Hunting dry country

[SneakyThunderCat]

In your experience, how far will elk typically bed away from water? I want to hunt in some pretty dry country, and with it being such a dry year, I often wonder this question.

I look for springs and water holes while e scouting, but it's anyone's guess if there will actually be water there. How far away from water would you focus on trying to find elk? Especially if it's still fairly warm out while hunting?

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[HuntNTag]

They won’t be all that far. I haven’t seen them go more than a mile and that’s far.

The question will be if they either find water elsewhere or if they have small wallows they find, they will feel much more secure in a sheltered covered up wallow than a bigger pool of water.

Elk water daily so they need the water but they do move as well from ridge to ridge unless it’s so dry that they only have one water source. If you find that single source, I’d just sit that source all day because they will have to hit it.

 

[Felix40]

I disagree to some extent. I’ve seen bulls hold up in canyons where there is no water at all. Especially later in the season they will get into these areas and barely move at all. In these situations they are getting their water from plant material. Obviously if there is water available they prefer that but they will surprise you later in the year.

 

[Swede]

I like tree stand hunting dry country. Elk will bed miles from where they spent the night feeding and watering, but they end up near some water. If you can find a secluded spring in good cover near a bedding area, it can be a very productive place to hang a stand.
Elk use different bedding areas and don't have just one, so be patient and persistent. Elk water more when it is hot than when it is cool. They are just like other mammals, including humans in that they need more water when they move, and when it is hot.
If you find a good spring near a bedding area; it can be productive to stay in your stand all day. They may come around any time for a drink, then return to their bed. The evening and morning are also good as they move from feeding to bedding and vice versa.

 

[HuntNTag]

Here is something to read. Lots of research has been done one grazing and water use.

This study focuses on dry areas with free water. Check out page 41 for some answers.

https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4919&context=etd

 

[JPD350]

It seems all I ever do is hunt elk in arid conditions and like Felix40 said, they can hole up in some crazy dry areas. I do however think there needs to be water within 2 to 3 miles, they can easily water at night at that distance which brings me to my next thought, in the heat they will often do their drinking only at night but not always, it depends on what the water source is and where it is located in relation to the habitat, lots of variables. I've seen them water in the middle of the day, out in the open and 90 degrees so it is whatever it is.

 

[Swede]

Easttowest, I don't think anyone is disagreeing with you or that you need to prove your point. I just know where elk will go to some fields in the evening and forage during the night. Then they return several miles over sage hills to their bedding areas. I do not know where they have any waterholes in between the ranch and the large bedding areas.
The fact that elk bed and forage fairly close to water has been documented for many years. You can read it in the book "Elk of North America, ecology and management".

 

[Marble]

I've never been hunting an elk herd that didn't have water fairly close. My experience is they will want to water at the beginning and end of their feeding. But they will only do one or the other if absolutely necessary.

There are always exceptions. But in general, they will be reasonably close.

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[Wrench]

I've seen them make a 2+ mile trek to hit water. The area I'm referring to has about 500' vert change, which isn't hard on the elk. Typical daytime temperature could easily be 90*f. Average distance was much closer to one mile, but as soon as pressure was applied, they had no problem walking an extra 10 minutes.

 

[mTNhunter86]

I hunted a really dry unit this year and while I think you're fine to start your hunting/scouting near water I wouldn't let that stop you from moving if you're not seeing elk. Almost all the elk I saw were FAR away from the only water source I knew of in the unit. As in the elk might have been traveling 3 or 4 miles one way to get to water.

 

[Wrench]

Think....food, water, cover....pretty much in that order. It forms a triangle.

Now figure out how the wind moves between them.

Now figure out how land features allow maximum use of visibility and wind.

If you nail that down, you will find them......assuming they didn't completely leave the area.

 

[HuntNTag]

Easttowest, I don't think anyone is disagreeing with you or that you need to prove your point. I just know where elk will go to some fields in the evening and forage during the night. Then they return several miles over sage hills to their bedding areas. I do not know where they have any waterholes in between the ranch and the large bedding areas.
The fact that elk bed and forage fairly close to water has been documented for many years. You can read it in the book "Elk of North America, ecology and management".

No worries brother. I am not worried about that. I just figure more info is better and I read a ton on google scholar. That was one of the more recent reads I had so I figured I’d share.

I think every area is different and everyone has experienced different things over their time in the woods which is why Rokslide is so great for all of us.

 

[JPD350]

I've also seen them cover huge areas like 5 to 10 miles and hit a tank than move to the next tank and so forth only to come back around after a week or two or more of hitting 4 or 5 different tanks which is why you can sometimes find sign and no elk, lots of variables. Also it only takes one good rain to fill a rock pit that may hold water for a month and if the elk find it on their journeys the may hole up there the whole month and there is no way of knowing about these water sources without boots on the ground and constantly watching the weather for that secret spot.

That's why you always need to look at the big picture and not just one zone or only a couple of water sources.

 

[Swede]

I have no idea where Sneaky was thinking about hunting. It has been my observation that elk in dry country and on the desert cover more territory, and are fewer in number than their wet country cousins. I have a friend that successfully hunts them on a regular basis and gets some very large bulls. He has an advantage in that he lives there and knows the critters.
What East2West wrote is a good rule of thumb, and elk definitely need water. I like hunting dry country focusing on a good water hole, that has been scouted well. At that point I can effectively plan an ambush. It is better to hunt one elk on a large area, where you can predict it will show up, than hunt a dozen elk where you have no idea about their movement. I do not chase elk much anymore. They need to come to me to get shot.