Elk Hunting tips and advice PLEASE

[mrtires24]

I am looking for tips and advice on Elk Hunting. Tips, and locations appreciated. I understand that people don't like giving up locations.

A little bit about me...
I have only been hunting for 3 years, this next season will be my fourth. I put in a lot of effort each year. I Do lots of trips scouting pre season, and lots of trips hunting. My boots hit the ground. The main area I would probably hunt is Reg 8. but I do plan to possibly do a trip up north possibly.

Although I have been successful with hunting each year, The deer still eludes me. I have been lucky enough to harvest a Moose, a Bison, and a black bear. I have put in months of hunting and scouting for a deer, and just can't seam to get one, so I have decided to shift my focus on Elk and if a legal deer crosses my path...BANG

I have been watching Randy N vids on youtube. I have practiced my Bull call, and know of one spot in 8-5 that I have seen a herd, as well as seen a couple cow elk on other days.

Seams Elk like the forrest and rarely come out into clearings. I have never heard a Bugle.

If anyone has any tips and advice or locations for me I will really appreciate it. PM's ok. I understand that elk is probably one of the most difficult of the ungulates to hunt. But at the rate that am going, I will harvest every other animal before I get my first deer, so it only seems fitting to focus on Elk.

Thanks again ahead of time.

[Bugle M In]

Seems more folks have success with elk in the Peace Region these days, but I hear it is getting busy up there as well.
In 8-5, it sounds like your best chance to snag a elk is in the bow season.
By the time gun hits, they become ghosts, shut down all communication, and disappear to private land in many cases.
EK for me and many others have been crap, but the more south in the area you are, the more the #'s hold.
WK is completely a different hunt in many spots, but would recommend areas that border the EK/WK.
(only from conversations I have had with many, fyi)
Might be some changes coming to regs for ek this year??? so stay tuned, but some are having better success early on, also with bow.
Lots of vids out there, from primos to some really good callers etc, but I have seen some terrible callers,
like my dad, get elk (so don't get hung up on it).
Do searches on here for elk.
Plenty of advice and links.
Good luck.

[steve-r]

Have a look at Elk101.com . Cory Jacobsen's University of Elk Hunting (UEH) online course was well worth the money imho. Calling instruction, trip prep, gear, training, locating elk, setup strategies, wind and thermals understanding, audio and video, elk behavior pre-rut, rut, post-rut....obviously no guarantee but you will go on your hunt with a lot more confidence.

[madcalfe]

learn to bugle. mouth reeds for cow call seem to work the best...after some practice. i never usually wait for bugling bulls to come to me i go to them most of the time. thick and steep terrain. 4 out of 5 6 points i have shot all been within 50 yards, in thick bush. stay off quad trails and hit the timber! and yes peace region i think have best odds for getting some elk.

[mrtires24]

learn to bugle. mouth reeds for cow call seem to work the best...after some practice. i never usually wait for bugling bulls to come to me i go to them most of the time. thick and steep terrain. 4 out of 5 6 points i have shot all been within 50 yards, in thick bush. stay off quad trails and hit the timber! and yes peace region i think have best odds for getting some elk.

thick and steep...would it be south facing? up hihg? or close to the bottom of a valley? what do they eat? Thanks

[pg83]

i never usually wait for bugling bulls to come to me i go to them most of the time.

I have missed the chance at many a bull by being too passive with them during the rut. Don't be dumb and rush in without caution, but use their own distractions against them and get tight before signalling your presence to seal the deal.

[Rattler]

Learn how to do a location bugel. Once a bull is heard get the wind in your favour and go right at it. Try to get within 200yards. Bugel and get ready. Make sure the wind is in your favour. 90% of time the wind will mess up the hunt. Another good tip is to rake a tree.
Practice using mouth reeds. The primos calls work well and are easy to use if you can’t bugel with a reed.

