Elk knowledge

[mikeman20]

After years of being too busy to do much hunting, This year coming up I'll have alot more time!

My buddy and I are going to be doing some elk hunting, and I'm trying to figure out what sort of habitat they like to stick to. I've run into them in whitetail style, low down areas before, but all the elk vids on youtube seem high up and mountainy. I'm a big fan of getting away from all roads for less hunter pressure, and hiking lots of kms is a bonus in my eyes, so maybe I'm just hoping that a high mountain valley is where to go lol.


What is HBC's opinion, what sort of habitat holds elk?

[mike31154]

Take a look at the LEH draws for Elk, that'll give you a general idea where some of herds are as far as MUs. The east Kootenays hold elk & there are scattered herds elsewhere in the province, but difficult to find for GOS hunting. They will travel from low to high & vice versa. Depends on the time of day & season.

[warnniklz]

I'm just here to cherrypick info on hopes someone slips up with spots. I don't know shit about Elk.

But it seems as if they can survive anywhere from temperate rainforest to sagebrush to high mountain tops.

[Jagermeister]

Try to land a copy of Olaus J. Murie's book, "ELK of North America"

[mikeman20]

Try to land a copy of Olaus J. Murie's book, "ELK of North America"

Sounds like this book has everything imaginable about Elk, just have to find a copy that isn't $400!

[jac]

There is also a elk training website. I think it’s called elk 101

[BimmerBob]

There is also a elk training website. I think it’s called elk 101

How do you enroll your elk into the program so they know how to be hunted and behave properly during hunting season?

[jac]

How do you enroll your elk into the program so they know how to be hunted and behave properly during hunting season?


Sign up they will walk you through it. I have listed to some of corey jacobs (spelling) seminars on YouTube and I learned a fair bit.

[Springer]

Go hunt the thickest Gnarliest Bush you can find, In my experience thats where they are when their not on the move.

[RackStar]

Go hunt the thickest Gnarliest Bush you can find, In my experience thats where they are when their not on the move.

Ain’t that the truth.

[Weatherby Fan]

Well Im definitely no professional elk hunter but we hunt late season well after the rut (oct 10-20) and the more snow the better as it forces the Elk down to lower elevations where we can effectively hunt them,

If its warm and no snow they (bulls) canstill be up in the Alpine basins.....so if all going well we key in on there feeding routines and again if lots of snow up high we usually see Elk daily, but it can be a frustrating hunt if unseasonably warm and no snow, luckily where we hunt we have moose, MD and WT deer to hunt as well as Elk.

[albravo2]

There is also a elk training website. I think it’s called elk 101
highly recommend. worth the money for sure.

[358mag]

Go hunt the thickest Gnarliest Bush you can find, In my experience thats where they are when their not on the move.

But be very very careful , if you spook them out of there gnarliest bedroom they will be gone never to be found .

[mike31154]

Sho' do taste fine, of that I am certain mon ami.

https://dm2302files.storage.live.com/y4mhMGxJdgLxf5hx-gFNb3o5WzayYeUgTUAJPjBA0a3RzgSocFIFBcbZE6_Knbo632Z 4ubWNq8sEW9kUnSi25wVf62kg4YlGNY4fP_MJQ5zzXWOc7plRV 5m_Khss3Zvv0HFkB6KUkRp8zCeHG2DJWSceK16caDfuOxtEKdX XDumDXCaJo6KFWZg3mmEkiOG5sGn?width=1024&height=676&cropmode=none

[j270wsm]

I’m no expert but here is my opinion. 80% of the province can be classified as elk habitat. What you need to do is pick a region to focus on then find a general area where you know elk live yr round. Let’s say you pick region 4. Look online in past leh synopsis’ and find a starting point.
You talk about wanting to get away from roads and other hunters......if you go back through old threads you’ll see where guys talk about hiking yr after yr into the back country looking for elk but they see less and less elk every yr. part of this could be high pred numbers and part of it could be that the low numbers of elk aren’t forcing the herd to branch out to find feed. Keep in mind that elk are similar to cattle in that they don’t travel far from food, water but they need cover.
River bottoms have a vast amount of feed and water so other than less bugs, why would a herd leave and head to the high country?

