Advice for beginning Hunter

[kschab123]

Hey everyone. Pretty new to hunting. Grew up in western washington. My dad was an elk hunter on the east side but passed away when i was young. Trying to figure this whole hunting thing out on my own. Last year was my first season elk hunting (westside muzzleloader). The area we were hunting had a ton of sign and we saw a group of cows feeding on a steep slope and was able to have a bull respond very close to us in some very thick timber right at the end of legal shooting hours on our last day. Im going back this year on thursday and friday and was hoping for some advice on a gameplan.

    I was out on friday before the opener on this same abandoned forest road that traverses a hillside. As i busted some brush above the road to go towards the ridge i stopped for a second and heard some noise maybe 75 to 100 yards above me. It was a pretty nice bull and two cows. I believe they were bedded down. They sort of looked back and just walked toward the ridge and over very casually. So i believe they didnt see or smell me. But im not sure. I just stayed still for a minute or two then quietly backed out of the area so to leave them undisturbed.  Do you guys think they will be back here on thursday? Or did i spook them off?  This was the same general spot we saw elk last year. On this same road at the end. Below the road are lots of open areas with tons of trail and signs of elk feeding and above are young fir trees up till the ridge. Im thinking they bed up near the ridge based on my encounter on friday and maybe move down at night to feed. If this is the case where do you guys think i should position myself in the morning? This is all on one fairly steep hillside. We never saw any other hunters last year so i think they arent too pressured. But we did hunt the weekdays so they might have seen some hunters on the weekend. Its around 4 to 5000 feet elevation as well. In the cascades. Thanks for reading!  Excited to get out there and have been really happy to get out and see some animals as well being so new to this.

[7mmfan]

From your description, they weren't spooked. They were aware something was there, and were being cautious. If they smelled you, they'd have busted out there in a stampede. As far as they're concerned you could have been another elk, a deer, a bear, etc... So you have that going for you.

In general, elk don't pattern themselves very much. They tend to move around on about a 5-7 day cycle on the west side, at least that's my experience. That being said, if you are in an area that has everything they need (food/water/shelter), and you're finding a lot of sign in an area, AND you've seen elk there a few times, I would definitely be spending time there.

In regards to topography, you're biggest consideration is going to be wind. If it is a still day with no significant weather systems moving through to dictate wind direction, thermals will what you need to pay attention to. Early in the morning, the air will be dropping downhill towards to bottom. By late morning, as the sun warms the landscape, wind will swirl for a bit, and then change to and uphill direction for most of the day. As the evening approaches and the air begins to cool, it will switch back to a downhill direction. Pay close attention to this, especially if you're making a move on animals at a time when the wind may be switching. You may need to back out and wait for the wind to switch, then approach from a new direction.

A locator bugle an hour before light can be a good way to establish contact and get a feel for where they are. Elk tend to be pretty vocal when they're comfortable, and they are quite comfortable in the dark. If you get a response, try your best to ID their location without anymore calling on your part and move into position to see the at daylight, or cut the off on their way from wherever they are to bed.

Good luck!

[kschab123]

Sorry it took so long to reply but just wanted to say thanks for replying to my post. Was able to get out there at the end of muzzleloader elk and make it happen. Got up high early morning near where I had saw that bull but was no sign. There was about 6 inches of fresh snow so was easy to tell what had been moving around. We made our way back wow. The old.logging road a bit and made some cow calls followed by a bugle. Walked about 30 feet and saw a 5x5 maybe 100 yards down the hill. The wind had just switched and was blowing up hill so he couldn't smell us. He was looking up try trying to figure out where the bugle came from I assume and was standing broadside. I keeled down and drilled him through the lungs. He wasn't the bull I saw the week before but still super happy. Great to have a freezer full of meat and harvest my first big game animal. Gonna need to figure out blacktail now.

[kschab123]

Tried posting a picture but won't let me browse photos to attach...

[7mmfan]

Awesome! The photo is probably to large to post.  Try taking a screenshot of the photo and posting that. Usually works.

[WSU]

Good job! Half of elk hunting success is being motivated enough to hunt hard and spend days in the woods.

[kschab123]

It's weird. I click browse on the attachment part and nothing happens.

[Birdguy]

That is awesome!!! Congrats on your first big game animal!

I am not you but I have killed a few different big game animals and every time I "think" I have them figured out, I get humbled a  few years! Lol. Remember it is the hunt and the memories that make it so fun and special!!

Good luck on the blacktail!

[kschab123]

Thanks! Yup, was a ton of fun. Hope I can make it happen again next year!

[7mmfan]

We all want to see those pictures. Send a PM to one of the mods and they hopefully get your issue sorted out, or help you get one posted.

[kschab123]

Figured it out. I use ad block browser on my phone. Wasn't working with that browser for some reason.

[7mmfan]

  Great work!

[pianoman9701]

Awesome animal! Congratulations. Your dad would be proud.

[kschab123]

Thanks a lot. I think so too. Was curious, you guys think it's a hybrid or a Rocky?

[jagermiester]

Way to go!
It’s in your DNA