Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: waortah54 on November 03, 2012, 11:06:39 AM

Title: What am I doing wrong
Post by: waortah54 on November 03, 2012, 11:06:39 AM: :dunno: second year elk hunting in the Rimrock area. First year saw about three cows. Then this year seen a couple but couldn't make them out. But I did run into a 6x6 couldn't shoot it since I was using a modern. It seems to me that the elk hear or see me before I get A chance to make them out. Am I doin something wrong? I'm just getting frustrated. Any help guys would be greatly appreciated.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: kentrek on November 03, 2012, 11:15:40 AM: 1..your on this website instead of getn after it :tup:
2..your looking for elk instead of hunting for elk,slow down turbo :tup:
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: bearpaw on November 03, 2012, 11:26:55 AM: Sounds like you might need to hunt slower and quieter. Try glassing more too. Wild animals are really tuned in so that they can survive. If you can hear yourself walking, they can hear you too.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: ellensburgpo on November 03, 2012, 11:53:44 AM: Quote from: bearpaw on November 03, 2012, 11:26:55 AM
Sounds like you might need to hunt slower and quieter. Try glassing more too. Wild animals are really tuned in so that they can survive. If you can hear yourself walking, they can hear you too.

:yeah: And make sure the winds in your face. A lot of noses to smell you in a herd of elk.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: Button Nubbs on November 03, 2012, 12:17:27 PM: Don't overlook treestands. Find the deepest darkest nastiest set-up and wait.

Works for archery, don't know why it wouldn't for modernn but I'm not familiar with the area.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: Kola16 on November 03, 2012, 12:23:24 PM: Do you have a cow call :dunno: If you ever break a branch, or something like that you can just give out a cow call. Elk are noisy.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: waortah54 on November 03, 2012, 12:44:38 PM: Man I would of never thought about using a cow call to cover up your mistakes. I was talking to older gentleman that was next to me in camp and he told me it should take you hours to walk a mile. I try to walk real slow and quite and to stop and look around a lot. But I also was told that using cow or calf calls during modern is not useful because they are not in rut.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: billythekidrock on November 03, 2012, 01:16:44 PM: Quote from: waortah54 on November 03, 2012, 12:44:38 PM
Man I would of never thought about using a cow call to cover up your mistakes.

Works great when bear hunting as well.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: THINK_N_ELK on November 03, 2012, 01:21:37 PM: I use cow/calf calls all the way into late archery, it does work. A few years back I was doing some lost cow/calf calls ( in the middle of Dec.) and, I was ran off the game trail by a group of cows looking for that lost cow/calf. Luckily I had a tree to jump behind before I got mowed over. Couldn't shoot any of them was a bull only hunt.

My biggest advice would be to learn the different chirps and mews, and get proficient at them. They do work.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: funkster on November 03, 2012, 01:21:41 PM: Yes, elk are very noisy! I would tread light but don't spend to much energy trying to be elk ninja.Elk have extreme hearing and will hear you coming from a long way away no matter how quiet you are. A cow call can cover your noise just don't blow it every time you snap a twig. Elk are very vocal and rut or no rut, they talk year around.

The biggest key to elk success is playing the WIND. In my opinion this is their #1 defense. A wind checker is a must and they are very cheap. Also, elk are big animals and big animals leave sign. Get into an area that has a lot of elk sign. This means that they frequent that area often. Learning where elk live and why they live there will help out greatly. For a new elk hunter, I would check the harvest rates and get into an area that has a high harvest rate.Most of these areas hold high elk numbers. You may have to deal with more hunters but you will most likely be able to get on elk and learn more about them.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: RifleRidge on November 03, 2012, 01:25:18 PM: Quote from: funkster on November 03, 2012, 01:21:41 PM
Yes, elk are very noisy! I would tread light but don't spend to much energy trying to be elk ninja.Elk have extreme hearing and will hear you coming from a long way away no matter how quiet you are. A cow call can cover your noise just don't blow it every time you snap a twig. Elk are very vocal and rut or no rut, they talk year around.

The biggest key to elk success is playing the WIND. In my opinion this is their #1 defense. A wind checker is a must and they are very cheap. Also, elk are a big animal and big animals leave sign. Get into an area that has a lot of elk sign. This means that they frequent that area often. Learning where elk live and why they live there will help out greatly. For a new elk hunter, I would check the harvest rates and get into an area that has a high harvest rate.Most of these areas hold high elk numbers. You may have to deal with more hunters but you will most likely be able to get on elk and learn more about them.

