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Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

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Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby Toby » 03 10, 2014 •  [Post 1]

We hunted an area for about ten years that had low hunter density, but for a number of reasons, primarily declining elk numbers, we switched areas to one that has a higher Hunter numbers. We have hunted this area for the past two years and see quite a few elk and occasionally another Hunter, but there are 6-8 camps along the road that we camp on. We also have a good number of vocal exchanges with bulls. This kind of goes against my basic elk hunting thoughts of getting away from others. Don't get me wrong, I would rather hunt areas with no other hunters, but need to "hunt where the elk are".

My thought is that the elk in this area are accustomed to humans somewhat, and don't just leave the area due to human encounters. From what I can tell, hunting pressure is equally as high in a 25-50 mile radius. Kind of like Whitetails in certain area, the animals seem to adapt.

Make sense? Any thoughts or similar experiences? Tips for increasing success?
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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby Trophyhill » 03 10, 2014 •  [Post 2]

That's just how it is in OTC units. We as hunters have to adapt. Pockets of unpressured elk do exist and when I can't find them I look for pressured elk in unpressured areas if that makes any sense.
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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby Toby » 03 10, 2014 •  [Post 3]

Trophyhill wrote:That's just how it is in OTC units. We as hunters have to adapt. Pockets of unpressured elk do exist and when I can't find them I look for pressured elk in unpressured areas if that makes any sense.


I like your idea of hunting pressured elk in I pressured areas. We found such a spot last year and my son called in and killed a 6x6. I will definitely keep that thought in mind.

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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby Swede » 03 10, 2014 •  [Post 4]

I agree with Trophyhill. Elk adapt to pressure, so we as hunters need to adapt too. What once worked may no longer apply. Looking for unpressured pockets is a good idea. Just work them carefully.
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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby zpd307 » 03 10, 2014 •  [Post 5]

I agree also that elk adapt to the pressure and don't just blow out of the area. our spot in Colorado was a pressured elk area. not very vocal, lots of hang ups. there a couple of guys last year that bugled every 5 minutes during the afternoon.... at least I knew where they were. the first year out I found them bedding 4-5 miles from the nearest road at about 10.3k feet, just didn't know where they were feeding as I found them a couple miles away from the area I researched on google earth. I researched the area better for last year and was able to try and hunt them up the mountain. I was thrown for a loop last year to find a bull's bedding area was only a mile from the road at 9k feet. I didn't know it then.... but after the time spent reading up on here caused the light bulb to finally turn on.... I guess he hadn't been bumped yet by any hunters. the feeding area was only a half mile from the road. and half of that was an easy walk via a cattle trail along a stream. there were three vehicles every morning that drove by me to a spot further down the road. that bull hardly had to move during his daily routine. I am fairly confident now, that if we went back there again, I could really have a chance at getting a bull. but, locals camping with their atvs and recreational shooting really turns me off on the spot.
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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby Lefty » 03 10, 2014 •  [Post 6]

zpd307 wrote:,...... I was thrown for a loop last year to find a bull's bedding area was only a mile from the road at 9k feet. I didn't know it then.... but after the time spent reading up on here caused the light bulb to finally turn on.... I guess he hadn't been bumped yet by any hunters. ,......

given the right conditions big bulls are not much different than big deer or many other animals some times those close in areas do not get hunting pressure
I knew a fellow who use to traps hundreds(yes hundreds) of fox in Chicago city limits. I had buddies that killed a lot of archery P and Y whitetails in the Minnesota 7 county metro area
Maybe the biggest mulie Ive ever seen bedded in small county block of property with a wildlife management area with lots of pressure just across the small river but surrounded by thousands of acres of farm ground.
Wildlife does what it needs to to survive
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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby zpd307 » 03 10, 2014 •  [Post 7]

you read about those stories all the time in the magazines. find the little pockets that get overlooked that hold the bigguns. but then again you read a lot of stories that tell you to go the extra mile to get away from all of the other lazy hunters. that's where my mentality currently was. that the easy areas have had all the animals blown out and I need to get as far back as possible. that ideal was reinforced when I finally found the elk way back in there. that is why I was blown away last year. its hard to think of trying to find pockets of unpressured areas when you are from flat land Minnesota and staring up, in awe, into the endless timber covered mtns. that goes to show the great importance of having boots on the ground knowledge of your hunting area. which is hard to get when you are 17-20 hours away and only gets to happen once a year....
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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby Indian Summer » 03 10, 2014 •  [Post 8]

Very interested subject. In some areas you can't get away from people so as the saying goes... when in Rome do as the Romans. Think of it like fishing.... there are always other people on the lake but people find their honey holes. Also some seem to always "get lucky" while others don't and the stories at the ramp can be completely opposite.

