- Thread Starter
- #21
Cover ground until you hear them, see them or smell them. Then start hunting them. They aren't just big deer.
You can't and won't beat their nose, don't try. Take a few wind puffers and use them often. If you are walking with the wind at your back you are simply hiking in the mountains. You have to pay close attention to both the prevailing wind and the thermals. You need to figure out what time the thermals are switching where you are hunting. Hunting the wind correctly is going to be one of your biggest hurdles.
Look for northeast facing slopes with benches right below steep terrain. They elk will usually be about 3/4 of the way up on these.
Not familiar with that area of Co but if it is thick find meadows hidden in the pine trees. They will all look like the best elk spot in the world. If there isn't very fresh sign there the elk aren't there, find another one.
You have to hunt elk where they are, not where you want them to be or where you think they should be. Cover ground until you find them.
Thanks man that really helps, I want to identify 10-20 good looking spots on the map and hike around them until I find sign. It sounds like I should be looking for the same type of sign as deer, scrapes, rubs, and bedding that smells like a barn yard.