I enjoyed reading your post. Very well written!..Excellent advise :tup:
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: funkster on November 03, 2012, 01:51:07 PM: Quote from: RifleRidge on November 03, 2012, 01:25:18 PM
Quote from: funkster on November 03, 2012, 01:21:41 PM
Yes, elk are very noisy! I would tread light but don't spend to much energy trying to be elk ninja.Elk have extreme hearing and will hear you coming from a long way away no matter how quiet you are. A cow call can cover your noise just don't blow it every time you snap a twig. Elk are very vocal and rut or no rut, they talk year around.

The biggest key to elk success is playing the WIND. In my opinion this is their #1 defense. A wind checker is a must and they are very cheap. Also, elk are a big animal and big animals leave sign. Get into an area that has a lot of elk sign. This means that they frequent that area often. Learning where elk live and why they live there will help out greatly. For a new elk hunter, I would check the harvest rates and get into an area that has a high harvest rate.Most of these areas hold high elk numbers. You may have to deal with more hunters but you will most likely be able to get on elk and learn more about them.

I enjoyed reading your post. Very well written!..Excellent advise :tup:

Thanks, I love hunting elk,it is my passion. Elk hunting is hard enough with years of experience. Newer elk hunters most of the time just go into the woods uneducated and try to guess where elk are and sometimes get lucky. A lot of hunters don't use tools that are easily available to us today, harvest reports, satellite imagery and good topo maps can go along way once you know how to use them. In this tough economy, these tools have saved me a ton of gas money.

With just a few clicks of a mouse waortah54 could know that the rimock area during modern ran at a 2% harvest rate last season. For a newer elk hunter that isn't putting yourself in a position to really be successful in my opinion.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: Button Nubbs on November 03, 2012, 02:18:28 PM: Higher success percentages often mean more hunters. :twocents: if you know elk are in the area find them. Tons of scounting or looking at maps as mentioned above will greatly help. If you can find those out of the way spots that hold elk you can be the 2% every year.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: RifleRidge on November 03, 2012, 02:49:33 PM: We use our game camera's and have been a good tool for us..

Time is set wrong on this camera.... Am hours not PM~~ :bdid:

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/RitaOregon/HUNT/PICT0025.jpg (http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j219/RitaOregon/HUNT/PICT0025.jpg)
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: waortah54 on November 03, 2012, 03:12:07 PM: Guys thank for your input it is greatly appreciated. I can't say thank you enough. Next year I'm gonna hunt muzzle loader at Rimrock because then it's any elk not limited to a spike. I was also wondering how do you know to hunt high or low. I was reading that the elk love the snow line. But this year there was snow really where I was and people were stating that they were holding down low. I was wondering would investment in elk urine that you can put on a patch would cover your smell in wind. Or would you be better drinking the urine? :o
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: Button Nubbs on November 03, 2012, 03:17:25 PM: Rimrock is any bull for ml?

I don't trust manufactured scents. Keep the wind in you face and it won't matter if you smell like cigs booze and campfire all mixed into one.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: waortah54 on November 03, 2012, 03:20:39 PM: Ya that's what I read in the regs when I came across a 6 x 6 and I had very hard time not pulling the trigger. I wanna say its late muzzle loader.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: funkster on November 03, 2012, 03:33:45 PM: Quote from: Button Nubbs on November 03, 2012, 02:18:28 PM
Higher success percentages often mean more hunters. :twocents: if you know elk are in the area find them. Tons of scounting or looking at maps as mentioned above will greatly help. If you can find those out of the way spots that hold elk you can be the 2% every year.

I totally agree that once you know how to find and hunt elk the harvest rate doesn't matter to much. However,in my experience,most newer elk hunters don't know how to find those "out of the way spots". That is why I referred him to maybe checking into an area that holds a higher number of elk. That way he could more easily find elk,elk water sources,elk food sources,elk trails,elk rubs,elk beds,elk poop etc. This will give him an idea what he is looking for(more of a learning tool) and translate that back to the area he usually hunts.

One other tool that is an elk hunting must is optics. I say buy the best optics you can afford. Good optics last a long time and you will get your monies worth by the amount of game you will spot.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: waortah54 on November 03, 2012, 03:40:22 PM: Funkster I thought the area I was hunting was pretty high percentage other than the blues. Did I read the results wrong?
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: Button Nubbs on November 03, 2012, 03:43:14 PM: :tup: funkster
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: funkster on November 03, 2012, 03:44:47 PM: You might want to re- read the regs. Rimrock isn't open for muzzy at all.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: Button Nubbs on November 03, 2012, 03:49:01 PM: Were you looking at the special permit applications?
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: waortah54 on November 03, 2012, 03:49:31 PM: Thanks bud for the heads up.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: funkster on November 03, 2012, 03:58:20 PM: Quote from: waortah54 on November 03, 2012, 03:40:22 PM
Funkster I thought the area I was hunting was pretty high percentage other than the blues. Did I read the results wrong?

