Elk Hunting How far down the game trail you go

[bruce44]

Hi Everyone,

I know I've been asking alot of questions about elk hunting lately, I'm just getting tired of getting skunked for 4 years.

So I took everyone's advice about getting off the roads.
My question is, do you just pick random game trails and start bushwacking? At what point do you stop and give up on a trail and walk out?

I've found a few trails that show a lot of footprints(have trouble differentiating moose and elk). I walk down for about 3 kms look for signs and only saw a few old poop. What do you guys do in this situation? Do you keep going or turn around and look for another trail. How soon after entering a game trail do you realize it's not a good one and move to another trail

When do you start walking? Do you go down a quad trail as far away from the road as possible then get off the quad when you see a good trail? Or do you just walk from camp?


Second, do you preplan the trail before entering, google maps, looking for meadows etc? Or do you just pick the first one you see and go? I'm finding that some of the trails I enter eventually just get too thick to keep walking into.

Does anyone ever just sit I'm s game trail and wait there?

[waserwolf]

Hi Bruce44.

Have you tried sitting and glassing?
Spot the Elk, make a plan, then hike in?

[firebird]

Look up Corey Jacobsen, Randy Newberg, meateater, or Huntin’ fool, and similar articles/mag/YouTube. These guys have lots to say you can try what you like.

[hawk-i]

Just like with all game you should be hunting where it is....cover as much ground by truck, atv, or foot and find fresh sign and then start hunting.

You have to hunt for a place to hunt.

Know your game, keep the wind in your face, and be persistent.

IMHO, this is what hunting is all about....good luck in your pursuit....:)

[Wild one]

Just like with all game you should be hunting where it is....cover as much ground by truck, atv, or foot and find fresh sign and then start hunting.

You have to hunt for a place to hunt.

Know your game, keep the wind in your face, and be persistent.

IMHO, this is what hunting is all about....good luck in your pursuit....:)


And trail cams don’t forget trail cams :p

Poking fun aside hawk-i is giving good advice. Something many hunters forget to do is stop hunting for a spot and they keep covering ground. If you find a spot with good sign with terrain that can give you a good shot opportunity stop put in the time to figure out the area and the animals in it. Just because you did not see anything when you were there does not mean your in a bad location

I only started getting into elk hunting but I got to learn a bit from some experienced successful elk hunters. 2 things that they all preached is elk travel but they do return to locations it’s a matter of how long you need to wait an hour or a month and once you learn a herds habits you will know when to be where . Elk like to travel along rivers, creeks, and lakes so they make good areas to start your search if you have no clue on a new area

I am an experienced hunter but a rookie elk hunter so don’t take my opinion as gold there is hunters with way more knowledge when it comes to elk on this forum

[monasheemountainman]

elk hunting is not easy, and 4 years of not shooting one when you don’t really know how to hunt them is not out of the ordinary. You gotta put the time in. Most dedicated elk hunters start the process in July, scouting, setting up cams, and watching elk. If you’re in an area that you know the elk are in during the rut, learning how to call would probably be a good start

[J_T]

elk hunting is not easy, and 4 years of not shooting one when you don’t really know how to hunt them is not out of the ordinary. You gotta put the time in. Most dedicated elk hunters start the process in July, scouting, setting up cams, and watching elk. If you’re in an area that you know the elk are in during the rut, learning how to call would probably be a good start
I agree with this. Elk hunting gets into your bones and you can't let it go. 4 years is not a long time. Old statistics used to project, a bowhunter makes 1 kill every 7 years. Not always the case for some, but there you go.
Elk can cover so much ground. It is important to be able to identify elk from moose track, calf elk from cow.. and bull from either cow or calf. You have to cover ground. Once you get into fresh sign. Use your eyes and nose (you can smell them). Slow down, think about the time of day, what they might be doing, what their movement might look like and anticipate and set up, or stalk in.

[hawk-i]

Knowing how to call is a big plus with elk...I worked in Hinton for a few yeasr when I was in my 30's and then in Jasper on construction.

