I've hunted 10 quite a bit, and I'll be back out there this fall and season for my son's U10 late rifle bull hunt. Here's about the best advice I can give....
U10 can be a boom-bust type unit, especially if you scout and remain in one area. The elk will move here just all of a sudden like. Oftentimes not too far (5-10 miles), but when they vacate an area, they really seem to vacate it, leaving nary a straggler. Last year we saw 2 broken up bulls in my 5 days scouting before the season, and during the season. Was a tough hunt for most I've talked to or heard of last year. Snowed a fair amount (for the area) a few days before the season, and the elk seemed to of boogied to lower elevations right before opening day. You wouldn't think a mere 4" to 6" of snow would do that, but in this unit, the elk have the option of going a few miles to get out of it, and it seems they do.
There was a once in a 10 year inversion layer in the area last year as well that had the canyon and unit socked in with fog for a couple days. This weather weirdness may have had something to do with it as well. Not sure, but a lot of U10 seasoned people I talked to were pretty flustered trying to locate elk. I have heard since from G&F and a guide a couple areas they seemed to have moved off to, but can't verify how accurate that info is.
Get topo maps of the area. Start looking for bits of high ground away from the roads. Get some elevation and glass. Once you spot something, plan your stalk.
I like to look for high ground that others miss (not easy to do). You don't need a lot of elevation, but enough to get you to see into the junipers, little draws, and open areas. Look for areas like this on the topo maps, mark off a dozen or so of them, then get out there during scouting and go to them. Chances are you'll come up with a couple spots you'd really like to hunt. If not, get back home, and repeat the process for your next scout trip.
If you've got areas you can glass from, I'd forget the mid day still hunting of the bedding areas. I've been glassing and have watched guys still hunting through prime areas, and there wasn't an elk within a mile of them on that particular day. I prefer to get a good vantage point, and be ready when the guys still hunting the bedding areas kick elk out towards me. Happens almost every season I hunt elk (last year being an exception). Some of my best opportunities during a rifle elk hunt were being in a good "spot and shoot" location from 11 am to 3 pm, as big bulls were being pushed out of their beds and fled to other areas. If you're hunting an area with a lot of pressure, this is a good tactic.
Forget hunting water. Too many people do, and so many that don't want to drive up to it and look for tracks. I can't think of a truly great spot I have that isn't at least a mile from water. You may think you've found an out of the way "secret tank", but I guarantee that 20 other guys have found that "secret tank" as well. As long as there is water within a couple miles of where I hunt, I don't worry about it.
If you're on the ranch, you aren't allowed to hunt within 1/4 mile of water at any rate.
Find your prime spots during early season scouting, settle on a few of them, and hit those every morning and evening for the week before the hunt. If you see elk, you're probably good. If not, make adjustments and look at other spots you've scouted. By opening morning you should be in a spot you've seen elk at the week before.
Late rifle bull is a spot and stalk and spot and shoot game. And for the most part, you won't be spotting them at water (they've already left and are well on their way to their bedding areas if it's morning, and aren't usually close if it's evening).
Get your butt up at 4 am, and get to the spot you want to glass well before first light. Hunker down and let things settle in around you while you wait for the first crack of glassing light. In the evening, do not leave until after last shooting light. You'll need to get used to walking in the dark. Get a headlamp.
Get good 10x binoculars and a good packable tripod to put them on. Then use them. A lot.
Get good boots. You're going to put a lot of miles on them. Then waterproof them the right way (beeswax...the real stuff bought in block form, not the stuff in the tube that says it has beeswax in it). It may not rain or snow, but if it does, and your feet get wet walking to and from your glassing locations, they're gonna get damned cold.
Find out what works for you for cold weather. The ranch area can get brutally cold with the wind coming off the plateau. You wouldn't think so, but the coldest hunt I've been on was a late October deer hunt in that unit. When you're exposed on a point, and the temps drop, the wind coming off that plateau is no joke. Even though it snowed last year, it was sloppy, but was not terribly cold. Then again, a few years ago, a storm moved in, dumped a few feet of snow, and hunters were stranded all over the unit. Most were prepared, some weren't. Be one of the prepared guys.
Congrats on a really good tag. A bull may or may not come easy. Hedge your bets by putting the time in.
