question on elk hunting tactics

[KINGSNAKE]

My two partners and I drew tags for second rifle in Northern New Mexico second rifle. 9 know the elk are gonna be post rut by Oct. 22. And they will have been through several seasons. So My question for the veteran elk hunters is what tactics should we use to kill elk. Should we focus on food and spot and stalk. If so what type of food and terrain should we look for this time of year. I have been reading up on still hunting but many guys seem to think you have to have a lot of time in a unit to still hunt it. Is that true or can a non resident be successful still hunting in a brand new to us unit.

 

[Bar]

Still hunting is a long shot without knowing the unit well. It's the only way I hunt, but I know the area I hunt very well. Spot and stalk is your best bet. If you have enough time to see a pattern you can try an ambush, but I still think glassing and doing a stalk is the best bet.

You also need a lot of practice to be good at still hunting if you want to do it right. It's way more than a slow walk in the timber. It's not really a walk at all.

 

[robby denning]

good advice from Bar.

Depending on the bull:cow ratio, I wouldn't totally expect the bulls to be away from the cows by Oct 22. The Idaho season in the unit I guide in runs Oct 15-21st and we have a good bull:cow ratio and have seen more often than not, the biggest bulls are still with the cows at the end of the season and even up toward Halloween.

 

[5MilesBack]

Totally depends on the terrain you're hunting. If you don't know the area, then you don't know the elk in the area. I'd try to get up as high as I could before first light and glass everything you can see. If you don't find anything by 0800 or so, then I'd start searching for sign to try and narrow down where they might be. I've had elk still bugling that late in the season even in CO, so NM could even be better for that. Try bugling an hour before first light once you're set up and see if you hear anything.

 

[KINGSNAKE]

We are gonna be hunting unii t 52 which is on the Colorado border.
I figured by that time of year it was gonna be a mistake to try and call but I guess if I am just trying to locate a bull and not call one in it should work. This is exactly the reason I'm asking questions thanks.

 

[Sirius081972]

Elk hunting alone is much more difficult, and very reliant on being experienced, sneaky and or lucky. Bulls will almost always circle the caller downwind, outside of bow range because they would rather smell the source of the calling and move in, than to just run in on a straight line based on sound alone. The shooter should be positioned from 50-100 yards out front, on the downwind side to pick up that bull on the loop

 

[theleo91386]

Get up somewhere with a view and glass. Bulls may or may not be talking, that depends on to many things that time of year. If there's low enough pressure pay attention on where they are coming out of in the morning and if you can't get to them when you see them, be there when they come out in the evening. Money spent on glass will save you miles spent on your feet.

 

[5MilesBack]

Elk hunting alone is much more difficult, and very reliant on being experienced, sneaky and or lucky. Bulls will almost always circle the caller downwind, outside of bow range because they would rather smell the source of the calling and move in, than to just run in on a straight line based on sound alone. The shooter should be positioned from 50-100 yards out front, on the downwind side to pick up that bull on the loop

He's rifle hunting.

 

[tttoadman]

Toot a cow call early in the morning. You can occasionally get a response from the elk herding up. We hunt a unit in OR late OCT and the bulls are all with cows in this particular area. By this time, they are tired of people. Find the high benches that are away from the trails and roads, and there will likely be elk there. They will have the escape routes pretty beat down by this time of year. Sit on the lowest saddle in a ridge line and wait to see who comes by.

 

[Bar]

Toot a cow call early in the morning. You can occasionally get a response from the elk herding up. We hunt a unit in OR late OCT and the bulls are all with cows in this particular area. By this time, they are tired of people. Find the high benches that are away from the trails and roads, and there will likely be elk there. They will have the escape routes pretty beat down by this time of year. Sit on the lowest saddle in a ridge line and wait to see who comes by.

I've never seen mature bulls hang out with cows after the rut. My obsevation is they go off alone to rest and put on some weight for the winter. That's when I go after them in the horrible terrain they go to.

 

[Laelkhunter]

Are you hunting the Sargent WMA or the Humphries WMA in GMU 4? I have hunted both areas.

 

[KINGSNAKE]

We are in unit 52. It borders unit 4 on the east side of 4.

 

[Laelkhunter]

We are in unit 52. It borders unit 4 on the east side of 4.

Sorry, not familiar with that area.