Terrain Translation for Us Flatlanders (e-scouting question)

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I am familiar with using topography to scout whitetail in Missouri. That said, the difference in scale out west leaves me scratching my head on what to make of some features.

All the elk e-scouting material talks about benches, north facing slopes with dark timber with a saddle leading to south facing slopes on the other side, bowls, etc. etc. The examples shown are always really steep areas where the mountain/ridge rises 500-1000+ feet above the surrounding area (see yellow circle for a fairly mild example). This has left leaves me subconsciously only looking for this really steep terrain; then I zoom out and realize that most of just about any given unit it is not this extreme steep area. It is still very "hilly" by Missouri standards but much more gradual relative to the mountains/ridges. Are you all looking at these "flatter" areas for September Archery season? If so, what are you looking for in terms of terrain or ground cover? If it is a meadow nearby a north facing ridge, that could be a feeding area, but what if it is just a large stand of dark timber, Aspens, oak brush, etc. or what if it is not adjacent to any obvious bedding areas?

(FYI, the picture below is somewhat of a random example...was just looking for something that decently described my question)
Topo Example 2.PNG
 
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You can look at topicals until you memorize em but once the season starts, the herds begin moving and you rely more on your ears to locate em. Knowing where to glass helps and that's where knowledge of an area helps but more often than not, I end up hunting an area I didn't expect to find bulls in. Hunting pressure, plays a big role, as does weather, drought and other factors. I've found elk in nasty steep country and flat ground...those predawn bugles determine my route...not a preconceived plan. Having a plan is good but it must not take precedence over actual sign.
 
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I have never killed an elk so read this with that in mind, and maybe a more experienced guy would tell me STFU , that being said. If I was hunting that area I would check out that bench and if I found an active wallow I would be pretty tickled with it. The dark timber you are describing could very well be the bedding area.
The saddle connection is kind of like a hedgerow through a field that connects two woodlots in whitetail terms, it is a highway. A bench near the top is most likely a bedding area for when and if the elk are there. I saw a lot of "elky" country e scouting that didn't have elk in September because it was winter range. Now that I have unzipped my fly lets see what the elk killers say :)
 

Ross

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Here is a place in Montana I used to hunt...steep drainages with dense underbrush...at daybreak if looking for bugling bulls I want an elevated position on one of the main ridges or secondary ridges to be able to hear long distance as once I drop off them my ability to hear is greatly reduced by either water underbrush or simply the terrain I’m then moving until I hear a bull or see or hear something that would make move slower the day would be fluid and adapting as I see or hear something ...if I’m hunting your area noted the first day without knowledge of elk I am running the ridge line just below your red circle listening and looking for vantage spots and trails cutting the area and at that saddle below the lake....this would be a likely bedding bench in the areas I hunt photo 3 and have prior rutting activity that being said all areas are not created equal and boots are the real tester...good luck👍As pt of reference I have 4 meatpoles in my photo all are have way down the mountain in the middle groundB9E31463-9BE4-47E6-A106-3B486F0768B1.jpeg
2FAEEF0D-21C1-417F-9152-DF35EC4A9CB6.pngA06DA921-99A6-4818-9414-AF3912530995.png
 
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Poser

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These are good potential spots to check out, however, they can also feel like ghost towns despite established trails and used bedding areas. Timing can be a factor (maybe elk rotate through this area once every 10-14 days), pressure (as in one single Hunter walking through the area one time) can push them out for the season, summer only range factors etc.

Example. This saddle exhibits many of the qualities you mention and I have seen elk on both sides of it, however, despite the fact that this trail looks like it was manicured by a trail crew from years of elk use, I’ve spent HOURS glassing this saddle and have seen exactly 1 elk cross it.

ec7ae7ee6bdb0fd07acd7440b4096f80.jpg
 
OP
G
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These are good potential spots to check out, however, they can also feel like ghost towns despite established trails and used bedding areas. Timing can be a factor (maybe elk rotate through this area once every 10-14 days), pressure (as in one single Hunter walking through the area one time) can push them out for the season, summer only range factors etc.

