help please, how would you hunt this area?

[Mike_Parson]

Im a very new to elk hunting guy and could use some advice on this.

Here is a pic of an area i have been scouting and i have found lots of fresh elk sign all thru the summer. the water hole at the top left is being used for sure all the time. the water spot in the middle has dried up to just a mud puddle at this time. i have found several old rub areas in the lower center area. the valley between the 2 water spots is thick lush grass and full of sign all over it.

The tops of these mountains is around 8500' and the water spot at the top of the map is about 7800'. its about a mile walk in from the parking spot in the lower area to the yellow spot on the map.

The trees are not super thick and you can see for most of 50Yds or so in most directions as you walk around in it. it is a bit on the steep side as you can drop in elevation really in a short distance walking from the tops to the bottoms.

I am just not sure how to hunt this area. i feel i should hunt from the top down in the mornings and late afternoons because of the thermals, but im not sure. i feel the one water spot thats holding water with lots of traffic might be a great ambush spot as well.

Any help or ideas would be really appreciated.

[Charina]

Are you sure that trail headed from the road to the middle water hole isn't traveled by ATVs? If it is, I'm not sure I'd hunt the area. Someone is going to drive up it and bump them out.

When is the hunt? OTC? Weapon?

Direction to hunt can be theorized, but final decision will have to wait until the day's weather is known.

Just east of the yellow placemark appears to be older timber. Have you been in there to see if there is any bedding spots along the ridge, or just on the N side of the ridge? I also see some denser west-facing timber to the west of the central water hole that I'd want to find out if there are beds in. I guess my thought process is causing me to say: 'ok, so they can get a drink and a bite to eat here, but where are they going to bed down?'. That's what I would want to know.

Do you have a trail cam you can put out by the northern water hole to see if there is a pattern to their visitations?

[Charina]

If I am reading the map right, I'd want to know what is in the red circle areas. Bedding areas? Or are the elk bedding areas outside of this screen shot? Where are the elk going to when not feeding or drinking where you are seeing sign?

markeduphuntingstandimage.jpg (159.89 KiB) Viewed 2449 times

[Mike_Parson]

the hunt is an archery hunt the first 2 weeks of Sept. I havent found any active bedding areas yet as im tryign hard not to bump them out of the area.

The area is in NM so its a draw unit and i dont expect to see much in the way of ATV activity on any of the roads in this general area. in fact. there are only 200 permits fot his hunt so i doubt ill even see another hunter really.

last time i scouted the area we heard and smelled elk on the south end of the draw around the second water spot that was drying up. heard several cow and calfs in the area. It was mid day so i was assuming they were bedded down to the south west of there. we were camped just east of there on top at the camp spot in the middle of the screen. i wont camp there for the hunt. i will be camping at the one on the lower left of the map.

the lower water hole seems to be getting activity really regular in mornings or evenings. i dont have a camera to set up there or i would. I will be going back to scout the last 2 weekends of August and i am hoping to just go sit hear there early one morning and late in the day and see what i can see coming in to the water.

prevaling winds in this area are winds from the west so they will blow from the tops down to the bottom in general.

[Trophyhill]

I like those red circled areas as well. Charina, there are alot of 2 tracks in the unit and typically within a mile or two of anywhere Mike will be hunting. ATV traffic doesn't seem to bother the elk in this unit as they are used to year round traffic. Mike, as a rule of thumb for me, I want to be where the elk want to be before they get there if possible. Or very close anyway. The elk in that unit will typically feed and water all night while rutting and head to bedding areas by 9 or 10 am. You'll be into elk often I'm sure. Don't over think it. We've been on the ridges before sun up in that unit near well used elk highways and they just show up.

[Mike_Parson]

I like those red circled areas as well. Charina, there are alot of 2 tracks in the unit and typically within a mile or two of anywhere Mike will be hunting. ATV traffic doesn't seem to bother the elk in this unit as they are used to year round traffic. Mike, as a rule of thumb for me, I want to be where the elk want to be before they get there if possible. Or very close anyway. The elk in that unit will typically feed and water all night while rutting and head to bedding areas by 9 or 10 am. You'll be into elk often I'm sure. Don't over think it. We've been on the ridges before sun up in that unit near well used elk highways and they just show up.

Thank you David. I do tend to over think things at times. I talked to the Game Warden last night and he gave me lots of good helpful information on this area specifically.

[Charina]

Well, were I headed out there soon, without no more information than I have here, I would stay on top despite thermal tendencies to drift downhill. As I don't know where to expect the elk, I'd be planning on giving myself a day or two to figure that out cautiously first. If there is a prevailing wind, I'd walk out one of the ridges on the downwind side of the area. If not, I might head out that ridge between the lower water spot, and the little orange house symbol. Head NE along that ridge (not the one closer to the middle water section - the ridge with the lower of the two red circled areas on the right side) before first light, listening for bugles. My cautious style would send me there as 1) its not the ridge I most expect them to bed on (just to the north, closer to the two middle and upper water sources), 2) I might worry about downhill breezes if I get too close too soon, and 3) it is on the downwind side of the prevailing wind pattern. I'd switch over to the west side if winds were blowing in from the east.

If I was not hearing bugles, or getting replies to locator bugles, I would try to work my way down into, and across that draw that runs to the NE corner of the image. By first light, I think I might try to be just where the distance measuring tool icon is in the upper right corner. I'd try to be there about first light. Early enough to hear bugles on the N side of that ridge if they were present and talking, but not too long until the sun is up enough to start changing wind patterns. My thought process is I'd like to be beyond (downhill, off to the side) of where I most expect elk might be at first light - still feeding and getting water. Again, I'm going to be trying to key in on bugles, and silently work my way towards those as long as there are enough bugles to key in on location.

That's my armchair plan.

[Mike_Parson]

i certainly appreciate the armchair advice as it gets me to thinking in another person's perspective. I dont want to overthink this as Trophyhill says. I was just today going back obver this picture and area on my maps and trying to formulate a hiking plan and it is very much close to what you were just saying.

I am lucky enough to be able to go out camping and scouting the last 2 weekends of August so I will have some time to scout all that area out and maybe gather a lot more information on those areas before my hunt starts the first of Sept.

Thank you again everyone for all the help and thought provoking advice.