What am I doing wrong

[Button Nubbs]

Rimrock is any bull for ml?

I don't trust manufactured scents. Keep the wind in you face and it won't matter if you smell like cigs booze and campfire all mixed into one.

[waortah54]

Ya that's what I read in the regs when I came across a 6 x 6 and I had very hard time not pulling the trigger. I wanna say its late muzzle loader.

[funkster]

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.

I totally agree that once you know how to find and hunt elk the harvest rate doesn't matter to much. However,in my experience,most newer elk hunters don't know how to find those "out of the way spots". That is why I referred him to maybe checking into an area that holds a higher number of elk. That way he could more easily find elk,elk water sources,elk food sources,elk trails,elk rubs,elk beds,elk poop etc. This will give him an idea what he is looking for(more of a learning tool) and translate that back to the area he usually hunts. 

One other tool that is an elk hunting must is optics. I say buy the best optics you can afford. Good optics last a long time and you will get your monies worth by the amount of game you will spot.

[waortah54]

Funkster I thought the area I was hunting was pretty high percentage other than the blues. Did I read the results wrong?

[Button Nubbs]

funkster

[funkster]

You might want to re- read the regs. Rimrock isn't open for muzzy at all.

[Button Nubbs]

Were you looking at the special permit applications?

[waortah54]

Thanks bud for the heads up.

[funkster]

Funkster I thought the area I was hunting was pretty high percentage other than the blues. Did I read the results wrong?

 I would say that a 2% harvest rate is on the lower end.  Out of the 1,261 hunters only 25 elk where taken. I would say that would be a hard hunt for even Cameron Hanes let alone someone just learning. I am not saying that there isn't elk in that unit but what I am saying is it might be easier to find them elsewhere until you learn how to locate them better.


But like button said, don't get to stuck on harvest success rate. Learn more how to hunt elk and the success will come no matter what unit you are hunting in.

[MIKEXRAY]

I hunt the Bumping unit for archery and my first couple of years sound just like what you are experiencing.  I hunted the valleys and headed up on the ridges after daylight and mostly just chased elk around, apparently I was not a very good stalker.  I would only see a few elk and they usually saw me first. It was frustrating to say the least.  What I learned in my area is 90 % of the elk head way up the ridge to safe / steep areas and do so at first light. Five years ago I started hiking up the ridge in the dark well before light. I get a mile and a half up before sunrise , ( takes an hour and a half )  and I am sitting on an awesome trail that is a natural funnel as there is a long shale wall on each side making a narrow corridor to their safe place.  I now see elk every day, sometimes a few groups of two and three & sometimes herds of twenty. I only hunt from sunrise to 10:30 am and I don't still hunt now for a second. Of course now that I have it figured out they changed my area to spike only, which is another frustrating story.  From my experience I say get up high between feeding & bedding and set up an ambush point. Mike

[waortah54]

Thanks mike for some insight on their movement. Do they go high even if there's snow.

[MIKEXRAY]

Depends how deep and how much pressure.  I have seen them go back up into the snow to get away from people in the Nile late season but as a rule they are all heading down towards the low lands / feeding area as the snow pushes them down.  Pretty soon you can drive hwy 410 and the hill sides will be covered with elk in the Bethel unit.  I hunt the Nile in the late archery season in the snow and concentrate on the travel corridors heading down. They come from Mt Ranier National park & the mountains in the Bumping & I catch them as they travel. They still travel mostly at night and early but I have seen them at all times during the day in late season.  I went snowmobiling in the Nile after hunting season one year and it was very surprising how many elk & deer just stay up high in the deep snow late into the winter.  Good luck with your season, I'm getting excited & ready for late season. With no permit for elk , I skipped early season all together for the first time ever.
You can PM any other questions.  Mike

[adamR]

I just re read all of this thread and something that I thought I read wrong in your first post was wierd to me "But I did run into a 6x6 couldn't shoot it since I was using a modern." and then after reading this "Next year I'm gonna hunt muzzle loader at Rimrock because then it's any elk not limited to a spike." I realized I should have said something earlier.

Rimrock is not open late season elk at all!!! It is open early season but for spike only!!! I'm suprised more people didn't respond to these remarks.

You have to be able to read the regs better!!!  I see this alot, people hunting in areas that aren't open or hunting for the wrong thing.  The regs aren't that hard to read (IMHO) and reading it wrong is not an excuse!

Had you went in there late season next year and shot an elk, THATS POACHING!!! figure it out or ask someone for help!

[funkster]

You might want to re- read the regs. Rimrock isn't open for muzzy at all.

I gave him a heads up to this a few post earlier.

 I was taught how to hunt and read the regs by my Dad and his Dad before him taught him. It is easy for someone who has grown up in the woods to know the ins and outs of hunting,reading and understanding regs, notching tags,applying for tags.. etc. I don't know this guy personally, but It sounds like this guy hasn't had someone to show him the ins and outs, I could be wrong. The regs can be confusing and honest mistakes can happen. Ignorance is no excuse, I agree 100% but sometimes aspiring hunters just need some pointing in the right direction, I think this is the case here.  He is asking for help and that is what websites like this is ultimately for!