Yep amazing the amount of hunters that set up camp near bedding areas and feeding areas. Scouting avoids this but how many bother to time to scout
Problem is that anywhere you camp is gonna jack somebody up.
Still think the best trick for most is to get early and high so you can cut off the escape routes when the walkers and riders push them over the escape routes and be prepared to shoot over a fair distance (600 yards).
Therefore, camping in the valley where they feed won't work, so we camp on the back slope of the ridges we hunt. Usually try to be at least 1000 yards away from where we setup and off the obvious travel routes. We generally cold camp and stay real quiet. Lot of the time that means the smaller backside bowls off the bigger ridges, but thats gonna irritate somebody who wants to work the bowl from below and wants to ride through every day. Of course we count on them to push the elk out over the saddle anyway.
Like has been said, courtesy goes a long way as does an understanding of the logistics. After we hump 6 to 8 hours and gain 3000 vertical feet the day before opener, I am simply not coming off the high ground. I try to be 3 to 6 miles in. Not going to turn around and do it every day or I would be blasted and only get five hours of sleep per night.
I think many of the horse hunters stay at the trailhead instead of going deep because they can hooch up in their RVs and have great big dinners every evening with big campfires and lots of social activities. No offense meant, but that's generally what we see at the trailhead when we hump off the hill. If I could stay in comfort and let a horse carry me, that's what I would do too - seriously that would be awesome.
However, If the horse hunters would go in once and setup their camps 8 to 10 miles in, they would never cross our paths. Then the trailhead campers could do their 3 mile walk ins up the valley every morning to hunt the drainages above and they would not cross anybody else's path either. The backpackers would cover the middle zone.
I agree that scouting without a weapon in your hands just pushes the elk out of the area. If you live locally, that my be an option since you can get in there 3 or 4 weeks earlier, but not when you live out of state to and get in to Utah or Colorado the day before.