[Husky7mm]

Well Im definitely no professional elk hunter but we hunt late season well after the rut (oct 10-20) and the more snow the better as it forces the Elk down to lower elevations where we can effectively hunt them,

If its warm and no snow they (bulls) canstill be up in the Alpine basins.....so if all going well we key in on there feeding routines and again if lots of snow up high we usually see Elk daily, but it can be a frustrating hunt if unseasonably warm and no snow, luckily where we hunt we have moose, MD and WT deer to hunt as well as Elk.

It sounds like a hell of a place. You should share a story about one of your adventures there.

[madcalfe]

thick and steep is where they will be during the rut. good luck getting them to come out into cut blocks or fields when calling during daylight hours.
I've shot all my 6 pointers within 40 yards.

[Weatherby Fan]

It sounds like a hell of a place. You should share a story about one of your adventures there.


I have shared it, check through my past threads and you'll see the pictures/story

[Arctic Lake]

I would absolutely love to hunt Elk , never have . Maybe I will apply for an LEH again . If anyone would care to share where to try for an LEH that would be great !
Arctic Lake

[Husky7mm]

I would absolutely love to hunt Elk , never have . Maybe I will apply for an LEH again . If anyone would care to share where to try for an LEH that would be great !
Arctic Lake
Go general every year man. Head up to the peace or over to the koots. Looks at harvest stats to see what units are best and giver. Good times.

[Husky7mm]

I have shared it, check through my past threads and you'll see the pictures/story

I didnt find a thread about Elk, lots about guns, who knew, lol

[jetstar]

hey...another great site that has an elk course is ElkBros...blue collar elk hunting...google it....they are great

[Arctic Lake]

Could you share best time of year to go in a General Open Season ?
Arctic Lake

Go general every year man. Head up to the peace or over to the koots. Looks at harvest stats to see what units are best and giver. Good times.

[madcalfe]

sept 10 -sept 30

[Arctic Lake]

Thank you !
Arctic Lake

sept 10 -sept 30

[Weatherby Fan]

Thank you !
Arctic Lake

If you go up North some of the areas open for 3 pt Elk on the 15th of Aug

[Arctic Lake]

Thanks WF !
Arctic Lake

[Husky7mm]

Could you share best time of year to go in a General Open Season ?
Arctic Lake
When I lived in the koots I always had action opening week. Also a week before it with bow but bow can be frustrating cause they hang up or you see them and they are to far and then they are gone. Killed a few in October too in the Koots. They still bugle but they don’t come in cause the legal bulls all have a herd. Best strategy for me has been interception from bed to feeding. Elk tend go up the hills to bed and down the hills to feed. It is not often the top of a mountain either. They can bed between cutblocks part way up the mountain, in the dark cool timber.
Had great action the last week of the season too in the EK. If the snow is deep they herd up in the low country. If not they could still be way back in hills. Unfortunately there is way less elk there now from what I hear so it could be a bigger challenge.

If you go north they are often in the aspen, near river valleys. Also in the north less antler restrictions iirc. I live in northern Alberta now. We are fortunate to have a season that goes all the way to Nov 30. Hunting in the snow helps to pattern them big time.
The easiest hunt is on the farmland fringe. Hunt for sign fresh sign and figure out their pattern. Get in the right position or if your low on time then track to their bedding. Best done with a buddy to parallel from the side if you jump them before you see them. 1 of you may get a shot.
Elk hunting is a great time, and the meat is excellent.

[mikeman20]

The area I'm planning on going, I've seen lots of Elk in the farmers fields at night during deer session mid October, but that's low down in the valley. There's lots of food, cover and water there without any roads, but it isn't a huuuuge area.

If it's warm out, should I be looking at higher elevations? The close by mountains are very steep up front, but it looks like good habitat up top and behind.

