West Side Modern Elk Behavior

[Janitor123]

Hey All,

I was out stalking a buck yesterday, eventually lost it. But on my way out I came across a TON of elk beds, trails, poop in a clear cut boardering a brushy stream bottom. There was plenty of new and old poop. I heard a bugling elk in this area in Sept. but never seen one. The area I'm hunting is 500 acres bordered by residential on 3 sides and no-hunt weyhauser on the other. The huge weyhauser tracts bordering have very little clear cuts in close proximity, but this 500 acres I'm in has two large clear cuts (5-8 years old - one flat, one steep heading up to weyh), a stream in a shallow bottom, and some rolling timber on the other side where I've seen deer, bear, cougar on cam.
 
I'm curious what you know about elk behavior during modern rifle on the west side? I've never hunted elk before and all the elk hunting videos/articles I've consumed usually revolve around bow hunting or out of state. Now that I know elk are in the area...is it worth spending Nov 5 -16 hunting this place hard? My impression is that elk hunters need to be going vast distances to locate them first. Are they similar to blacktail - moving in rain or dim-light hours? I know the deer are in there frequently and I just got to find them, but how frequent would elk be visiting?

I ask because I'm trying to weigh the odds of even seeing an elk here vs all the hunt-time I've already spent away from the family. I know there's no sure thing but if I could pay for a years worth of meat for our family then the cost of time in field would be worth it to me, the wife, and our four small kids.

[Stein]

I would hunt it.

During season, they will show themselves as little as possible as you mentioned.  Hunt it early and late in the day and try go get where you can see the feed or figure out their travel lanes.  If you know where the beds are, try to follow trails to feed and then you're in a good place to make a plan.

In my experience, they'll stay in an area a fair bit of time until they get pushed out by people or the food gets thin (or covered in snow), brown, etc.  Unlike deer, they may move many miles and/or not be back for a long time so if they aren't there when you go back I wouldn't wait for them.

[huntnfmly]

Hunt it for sure
Watch the wind going in hunt from the bottom up in the morning and the opposite late afternoon
Like stein said follow out some of those trails if they’re are bedding in that clearcut and eating they will be staging up in the timber before dark so set on a trail leading in

[STIKNSTRINGBOW]

I would plan on first few days, at least...
.
My cameras on public land have come
back to life after having nothing during season.
.
Elk (usually) don't leave an area they like until pressured.
.
If it's on private access, you are in a good location.
.
Figure out thermals and active trails into bedding area...
.
This is the time to figure out your ambush spot.

[bkaech]

If they aren't getting pushed by hunters they will naturally and at random move from and come back to that spot. They like feed and that is usually around fields/lawns and clear cuts. I would expect these elk to move away from and come back to those beds and clear cut areas before and during modern season. Elk on the westside often don't go too far. On a side note, finding a branched bull can be difficult during modern season, it is most likely that the branched bulls have moved away from the cows and are by themselves or in very small groups, at least that is what I see where I Elk hunt.