Some basic locating and herd behaviour questions

[pods8]

Note: This isn't about chasing big bulls, its about finding the elk herd period.

Okay I've got some rookie type questions for applying classroom learning to the real world.  In WA what tactics do you all use to scout out and track down where the herds actually are (aside from just falling into them, haha).  Since elk move a bunch and herd up it seems like you don't want to waste time working areas where they aren't (duh, now lets put that into practice).  Most books on Elk seem to focus more so on the other western states that aren't quite as thick of vegetation and do a bunch of glassing from ridges.  Obviously that has its use here as well but from my perspective it also seems limited again due to the amount of vegetation we tend to have.  School me a bit here if you would on WA locating tricks.

Next question is cow talk in the herd.  How regularly are they talking and how far away from them will you hear it?  Do they quiet down when they hear noises approaching?  Is herd talk a reliable way to zero in on a heard at all?  While you are trying to locate the herd is sounding a cow call from ridges going to get an audible response you can work with or just make them weary?

Just trying to bridge the gap on learning to applying here...

[WonkyWapiti]

Well for me as far as locating the herds, where I hunt there's a bunch of mini herds spread all over the place.  For me I've just been getting it done the hard way by getting out there and spending time in the field over the years seeing where the elk like to go in the area I hunt.

As far as the 2nd part of your question, I'll generally hear the cows talking more in the evening when they've moved into their grazing area.  Once darkness falls and they are in their grazing areas they get pretty vocal.  I seldom have heard cows talking when they are moving from their bedding areas to their grazing spot, in my experience they seem to stay pretty quiet while in transit.  I've also heard cows chattering a bit when they wake up in the mornings prior to moving back into their daytime bedding areas, but this usually hasn't been very often. 

I'd like to hear some other guys' experiences in this as well.

[pods8]

WonkyWapiti, thanks for the feedback.  How far does the cow talk tend to carry audibly?

[pods8]

Anyone else with knowledge willing to contribute? 

[lokidog]

From my experience, the best way to finde elk is to find the food.  They are grazers by nature but will browse when needed.  Dense thick forest is not conducive to growing elk food, so they will often be in more open areas at first and last light and through the night, hence getting out and looking is still your best bet.  Also, listen, listen, and listen some more.  Many guys will go to a landing, get out of their truck and bugle a few times, then drive away.  I  try to give it at least 30 minutes.  Also, sneaking down to landings in the dark doesn't hurt either, because, as mentioned, the cows seem to be more vocal at night.  Makes for some long nights sometimes.  This, of course, would be for areas with clearcuts and roads.   

Good luck.

[firedog]

This was only my third of archery hunting and have learned a ton. My technique is to cover a lot of ground and move like the elk do, follow the elk trails. They meander a lot but like to feed in the thinned timber patches and creek draws at least in the area I hunt. Cover ground but do it at a slower pace, I get into a lot more animals than my partners do because I move slower than they do. My average day this year was about 9 miles with the shortest one being 6 and longest 14, all on my feet. My best tool this season was my ears, heard them way before I saw them many times this season. Usually by hearing breaking branches, couple times by hearing the cows talking. That said I made a helluva stalk one morning on what turned out to be a squirrel cutting cones because it was in a spot in the timber I had seen elk the day before and it sound like stuff getting broke If your wlaking a road watch ahead and along side you can walk into them quite easily if your quiet and if your not paying attention it is easy to bust them. hunt all day, I run into a lot of elk in the early afternoon getting up to feed again and a lot of guys are back in camp at that time.

If I do any calling I stop for a bit, at least from what I have seen in my short archery experience is the bulls will come in silent quite a bit  Especcially early in the season. We had very few bulls answer bugles this year and didn't hear a lot bugling. Opening day was probably the most but died off after that. The bull I killed bugled once and I answered him with cow calls and he worked his way in with me only calling a total of 6 times in 15-20 minutes.   