[Husky7mm]

If its warm out they will bed in dark timber on the north or east slope. They can travel from those fields in the dark way up that mountain about 10x faster than you or I could, they walk a few ks in no time. Are there any creeks flowing down the mountain side?
Find the trails and routes and post near them. Pay mind to the thermals. The bulls will often sound off for up to an hour before the herd get up and goes down for dinner. Don’t respond with bugles, he may go somewhere else, imo they are doing that to find out if there are hunters down there.
The elk will be where the best feed is. They are suckers for crop or cut grass /alfalfa. They eat leaves like willow, alder and aspen when the frost turns them.

[RackStar]

September all month is pretty good. Scout scout scout. Find elk in a not so hotspot for trAvelling hunters and get to know the ground well. Get in position during the cover of dark

[mikeman20]

If its warm out they will bed in dark timber on the north or east slope. They can travel from those fields in the dark way up that mountain about 10x faster than you or I could, they walk a few ks in no time. Are there any creeks flowing down the mountain side?
Find the trails and routes and post near them. Pay mind to the thermals. The bulls will often sound off for up to an hour before the herd get up and goes down for dinner. Don’t respond with bugles, he may go somewhere else, imo they are doing that to find out if there are hunters down there.
The elk will be where the best feed is. They are suckers for crop or cut grass /alfalfa. They eat leaves like willow, alder and aspen when the frost turns them.

Thanks for the advice. Yeah it looks like there's streams and a few smaller lakes/ponds at the bottom.

I'll check the lower spot for fresh sign, and if there isn't any, then its up the mountains I go. I'll have to make sure I'm in great shape this year.

[Arctic Lake]

As you all know I ask lots of questions , I seek information , sometimes to a fault . I would compare it to having so many choices in front of ones self that you have a hard time making up your mind , my mind .
Anyway very good of you fellas that respond with information and your knowledge when fellas
Thank You !
Arctic Lake. The asker of questions !

[Arctic Lake]

Thanks, for your input Husky !
Arctic Lake

When I lived in the koots I always had action opening week. Also a week before it with bow but bow can be frustrating cause they hang up or you see them and they are to far and then they are gone. Killed a few in October too in the Koots. They still bugle but they don’t come in cause the legal bulls all have a herd. Best strategy for me has been interception from bed to feeding. Elk tend go up the hills to bed and down the hills to feed. It is not often the top of a mountain either. They can bed between cutblocks part way up the mountain, in the dark cool timber.
Had great action the last week of the season too in the EK. If the snow is deep they herd up in the low country. If not they could still be way back in hills. Unfortunately there is way less elk there now from what I hear so it could be a bigger challenge.

If you go north they are often in the aspen, near river valleys. Also in the north less antler restrictions iirc. I live in northern Alberta now. We are fortunate to have a season that goes all the way to Nov 30. Hunting in the snow helps to pattern them big time.
The easiest hunt is on the farmland fringe. Hunt for sign fresh sign and figure out their pattern. Get in the right position or if your low on time then track to their bedding. Best done with a buddy to parallel from the side if you jump them before you see them. 1 of you may get a shot.
Elk hunting is a great time, and the meat is excellent.

[wiggy]

Elk are where you find them. They have definitely evolved in some places over the years. The migrations aren’t the same. They do like to winter in the same places year after year as they are pushed out then. Wolves definitely did a number on them and the idiotic government cull at the same time cut the numbers down to 25 percent.
some areas are out there where they are actually still increasing Scouting in the winter shows a lot.

[wiggy]

Sorry not pushed out then

[RyoTHC]

After years of being too busy to do much hunting, This year coming up I'll have alot more time!

My buddy and I are going to be doing some elk hunting, and I'm trying to figure out what sort of habitat they like to stick to. I've run into them in whitetail style, low down areas before, but all the elk vids on youtube seem high up and mountainy. I'm a big fan of getting away from all roads for less hunter pressure, and hiking lots of kms is a bonus in my eyes, so maybe I'm just hoping that a high mountain valley is where to go lol.


What is HBC's opinion, what sort of habitat holds elk?


not sure if it’s in your budget but “Elk of North America” has been an invaluable tool, the ecology and historical data alone is worth its weight in gold when it comes to finding and staying on a herd.

