Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting Getting away from the orange. A hard truth.

I smiled when I read about driving up to them and thought, that's cheatin'.

When it comes to packing elk, sometimes cheating is sweet relief.

Yes, it can.

We've been able to drive up to two of mine. Shortest actual pack was a lasered 43 yards to the road. We do it on our backs so no complaints.

Thought I'd bump this thread. With elk season around the corner, I'm sure we have all being spending time studying maps and GE looking for that get-away spot. If you can walk there, so can someone else. Expect it. Have a plan. Good luck in 2017!

There are two ways to hunt elk--put the sneak on them or let other hunters do your work for you. My dad taught me the latter, and the older I get the smarter my Old Man becomes.......

Currently, one of my most successful spots is simply waiting for elk to cross an open strip that is 450 yds long one direction, 250 yds the other, and about 30 yds wide. From that spot over the last 9 years, five kids between the ages of 13-17 have killed 9 elk. I've killed 3 more. The trick is finding those spots. To this day I cannot figure out why elk tend to cross this otherwise unassuming stretch of ground. I know why the elk are moving, they're being shot at on a private ranch owned by a dot.com bizillionaire, and obviously his buddies can't shoot. There is lots of territory beyond that actually provide more cover for elk moving away from the hunting pressure. But they choose to use this stretch of ground.

Or when the elk hole up in the dark timber or the hellholes a guy can go in after them. Nine lb rifles, rangefinders, hubble size scopes and dialing are useless in those situations though, and very few guys are prepared to jump shoot elk at 40 yds.

And yes, there are places where a guy can hunt relatively undisturbed elk.


Casey

I have noticed in the last five years,OTC ares = many hunters.I usually draw a ML cow tag and then also hunt 2nd rifle .The last several years that has been in a 5o0 w/cap unit. Now it is OTC.I might very well sit out 2nd rifle this year I don't need the meat. I am not physically able to hunt the 3rd and 4th with a lot of snow and don't really relish putting up with the crowds anymore.

Well, it'll be easier sitting out 2nd rifle since you'll already have a fat cow in the freezer.

Or do like I did. Borrow a map from a friend, Ken, who knows/hunts the area, with an area at 11K on a steep slope circled on it and labeled "elk here".

We (his brother Robert and I) found them at 10.5, while following a fresh satellite bull trail toward them in 4" of overnight snow.. . OTC 2nd rifle season, CO.

The ridge top, with several tent camps of maybe 20 horse hunters ahead of us, was at 14K. Some had gone in the day before season or earlier, some ahead of us that morning. Our camp was a heated rental cabin with running water and shower 5 minutes drive from the trail head.

Ken was, at the time, at another place I hope to try next year or so, involving a steep 1500-2000 foot climb up a sheer canyon wall (rock chute) , several miles from any road access on the far side. On their side, they had to park their vehicle along the road in the canyon bottom a mile away from the chute they could climb. That canyon was as far as the elk could go.... He and his partner both scored at daylight opening day, several hours before I did, having climbed the day before and camped overnight on the rim. They had more than 80 elk to watch that hunting season eve. they hung their meat from ropes over the canyon rim to keep the critters off. On the other hand, it was all downhill from the kill site. As was mine.

It took me until nearly noon, the same day they scored, but we had to climb 3,000 feet, including a mile and half of trail up the canyon's bottom. But Ken told us which rock to turn off at to start climbing.

We - mostly Robert- dragged/rolled that cow downhill on a watercourse, pushing her over several dry waterfall drops, and when we finally got hung up behind a serious deadfall, we were only about 30 yards off the trail. Had her all packed out and drinking beer with a hot supper at the cabin by dark. More beer drinking after supper.

My kind of elk hunting.... . I'm 10 years older now, tho.

One tactic that has worked for me is to try and enter an area I know holds elk from a different direction than other people do (wind direction willing). Elk seem to be looking the other way waiting for a sign it is time to move. It involves more hiking up front to do the end run but it pays off for me.

That is excellent advice. I was slowly learning it the hard way and then asked an older, more experienced elk hunter about it. He said to forget them once they are spooked. I have save myself a lot of time and miles since by looking for "fresh" elk.

There are some great pointers on this thread. I have found that in my later years that knowing your hunting area and elk habits pay off more than busting it up and down the mountain. Not to say some hard walking is not required, but sitting and glassing spots where elk move year after year can be very rewarding. I have several spots that I will slip into and sit most of the day several days in a row. This tactic has paid off more often than not over the last 10 years, but it can take several seasons to figure out the honey holes. Last year I did not see elk in any of my spots, but I did kill a dandy mule deer. Happy Trails