[todbartell]

get on those bulls and start challenging them. Lots of great info on youtube about challenging the herd bulls. Aggressive tactics that will see you notching your tag year in and year out

[Ferenc]

Just remember these days they seem at times not to bugle ... always stay on guard ,I’ve had them them come in so silient it surprises the crap out of you .... and on the same hand had them come in like a freight train ... I find the 3pt or better areas along with a cow opening see a bit more pressure than the 6pt areas .... weather I find plays a good one on the calling ..... Hot Sept days/night shuts them down abit .... cold frosty mornings are generally better as are rain days.
You gotta find them .... as an old avid sucessful elk hunter told me .. the worst thing you can do is nothing if you have one bugling
Finding an area is the hard part .... once you that find that the elk will be there.
And watch out for them Grizz ... where elk are found they are usually close by.
never be complacent while cow callin in the thick alder ... hunt with someone in the mornings rather than going solo, best time to be adventurous .... if you mess up ya got the rest of the day to figure it out.

[willyqbc]

Ok...this could be a bit long, but I'll try and run down our elk hunting strategies.

You need to learn your area.....identify the food source, could be fresh logging, agriculture, old burn etc, identify the water source, identify the shaded draws that are away from roads/quad trails etc. Our belief from witnessing elk come back to the food source in the grey hours of the morning, is that they feed during the night, probably going back and forth to water source a few times, returning to the food source around first light at the latest. when they move out toward the bedding area, which may be many km away, they tend to go slowly, feeding along the way.
We ALWAYS start at the food source in the morning. After identifying a likely looking draw, the plan is to hike from food source to draw....the key for us, is you want to be FOLLOWING the herd...not trying to get in front and "cut them off". It is very un-natural for an elk to be heading from bedding area towards the food source in the morning....so we choose to do what all the other elk are doing, and hike from food to bedding area.
We use bugles almost exclusively.....we don't worry about wind, we don't worry about noise...elk are VERY noisy in the bush....just hike at a normal walking pace through the timber and bugle as loud as you can, every couple hundred yards.
Now, once you get a response....don't try doing anything fancy or sneaky....beeline straight for it, and continue bugling. You may end up chasing the bugles for several hours as the herd feeds away from you...don't panic and try to close the distance too soon. The cows are driving this bus, and they are slowly walking and feeding towards the bedding area....you are not going to turn that bull, until the cows finally stop for the morning.
Now, once the cows stop and you notice you are closing in on the bugle, it time to send the shooter 100 or so yards ahead of the caller and have him or her move downwind as well. as a unit, the caller and the shooter continue towards the last bugle heard, keeping the 100 yd gap between, you're gonna wanna slow down your advance at this point, and the callers can mix in some cow calls at this point. Once you get within the bulls comfort zone, he is not gonna want you to come in on "his" bedded cows, and he will come back to kick your butt. Invariably he will swing downwind and when close, will try and find some sort of "hiding spot" where he is obscured and can check you out first. but he is zoned in on where the bugle is coming from....which is 100 yds back and to the side of the shooter who is staying silent. this usually gives the shooter plenty of time to count points etc when the bull comes into view. BOOM! dead bull and the real work begins!
Some days this can take hours of following to seal the deal, but when using this method, if we got a bull responding to us, we almost ALWAYS got a look at him. We havent hunted elk in a few years now, but when we were hunting them hard, we pulled about 15 bulls in a five year span using this method.

https://i.imgur.com/76O8VPY.jpg

Not the only way to hunt elk...just what has worked for us!
Hope this helps! and good luck!

[Bugle M In]

^^^^^^^ "Show Off"!!!...…:-P

[J_T]

Ok...this could be a bit long, but I'll try and run down our elk hunting strategies.

