Elk in areas with beetle kill pine

[Ldriver]

Hey all. I'm currently hunting area 68 in CO and the area I'm hunting has a lot of beetle kill pine and was wondering if any of you have any success with locating elk in these areas. It seems to me that if elk have the majority of what they need (food, cover, water possibly) in a small area. The elk don't have to really move. What is a good way to locate elk in areas like this with the elk not talking?

 

[Gapmaster]

Cover lots of ground and find them. No tricks, just hard work

 

[Gerbdog]

What was said above, just a ton of hard work, and make some cow sounds while your moving once in awhile, I dunno if your way way stealthier then me but climbing around in that deadfall was almost impossible to be silent, may as well let them think your a cow. If you snap a twig, like i know you will in that deadfall, just keep going, everyone freezes up and looks around but animals snap twigs and keep moving, they dont freeze. What time are you out in the woods in the morning? I heard bugles the few mornings I was out this year but they were calling out before shooting hours and then shut up pretty darn quick after the shooting hours. How does the sign in the area look? Can you smell them in the area? I would do as Gapmaster says, cover ground relatively quick, until you smell them or fine some fresh fresh sign and then slow way down. Everyone hunts differently but my binos in deadfall are my main go to and moving really slowly. Seems to be the strategy that the successful hunter I talked to this last week use also, move slow, as in you may only cover 150 yards in an hour, stop, use your bino's to look for ears / tines sticking up out of the deadfall, they absolutely love to bed down behind them where they can see you but you cant see them. This is early season, hopefully the rut starts to pick up here and the bulls fire up and you can call the bulls in on a string.

 

[Ldriver]

What was said above, just a ton of hard work, and make some cow sounds while your moving once in awhile, I dunno if your way way stealthier then me but climbing around in that deadfall was almost impossible to be silent, may as well let them think your a cow. If you snap a twig, like i know you will in that deadfall, just keep going, everyone freezes up and looks around but animals snap twigs and keep moving, they dont freeze. What time are you out in the woods in the morning? I heard bugles the few mornings I was out this year but they were calling out before shooting hours and then shut up pretty darn quick after the shooting hours. How does the sign in the area look? Can you smell them in the area? I would do as Gapmaster says, cover ground relatively quick, until you smell them or fine some fresh fresh sign and then slow way down. Everyone hunts differently but my binos in deadfall are my main go to and moving really slowly. Seems to be the strategy that the successful hunter I talked to this last week use also, move slow, as in you may only cover 150 yards in an hour, stop, use your bino's to look for ears / tines sticking up out of the deadfall, they absolutely love to bed down behind them where they can see you but you cant see them. This is early season, hopefully the rut starts to pick up here and the bulls fire up and you can call the bulls in on a string.

Gerbdog,
Using a cow call is something that I have been doing while moving through the areas that I've been hunting. Not much fresh sign in the areas that were covered in fresh sign last year. I will say that there's been some logging in the area this year so not sure if it's pushed the elk to other areas. I have no issue with putting in the work, but trying to figure out where they moved to is part the problem, but such is hunting. Appreciate the info!

 

[Austink47]

The beetle kill functions a lot like a burn with the benefit of cover. Right place right age elk are all over it. I can’t tell which one they will pick but when you walk around one they like it is pretty obvious. I have seen more late season use. I am no elk expert, just what I have observed.

 

[Indian Summer]

Elk always move. They have everything they need somewhere else too. After 3 or 4 days they will go for a change of scenery.

One thing about heavy blow downs... they channel elk traffic. They create bottlenecks. So ambushing works and setting up when calling actually isn’t as hard. Treestands can be a good strategy too.

 

[Gerbdog]

Gerbdog,
Using a cow call is something that I have been doing while moving through the areas that I've been hunting. Not much fresh sign in the areas that were covered in fresh sign last year. I will say that there's been some logging in the area this year so not sure if it's pushed the elk to other areas. I have no issue with putting in the work, but trying to figure out where they moved to is part the problem, but such is hunting. Appreciate the info!

Yea if I were you i'd push further into new areas where you haven't been before or just jump into new deadfall somewhere else completely. Indian Summer is totally right they move a lot, each area of the country / state / unit is different but early season the bulls hold to somewhat of a pattern before they start searching out cows. The problem is that pattern may take days between for them to visit an area again. Everywhere is different but since they like to use the deadfall and deep timber as bedding areas, the mountain / hillside there should have the smell of elk scattered all over it. I don't think I had the best hunting spot ever seen this year but those beds reeked of elk for days and days after they were long gone from it and those beds were all over. Push until you find fresh sign and can smell them or move areas until you do. Bugling should be picking up as well soon so locate that way if possible.

 

[AnotherMile]

Here's an article that mentions a study that determined elk avoid beetle killed areas

https://www.uwyo.edu/uw/news/2019/02/uw-research-elk-avoi ind-beetle-killed-areas-of-southern-wyoming-forest.html

 

[AnotherMile]

UW Research: Elk Avoid Beetle-Killed Areas of Southern Wyoming Forest | News | University of Wyoming

www.uwyo.edu