Western late season (any good?)

[ljsommer]

Hey folks,

   I am NOT an elk hunter. I tried the first few years I hunted but quickly decided that it was way way over my paygrade. However, i do plan on returning to the effort one day. To that end, I was wondering how good the late season was for elk, specifically west side. I was under the impression that they hole up in terrible areas and don't make any noise nor move around much. I always had the (amateur, ignorant) perception that the only way to get it done on Western elk was when they were moving and making noise, like archery season during the rut (or maybe muzzie). How exactly does one hunt the late season in Western jungles, and how common is it for someone to fill their tag in the late season?

I've mostly hunted late season but never seen an elk with my own eyes and most of the talk you hear about elk hunting is all about "September" so I wanted to get a feel for what you folks thought.

Thank you,

[Dark2Dark]

If I were hunting late season I’d be in a tree stand in known elk areas or hoping for snow and trying to post up on a migration route.

There are quite a few guys that sneak in on them in September or find them and setup an ambush. So I wouldn’t discount that as an option.

[bkaech]

I feel like late season elk, just do what elk do, eat, sleep, hangout. They do stay where the feel safe, but that could be an open field if its private property and no one hassles them. Or it is the bottom of a clear cut that you can't see from the road but you can walk out 20yards and see into. Or most likely it is a stand of small reprod trees that they bed in and move into the bigger tress, still away from people to feed. There is so much feed for elk everywhere on the WET side that they don't have to go far to have safety, feed, and water. I have had plenty of success in the late season, but it starts with knowing where the elk spend time. Where I hunt that doesn't change much from summer, fall, winter, they just rotate around through 4 or 5 small locations. I just get in the woods, hike, drive, look and find sign, then spend time in the area I see lots of sign. I rarely stop moving unless I find really fresh sign or hear the elk. I just keep moving till I find elk. It is very doable, it just takes time in the woods to find elk.

[ljsommer]

I feel like late season elk, just do what elk do, eat, sleep, hangout. They do stay where the feel safe, but that could be an open field if its private property and no one hassles them. Or it is the bottom of a clear cut that you can't see from the road but you can walk out 20yards and see into. Or most likely it is a stand of small reprod trees that they bed in and move into the bigger tress, still away from people to feed. There is so much feed for elk everywhere on the WET side that they don't have to go far to have safety, feed, and water. I have had plenty of success in the late season, but it starts with knowing where the elk spend time. Where I hunt that doesn't change much from summer, fall, winter, they just rotate around through 4 or 5 small locations. I just get in the woods, hike, drive, look and find sign, then spend time in the area I see lots of sign. I rarely stop moving unless I find really fresh sign or hear the elk. I just keep moving till I find elk. It is very doable, it just takes time in the woods to find elk.

I like this response a lot, it's encouraging! thanks!