I would say that a 2% harvest rate is on the lower end. Out of the 1,261 hunters only 25 elk where taken. I would say that would be a hard hunt for even Cameron Hanes let alone someone just learning. I am not saying that there isn't elk in that unit but what I am saying is it might be easier to find them elsewhere until you learn how to locate them better.

But like button said, don't get to stuck on harvest success rate. Learn more how to hunt elk and the success will come no matter what unit you are hunting in.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: MIKEXRAY on November 03, 2012, 05:34:11 PM: I hunt the Bumping unit for archery and my first couple of years sound just like what you are experiencing. I hunted the valleys and headed up on the ridges after daylight and mostly just chased elk around, apparently I was not a very good stalker. I would only see a few elk and they usually saw me first. It was frustrating to say the least. What I learned in my area is 90 % of the elk head way up the ridge to safe / steep areas and do so at first light. Five years ago I started hiking up the ridge in the dark well before light. I get a mile and a half up before sunrise , ( takes an hour and a half ) and I am sitting on an awesome trail that is a natural funnel as there is a long shale wall on each side making a narrow corridor to their safe place. I now see elk every day, sometimes a few groups of two and three & sometimes herds of twenty. I only hunt from sunrise to 10:30 am and I don't still hunt now for a second. Of course now that I have it figured out they changed my area to spike only, which is another frustrating story. From my experience I say get up high between feeding & bedding and set up an ambush point. Mike
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: waortah54 on November 04, 2012, 01:38:50 AM: Thanks mike for some insight on their movement. Do they go high even if there's snow.
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: MIKEXRAY on November 04, 2012, 01:36:20 PM: Depends how deep and how much pressure. I have seen them go back up into the snow to get away from people in the Nile late season but as a rule they are all heading down towards the low lands / feeding area as the snow pushes them down. Pretty soon you can drive hwy 410 and the hill sides will be covered with elk in the Bethel unit. I hunt the Nile in the late archery season in the snow and concentrate on the travel corridors heading down. They come from Mt Ranier National park & the mountains in the Bumping & I catch them as they travel. They still travel mostly at night and early but I have seen them at all times during the day in late season. I went snowmobiling in the Nile after hunting season one year and it was very surprising how many elk & deer just stay up high in the deep snow late into the winter. Good luck with your season, I'm getting excited & ready for late season. With no permit for elk , I skipped early season all together for the first time ever.
You can PM any other questions. Mike
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: adamR on November 05, 2012, 09:53:28 AM: I just re read all of this thread and something that I thought I read wrong in your first post was wierd to me "But I did run into a 6x6 couldn't shoot it since I was using a modern." and then after reading this "Next year I'm gonna hunt muzzle loader at Rimrock because then it's any elk not limited to a spike." I realized I should have said something earlier.

Rimrock is not open late season elk at all!!! It is open early season but for spike only!!! I'm suprised more people didn't respond to these remarks.

You have to be able to read the regs better!!! I see this alot, people hunting in areas that aren't open or hunting for the wrong thing. The regs aren't that hard to read (IMHO) and reading it wrong is not an excuse!

Had you went in there late season next year and shot an elk, THATS POACHING!!! figure it out or ask someone for help!
Title: Re: What am I doing wrong
Post by: funkster on November 05, 2012, 06:33:00 PM: Quote from: funkster on November 03, 2012, 03:44:47 PM
You might want to re- read the regs. Rimrock isn't open for muzzy at all.

I gave him a heads up to this a few post earlier.

I was taught how to hunt and read the regs by my Dad and his Dad before him taught him. It is easy for someone who has grown up in the woods to know the ins and outs of hunting,reading and understanding regs, notching tags,applying for tags.. etc. I don't know this guy personally, but It sounds like this guy hasn't had someone to show him the ins and outs, I could be wrong. The regs can be confusing and honest mistakes can happen. Ignorance is no excuse, I agree 100% but sometimes aspiring hunters just need some pointing in the right direction, I think this is the case here. He is asking for help and that is what websites like this is ultimately for!