Late Season Elk Hunting

[nphunter]

Looking for advice for finding mature bulls in Early November. I have a good spotter, lightweight tent and good boots to use. I have more places marked on the map than I do days to hunt.

The area I am hunting will be anywhere from 3000' river/sage country to 9000'+ rocky peaks with several burns at all elevations. I will be in Idaho but features and terrain are my main focus. Types of places to hone in on.

Do I look for old burns with lots of feed, open meadows in dark timber, creek bottoms or slides, high basins in the snow? I typically archery hunt so late season will be a new experience. I have killed a lot of cows in November and bulls always seem to be on deadfall thick knobs all alone, but the country I hunt in in Oregon is very high pressure and dense timber forests with little elevation gain. Bulls here are on higher knobs, or on steep creek drainages or open ridges with small timber pockets.

Thanks and looking forward to any advice.

 

[TexanSam]

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[Akicita]

With little or no snow in the equation I would start at the highest elevations in the areas that, nearly are - or are impossible to get to. With moderate to heavy snow I would still be high but focusing on wind swept ridges where forage remains exposed by wind. My experience is they won't move from the difficult sanctuary areas during late season until snow is belly high and threatening to cover all the remaining forbs and shrubs. . . In that case set up low near migratory paths along the dark timber and burn areas.

I don't buy into the North face South Face debate during this time of year and certainly don't want to get caught up in that argument. I can only say from my experience that mature bulls don't care about cold, wind, snow, talus, scree, rocks and any other terrain or conditions we may perceive as challenging. They are among the best four legged mountaineers I have seen, and believe me they know it, and use it to their advantage. Study your maps again cross off all the areas with low grade contours and look at the places you think would be impossible for an elk to stand and that's where they likely will be.

 

[kad11]

The two mature(ish) bulls I've killed were taken during your time frame; it is my favorite and most productive time of the season. When looking for nice bulls this time of the year, I try to find areas that contain decent feed, water and really good cover all within a couple hundred yards. I like to be in a position to glass as many of these small pockets as possible at first light as I find they are more visible in the AM. The bulls I've taken were killed late afternoon while still hunting through thick cover. I shot one while he was feeding in the timber at 3PM; timber with some opening in the canopy will hold green grass way longer than the open meadows and I think bulls recovering from the rut will feed in them quite extensively. The other bull was on his feet trashing a small pine at 4PM.





However, the bull I ALMOST killed this past season taught me a lot about how these guys behave and what type of habitat they look for. I spotted him from across the canyon in the morning and watched him until he fed into the timber at around 9:45AM. I dropped elevation, crossed the creek, and then started making my way up his side of the drainage. I reached the top of his meadow late afternoon and the wind was coming uphill which is what I had hoped for. I waited at the top for a while because I wanted to make sure that he would be out feeding when I started working my way down the relatively long but narrow opening. I was amazed at the number a droppings and got the impression that this guy had been living in this area for a while (this wilderness area has pretty low density so I assume it was his sign). I ended up blowing that bull out from behind a small stand of trees at less than 50 yds and watched as he and his cartoonishly large antlers busted into the deadfall. Dejected, I hunted my way down the rest of the meadow and into the timber below as dark set in. I found his bed less than 100 yds into the timber along with several springs and seeps. This was all tangled in nasty deadfall 2500' above the creek bottom and trail; he had everything he needed within a secluded 200 yd radius. Areas like this are pretty difficult to definitively identify via GE; I've found these areas by just exploring my hunting area.

The one that got away:

 

[nphunter]

Awesome guys. KAD were all of these bulls at a similar elevation? I assume they were also all alone. Those are dandy bulls, are you setting up on ridges and classing across at daylight? I assume you are looking away from the sun when glassing so East facing if possible? Seeing those pictures gets me very excited about the upcoming elk season. Do you hunt the same areas year after year or try to glass as much good looking country as possible to cover more ground. What is the plan if you don't see anything in the AM? Do you still hunt or move on to another location?

 

[kad11]

My experience completely agrees with everything Akicita said; the second bull I posted a picture off was on a small bench above a very large boulder field and flanked on either side by nearly impenetrable deadfall.

