How to become a better rifle elk hunter?

[Kenai_dtracker]

Weird title, I know. I've read a ton of posts here and a lot of guys have shot a pile of elk over the years, and of course the number one advantage is location. If you live in elk country, you tend to shoot more elk, but I'm certainly not taking away the skill that's also needed. I live in the northeast, and know that if I moved to MT, WY, etc, and hunted elk the way that I hunt whitetail, I'd probably still end up on the losing end.

I normally hunt northern Maine or New Hampshire in the mountains, and I prefer to track if there's snow. If there's no snow, I still-hunt, and pretty much hate sitting or stand hunting, as I like to be on the move. With fresh snow, I prefer to move fast, cover ground and find a track. If I jump a buck, that's fine because he's now in front of me leaving tracks and they don't cover the ground like elk.

My first year elk hunting in 2019 there was 12 inches of new snow. I hiked up through the aspens and within 30 minutes of legal shooting light I'd spotted 4 legal bulls and harvest the last one. Yay! Great! I'm an elk hunter and have it all figured out....Haha, that last statement is so far from the truth it's laughable. 4 of us went back to that same area in 2022 and all we all got skunked. I saw plenty of cow elk and spikes, but no legal bulls, and felt that days that I zipped, I should have zagged, and I also feel that my whitetail hunting strategy of putting on lots of miles is not the best way to elk hunt in the later season. As a reference, the guys that I hunt with don't have any more elk hunting experience than me, so that's why I looking here for advice.

What are guys rifle season strategies for elk on public land? Still hunt dark timber, track elk, glass meadows in morning or late afternoons? Do you sit tight during the midday or move? I like to keep hitting the next ridge, or just another mile in, but that can be pretty tiresome and by the later afternoon I'm pretty beat. I'll be 50 this summer and although I keep in pretty good shape, there's always someone that can go deeper or higher, so that's not always the strategy to go with. At the end of the day, I just love being in the woods hunting and seeing new country.

 

[cohunter14]

Let your eyes do the work for your legs. Find high points to glass from and cover ground that way. If they aren't there, move on to the next glassing point. This method works a lot better than covering ground with your feet, just hoping to bump into an elk. Obviously, this changes a little if there is snow on the ground but with no snow, this is your best bet.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

Let your eyes do the work for your legs. Find high points to glass from and cover ground that way. If they aren't there, move on to the next glassing point. This method works a lot better than covering ground with your feet, just hoping to bump into an elk. Obviously, this changes a little if there is snow on the ground but with no snow, this is your best bet.

I tell myself this and then get antsy, but your are right, getting to a good glass point early is way better than killing my legs, or my partners. In 2021, I hiked into an awesome spot on a ridge overlooking some dark timber and meadows, only to have fog roll in and reduce visibility to 50 yards. I hiked down out of it, but once I got lower and looked up, I probably could have just as easily hike higher and gotten above the fog.

 

[woods89]

I have a buddy that's been fairly successful at it. I'll say if the country let's you glassing, even maybe from a long ways away if that gives you a good vantage, is a key. When hunting with him one thing that I've observed is that we are way better hunters when we go into a basin or drainage knowing that a bull was here in the last 24 hours.

Snow seems to be a huge help. You can see elk easier, glass up tracks sometimes, etc.

I may be weird, but having both rifle hunted elk and archery hunted elk, I prefer late season rifle hunting. It's not always an action packed way to hunt, though.

 

[Hondo0925]

Definitely what’s already been said!
We’ve also had very high success once you see where elk have been, going back in the evening and just waiting them out till dark. For example, if I spotted elk in a certain big park in the morning or crazy, super fresh sign where it appears they were there last night, I will slip in there midday and set up and shoot them at last shooting light as they come back for the evening feed.
Good luck out there.
And shoot straight or shoot often!

 

[Wyohunth]

It depends so much on the terrain and cover. In densely timbered areas, your whitetail strategies may work well. In more open country glassing is certainly effective. I’ve been a very successful elk killer when I follow these principles: Elk are easy to kill once you find them. Worry about how hard the pack out will be after one is on the ground.

 

[Ross]

all country and season contingent…no state, terrain or season is the same….imo you learn the country you will hunt and learn the nuances…yes elk need the same thing in all, water, food and security, but all states and regions are not the same…for routine success, unless you have Unlimited time to hunt, you have to learn the areas you will hunt and the elk dynamic..for that area….this would be otc tags and not special draws or private, high priced ranches…good luck, planning the next hunt is half the fun

 

[twsnow18]

The most important tactic is being familiar with the area. That far eclipses any one magic technique. The key to killing elk in Oct-Dec in most western states is knowing when to be where.

