One other question to for you fellas, and I know the obvious answer to this is that I should know the answer through pre-season scouting but a new baby born in July has really limited that!
A couple of dandy sheds I picked up are what really fueled my fire to hunt for elk. I picked them up this spring in a huge old growth timber flat that is the bottom of a small valley, with some good swamps scattered within it. This flat portion of the valley falls off eventually into a steep hillside that runs down to a big grassy wetland with a stream that runs through it. The old growth stand is situated at about 1800’ elevation, the grassy wetland(to the south) around 1600’. I’ve seen elk sign in the spring in every portion of this, including the west facing hillside that runs north to south that forms one side of this valley.
The the north of this valley is a 3rd ridge that runs east to west that “caps” it, and on the backside of that steep ridge is a big clear cut that’s on private land. The south facing slope of this that is on public where I can hunt also held elk sign. I haven’t been in here since the end of May though, which leads to my question, will the elk even be in here still? It was littered with fresh sign in May. This overall area that I have explored is about 900 acres. The old growth stand(which I really like hunting in) is again at 1800’, the ridge tops that form this valley are about 2200’, and the grassy wetland at the bottom is 1600’. I feel like the old growth has everything elk would need. Food, water, cover, shelter, etc, so in my head I’ve assumed they will be there still but I would love to get some second opinions.
What does their daily routine look like in October typically, what habitat do they prefer, etc.
Thanks in advance!!