 

[kad11]

I usually find bulls between 7500'-9000' that time of year if we haven't gotten a big dump of snow yet. Yes, all those bulls were alone. I find glassing spots on GE; exposed knobs or ridges or large boulder fields usually provide the best vantage point for me. These glassing locations are typically a decent distance (0.5 - 3 mi) from the areas I think may hold bulls; oftentimes it requires cross-canyon glassing to have a good view. I also like to be on top of the mountain at first light to see as many likely areas as possible because the areas I hunt have relatively low densities and even fewer big bulls.

I never see cows this time of year in the areas that are holding good bulls. Like Akicita I don't get too hung up on aspect and am more interested in finding small sanctuaries that hold the three key ingredients. I do, however, try to avoid looking directly into the rising sun in the AM and factor that into my search for good vantage points. I hunt the same two or three general units in MT each year; I'm typically able to hunt about three Saturdays per month during the season so I've tended to hunt close to home and try to learn those areas really well in order to maximize my opportunity. If I don't see anything in the morning I start slowly still hunting my way through the timber en route to a possible feeding area to watch in the evening. I'll watch that area until the end of shooting light and then head back to the car.

Are you planning a backpack hunt in ID or will you be truck-based? I read where lot's of guys think spotting scopes are unnecessary for elk hunting, but I think it's good that you have one ... I know I rely heavily on mine.

 

[Mister Shush]

I agree with a lot of what's been posted here. Late in the season, the North face/South face debate is pointless. Randy Newberg is correct when he says that elk are found where people aren't. If you can get in that area for a scouting trip, do so. Find the shittiest looking climbs, back breaking hellholes and note where they are because there will be few people there. Google earth and maps are helpful, but they are not the terrain. You need to see it with your own eyes. Food, water and concealment are always your focus and don't believe the adage about early snow pushing elk off the high country. As was mentioned above, Elk will linger in areas where snow is practically up to their bellies as long as there is food they can reach. They're very adept at figuring out when the juice is no longer worth the squeeze and they'll drop just low enough so they burn fewer calories than they do while foraging in deep snow for available food. Start high and if snow falls, try to stay as high as you safely can and make sure you have a dedicated weather radio if there's no cell signal. Then, look for a mosaic of cover and open areas that offer access to water within a quarter mile. What you consider to be difficult conditions are nothing for an elk at those altitudes and you'll see most hunters move way lower down once snow falls. Either that, or they head home.

 

[nphunter]

Thanks again guys. I plan to take my old beater camp trailer for a main spot, I'm staying two weeks hunting 7 days for elk and then the second half after the elk season is over hunting rutting mule deer with my bow. We will have my Razor 65mm spotter and have a seek outside cimmaron shelter and light stove. The idea was to spike up glass in the evenings from a good vantage and spike camp that night to watch the next morning. If we don't see anything we plan to head back to the rig and possibly move to a different area and do the same thing the following night. Some of the areas I'm looking at are 2-3 miles in where i can glass across and some areas are less than a mile but very rugged areas with no roads where I can glass some old burned areas. I have a 4 door rubicon with 37's so I figure I can take pretty crappy roads or get through some snow where others will struggle and hike from there to glassing points. I was in the area last year and the year before hunting late mule deer and saw a lot of elk but the bigger bulls still with cows were only 270-290 class bulls, I would imagine if those bulls are still with cows mid nov. they were sattilite bulls during the rut and there should be some pretty good bulls in the area that have moved off. I haven't hunted high at all but believe if I'm seeing elk like that low than there should be even more up high in lower pressure areas.

 

[Kameero]

Any chance you have the time to go find them right now. Its worth a look, as its not uncommon for them to give up the location of their sanctuary or close to it this time of the year or earlier for that matter. May even get a bonus in finding a shed. As up in a previous post knobs, rocky knobs or steep areas below them.

 

[nphunter]

I may be able to get over there sometime this spring. Problem is we had a hard winter with above average snow which should have moved them into different areas than typical. Might at least be able to identify travel corridors though.

Any chance you have the time to go find them right now. Its worth a look, as its not uncommon for them to give up the location of their sanctuary or close to it this time of the year or earlier for that matter. May even get a bonus in finding a shed. As up in a previous post knobs, rocky knobs or steep areas below them.

