I once tracked a raghorn into a thicket of hemlocks about 40 yards around. I spent the next two hours gently working my way downwind and sweetly cow calling, pulling grass, generally making wonderful girl elk noise to the boy. As I made the circle around the thicket his tracks never emerged, nor did he make a sound to reveal his presence. Of course, if I had been an actual cow elk, I would have smelled him having circled downwind, and I'm sure he knew that.
So upon my closing the circle, I decided he had somehow slipped past me. I undid my pack and was shuffling around for toilet paper when he exploded about 12 yards away. He had been there the whole time.
Right then I discovered that post rut bulls do not want to be disturbed and I had almost zero chance of ever seeing one if they chose to remain concealed. That has proven itself true on every post rut rifle hunt I've ever been on in Oregon wilderness. Tough, tough game.
Don't feel bad, elk can be very difficult to locate, especially in thick habitat like we have in Oregon. At the end of each season I am the guy that knows all the places the bulls are not.
Which is nice.