These are migratory critters. There are only 2 ways that I have found to learn “when to be where.”

1. A local/old timer tells you and you listen, intently.
2. Time in the saddle, boots on the ground during the season.

Focus on one or two units. Hopping around units is the kryptonite of most non res elk hunters. The grass is greener syndrome is a recipe for failure most of the time.

 

[Jimss]

If you've hunted elk very long you will realize that ELK DON"T LIKE HUMANS! Find the most remote areas with the least amount of hunting pressure and you will likely find elk. Unfortunately in Colo and Wyo that usually means private land! On public land you have your work cut out for you. Elk will move long distance to get to locations with the least amount of hunting pressure. It often takes a lot of patience, boot leather, and hours behind glass to find these secluded spots.

 

[Indian Summer]

I can think of a lot of things that would start putting the odds more in your favor. But after reading your words, one more mile, one more ridge, I’m going to say you need to slow down. We’ve all been there. You are in exploration mode because it’s new and fun hunting the mountains. It’s a necessary thing because you have to learn your area. But the sooner you shift gears from exploring to hunting the better you’ll get at killing.

 

[AZHunter07]

I just got home on Wednesday, we glassed before dawn from a high point for hours, then whet back to camp for lunch then back up to the same high point until dark. We did this everyday from a different high point.
For me what was most impressive is the type of glass you use is as important as hiking up to that high point. On Tuesday we glassed up a bachelor group of 3 bulls from a distance of 1.5 miles then came up with a plan on the approach to these bulls. I got my bull.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

I have a buddy that's been fairly successful at it. I'll say if the country let's you glassing, even maybe from a long ways away if that gives you a good vantage, is a key. When hunting with him one thing that I've observed is that we are way better hunters when we go into a basin or drainage knowing that a bull was here in the last 24 hours.

Snow seems to be a huge help. You can see elk easier, glass up tracks sometimes, etc.

I may be weird, but having both rifle hunted elk and archery hunted elk, I prefer late season rifle hunting. It's not always an action packed way to hunt, though.

I did MT archery this September, and even though i didn't harvest an elk, it was a blast. However, I do prefer rifle hunting in the later season, for a lot of the reasons you stated, and especially if there's snow.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

Definitely what’s already been said!
We’ve also had very high success once you see where elk have been, going back in the evening and just waiting them out till dark. For example, if I spotted elk in a certain big park in the morning or crazy, super fresh sign where it appears they were there last night, I will slip in there midday and set up and shoot them at last shooting light as they come back for the evening feed.
Good luck out there.
And shoot straight or shoot often!

That's makes sense, and seems to be the what works for folks. Biggest things for me is don't get discourage and don't jump around. Learn the area and I need to glass more.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

It depends so much on the terrain and cover. In densely timbered areas, your whitetail strategies may work well. In more open country glassing is certainly effective. I’ve been a very successful elk killer when I follow these principles: Elk are easy to kill once you find them. Worry about how hard the pack out will be after one is on the ground.

Very true, and for me, it recognizing the sign that it's bulls in the timber and not a bunch of cows. I've made that mistake in tracking 6-10 elk, and when I finally got them in sight, they were all cows and a spike.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

The most important tactic is being familiar with the area. That far eclipses any one magic technique. The key to killing elk in Oct-Dec in most western states is knowing when to be where.

These are migratory critters. There are only 2 ways that I have found to learn “when to be where.”

1. A local/old timer tells you and you listen, intently.
2. Time in the saddle, boots on the ground during the season.

Focus on one or two units. Hopping around units is the kryptonite of most non res elk hunters. The grass is greener syndrome is a recipe for failure most of the time.

I wish I had that local/old timer connection! Seeing the amount of elk folks take every year, and the information they share, it's pretty amazing and humbling as well. Your kryptonite reference is spot on, and I try to avoid this even though some in the group want a new area. Man, already getting jacked for next fall, haha!

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

I can think of a lot of things that would start putting the odds more in your favor. But after reading your words, one more mile, one more ridge, I’m going to say you need to slow down. We’ve all been there. You are in exploration mode because it’s new and fun hunting the mountains. It’s a necessary thing because you have to learn your area. But the sooner you shift gears from exploring to hunting the better you’ll get at killing.