Example. This saddle exhibits many of the qualities you mention and I have seen elk on both sides of it, however, despite the fact that this trail looks like it was manicured by a trail crew from years of elk use, I’ve spent HOURS glassing this saddle and have seen exactly 1 elk cross it.

ec7ae7ee6bdb0fd07acd7440b4096f80.jpg

I have seen so many saddles and other terrain features (paths to wallows for example) with highly visible trails. It makes me wonder if they are from cattle or people more than elk/deer.
 

P Carter

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IMHO, these guys are right. This looks like the topo of areas I hunt. The elk could be anywhere in there, the only way to find out where they are on a given day is to be there. If you find some, eventually you’ll start to figure out what sub-areas they like to use and under what conditions. And then (if you’re like me) constantly scratch your head about what they’re doing, when, and why. That’s all part of the fun!
 
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That area in general isn’t steep enough for a bench to matter. There are some flatter spots but to an elk it’s all easy country. If you get into places where the lines are tight together then a few lines with wider gaps would almost guarantee a travel route or even a place to bed. As some have said on that map they could be anywhere.
 

Puttncut

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In SW Colorado the elk are more akin to billy goats - "steep" is a very relative term. What blew my mind on my first hunt (lodge hunt/unguided) was a guide told me a bull elk only needs the space about the size of a bathtub to bed. He was RIGHT ! My maps were only good for getting into and out of an area - not locating elk. Boots on the ground - look for fresh sign - move slowly and listen - it's awesome!
 
OP
G
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That area in general isn’t steep enough for a bench to matter. There are some flatter spots but to an elk it’s all easy country. If you get into places where the lines are tight together then a few lines with wider gaps would almost guarantee a travel route or even a place to bed. As some have said on that map they could be anywhere.

Ya. That area wasn’t really meant to be an ideal example. It was what I could find without zooming out so much that I’d have to blur out 30 identification markers.

But what you said kind of gets to my point. A lot of ground in units looks like this. The super steep stuff is the minority of the unit in most of the units I’ve scouted so it gets back to the what do you do with areas like this? Do you ignore it and just go where the lines are close together...at least to start.
 

Poser

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Ya. That area wasn’t really meant to be an ideal example. It was what I could find without zooming out so much that I’d have to blur out 30 identification markers.

But what you said kind of gets to my point. A lot of ground in units looks like this. The super steep stuff is the minority of the unit in most of the units I’ve scouted so it gets back to the what do you do with areas like this? Do you ignore it and just go where the lines are close together...at least to start.

You can’t know until you know. I recently spent 4 weekends scouting a potential area and finally figured out on the 3rd weekend that the elk were using East facing drainages that are shaded by 13ers and just as shady as north facing slopes. Might be steep, might not be steep, might be a flat area surrounded by steep terrain.
 
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Basically, the elk are where they are!

I try not to hone in on little features, but more how the elk are using elky spots within a given larger area.

A mile or three is absolutely nothing for an elk to cover, just on their normal nomadic patters.
 
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I guess the thing about benches is they come from somewhere and they lead to somewhere. They don’t go on forever. Eventually they come to food or water or commonly the spine of the ridge dips down and the bench rolls right through a saddle. Mountains have similar patterns to their structure and there’s no doubt that learning to hunt elk means learning some things about geography.
 

mavinwa2

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I take it that you have never been out West...or the topo would make more sense For you to understand.
You can e-scout all you like...but it will not beat boots on the ground.

be prepared to lose valuable days hunting time in an area-unit that you’ve never been to or hunted previously.
 

jmez

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I'm with Ross. If I was going in there blind I'd be on top ready to work that long ridge right outside your red mark at first light. I drew what I would do in green. You should be able to cover that in a morning in that type of terrain. None of that is real steep as others have said but you'll find coming from the "flatlands" it will be worse than it looks when you get in there. I outlined how I would hunt through that blind in green.

Thing to remember, if you are on top in the morning the thermals are going to be going down. If you see elk you will need to drop down, get below them and hunt them up until the thermals switch. They won't change until the sun gets high enough to warm the air in the bottoms, usually mid am. I'd do a lot more glassing and listening until the thermals change than I would walking. You go charging across the top or just under the top early in the am any elk on the mountain is going to smell you and you'll never know they were there.

Use the elevation to glass and find them, then plan your strategy.

Topo Example.png
 

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