So, hypothetical scenario that happened to me a couple of times recently. It's recently snowed--say in the last 2-3 days--just before the start of the elk rifle season starts. You go way up in to the mountains in central Colorado, where you have found an area that, surprisingly, no one else hunts. There are elk tracks everywhere in the new snow--no more than 2-3 days old. Maybe they've moved/migrated through and are gone. Maybe not. Maybe others will come through. Maybe not. To get to the best areas and overlooks, you have to climb fairly far from the nearest vehicle access.
It just seems like, even long before sunrise, if you trounce through all of that crunchy icy snow, the elk are going to be spooked and you'll never see one. How do you get an elk in the crosshairs? Move less and hope they come to you? We camped about a mile or so from where we hunted. Is that a bad idea? Is it actually better to just stay in a hotel the night before rather than producing any camp sound and smell that close?
Any ideas are much appreciated.