I don't claim to know a lot but those are some of the things I have learned the past 3 years. I am fortunate that I get to hunt all of the Early Archery season each year so I get a lot of days in the woods.  I shot my bull on day 9 this year and then spent another day after that calling for my buddys so I usually get at least 10 days in if not everyday of season.

[deerhunter_98520]

this is only my 5th year hunting but i have learned alot since i started...first thing i would do is go find some old skid roads going through the timber..maybe some old spurs and start slowly walking them looking for sign..your not always going to find sign on these roads...i would take a gps location of the truck before i left and if i didnt find any sign on the roads i would make a big loop back through the timber and would find alot more fresh sign....once you find that sign just start trackin..if its fresh then you will eventually catch up to them...just take your time and always keep your eyes scanning...elk are very smart and have excellent hearing..if you break a big branch stop and dont move for a few min. let everything go back to normal..i have used this method everyday this year for the first time and i was in elk 5 times in 4 days of hunting...your not gonna find elk by driving around very often unless you get lucky..i was lucky my first 3 years in doing this lol...4th year i did it again and didnt see an animal..so i started asking other hunters what they do and this is the advice they gave me and it worked awsome this year...ill never just drive around lookin for sign and then go after them...if you put the time in luck will come your way...as far as calling goes..it seems like the more calling i do the less elk i see...i usually go out a couple hours before light and head up high above the aread i want to hunt and bugle down canyons and ravines and try to get a bull to answer..makes it so much easier when they do lol...ive had this work a few times this year..once i get one to answer i would make a bline to that area and bugle again to locate him...but once i get close i dont bugle anymore the cow call comes out and start doin the estrus whine..sometimes they come tearin in and sometimes they hang back just out of sight..if thats the case you need to circle around him..make sure you ALWAYS keep the wind in your face if possible..oh and soft calling works better from my expierence...most of the time these cows when they do talk they are very quiet about it so you would have to be close to hear it...im on expert but thats a good start for you...its worked for me

[Trailstrider]

My Father used to say Elk are where you find them! With that said, first find a good map of the area you want to hunt and take a look at the elevations to determain where the high points are at. Once you know the area drive it and locate the clear cuts with the most visible land that you can glass. (could be a mile or two that's why you need the map.) When glassing check the areas between big timber, clearcuts and reprod as this will be the areas that the Elk use for transition points between bedding and feeding areas.
As for the Elk talking on clear cold days you can hear them talk out to about 1/2 mile in the open and slightly less in the timber.
Another point would be to pay attention to the side of the road as you drive and watch for Elk sign. The higher the track count the more likely you are in the right area. This is where a good set of hiking boots comes in handy as the more foot time put in the better your odds! Hope this helped some, good luck!

[br8kitoff]

I've been hunting these Elk primarily in the Clockum region for the last 20 years and this year bounced over to the Manashtash/ Taneum/ LN region...expecting a great deal of pressure from the new hunt in LN.  First I'm not complaining about the ORV trail usage, however, these elk absolutely do not act in the manner that I've become acustomed to.  So the best advice about how an elk may or may not behave is simply by getting out and particapating in taking your weapon of choice for a nice long nature hike and learning what the elk in the area you choose to hunt actually do.  In the Clockum, when the herding up begins, the bulls begin to bugle I notice a lot more "chatter" with all elk.  Cows chirping during all times of the day while doing whatever.  When they are in larger bands the cows seem to talk alot more even when going to or from feeding to bedding and vice versa.  Bulls are also more vocal, as the pressure on them specifically is nearly zero, especially away from roads.  So my experience this year was they make little to no chatter at all in after about an hour after light unless you are FAR into the crap that nobody wants to go.  I spoke to some other friends that have hunted this area for some years and was told if you cow call more than a few times over a 30 minute period the elk will leave.  Why, I have no idea, when the area i normally hunt is roughly 60 miles away as a crow flies they act SO different.  My gut wants to say that thier way of life has changed because of ORV traffic but I'm not interested in entertaining the debate of it does/ doesn't affect them, i just noticed the difference of habit.....Did I even answer your question?

[pods8]

Did I even answer your question?

You added constructive input to the discussion which is what its all about.