High Pressure Rifle - sit or stalk

[poboy2214]

Still a new hunter so looking for some advice. My brother and I hunted an area that gets hit fairly hard but holds a high number of elk. We saw several animals the first day (just too far for our range) so we’re going to try again next year even though the following four days we didn’t see an animal. We did see plenty of sign and talked to some guys that had success sitting in open areas in the dark timber, which we tried but it seems like you’d just have to get lucky.

My question would be to you experienced hunters, would you try to sit and wait for something to get pushed or would you try to find them bedded in the dark timber by stalking throughout the day? As far as my personal enjoyment, I find pleasure in both. It’s exciting to stalk but I’m also a middle-aged father of two so I’m perfectly content sitting in the woods all day long. For reference this is Colorado first rifle season.

 

[35WhelenAI]

I've been hunting the same area in Colorado for 26 seasons after spending my first three seasons trying different areas. Started when I was 27 and I'm 53. Early on I hiked and covered lots of ground. Took me 5 years to get my first elk. My father was 55 at the time he made his first trek out here that same season, 26 seasons ago. He took advice of a guy in camp and staked out an area that elk had been killed before. Having grown up as a Pennsylvania whitetail hunter staking out a spot all day, wouldn't you know he connected on his first of many elk from that spot. He'd hike around with me on occasion but he knew a good thing and stuck with what he knew

Since that point in time I know that during the course of a week elk are going to move through the area. While I will still cover miles hiking the perimeter of said area especially when it snows to see where tracks are and which direction they're going, at the end of each day I'm staked out in my favorite spot which I've taken over a dozen elk during that time. Each of my sons have their first elk under their belt in their early twenties as well. Younger than I was when I got my first one.

A lot of it has to do with knowing the elk in the area and their patterns. Now that I have that figured out I think 50% or better success is pretty good for public land hunting in colorado. In the off years when I haven't gotten an elk, I've managed to connect on five mule deer. 17 animals and 26 years along with antelope out on the plains of Colorado has given something in the freezer pretty consistently.

To make a long winded story short, there's no question other hunters will move animals around however a combination of checking things out with my own two feet and then setting up where I know the elk travel is a good combination of the two.

 

[kbarber]

Both strategies can lead to success. Two big factors to keep in mind are terrain and cover. Glassable country is great for sitting all day and looking. Thick cover might be more conducive to still hunting and putting miles on to find animals.

 

[Indian Summer]

I've been hunting the same area in Colorado for 26 seasons after spending my first three seasons trying different areas. Started when I was 27 and I'm 53. Early on I hiked and covered lots of ground. Took me 5 years to get my first elk. My father was 55 at the time he made his first trek out here that same season, 26 seasons ago. He took advice of a guy in camp and staked out an area that elk had been killed before. Having grown up as a Pennsylvania whitetail hunter staking out a spot all day, wouldn't you know he connected on his first of many elk from that spot. He'd hike around with me on occasion but he knew a good thing and stuck with what he knew

Since that point in time I know that during the course of a week elk are going to move through the area. While I will still cover miles hiking the perimeter of said area especially when it snows to see where tracks are and which direction they're going, at the end of each day I'm staked out in my favorite spot which I've taken over a dozen elk during that time. Each of my sons have their first elk under their belt in their early twenties as well. Younger than I was when I got my first one.

A lot of it has to do with knowing the elk in the area and their patterns. Now that I have that figured out I think 50% or better success is pretty good for public land hunting in colorado. In the off years when I haven't gotten an elk, I've managed to connect on five mule deer. 17 animals and 26 years along with antelope out on the plains of Colorado has given something in the freezer pretty consistently.

To make a long winded story short, there's no question other hunters will move animals around however a combination of checking things out with my own two feet and then setting up where I know the elk travel is a good combination of the two.

That’s a damn good post! I think when you’re new to the game you tend to still hunt more because you’re searching. But like this post the guys who settle in and hunt a certain perimeter are pretty successful.

That being said…. I like.. no LOVE to see elk before they see me. So instead of trying to adapt to an area that isn’t user friendly to my way of hunting I’ll search for anything nearby that suits me. Sometimes that means getting above timberline. Sometimes it means hunting 100 miles from where I was. Whatever it takes because being able to start and end your days locating elk from a vantage point is priceless. It’s a big step in putting the odds in your favor and it helps you have a game plan that you’re confident with every day. I can’t count how many times I’ve killed bulls in the evening or maybe mid day that I saw that morning or better yet got one down in the morning after watching his every move for a couple hours the night before.

Scratching your head after 3-6 days of sneaking through timber is mentally exhausting. How do I know that? I’ve been there. Most of us have. There will always be guys who love to still hunt timber. They have adapted to hunting the way they have to based on where they hunt. If that’s you the only thing I can say is slow down and glass your ass off between the trees before every step. To each his own. I’m good at that too but it’s not as fun for me. Not that I don’t take mid day walks through some cover. Good luck!

 

[Wrench]

Elk typically move for a couple hours in the am and pm unless pressure is applied. If you know of a travel corridor AND there's no pressure to change it, staking it out makes a lot of sense.....when they use it.

Elk are not going to travel with the wind on their ass by choice....especially if they can't see a LONG WAY ahead, so don't setup looking down wind.

For us, we will give the watch the travel route most of an opener IF WE KNOW that elk are in that area. If not, it gets attention in the morning, then after 10 or so, we go find them and kill em in bed.

 

[BuzzH]

In my opinion too many over think things when it comes to killing elk. In particular if you're not worried about taking top end bulls. Just isn't that complicated.