You need to learn your area.....identify the food source, could be fresh logging, agriculture, old burn etc, identify the water source, identify the shaded draws that are away from roads/quad trails etc. Our belief from witnessing elk come back to the food source in the grey hours of the morning, is that they feed during the night, probably going back and forth to water source a few times, returning to the food source around first light at the latest. when they move out toward the bedding area, which may be many km away, they tend to go slowly, feeding along the way.
We ALWAYS start at the food source in the morning. After identifying a likely looking draw, the plan is to hike from food source to draw....the key for us, is you want to be FOLLOWING the herd...not trying to get in front and "cut them off". It is very un-natural for an elk to be heading from bedding area towards the food source in the morning....so we choose to do what all the other elk are doing, and hike from food to bedding area.
We use bugles almost exclusively.....we don't worry about wind, we don't worry about noise...elk are VERY noisy in the bush....just hike at a normal walking pace through the timber and bugle as loud as you can, every couple hundred yards.
Now, once you get a response....don't try doing anything fancy or sneaky....beeline straight for it, and continue bugling. You may end up chasing the bugles for several hours as the herd feeds away from you...don't panic and try to close the distance too soon. The cows are driving this bus, and they are slowly walking and feeding towards the bedding area....you are not going to turn that bull, until the cows finally stop for the morning.
Now, once the cows stop and you notice you are closing in on the bugle, it time to send the shooter 100 or so yards ahead of the caller and have him or her move downwind as well. as a unit, the caller and the shooter continue towards the last bugle heard, keeping the 100 yd gap between, you're gonna wanna slow down your advance at this point, and the callers can mix in some cow calls at this point. Once you get within the bulls comfort zone, he is not gonna want you to come in on "his" bedded cows, and he will come back to kick your butt. Invariably he will swing downwind and when close, will try and find some sort of "hiding spot" where he is obscured and can check you out first. but he is zoned in on where the bugle is coming from....which is 100 yds back and to the side of the shooter who is staying silent. this usually gives the shooter plenty of time to count points etc when the bull comes into view. BOOM! dead bull and the real work begins!
Some days this can take hours of following to seal the deal, but when using this method, if we got a bull responding to us, we almost ALWAYS got a look at him. We havent hunted elk in a few years now, but when we were hunting them hard, we pulled about 15 bulls in a five year span using this method.

https://i.imgur.com/76O8VPY.jpg

Not the only way to hunt elk...just what has worked for us!
Hope this helps! and good luck!

Yup, nailed the approach, pretty much. With this strategy, you can locate a bull at daylight and still be working him at lunch.

[.264winmag]

I like cow calling. Not all bulls want to fight, especially after some hunting pressure. Yet to find one that didn’t want a cow...

[.264winmag]

Unlikely to peel a bull off a herd of cows headed to bed with a bugle. He will however turn around if he thinks he forgot a hot cow...

[hunter1947]

The key to bagging a bull elk is to know where elk are and one way to find elk is to look on google earth for possible places that might carry elk
I look at google earth all the time for these places that might carry elk numbers I go there and if I don't see any elk or elk sign from the previous
fall I can this area and will look at other areas.

I keep doing this till I find elk one thing to keep in mind is if you find elk in early season the chances of them being there latter season
are slim elk are on the move all the time especially when the GOS rolls around.

What I look for is past years rubs if you find this you know that a bull was there in the early rutting season or late rutting season but they where there
I also look for elk beds where the grass is laid down from them bedding as for elk scats,rubs,tracks,,elk need lots of water as well elk will travel up to 10k or more
to go to there drinking areas.

Many hunters like you said they won't give areas to you where they hunt for elk I am a big time elk deer shed hunter and shed hunting starts here in the
EK starting March..
What I do for my shed hunts is look on google earth for possible places to look for elk sheds then go there and check out this area if I find fresh elk sheds
in this area I then know that this is the wintering grounds for elk.

Where elk winter and where they head for summer range can be some distances could be up to 50k away or more when I am in a new area checking it out for sheds
I look for any sign of elk from that past fall.

if the elk where in this area the past fall where I am in looking for elk sheds if I see the elk sign from last fall as I stated in my previous wording
rubs,beds tracks,elk scats if I find all this then you know to come back in the fall mid Sept and take a look for elk.

