MarineHawk,
Are you thinking of the 3rd season? In the photos that area looks high enough that the elk may not be there by mid Nov this year, even though you saw tracks a week or so earlier. The vantage point you took the photo from appears to be a excellent spot. That area does look plenty "elky". Assuming that the motor vehicles haven't shot at them in the previous seasons the elk don't care much if they can't see the vehicles. I killed both my bulls a 20 minute straight line slow walk away from well traveled two track roads--but that was also in very thick timber.
I would choose to come in from the route that gives you that vantage point in the photo.
Thanks for the comments Alpine.
In the past, that pond during first and second rifle has so many tracks around it in fresh snow, it looks like an elk city.
The vantage point is on the N/E edge of that bowl. I can only approach from the north in the 50% chance that the logging road doesn't have too much snow. I applied as my primary for a 2nd rifle bull tag in a different unit where I have 130 acres of mountain land with a lot of elk ad on which I have a cabin. I also applied for a five-month long private-land-only cow tag for the unit on which my property lies, and which I can get in addition to any bull tag.
If I don't get a bull tag for that unit, I will get an OTC bull tag for second rifle in the place pictured above. That is Oct. 30–Nov. 7. Three years ago, I did the same, and there were elk tracks everywhere, but I never saw one. Two years ago, I did the same place solo during 1st season, but could only hunt a couple of days because of a nasty divorce and tremendous work demands, factors that won't come into play this time around.