Me and a buddy practiced relentlessly on the park elk heard with diaphragm calls... we got really good at it and had tons of fun. One thing that sticks in my mind is you can move elk quite a distance with calling but they have a limit of territory that they just don't seem to move out of.

I took my first bull elk in the upper Wild Hay valley with bow and arrow at less than 20 yards...this bull charged into my calling so fast he almost run me over before veering off at less than a yard from me...:)

[J_T]

I took my first bull elk in the upper Wild Hay valley with bow and arrow at less than 20 yards...this bull charged into my calling so fast he almost run me over before veering off at less than a yard from me...:)

Ah yes, the proverbial "he's coming in" line we all love to hear. You know when you've turned a bull and in bowhunting, that's when things get interesting. Watch for his downwind swing coming in. They want to smell you and see you. Elk know how to use the wind. To their advantage.

[j270wsm]

Bruce...everyone is giving you great advice. Elk need a lot of feed and are constantly looking for food so they’ll move every few days. Generally...Undisturbed elk usually only move short distances but they can and will go a long way to find food.

I’ve lived in elkford my entire life so I know this area very well and have a pretty good idea where to look for elk. My preferred way to hunt elk is spot and stalk but I also hunt areas that require going in blind and have to rely strictly on calling and lots of luck.

[bruce44]

Thanks for the response everyone. I'm glad to hear that 4 years isnt that long to not bag an elk. Im just getting tired of hearing everyone around me getting something every year. I live in fort st john so there are a lot of guys who are experience but refuse to take me out and show me the ropes.

I've tried looking for places to glass but I dont have a quad. The only place I can glass from are cut blocks near logging roads. I usually find a fresh cut block, up high near logging roads, glass from there to find glassing spots further in the bush. I have never seen any elk when I glass though. Perhaps it might be because I've only glassed at noon or later.

I'll start scouting in the summer next year. Right now I'm going in blind everywhere I go.
I also go on day hunts and drive 1 hour home once it gets dark. Maybe I need to start planning an actual camping trip and dedicate some good time scouting and hunting.

[monasheemountainman]

once you get it figured out you will have many more encounters

[j270wsm]

Hunting and scouting are basically the same thing. After all, your not hunting until you find the elk. Keep track of all the areas you’ve looked and when. Elk are creatures of habit and will return to the same areas around the same time yr after yr.

[bruce44]

Hunting and scouting are basically the same thing. After all, your not hunting until you find the elk. Keep track of all the areas you’ve looked and when. Elk are creatures of habit and will return to the same areas around the same time yr after yr.

Do they eventually return to an area that they were spooked from? I found a spot with lots of beds, poop and markings but some guys decided to camp with a loud generator 200 meters away. It was right next to a river and a cut block with lots to eat.

[rocksteady]

Unlike lots of others, i do not bugle.. i spot til i find them then sneek in on them.. i cow call when i get close or want to cover my noise.. works for me.. i do pack a couple mouth reeds that i will do a spike yelp if i am in and i know a bigger bull is around..

There is no perfect system for elk. What worked yesterday may not work today or tomorrow..

Good luck.. hope you get one

[j270wsm]

Do they eventually return to an area that they were spooked from? I found a spot with lots of beds, poop and markings but some guys decided to camp with a loud generator 200 meters away. It was right next to a river and a cut block with lots to eat.

Every elk is different. They might return to the area but you never know what they’ll do. Opening morning my son and I helped a good friend and his son stalk into 180yds Of a legal bull. Unfortunately, my friend and his son missed the bull 4 times. 7:45pm Sept 11 my son killed the bull in the exact same spot.

[J_T]

Do they eventually return to an area that they were spooked from? I found a spot with lots of beds, poop and markings but some guys decided to camp with a loud generator 200 meters away. It was right next to a river and a cut block with lots to eat.

So many factors here. You want to determine if the sign you find is summer, early August, late August, September, rut, etc. Elk do have patterns, but they are on a much bigger scale than you might think. They are not like whitetail.