I search google earth all the time I will go to about 30 spots that look good for shed hunting for that one year and at the same time I am scouting
for elk at the same time.
As I said before elk might not be in the area you scout out early season but then again sometimes elk will be still in the same area in the fall as they
were in the early spring..

All and All is go out and look at areas that's how you find elk numbers ,,good luck ,,H-47

[PKernohan]

The key to bagging a bull elk is to know where elk are and one way to find elk is to look on google earth for possible places that might carry elk
I look at google earth all the time for these places that might carry elk numbers I go there and if I don't see any elk or elk sign from the previous
fall I can this area and will look at other areas.

I keep doing this till I find elk one thing to keep in mind is if you find elk in early season the chances of them being there latter season
are slim elk are on the move all the time especially when the GOS rolls around.

What I look for is past years rubs if you find this you know that a bull was there in the early rutting season or late rutting season but they where there
I also look for elk beds where the grass is laid down from them bedding as for elk scats,rubs,tracks,,elk need lots of water as well elk will travel up to 10k or more
to go to there drinking areas.

Many hunters like you said they won't give areas to you where they hunt for elk I am a big time elk deer shed hunter and shed hunting starts here in the
EK starting March..
What I do for my shed hunts is look on google earth for possible places to look for elk sheds then go there and check out this area if I find fresh elk sheds
in this area I then know that this is the wintering grounds for elk.

Where elk winter and where they head for summer range can be some distances could be up to 50k away or more when I am in a new area checking it out for sheds
I look for any sign of elk from that past fall.

if the elk where in this area the past fall where I am in looking for elk sheds if I see the elk sign from last fall as I stated in my previous wording
rubs,beds tracks,elk scats if I find all this then you know to come back in the fall mid Sept and take a look for elk.

I search google earth all the time I will go to about 30 spots that look good for shed hunting for that one year and at the same time I am scouting
for elk at the same time.
As I said before elk might not be in the area you scout out early season but then again sometimes elk will be still in the same area in the fall as they
were in the early spring..

All and All is go out and look at areas that's how you find elk numbers ,,good luck ,,H-47

Curious as to what sort of things you're looking for on Google earth when doing your online scouting?

Steep timber, north slopes, south slopes, water, accessibility/lack thereof...etc

Been doing a lot of searching on Google earth. However because I don't know what I'm looking for, every spot I look at, seems like it has the potential to hold elk. Looking for a way to narrow down my Google earth searches.

[Bugle M In]

