Post by: WapitiTalk1 on April 02, 2019, 02:21:36 PM
Season/Hunt: Archery, partner hunt
Time/Date/Location: Late September, the wee hours of the morning, in an elk state
Camp/gear: You and your buddy have a base camp off a main FS road. You either hunt from camp (if you hear elk below you in the draw) each morning, or, head out in one of many directions to hunt spots you’ve gotten into elk before (take a truck there, or, quads). You both have backpack gear in base camp if you decide you want to head “in” to a spot for a few days.
Allrighty then. You and your bud located several singers the night before by locate bugling way, way across a large steep draw about 5 miles by road from your base camp. This morning, you’ve driven the truck to the spot, and are navigating on foot via an ancient outfitter trail, around the head end of the draw, to the ridge you received answers from the night before. You can hear bulls screaming (three of em) as you make your way across the head end of the draw in the dark (headlamps on low, just pointing at the trail so you don’t trip) coming from that distant ridge. There is really no way to access this particular ridge/spot from anywhere below. Once you start ascending down the timbered and brushy (huckleberry and U brush) ridge the elk are on, favoring the off side from where the bulls are howling, you can tell that the elk are moving down the other side of the ridge…… down, down, down into a super deep canyon on the way to the deep dark bottom where they will spend their day in the cool creek bottom. Over the course of the next week, you repeat this drill two more times with the exact same results (elk are singing at the crack of dawn but are moving off that particular ridge as soon as day breaks). Again, there is really no way to access this spot from anywhere below, and, no way to access the deep hole the elk are spending their day from the bottom (no trails and way too far in from below to hunt up/in to said bottom).
I know it's tough to answer without being there and knowing all the variables but again, it's just a scenario to offer suggestions and share ideas. What should you do with the information you have to maximize your chances of bringing an elk home for dinner? You know there are elk at that spot at night but depart when daylight hits, and, moving down that ridge after crossing the head end of the draw obviously puts the wind at your back when you’re moving down toward the critters this time of the day.
There are some “nice” bulls in this group. What’s your tentative game plan to let the air out of one of these seemingly inaccessible bulls?
Post by: fishngamereaper on April 02, 2019, 02:33:21 PM
Or I go in as far as I can mid day and wait till dark hoping to catch them coming up to feed.
Post by: pianoman9701 on April 02, 2019, 02:44:51 PM
I've never found a canyon I cant get into...and normally with me I focus on getting into the elk and getting one down before I think about how to get it out...So I go into the canyon below the elk about 2-3 am and wait for them to come down.
Or I go in as far as I can mid day and wait till dark hoping to catch them coming up to feed.
:yeah: , or I make a deal with some young hunters in good shape and tell them where to find 'em in exchange for some of the meat! :tup:
Post by: bracer40 on April 02, 2019, 03:17:42 PM
Jim
Post by: outdooraddict on April 08, 2019, 04:24:21 PM
Post by: fishngamereaper on April 08, 2019, 04:54:04 PM
how early have you ever started your hunt for the day, actually got up at 2-3 to get into an area. id be interested in attempting this feat, but id prob miss the elk, cause id be asleep in the daylight
I've hiked in over night before to get to an area...a few years ago I had a good bull tag..had elk bugling all night within ear shot of camp so got up and worked the wind to the edge of the meadow.. think it was 1am..sat till day break listening to the elk..5 minutes before legal light the elk moved out of the meadow and into the timber the opposite side of where I was set...then I took a nap..... :chuckle:
It was still fun..
Post by: blackveltbowhunter on April 08, 2019, 07:02:55 PM