couple hours bull bugling less than 80 yards from my tent.
I try to reduce my scent foot print. All my gear is washed in sport wash or baking soda, My tent sleeping gear, pads storage boxes, everything
I dont suggest setting up camp where you expect elk to be. I try to have an easy 15-30 minute walk to where I start hunting You would be surprised how close elk will come to a camp in the dark Weve had elk stumbling around a horse camp spooking the horses less than 50 yards fron the tent horses truck and trailer . Just dont be afraid to camp 800 yards from where you might start hunting, just have relatively clean gear

[mjblowers]

My strategy doesn't have much to do with the actual Elk part, rather, the comfort.

I'd rather hike up in the mornings to get the blood flowing than during the hotness. Therefore, camp low, hike up in the morning and down during the afternoon since you're going to shoot your bull this year before 8AM........

[ElkNut1]

Brendan, don't over think your area & how to approach it. Use common sense & you'll pick suitable spots to camp. I wouldn't setup camp next to a waterhole or wallow that stunk like a barnyard as you could prematurely run elk off during your stay! Other than that I think you feel if you camp up a bit high that your scent will drift down into the valleys & basins? This is highly unlikely as your scent will end up drifting into the atmosphere before it gets 100yds. It's sorta like having a treestand setup 30' off the ground or much higher in your case. Scent would have difficulty hitting the ground at these heights & much higher. Too, if a few elk spook off big deal they won't go far & they are still very huntable. I wouldn't camp in the bottom of these 5 photos I'm showing here, instead I would camp up high so I could hear well at night in case elk are bugling or talking. Too, the bottoms in these photos could be nighttime & morning feeding areas. Being high enough up gives me the luxury to spot them or hear them from above & form a plan of attack as it were!

ElkNut1

[Brendan]

Thanks everyone. I think the current plan is to hike in checking out my primary area for wallows and elk sign, making my way to an alpine lake area where I can get up to a ridgetop and glass at least two, possibly three different drainages. I'll try to camp smart, but am not going to stress out about it.