What am I doing wrong

[waortah54]

  second year elk hunting in the Rimrock area. First year saw about three cows. Then this year seen a couple but couldn't make them out. But I did run into a 6x6 couldn't shoot it since I was using a modern. It seems to me that the elk hear or see me before I get A chance to make them out. Am I doin something wrong? I'm just getting frustrated. Any help guys would be greatly appreciated.

[kentrek]

1..your on this website instead of getn after it 
2..your looking for elk instead of hunting for elk,slow down turbo 

[bearpaw]

Sounds like you might need to hunt slower and quieter. Try glassing more too. Wild animals are really tuned in so that they can survive. If you can hear yourself walking, they can hear you too.

[ellensburgpo]

Sounds like you might need to hunt slower and quieter. Try glassing more too. Wild animals are really tuned in so that they can survive. If you can hear yourself walking, they can hear you too.

  And make sure the winds in your face. A lot of noses to smell you in a herd of elk.

[Button Nubbs]

Don't overlook treestands. Find the deepest darkest nastiest set-up and wait.

Works for archery, don't know why it wouldn't for modernn but I'm not familiar with the area.

[Kola16]

Do you have a cow call  If you ever break a branch, or something like that you can just give out a cow call. Elk are noisy.

[waortah54]

Man I would of never thought about using a cow call to cover up your mistakes. I was talking to older gentleman that was next to me in camp and he told me it should take you hours to walk a mile. I try to walk real slow and quite and to stop and look around a lot. But I also was told that using cow or calf calls during modern is not useful because they are not in rut.

[billythekidrock]

Man I would of never thought about using a cow call to cover up your mistakes.

Works great when bear hunting as well.

[THINK_N_ELK]

I use cow/calf calls all the way into late archery, it does work.  A few years back I was doing some lost cow/calf calls ( in the middle of Dec.) and, I was ran off the game trail by a group of cows looking for that lost cow/calf. Luckily I had a tree to jump behind before I got mowed over. Couldn't shoot any of them was a bull only hunt.

My biggest advice would be to learn the different chirps and mews, and get proficient at them. They do work.

[funkster]

Yes, elk are very noisy!  I would tread light but don't spend to much energy trying to be elk ninja.Elk have extreme hearing and will hear you coming from a long way away no matter how quiet you are. A cow call can cover your noise just don't blow it every time you snap a twig. Elk are very vocal and rut or no rut, they talk year around.

 The biggest key to elk success is playing the WIND. In my opinion this is their #1 defense. A wind checker is a must and they are very cheap. Also, elk are big animals and big animals leave sign. Get into an area that has a lot of elk sign. This means that they frequent that area often. Learning where elk live and why they live there will help out greatly.  For a new elk hunter, I would check the harvest rates and get into an area that has a high harvest rate.Most of these areas hold high elk numbers. You may have to deal with more hunters but you will most likely be able to get on elk and learn more about them.

[RifleRidge]

Yes, elk are very noisy!  I would tread light but don't spend to much energy trying to be elk ninja.Elk have extreme hearing and will hear you coming from a long way away no matter how quiet you are. A cow call can cover your noise just don't blow it every time you snap a twig. Elk are very vocal and rut or no rut, they talk year around.

 The biggest key to elk success is playing the WIND. In my opinion this is their #1 defense. A wind checker is a must and they are very cheap. Also, elk are a big animal and big animals leave sign. Get into an area that has a lot of elk sign. This means that they frequent that area often. Learning where elk live and why they live there will help out greatly.  For a new elk hunter, I would check the harvest rates and get into an area that has a high harvest rate.Most of these areas hold high elk numbers. You may have to deal with more hunters but you will most likely be able to get on elk and learn more about them.

I enjoyed reading your post. Very well written!..Excellent advise 

[funkster]

Yes, elk are very noisy!  I would tread light but don't spend to much energy trying to be elk ninja.Elk have extreme hearing and will hear you coming from a long way away no matter how quiet you are. A cow call can cover your noise just don't blow it every time you snap a twig. Elk are very vocal and rut or no rut, they talk year around.

 The biggest key to elk success is playing the WIND. In my opinion this is their #1 defense. A wind checker is a must and they are very cheap. Also, elk are a big animal and big animals leave sign. Get into an area that has a lot of elk sign. This means that they frequent that area often. Learning where elk live and why they live there will help out greatly.  For a new elk hunter, I would check the harvest rates and get into an area that has a high harvest rate.Most of these areas hold high elk numbers. You may have to deal with more hunters but you will most likely be able to get on elk and learn more about them.

I enjoyed reading your post. Very well written!..Excellent advise 

Thanks, I love hunting elk,it is my passion. Elk hunting is hard enough with years of experience. Newer elk hunters most of the time just go into the woods uneducated and try to  guess where elk are and sometimes get lucky. A lot of hunters don't use tools that are easily available to us today, harvest reports, satellite imagery and good topo maps can go along way once you know how to use them. In this tough economy, these tools have saved me a ton of gas money.

With just a few clicks of a mouse waortah54 could know that the rimock area during modern ran at a 2% harvest rate last season. For a newer elk hunter that isn't putting yourself in a position to really be successful in my opinion.

[Button Nubbs]

Higher success percentages often mean more hunters. if you know elk are in the area find them. Tons of scounting or looking at maps as mentioned above will greatly help. If you can find those out of the way spots that hold elk you can be the 2% every year.

[RifleRidge]

We use our game camera's and have been a good tool for us..

Time is set wrong on this camera.... Am hours not PM~~

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/RitaOregon/HUNT/PICT0025.jpg

[waortah54]

Guys thank for your input it is greatly appreciated. I can't say thank you enough. Next year I'm gonna hunt muzzle loader at Rimrock because then it's any elk not limited to a spike. I was also wondering how do you know to hunt high or low. I was reading that the elk love the snow line. But this year there was snow really where I was and people were stating that they were holding down low. I was wondering would investment in elk urine that you can put on a patch would cover your smell in wind. Or would you be better drinking the urine?