West side elk here in Sept??

[wooltie]

Hi everyone,

Was hoping someone could share their insight about finding elk areas now vs Sept.  Third year elk hunting the west side for me and scouted a new area & GMU [for me] this weekend.  I found some sign after driving around for a bit, then went climbing once I located trails around the sign.

A few hours later I managed to bump a herd.  Heard em bugling.  I found more poop along the way, more trails, seven fresh rubs, and possibly a bedding area.

I intend to return to this area next time and continue to branch out expanding my search to learn more about the trails and the habitat.

Is there a good reason to think the elk would be elsewhere farther away come September?  I think they would move around due to pressure, obviously. 

[WapitiTalk1]

When you mentioned you bumped a herd, what were they... bulls or cows?  They won't be together this time of year for the most part.  If they were cows, then yes... they're in their post calving area (summer feed area), oftentimes the same area as they calved in, and will most likely be there come September.  If you bumped a handfull of bachelor bulls, they will most likely not be there come September.  I'm not thinking the rubs you saw were fresh, but more likely from last year.  Elk normally don't start rubbing their velvet off until early August but perhaps the spot you were in has some early rubbing going on?  Don't suppose you have some pics of the rubs?  Sounds like a promising area regardless. 

[wooltie]

Well I 'heard' some bugles and chuckles;  I didn't actually see a herd.

Found these rubs along one of the trails.  I have seen larger trails before.

Will the cows and bulls meet in the middle come Sept, or will the cows seek the bulls, or vice a versa?

[squires14]

well a good way to locate elk on the west side if your in a gmu with a lot of rd's is to go nocturnal on them. what I mean by that is drive around at night and pull over so you can hear down those deep drainages call if you like, but mostly listen. Wait to hear that one big pop. In September there going to be making a ton of noise down in the drainages you should be able to pin pt them once you find the drainages there in by just listing.  you might have to sit in a spot for 30 min at a time until the heards calm back down(due to your truck noise) but they will let you know were you need to be come day light. If there rubs are that fresh there probably from the winter last yr. Just move to the north side of the hill you found them last week. they should be starting there fall patterns pretty soon.

[trophyhunt]

I also heard bugles about 3 weeks ago, it was a small herd of cows, calves with a couple spikes.  I was guessing the spikes were just practicing, didn't see any big bulls.  The cows rule the rut, find the cows and you'll find your bulls in sept. Like has been said on here, the bulls will move away from where they are now come September.

[wooltie]

Do the cows hang around any type of habitat in particular?

Right now I'm checking out north facing slopes and creeks.

[bobcat]

I'm far from an expert on elk, but I would say to find the cow elk, find the feed, which usually means green grass.

[trophyhunt]

  they want to eat and be left alone. I'm not familiar with the area your hunting, but clear cuts behind locked gates should be good.

[WapitiTalk1]

Ya, those looks like last year's rubs.  Remember, there are two major types of rubs a.  velvet rubs which occur in bachelor bull staging areas throughout most of AUG (these are of really no use to us as the bulls will not be in that location come SEP in the majority of cases and b.  rut rubs, which  occur during various parts of the actual rut signifying where bulls have been advertising, displaying, warning,  etc., and certainly the more desireable of the two to locate and re-visit.  The elk chatter you heard may have been a group of cows and spikes, or, could have been a bachelor group of bulls.  Yes, cows do bugle.  In fact, elk chatter all year long but definitely get much more vocal as the rut ensues.  Sounds like your area has promise but I would really try to confirm if there are mostly cows residing there (that's a good thing as the bulls will "seek" them out as the rut nears). Rising testosterone levels in the bulls, triggered by the change in the amount of daylight let into their peepers, turns a switch on in the bulls (hmmm, maybe those gals aren't so bad after all) and they leave their summer range to seek out the cows.     