There's one question I hear all the time when people are asking about my hunt plans through my business. I heard it plenty of times as an outfitter too: "Am I going to see other hunters" One of the first things I say is that look at everyone's top criteria and if you want a place where you will not see a soul I can send you there. The second thing I tell them is that I don't hunt that far in and there can be a hunter around where I hunt. It's not the end of the world. Of course it goes without saying that 1 or 2 might be company but much more is a crowd for sure. People are very predictable and most aren't in that great of shape.

The next thing I say is the bottom line though: The elk make the call. I know a great place to camp that is kind of on the border of where you may or may not run into another hunter. if you head west you won't see anybody. If you head east you probably will. I find myself hunting back toward the truck all the time because that's where the elk are. I may intentionally head the other way on a Saturday or Sunday because that's when the working folks are off and have time to hunt. I may use them to my advantage for the first part of Saturday and then turn and walk the opposite direction.

One more thing on the subject.... things change in late gun season. I know some migration routes and places were elk stage when things gets nasty and the only thing keeping them from being lower is the orange army. It's a spot where all those groups of 6, 12, or 30 turn into herds of one or two hundred. The elk that are there may not have been there a week ago or even yesterday. I know one such spot where we can shoot a bull and come back the next day or a few days later and get right on other ones. That spot is less than 3/4 of a mile from a trailhead and you can go there every day regardless of who hunted it the day before. They have no idea what went on the day before they showed up.
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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby zpd307 » 03 10, 2014 •  [Post 9]

to continue with that, indian. my area in Colorado, has an old logging road going up the mtn. it was burmed off at least ten years ago, based on the height of the pines now growing in the middle of it. so no vehicle traffic. in the last two years hunting there. I have only seen two guys and they were hunting together. and that was while I was on the road. last year there were two atvs and a couple of trucks parked at the trailhead. im not sure how many guys there actually were. my buddy who didn't want to get into the thick stuff with me, hunted that road last year and ran into guys from Oklahoma and Missouri. I guess that I am trying to say that even in an area that has hunters, you can get away from them and get into elk. my partner hunted the hunted areas and didn't see or hear a thing...
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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby Indian Summer » 03 11, 2014 •  [Post 10]

Once the snow flies there are tracks everywhere where I hunt. Of course they are down in the holes but they are also on top and in the open areas where the elk feed at night. The most common thing I hear at the trailhead is "We saw lots of tracks but just couldn't find any elk" The reason is obvious... they don't follow the tracks! Yes, they lazily.. or sheepishly look over the hill and subconsciously say to themselves "I probably won't actually kill one anyway so I'm going to have to walk back up out of there for nothing" I love it! Hunters are their own worst enemy. The sad part is they are probably right. Since they don't go down there they don't know their way around and they probably would either miss the elk or get busted.

Here's a good story to give us an idea of how "dangerous" alot of other hunters can be:: I came to the trailhead and a guy from Nevada was sitting in his truck. I had seen him before so I walked over to pick his brain. He was having a cigarette and "glassing for elk". Parked at a major trailhead mind you & in the middle of the day. So as I'm looking in his drivers side window and out his passenger window and he is talking in a depressed tone I said to him "I guess you haven't noticed that herd right there on the other side of the draw down low?" he fumbled his smoke and dropped it on the floor and looked to the right. There were around 40 elk bedded right there under his nose. The spot he was parked is one I think of all the time when we talk about how far in a hunters should go to find elk or how close to roads elk can be. It's crazy there. I've stood and loaded mules there for an hour while 2 herd bulls went back and forth in sight on the other side. The point is that those people who don't go the extra mile to actually kill their elk don't even go the extra mile when glassing. Just like hunting you have to glass with confidence. 10% of the people get 90% of the elk and I guarantee you they are the 10% who are thinking today is the day every day. The other 90% who's vehicle may be disappointing to see at the parking area aren't really anything to worry about.

When I see a hunter at the trailhead.. or even just their truck.... I go over and look at it. look inside etc. I can usually figure out if they are serious hunters or just some yuppies from up in town who are out sight seeing. There are lots of things that go through your mind when you find out you have company but no doubt it isn't a reason to lose faith in your spot.

Disclaimer: At least where I hunt!
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Re: Thoughts on hunting pressured elk

Postby timberland » 03 11, 2014 •  [Post 11]

I was walking a rim on the Missouri Breaks when I came on a "hunter" with a spotting scope watching a couple herds a mile or so away in the river bottom. I didn't want to screw him up so i asked if he was going to go after them. "Naw" he said, "They'll come up eventually." I never found out if they did come up, well one did, on my back. :D
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