Elk need a lot of water daily.
These days, Septembers can be very hot.
They need cool places to sit/rest, which is mostly during daylight hours.
As long as the timber if fairly thick, and there is a creek/stream with a decent amount of flowing water, that is shaded,
it acts like a "air conditioning" unit, which will keep elk cool. (try finding them, you will see what I mean).
Also, they need to drink 10 gallons of water per day, not something they can just get from the dew on the plants they eat.
This could mean North or east slopes, but I find them on south and southwest facing slopes as well.
Look for benches on google, the larger the better, and if cutblocks exist, the better it can be.
However, too much logging in an area has also been detrimental, in my experience anyways.
It's a fine balance.
Wallows, and Rubs, and fresh tracks and droppings is a dead give away.
During mid day into the afternoon, if warm, they almost always are laying by or in a creek, which can range from low
down on a main river, in all those slews, to up high, below sub alpine, where creeks are flowing.
IF there is no water, you are wasting your time.
They like Alders and Birch, but have seen them in the pine only as well.
Scree slopes used to be the area to hit, but logging and lack of snow and snow slides have changed that up to some degree.
Have taken elk at 1 pm, in 30+ temps.
Have chased them from first light, til mid day, have gotten them to respond mid/late afternoon, but these one usually then wait til almost dark to check you out.
The last hour is usually when that occurs, and often, the last 15 minutes before its completely dark.
But by 10:30, they are most times moving to bedding areas til later in the day, and usually stay hidden.
Sometimes elk don't move much at all for several days, just hanging in a small area, which gives the appearance that
nothing is around, but they are.
You just have to believe in the sign you find.
Try to close the gap on a responding bull.
IF it is obvious he is coming to you, then hold up, and get someone ahead of you.
Cow call, hoping he responds to give location as coming in helps.
Sometimes, you just have to keep your ears open.
Squirrels can be your best friend for game.
When they bark away, it generally means something has entered their area, and they blast away.
Many times I have seen ilk or wt come in/by shortly after.
Listening for the odd twig break, as they don't always crash in, but can move really stealthy as well.
Depend if he is just curious, or if he feels he is the big boy on the block.
Bulls with cows is a different scenario, and if you bugle, from too far away, they may reply, but then they round up,
and walk the other way.
Getting in close is crucial then.
That's why bugling and getting a response can be difficult to then decide what to do next.
Is he single, which he will come in more times then not.
IF he is with cows, you need to figure that out.
Spotting is aways the best to know what the situation at hand is, but not always possible.
Again, it's hunting, and if you get into it a lot, and get lots of action, you are going to realize that you will screw up
more then you will succeed.
Hard to sometimes tell if a bull is a legal 6, especially in timber, or at a long distance off.
When possible, I take a spotting scope for those hunts where I know I will be sitting at the river, and watching and calling, where the distance can be 300 to 400 yards + when they do show up.
Other times, you will be trying to figure out at 5 yards if they were big enough!
If they figure you out, and blow them out, they probably wont be in that same spot the next day.
But, another bull could be searching the next day.
It's all possible.
But, if it was a bull your intent on, and he figured out your a hunter, you will be looking kilometers away the next day to find him.
If he comes in, but never really figures out what is going on, he might be there the next morning or in the evening again.
Look at LEH allocations.
The higher the allocation, or the lower the point limit, the chances are the more elk that are held in that MU.
That's also a good guide line, but expect more hunter as well.
Depends how young, how fit and healthy you are, and how far you are willing to push into the back country and wanting to pack out as well.
A few areas I know of, that I can no longer get into, but they exist, that might add to success.
IT takes time, and years to get the hang of it.
But you never get to the point where you don't make mistakes, that for sure.
Lots of vids out there, from Primos to 101 to show what ways can work.
Watch other hunters when you are out there too, there are some who do know what they are doing.
The driving around may work for MD/WT, but I watched lots of guys drive by me, to only have a bull respond a minute
later to me, on foot, or by mtn bike.
By foot, you can see tracks/sign, and you can spot better, and call locate better to.
Way more success that way, by a long shot.
When you do get that first bull to respond, and he does come in, you will never go back.
Its a real thrill, and an addiction for sure.

[PKernohan]

