Filling a tag in the Northeast corner

[high country]

I can't share specifics but here is some good general advice;

If you saw it in a book or movie....it does not work here. Observation is your huckleberry. Pick a drainage on a map that holds everything elk need and is tough to get to.....there will be elk close. If you see elk, do not even tell your wife......trust me. Expect to work very hard and get nothing for it aside from terrain adjusted. Elk do not herd up as big as other areas, but we have a few......and they get hunted hard.

[huntnnw]

hunted hard? I can count on one hand how many archery and muzzy guys I have seen in the last 8 years..rifle may be different ..never stepped foot in those woods then

[high country]

And how many elk have you killed?

 I tend to stick to the animal I want like velcro.

[huntnnw]

7

And to be exact last year in the archery season I saw 1 rig where I hunted..didnt see the hunter and that was it in 11 days of hunting

[high country]

7 elk in 8 years and not seen but a few other hunters.....you must be living right or hunting private ground.

[huntnnw]

7 elk in the corner isnt in 8 years...how many hunters i have seen in the last 8 years when I have gotten serious about chasing elk up there.

I hunt 0 amount of acres of private unless u call timber company land private.. I hunt natl forest, dnr,timber land and state. 
Hell another member on here millertime and I  went up to Mica for a quick evening hunt during archery elk and parked at the GATE and there wasnt 1 rig there! and we had elk bugling and cow calling the whole evening...and blew it with not hearing the elk come up next to us.

[True Sportsman]

Those numbers aren't that crazy. You have to put in the work and do some scouting. Even then, you will have to get lucky to get into elk. If you are rifle hunting, like I do, pick some nasty, steep, ridiculous area and go look for elk.

I laugh every year when people want advice about hunting the NE. It is funny to me. In my opinion, youd be better off spending time in other places in this state.

A funny story about last elk season. I sent a buddy and his dad to the NE to rifle hunt elk. I sent them to the same spot I shot a bull in 2008. He's a great guy and I more than trust him with the knowledge (He's given me countless spots over the years). Him and his dad can hunt elk in the timber and have several bulls to their credit. They hunted up here for 8 days straight. They saw a few bull moose, found a moose shed, and seen zero elk. The NE can be very unforgiving. The guys are hard core elk hunters and they vowed to never go back. They said it wasn't worth their time!

Go someplace else, you will have a better hunt. Oh, and the wolves ate them all.

[Elkslayer]

I have killed 5 in the last 5 years in units 121 and 117, they are in there but like everyone says they are hard to find and they do move around alot! Your best bet is to put in some time getting to know an area and wear off some boot leather. Then again you could always luck out like I did one year and have one stand 30yds off the road and let you get out and shoot him. Poor guy was so interested in showing off to the ladies tearing up a 8ft fir that he never heard me coming up the road! And when you do find some DONT TELL ANYONE, if ya do that area will have 50 people next year!

[huntnnw]

I havent killed one the couple years..but I have been at full draw several times each year with brush being in the way..last year forgot range finder the only time and ran into 3 elk..1 bull and it was just to questionable to tak shot guessing,so I tried to sneak in closer and cow call softly..nothing got dark and sesaon ended on that note

[Jburke]

Its pretty much been covered so far.  You mpore than likely wont find decent numbers of elk.  You may find them, but the herds are small and hard to find.  If you find them stick with them.  You may very well go for days without seeing any at all, possibly the entire season.  Iv'e seen elk every season but have yet to connect for various reasons.  This year I have a little better idea and am hopeful.  Find out if I'm right in Oct.

[HuntHigh]

thanks for all of the info guys. yeah i would rather spend some time in areas with large numbers of elk with a chance at some major trophy class bulls but i don't have the cash like agnew has  or the time and there for i will be sticking close to home. well i will try out some areas i think look promising and if i get into them and maybe even get a shot off, i will make sure to tell everyone that i got it in a completely different area all together best luck hunting to everyone. i will post pics if i find some critters.

[Bean Counter]

....
I laugh every year when people want advice about hunting the NE. It is funny to me. In my opinion, youd be better off spending time in other places in this state.
....

+1

 

[huntnnw]

I personally would never hunt anywhere else in this state unless I draw a LE tag.. u couldnt pay me to hunt spike only units..not my cup of tea. 

[high country]

I personally would never hunt anywhere else in this state unless I draw a LE tag.. u couldnt pay me to hunt spike only units..not my cup of tea. 

I did that exactly once.....never again.

[piledup]

Have you taken a look at the harvest reports? Your chances of being successful is very very slim.

Yes I have. They haven't been hunted since 09. I think that's why they lowered the tag prices. Too many now.

Campmeat: I wasn't directing my question towards you but towards the one who posted this thread. Muzzle loader success in the units he mentioned are very low.

Hunthigh: Everything seems to have been said about the elk in the NE so you should know what to expect. Good luck finding them