 

[Indian Summer]

In my opinion too many over think things when it comes to killing elk. In particular if you're not worried about taking top end bulls. Just isn't that complicated.

I agree. Why go looking all over hell’s half acre when you can just perch somewhere with a nice view, spot elk, and walk over and kill one. Stay warm and dry and it’s just a matter of time.

 

[poboy2214]

I've been hunting the same area in Colorado for 26 seasons after spending my first three seasons trying different areas. Started when I was 27 and I'm 53. Early on I hiked and covered lots of ground. Took me 5 years to get my first elk. My father was 55 at the time he made his first trek out here that same season, 26 seasons ago. He took advice of a guy in camp and staked out an area that elk had been killed before. Having grown up as a Pennsylvania whitetail hunter staking out a spot all day, wouldn't you know he connected on his first of many elk from that spot. He'd hike around with me on occasion but he knew a good thing and stuck with what he knew

Since that point in time I know that during the course of a week elk are going to move through the area. While I will still cover miles hiking the perimeter of said area especially when it snows to see where tracks are and which direction they're going, at the end of each day I'm staked out in my favorite spot which I've taken over a dozen elk during that time. Each of my sons have their first elk under their belt in their early twenties as well. Younger than I was when I got my first one.

A lot of it has to do with knowing the elk in the area and their patterns. Now that I have that figured out I think 50% or better success is pretty good for public land hunting in colorado. In the off years when I haven't gotten an elk, I've managed to connect on five mule deer. 17 animals and 26 years along with antelope out on the plains of Colorado has given something in the freezer pretty consistently.

To make a long winded story short, there's no question other hunters will move animals around however a combination of checking things out with my own two feet and then setting up where I know the elk travel is a good combination of the two.

Thanks, sounds like a good strategy. We definitely want to stick to an area going forward to start better understanding their movements. By the fifth day I felt like we were starting to get the hang of it.

Just curious, is your area more open terrain, dark timber, or a combo? Ours is a combo of both with not a lot of glassing vantages.

 

[poboy2214]

I agree. Why go looking all over hell’s half acre when you can just perch somewhere with a nice view, spot elk, and walk over and kill one. Stay warm and dry and it’s just a matter of time.

We definitely saw animals the first day using this strategy, but there aren’t many vantage points where we hunt and after the first day they moved out of the aspens and open areas and into the dark timber on this particular mountain. I would say we definitely figured out the escape route so we could be there on day 1 next year but it wasn’t productive the following days.

 

[poboy2214]

That’s a damn good post! I think when you’re new to the game you tend to still hunt more because you’re searching. But like this post the guys who settle in and hunt a certain perimeter are pretty successful.

That being said…. I like.. no LOVE to see elk before they see me. So instead of trying to adapt to an area that isn’t user friendly to my way of hunting I’ll search for anything nearby that suits me. Sometimes that means getting above timberline. Sometimes it means hunting 100 miles from where I was. Whatever it takes because being able to start and end your days locating elk from a vantage point is priceless. It’s a big step in putting the odds in your favor and it helps you have a game plan that you’re confident with every day. I can’t count how many times I’ve killed bulls in the evening or maybe mid day that I saw that morning or better yet got one down in the morning after watching his every move for a couple hours the night before.

Scratching your head after 3-6 days of sneaking through timber is mentally exhausting. How do I know that? I’ve been there. Most of us have. There will always be guys who love to still hunt timber. They have adapted to hunting the way they have to based on where they hunt. If that’s you the only thing I can say is slow down and glass your ass off between the trees before every step. To each his own. I’m good at that too but it’s not as fun for me. Not that I don’t take mid day walks through some cover. Good luck!

Thanks. This was my fourth year hunting elk and the first time I’d ever glassed one up (even though we couldn’t capitalize), I can definitely see the benefit. The first three years I bumped more than I could count bumbling through the timber.

 

[BuzzH]

Thanks. This was my fourth year hunting elk and the first time I’d ever glassed one up (even though we couldn’t capitalize), I can definitely see the benefit. The first three years I bumped more than I could count bumbling through the timber.

If you're bumping elk in the timber you're hunting too fast or not watching the wind.

If you can pick the days you hunt the timber...windy days, rain, or snow is when I'm most likely to hunt thick timber. I've killed a bunch slipping through timber in those kind of conditions, many in their beds.

Watch the thermals, local winds, and slowww down.

It doesn't do a person a bit of good to bump elk from areas they feel secure bedding in. If you're going to hunt them in their bedding areas, stack the odds in your favor by hunting it right. Once you move them they aren't likely to come back and you have to find them again.

 

[cnelk]

So many people dont realize they are hunting a elk bedding area unitl its too late

 

[poboy2214]

So many people dont realize they are hunting a elk bedding area unitl its too late

I’ve been one of those people on a couple of occasions. I’ve walked to within 20 yards of bedded cows and didn’t even see them until they stood up to run. Mistakes were made

 

[NickyD]

First time hunting a heavily pressured elk unit we noticed a lot of gunshots around us, mostly downwind of our location….that’s when we realized we needed to just sit in a single spot. But every area is different

 

[Indian Summer]

You know when I like to hunt the timber? When I watched them walk in there and so I know that if I take every step seriously I can expect a shot. I’m not in their bedroom searching… I’m there to kill what I know is there. I’ve managed to dump a few right in their bed and there’s no question that’s a pretty rewarding accomplishment.

 

[Leto]

Why not give both a try and increase your chances?