Elk need a lot of water daily.
These days, Septembers can be very hot.
They need cool places to sit/rest, which is mostly during daylight hours.
As long as the timber if fairly thick, and there is a creek/stream with a decent amount of flowing water, that is shaded,
it acts like a "air conditioning" unit, which will keep elk cool. (try finding them, you will see what I mean).
Also, they need to drink 10 gallons of water per day, not something they can just get from the dew on the plants they eat.
This could mean North or east slopes, but I find them on south and southwest facing slopes as well.
Look for benches on google, the larger the better, and if cutblocks exist, the better it can be.
However, too much logging in an area has also been detrimental, in my experience anyways.
It's a fine balance.
Wallows, and Rubs, and fresh tracks and droppings is a dead give away.
During mid day into the afternoon, if warm, they almost always are laying by or in a creek, which can range from low
down on a main river, in all those slews, to up high, below sub alpine, where creeks are flowing.
IF there is no water, you are wasting your time.
They like Alders and Birch, but have seen them in the pine only as well.
Scree slopes used to be the area to hit, but logging and lack of snow and snow slides have changed that up to some degree.
Have taken elk at 1 pm, in 30+ temps.
Have chased them from first light, til mid day, have gotten them to respond mid/late afternoon, but these one usually then wait til almost dark to check you out.
The last hour is usually when that occurs, and often, the last 15 minutes before its completely dark.
But by 10:30, they are most times moving to bedding areas til later in the day, and usually stay hidden.
Sometimes elk don't move much at all for several days, just hanging in a small area, which gives the appearance that
nothing is around, but they are.
You just have to believe in the sign you find.
Try to close the gap on a responding bull.
IF it is obvious he is coming to you, then hold up, and get someone ahead of you.
Cow call, hoping he responds to give location as coming in helps.
Sometimes, you just have to keep your ears open.
Squirrels can be your best friend for game.
When they bark away, it generally means something has entered their area, and they blast away.
Many times I have seen ilk or wt come in/by shortly after.
Listening for the odd twig break, as they don't always crash in, but can move really stealthy as well.
Depend if he is just curious, or if he feels he is the big boy on the block.
Bulls with cows is a different scenario, and if you bugle, from too far away, they may reply, but then they round up,
and walk the other way.
Getting in close is crucial then.
That's why bugling and getting a response can be difficult to then decide what to do next.
Is he single, which he will come in more times then not.
IF he is with cows, you need to figure that out.
Spotting is aways the best to know what the situation at hand is, but not always possible.
Again, it's hunting, and if you get into it a lot, and get lots of action, you are going to realize that you will screw up
more then you will succeed.
Hard to sometimes tell if a bull is a legal 6, especially in timber, or at a long distance off.
When possible, I take a spotting scope for those hunts where I know I will be sitting at the river, and watching and calling, where the distance can be 300 to 400 yards + when they do show up.
Other times, you will be trying to figure out at 5 yards if they were big enough!
If they figure you out, and blow them out, they probably wont be in that same spot the next day.
But, another bull could be searching the next day.
It's all possible.
But, if it was a bull your intent on, and he figured out your a hunter, you will be looking kilometers away the next day to find him.
If he comes in, but never really figures out what is going on, he might be there the next morning or in the evening again.
Look at LEH allocations.
The higher the allocation, or the lower the point limit, the chances are the more elk that are held in that MU.
That's also a good guide line, but expect more hunter as well.
Depends how young, how fit and healthy you are, and how far you are willing to push into the back country and wanting to pack out as well.
A few areas I know of, that I can no longer get into, but they exist, that might add to success.
IT takes time, and years to get the hang of it.
But you never get to the point where you don't make mistakes, that for sure.
Lots of vids out there, from Primos to 101 to show what ways can work.
Watch other hunters when you are out there too, there are some who do know what they are doing.
The driving around may work for MD/WT, but I watched lots of guys drive by me, to only have a bull respond a minute
later to me, on foot, or by mtn bike.
By foot, you can see tracks/sign, and you can spot better, and call locate better to.
Way more success that way, by a long shot.
When you do get that first bull to respond, and he does come in, you will never go back.
Its a real thrill, and an addiction for sure.

Thank you. I'd like that post if I could!

[hunter1947]

Curious as to what sort of things you're looking for on Google earth when doing your online scouting?

Steep timber, north slopes, south slopes, water, accessibility/lack thereof...etc

Been doing a lot of searching on Google earth. However because I don't know what I'm looking for, every spot I look at, seems like it has the potential to hold elk. Looking for a way to narrow down my Google earth searches.

On Google earth I look at all on what you said most times I look for small pounds in timber close to a slashes and focus on timber surrounding open slashes on south facing slops

For fall hunting elk I hunt all facing slops elk can be anywhere during the time of the rut if its hot out during a hunt for elk I focus on open area slides first thing
in the mornings then later morning work the dark timber on the north facing slops elk when its hot out go to cool bedding areas on the north facing slops,H-47..