When glassing cutblocks, look for cutblocks which are 10 - 15 years old. Walk into those blocks and see what kind of food is in there. Look at what has been chewed on. Summer feed? Fall browse feed? If it's early September you are hunting and the flies and bugs are crazy, look for elk up where they can find an open slope with a breeze to keep the bugs off. If its hot, look in the darker timber. If it's been raining, look lower and in the big timber. I think the starting point is always mid slope.

[Ourea]

bruce44

What is ideal elk habitat? What are the key ingredients that make up that habitat?
Answer those questions and have a full understanding of them and you are well on your way to finding elk easier.
So many hunters burn a lot of boot leather walking around like blind mice looking for elk.

Perhaps try this approach.....
* Learn to identify prime elk habitat.
* Hunt for said habitat.
* Factor in that elk get along with pressure like oil and water so the more isolated the habitat the better.

I can say from experience the isolated areas (mountainous areas in this case) that contain slides, saddles, rips of spruce and considerable water are what elk thrive in if they are not pressured.

Remember, elk travel in herds, they weigh up to to 800 lbs so they will leave a lot of sign if living in an area.

[KBC]

D you guys find calling effective in the later parts of the season (mid October)?

[J_T]

D you guys find calling effective in the later parts of the season (mid October)? I'm finding the past few years, the cows and calves are pretty quiet in the bush. But, normally when I move, if I'm sifting (like they do) I tend to make very quiet cow calf combo calls). Depending on what part of the province you are hunting in, 'calling' for elk can work, or not. Some areas the rut/bugling is still active in October. In other areas, not so much. But being in close to elk, knowing they are present (close by) and cow calling is an effective way to bring a bull to show himself.

[j270wsm]

I’ve found bulls bugling oct 20th

[Ourea]

Another good question to consider is at what elevation does the majority of elk habitat exist at.

All the best gear is not of use if you struggle to find elk consistently.

[BRrooster]

We hunted the early morning till late morning, heard bulls bugling till late morning. we didn't bugle too much. Just till we got a result. Then cow called.
We found lots of rubbed trees and got into the place where they had spent the last month. Thought we pushed them out with our hunting , but a week later,
my son got his 6 pt , after we had had to go home . They came back. We hunted a river bottom and the surrounding cut blocks.

[madcalfe]

I hit the timber pretty hard. It all depends how far your willing to pack one out. This is my first year out of 5 not getting a elk although I only hunted for 2.5 days. But I find cow chirping every 5-10 mins while you walk and then let out one bugle every 30min or so works the best. I’ve shot all 4 6 points within 50 yards in thick timber. Don’t hunt blocks unless you want a satellite bull

[bruce44]

Thank you everyone for all the knowledge. Coming from an immigrant family, I'm the first hunter. I'd like to become more successful so I can take my Dad out to bag his first big game before he gets too old.

[limit time]

bruce44

What is ideal elk habitat? What are the key ingredients that make up that habitat?
Answer those questions and have a full understanding of them and you are well on your way to finding elk easier.
So many hunters burn a lot of boot leather walking around like blind mice looking for elk.

Perhaps try this approach.....
* Learn to identify prime elk habitat.
* Hunt for said habitat.
* Factor in that elk get along with pressure like oil and water so the more isolated the habitat the better.

I can say from experience the isolated areas (mountainous areas in this case) that contain slides, saddles, rips of spruce and considerable water are what elk thrive in if they are not pressured.

Remember, elk travel in herds, they weigh up to to 800 lbs so they will leave a lot of sign if living in an area.


can you maybe add some pics of the examples you mention ?

[valtro12]

Remember, elk travel in herds, they weigh up to to 800 lbs so they will leave a lot of sign if living in an area. Elk can weigh alot more than 800lbs. I know this for sure because I got a nice 6x6 Elk this September and its hanging weight at the butcher was 606 Lbs. The live weight is about 175% of the hanging weight, so 606 Lbs x 175% = 1060 Lbs live weight.

Also, to put this in perspective, I shot a large moose(9x8 rack) a couple of years ago and its hanging weight was 600 Lbs, slightly less than the Elk I got this year! I was surprised that the Elk weighed more than the moose.