Hunting Washington Forum
Big Game Hunting => Elk Hunting => Topic started by: mendozer on November 01, 2015, 11:32:38 PM
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I know elk are unpredictable and they cover ground fast. When I was deer hunting I was stalking a herd and got pretty close. Rifle's about to open up, will they likely be in the vicinity this weekend where they were in mid September? Or are they long gone? West side elk if that helps.
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You're right, they can be unpredictable. You see any Bulls? Let me know where you saw them, and I will help you monitor them :chuckle:
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where you seen them can be a good place to start, however they could be anywhere this time of yr. Good luck this weekend. Squidward.
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It depends on several things. Is it a local herd that hangs in the area or one that moves distances? Food source?? And the big one, how much hunting pressure do you expect in the area?
That last one is key, if there are 20 guys that hit it at first light that will change all their normal routine once they get bumped by one or two guys.
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I haven't been back since the deer hunt, but no other deer hunters were around there. Only tracks were mine. But then again this is was mid archery season. Not too far from a road either so I bet they've been pushed somewhere. Question is, where would they be pushed? lower in elevation? They were living in a thick forest near a clearcut. Seems like, pressure aside, it's a solid spot to be again...?
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They may be high and tight. Stay flexible.
Al
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well saturday morning i went back to the spot. They were clearly there friday at midnight or sometime over the night. Super fresh sign. GRRR! I didn't really know where to go from there so I sat on the spot. No luck over the next day.
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A mature elk can eat 20 pounds of food per day. Multiply that by herd size. If the herd has ten animals they need to eat 200 pounds a day. As they eat the available food in one area, they need to move to find more food.
If there is no pressure, elk often move in repeatable pattern that recurs every three to four weeks which allows time for the food sources to regenerate. I know someone on the west side who had elk on her property, and she said they came by every 17 days. Could be.
Add pressure and the elk will move away from the pressure - steeper/deeper country, private land, etc. They can easily move five or more miles in a day to a different location for food or shelter.
The chances of finding elk in the same spot during hunting season that they were before the season is generally pretty small.