[mikeman20]

not sure if it’s in your budget but “Elk of North America” has been an invaluable tool, the ecology and historical data alone is worth its weight in gold when it comes to finding and staying on a herd.

Yeah Jagermeister mentioned that book, but since its out of print it has become very expensive. The cheapest version I found was a signed copy for like $600. I'll keep checking though, hopefully someone wants to sell a used copy for a reasonable price.

[RyoTHC]

Yeah Jagermeister mentioned that book, but since its out of print it has become very expensive. The cheapest version I found was a signed copy for like $600. I'll keep checking though, hopefully someone wants to sell a used copy for a reasonable price.



I feel that pain, I paid 400+shipping and insurance.. most I’ve ever paid for a book.
I also feel like most of the information in the book is readily found online, but then you have to have the skill set to dig through what is fact, hearsay and opinion vs everything being in one book at your finger tips snd it’s all fact.

[huntingfamily]

Highly recommended
https://www.elk101.com/onlinecourse/

[mikeman20]

I ended up doing the elk 101 course, thank you to the several people who recommended it.

100% worth it.

If anyone is looking to expand their elk hunting knowledge, spend the money on the course and you won't be disappointed.

[Moose63]

I feel that pain, I paid 400+shipping and insurance.. most I’ve ever paid for a book.
I also feel like most of the information in the book is readily found online, but then you have to have the skill set to dig through what is fact, hearsay and opinion vs everything being in one book at your finger tips snd it’s all fact.

Hey RyoTHC

You over paid. I bought mine on eBay for $140 CDN. Like elk hunting you have to be patient.:-P

Good book!

[Norwestalta]

Seems to me that elk are fairly common. A person may not see them but chances are they are there. Probably one of the most elusive and skittish animals we have in canada. Seems like they are scared of their own shadows.

[RyoTHC]

Hey RyoTHC

You over paid. I bought mine on eBay for $140 CDN. Like elk hunting you have to be patient.:-P

Good book!

that’s probably true, I definitely wasn’t patient. Bought the first copy I found last summer thinking I was going to spend the fall elk hunting, then got a moose leh lol

this year is the year I start chasing elk and eating tag soup lol
was hoping to be ready for bow season as I have the entirety of September off but no where near proficient enough for that so going to chase them sept 10-oct 4.


good luck to everyone… damn near go time !

[albravo2]

I'll be chasing GOS 6 point bulls on Sept 10. Can't wait!

Last year was my first real year of hunting elk and the excitement of a bull screaming and thrashing the bush will never be forgotten. Friggin' hair on the back of my neck standing straight up!

[Norwestalta]

I'll be chasing GOS 6 point bulls on Sept 10. Can't wait!

Last year was my first real year of hunting elk and the excitement of a bull screaming and thrashing the bush will never be forgotten. Friggin' hair on the back of my neck standing straight up!

Its addictive lol.

[Bugle M In]

You can hunt elk most of your life like me and think you have it all figured until you realize you don't.
There are posts on here that have "some truth" to them, but its not written in stone.
They can be a gnarly stuff, bedded, but generally like a place where there is a creek and shade if hot and somewhere they can
even lay in mud to stay cool.
They can hang in an area for weeks, or travel 20km in a nights.
They like early morning and just before night, BUT, have had them come out into a cut block, in October, in 30+ degrees at
high noon and walk 400m thru a cut block to me, within feet.
So, scenarios are different every time.

Elk need water every day, so, no water for miles, doubt you will find elk hanging there.
They like to stay cool, so treed creeks and streams are natural ac for them.
They can bugle and crash or come in like a cat.
If out in the open with cows and you bugle, they most always pack up and head the opposite way.
Bugle and he feels his cows are hidden in a treed area, he might come out to check you out and tell you to piss off.
Way up high in sub alpine to the lowest part of the valleys.

Hint, they leaves tracks.
Fresh sign is something that is always a give away.
Just have to figure out if it is a b-line for 20km or if he is with shes and are hovering the area.
That's where you start.

101 is good and husky had some good pointers for sure.