I thinks that's why I want to get back to the same unit/area. If I'd gone with my gut on opening day, myself or my buddy may have gotten a bull. Instead I went against what worked the year before and just ended up bumping cows. The reason for this is that I scouted the day after fresh snow, and didn't see fresh tracks so hunted another area on opening day. Lesson learned.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

I just got home on Wednesday, we glassed before dawn from a high point for hours, then whet back to camp for lunch then back up to the same high point until dark. We did this everyday from a different high point.
For me what was most impressive is the type of glass you use is as important as hiking up to that high point. On Tuesday we glassed up a bachelor group of 3 bulls from a distance of 1.5 miles then came up with a plan on the approach to these bulls. I got my bull.

Congrats on the Bull! Are you glassing with just binos or a spotter too? I've got a decent set of 8x42 leupolds, which I like because of the low light brightness. But what worked for you was glassing, and I need to focus on that more.

I just shot a young whitetail buck this morning on the cape. Otis base allows military and veterans only a one day hunt become they open it up to anyone. Meat in the freezer, but still not an elk, haha!

 

[Nwihunter]

all country and season contingent…no state, terrain or season is the same….imo you learn the country you will hunt and learn the nuances…yes elk need the same thing in all, water, food and security, but all states and regions are not the same…for routine success, unless you have Unlimited time to hunt, you have to learn the areas you will hunt and the elk dynamic..for that area….this would be otc tags and not special draws or private, high priced ranches…good luck, planning the next hunt is half the fun

Definitely this. I’ve only elk hunted the for the last 5 seasons and come from the Midwest where I have only hunted white tails. I’ve spent countless hours reading everything on these forums about elk hunting trying to learn how to hunt them. My first 2 years I hunted them like white tails. Huge mistake and I didn’t even come close to elk. Most of the stuff I read about how to hunt them just never really applied to the area I was in. I’ve hunted 3 completely different areas over 2 states and none of them were really were good for glassing. My success has come from getting into my area 2 to 3 days before season opened and find sign. A good looking spot doesn’t mean crap if there is not fresh sign there. Get into a spot where you expect elk to be well before shooting light. Hunting the same area for 3 straight seasons has helped a ton. I’ve learned a lot this way and have tagged out opening day the past 2 years. I’m not killing monsters but I’m more than happy with any legal bull I harvest.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Good suggestions for open country but for heavy timber like I hunt most of the suggestions don't work. There isn't any glassing,

I have to cover miles to figure where they are today. A long time ago I was in one of my scans when I cut tracks that were fresh but had ice chrystals in them. I got on the tracks and followed them to the bottom (about three miles). I made bigger and bigger circles until I found where they finished eating and lined out for the bedding grounds.

Two drainages later, four miles and 1500 ft in elevation later, I found them bedded in a rock pile on the top of a ridge at about 3:30 in the afternoon. It was very enlightening but the only bull was a spike. I watched them for a while and then worked my way back to the truck.

I'm over 70 now and I spend day after day on horseback scanning for tracks of 1-3 in the northside jungles with favorable wind conditions. I tie my pony up in a thicket and follow along. The biggest problem is finding tracks fresh enough to justify the chase under favorable wind conditions.

Some times I go two to three days before those conditions exist. Where I go is heavily dictated by the knowledge the elk have given me over 30 years given the weather.

The toughest conditions I have encountered is when the cold weather has driven them into the valleys where I have compete with the gang hunters who hunt in packs of 3-4 randomly wandering through the countryside holding hands rather than breaking up in favorable habitat and kicking the elk back and forth between them.

Finding enough open back country without packs of walkers can be a challenge.

 

[Kenai_dtracker]

all country and season contingent…no state, terrain or season is the same….imo you learn the country you will hunt and learn the nuances…yes elk need the same thing in all, water, food and security, but all states and regions are not the same…for routine success, unless you have Unlimited time to hunt, you have to learn the areas you will hunt and the elk dynamic..for that area….this would be otc tags and not special draws or private, high priced ranches…good luck, planning the next hunt is half the fun

100% correct, even when whitetail hunting. I had a great spot up in Maine that was real thick spruce and cedar with a stream running through it. There were old cuts on both sides with some mountain ridges and it the snow conditions sucked or if there was not snow, I could always still hunt in there and find deer. The last time I went there the logging company had clear cut that area completely, and hardly any deer sign.

For elk I'm mostly OTC, but I do put in for some low percentage draw tags each year, and accumulating some points as well. And you are right about the planning part, it's a blast, and part of the reason why I started this thread to keep my thinking and considering new ideas, so thanks for the input.