 

[5MilesBack]

The biggest thing you need to understand about the most mature dominant bulls is that they love solitude at that time of year. Once they're done with the rut, they go to their holes......wherever that may be. It may only be a 3-4 acre piece of land that they won't leave until the snow forces them lower. They will need good feed, water, and decent shelter......the more remote the better. From my experience, they don't like going far at that time to get any of those things each day. They are trying to recover from the rut and not getting enough feed during the rut. They don't want to expend any more energy than they have to.

 

[Akicita]

the second bull I posted a picture off was on a small bench above a very large boulder field and flanked on either side by nearly impenetrable deadfall.

@kad11 - Beautiful pictures and outstanding harvest of those Bulls. Thank you for sharing - I'm in awe how lush that Slender Wheat grass is in that picture. . . I would love a grazing permit in those mountains.

The biggest thing you need to understand about the most mature dominant bulls is that they love solitude at that time of year. Once they're done with the rut, they go to their holes......wherever that may be. It may only be a 3-4 acre piece of land that they won't leave until the snow forces them lower. They will need good feed, water, and decent shelter......the more remote the better. From my experience, they don't like going far at that time to get any of those things each day. They are trying to recover from the rut and not getting enough feed during the rut. They don't want to expend any more energy than they have to.

There is some outstanding advice in this thread.

One thing I would like to add, is that I see mature Bulls in the late season through winter forgo easy access to typical feed in order to remain in secluded sanctuaries like 5 MilesBack wisely advises above. I have seen them eat dried up forb and Aspen bark while hydrating on snow or ice with better feed and water just a few hundred feet or yards away in order to remain in protective seclusion. Don't get fooled by what we think they want for food and water. Sometimes their drive to hide, rest and survive will keep them from areas we think are more desirable because they are more desirable to our logic. Some nice Bulls will be in those more desirable areas but I have come to know the bigger ones are toughing it out during our Colorado late season and beyond. It will be up to what you want and what you are willing to work for. . . It gets harder each year for me to get to some of those areas. Some of the areas I hunted in my youth are now hunted by younger generations that I have passed on to, so my harvest these past many years are not as majestic - but are no less as grand and appreciated.

 

[Ross]

Many good items to use posted for late season elk hunting. This can be a great time to harvest a bull of life time, but be prepared for what mother nature throws at you. Be up well before day light, have good glass, use them and don't see camp in the daylight this big boy in montana 2013 was quite an adventure, I do use south slopes a lot this time of year after a big dump of snow as they will go into deep winter survival mode, as noted often not traveling much at all. I find a lot of sheds in rocky areas that burn easily and this guy was in his late winter mode feeding on lichen in a grand rock hillside. The area had received 7+ ft the week before and I was on snowshoes when I spotted him 1200 yds away. Took me 2 hrs to get in position for a shot and the rest is a very long story work hard, pray for snow and don't see camp in the daylight and you may have a grand experience. He was left of this photo by two hundred yds and if you look close you can see him laying there. This is the nasty cabinets mountains of nwest mountain I should have brought climbing gear on this hunt

 

[Akicita]

^^^That's what I'm talking about!!!!^^^ Nice work Ross! Way to earn your harvest!

I typically carry my light harness, Petzl RAD System with 30 meters of 6mm hyperstatic line. . . I cant count how many times I have scrambled up some steeps only to find out I couldn't get down It also comes in handy to belay down or hoist up a harvest to a better location to process.

 

[ndbwhunter]

This is some great information! Keep it coming!

 

[338edge]

Tagging in

 

[nphunter]

Great info guy I really appreciate all of the replys! Fall can't get here fast enough.

 

[nphunter]

Anyone want to weigh in on heavy timber with open pockets vs burn or open country with heavy timber pockets? I'm thinking burn for good browse and glassability but i will take a chance at an encounter over easy glassing any day.

 

[njdoxie]

Aaahhh, this is the best thread in several days, there's very little new content posted, and I get that, so it's threads like this one that provide some good reading until hunting season rolls around. I hunt 2nd rifle CO, so this thread is right up my ally. I need a couple threads of this quality every day lol. Subscribed. I'll add my 2 cents...or not....I don't trophy hunt, I take the 1st legal bull I see, and I never see anything over 260 in rifle season, what I do see is always in a park close to end of shooting light, so I'm always looking for open parks above 9000 with aspens and dark timber around, and up to timberline if I have to go that high, but I very seldom have to. I would love to find a seep up high, I'm always looking and wondering if the elk are dropping down at night to water.