"Do the cows hang around any type of habitat in particular?"  Yes, they are in their summer range now where there is good chow, flat/cooler areas to bed (benches, saddles, or edges of clearcuts right inside the timber) and if available, northern slopes as they are much cooler.  As a "general rule", elk bed 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up the sidehill so they can hear/see danger from below, and, hear/smell danger from above using the prevailing thermals during normal bedding hours to their advantage.  They'll also bed farther down a sidehill in remote draws where it's much cooler than higher, in vegetation ranging from deep timber to alder thickets, closer to cool streams.  Good luck with your continued scouting endeavors.   Sounds like you're on to something that may pan out for you this September.   

[Netminder01]

tag

[snarkybull]

If there are cows there you are on to something.  Now find the biggest freeway and sit on it.  Especially where they come out of and go into timber or reprod from a clearcut.  They tend to bottleneck a bit.  Are you willing to shoot a cow?

[wooltie]

If there are cows there you are on to something.  Now find the biggest freeway and sit on it.  Especially where they come out of and go into timber or reprod from a clearcut.  They tend to bottleneck a bit.  Are you willing to shoot a cow?

I would but the unit is 3pt min.

Going again this Sunday.  Found this area on a N, NW slope and intend to check out the W, SW slope, particularly where the two meet.

[christopheri]

If there are cows there you are on to something.  Now find the biggest freeway and sit on it.  Especially where they come out of and go into timber or reprod from a clearcut.  They tend to bottleneck a bit.  Are you willing to shoot a cow?

I would but the unit is 3pt min.

Going again this Sunday.  Found this area on a N, NW slope and intend to check out the W, SW slope, particularly where the two meet.

Be carfule not to push them out of the area..

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

What I like to do is take my GPS and walk all roads in area, especially if there is a gate.
Mark main trails, any places you see rubs like that, etc...
Download the information on my computer and use it as a layer on topo and google earth.
Think about where all the camps and hunters, weekenders, etc.. will be.
Follow natural contours, I find elk on main trails for the first few days of season as they move into less used areas.
Opening week, those elk will be moving along those trails.
2nd week, you better be where those trails end up.
I wasted a few seasons going into areas that did not have elk YET, then figured out this transition period.
Use other hunters to chase them to you by being along the travel path to security cover, this can be a unit boundary, natural obstacle, gated, or roadless area.
If that don't work, think cool.
vine maple thickets will be major traffic areas.
In September, they will be in the shade of maple trees, or bedded above the head of the creek in timber.   
2/3rds of the way up (or 1/3 down) from the head, or above the bowl created by the spring that creates the drainage is one place they like to bed.
Get off the road.
2nd week, get out and walk well before daylight.
Your hunting partners might tease you about going to sleep by 9:00, but if you sleep 6 hours you can be where the elk actually are by the 6:00 shooting light while everyone else is just getting into the woods.

[wooltie]

What I like to do is take my GPS and walk all roads in area, especially if there is a gate.
Mark main trails, any places you see rubs like that, etc...
Download the information on my computer and use it as a layer on topo and google earth.
Think about where all the camps and hunters, weekenders, etc.. will be.
Follow natural contours, I find elk on main trails for the first few days of season as they move into less used areas.
Opening week, those elk will be moving along those trails.
2nd week, you better be where those trails end up.
I wasted a few seasons going into areas that did not have elk YET, then figured out this transition period.
Use other hunters to chase them to you by being along the travel path to security cover, this can be a unit boundary, natural obstacle, gated, or roadless area.
If that don't work, think cool.
vine maple thickets will be major traffic areas.
In September, they will be in the shade of maple trees, or bedded above the head of the creek in timber.   
2/3rds of the way up (or 1/3 down) from the head, or above the bowl created by the spring that creates the drainage is one place they like to bed.
Get off the road.
2nd week, get out and walk well before daylight.
Your hunting partners might tease you about going to sleep by 9:00, but if you sleep 6 hours you can be where the elk actually are by the 6:00 shooting light while everyone else is just getting into the woods.

That's all great advice thanks..walked to the top today at 4600'.  Saw some cows. Found food. Interesting to follow a main trail for 1500' and observe lots of poop at the top and halfway down the face, but trace amounts in-between.

Gotta love scouting when its 90. The cool areas reveal themselves much easier. God that creek drainage was cool.