Peace Region Elk - FSJ Cow Elk tactics public land

[shuswapfisher]

Hey everyone, just came back from my third Elk Hunt in the peace. Always love going up and will continue to do every year.

I have been hunting just North of FSJ, in the 3 point, cow elk zones and I have yet to punch a tag. My first time up there I got on about 15 cow elk, and they all ran into an oil lease site that was fully fenced except at the entrance. I didn’t shoot as they were running back and forth all along the fence like caged animals.

I am already planning for next year, and from what I have been reading people say the early the better up there, but with other hunts I like to do late August it makes it hard to go anytime but the last week of September. Next year I’m hoping to make something work by going up for the September 15 cow elk opener and hopefully that helps.

Some questions:

I have been hunting on the edges of private land, but am really not seeing much for sign or hearing any animals. How do you find Elk on Crown? Are they coming in and out of farmers fields or are they held up on public deep in the timber? Curious on how you’d determine a spot that would hold the elk.

Do you call to Cow Elk? Or is it still hunting only?

Will the Elk hang around if there is cattle in the area? Lots of the areas I was hunting was grazing leases.

Just want to capitalize my time as much as possible while I’m up there. I almost need to join someone on their hunt and learn from them and how they do it as I have 0 mentors for hunting (I would never return to their spot if I did that)

Thanks!

[Treed]

I can’t help with the Peace elk question but if you are hunting grazing lease lands, you need the permission of the lease holder. It’s defacto private property and you could be charged with trespassing or if you had an animal down, poaching and trespassing. Graze licenses are different than graze leases. You are allowed to hunt on those but not in areas with cattle on them.

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/i...ulture/grazing

[shuswapfisher]

Sorry it was all Grazing licences. I looked into it all before going

[Treed]

Awesome! It’s so easy to miss that, definable wasn’t shaking a finger at you. I hate worrying about the lease / license thing. It’s crazy they still exist. At least they aren’t issuing new ones. Hope you get some good advice on the elk now!

[Sitkaspruce]

Get away from the private land or find some that has limited access.

Sept 1, the pressure starts and it doesn't stop until November 1, then it starts up again Dec 1. The elk are well educated and know that vehicles, people and pressure get them moving. Some will stay close to where there there is zero pressure on PL and the others will be well away from the PL.

You hunt the same way that most others hunt up here. They think that all the elk are within 1km of every field. Get well away from the fields, go where there is less traffic and learn the area. Elk are in pockets and those elk wander from one pocket to another. You need to find the pockets and learn the area.

Lots of CL that don't have much for any animals and lots of CL that has animals, the trick is to learn the right areas.

Right now, most elk are hold up in the thick stuff, are nocturnal and are well aware of the pressure put on by hunters.

And remember, elk are grazers, so they need places to graze.....like pipeline right of ways, powerline right of ways, COR'd leases etc.

Cheers

SS

[dbergen69]

Calling is effective for cow elk but you need to be where there are for it to work. They way I found elk when I didn’t know the area was to drive roads or walk cut lines looking for tracks. Follow tracks even if you only find one or two sets in a trail. As you follow the trail farther from the road there will be more elk tracks and more elk. Ideal find bedding areas and call near these.