Selecting a New Area

[Swede]

Some of us have hunted the same are so long we likely do not think of what goes into selecting a new place to hunt. Others are always moving around for one reason or another. What do you folks look for that move around to hunt elk in different areas?

Here are some things I considered when I went to a new location last year:
I wanted to stay in Oregon. It is at least $600 more to hunt any other State.
I wanted a unit that had better than an average success rate. I checked that out by going to the Wildlife Department's web site.
I am an equal opportunity hunter, so I wanted an either sex unit.
I like semi arid places to hunt. Most units with good elk numbers have that.
I wanted a place that was less crowded than where I had been.
I am not sure I scored big on all of my criteria, but did ok. I got an elk and believe I can continue to get elk as I learn more and get more experience there.

[Lefty]

I’ve alwat been nomadic about hunting and trapping areas
I guessselectingnewareas addsabit ofexcitement and challenge

Most new hunting and trapping areas I found by map work
Others someone suggested I go to that area

Maybe a game wardens suggestion s landowner or friends

[Indian Summer]

I hunt the same area but also take time to explore. I just like exploring. When I look for new areas I look for great scenery. Might as well hunt a place that’s a joy to be in all day every day. I think elk like more scenic country too so if the place looks like a postcard there will be elk.

[Elkduds]

From living so long in CO and wandering via vehicle, air, and foot, I have a giant list of places I want to hunt. Maybe I backpacked or skied there, or just saw it from a distance and thought, that looks elky. And then there are discussions w friends, hunters, clients, relatives, CPW folks, on and on. I'll never live long enough to hunt all the good looking spots I picked out during a 1 hour airplane flight over the West Elk wilderness area 20 years ago.

[jmez]

Animal density is number one followed by accessible public land in the unit. Then look at hunter density.

Don't really look at success rates at all. The numbers are very inaccurate and others success generally has little impact on mine.

[elkstalker]

In short are there elk there? What is the road density/access like? I prefer to hunt elk away from others, especially folks on ATVs and road hunters so I try to find spots where I can get at least 1 mile, preferably 2+ miles away from roads/trails and still be in good habitat. Where I live, plenty of people shoot elk driving roads, but that's just not my thing. I enjoy solitude. Do I always shoot elk 2+ miles back? No, many times I've killed closer to the truck, but I like to have the option to get farther away if need be.

[Indian Summer]

I totally agree with jmez... statistics on success rate are extremely inaccurate. If the success of myself and my partners was what fish and game says I’d never go back.

[Swede]

I do not know just how accurate statistics are year to year, but they seem to be a fair indicator if viewed over a few years. Trends can be observed over a longer time. Here in Oregon the Cascade area elk success has dropped to under 5%. There is a reason why so few hunters are getting elk. There are very few elk there. The habitat has badly deteriorated over the past 25 years since the Forest Service has quit selling timber.
There are niches in all hunting areas that are better or worse than the unit as a whole. My thought is if you are going into a 3% success unit, and plan to shoot an elk, you better know something very few have figured out.
Where I live in the coast range I see the elk in a certain field about every three weeks. They hang out there for about a day. I don't have access to many areas, but can go onto some private land if the fire danger is not high. Since my access is limited and they don't stay long, if I am going to hunt it, I need to be there at the moment they are. If I miss a day, I could be in that 90+% that end up with an unfilled elk tag. The key is knowing what is happening and being there at the right time, set up in the right spot.

[jmez]

We hunted a unit in MT for 5 years with a published low success rate. We went 75-100% every year. In those 5 years no one in the group received a harvest survey call from game and fish.

One year in 5 two of us also purchased deer tags. We both received by calls on the deer tags. We both offered a elk info and we're told this call was for deer only.

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[Swede]

A couple of years ago I went to Idaho to hunt at the invitation of WapitiTalk 1 and is friend. The unit we went to had about a 10% success history. I did not see the whole unit, but from the evidence available to me, 10% seemed about right. I sure did not see a 20% unit. It was about the same as the unit where I had hunted in Oregon. That is not a good indicator of an individual's success, but what the whole number has experienced.
Both Oregon and Idaho have mandatory reporting. The success rates have not changed significantly since Oregon started requiring everyone to report. Before the mandatory reporting was enacted I would get a call every few years. It was random and it was for different species and not all. Still over time the rates were pretty consistent. Where they were changing there was on the ground evidence to support their findings.
Let me make another point here too. I have a friend that hunts a unit with well under 10% success. He and his son are very successful most years. They have several nice 6X6 bulls to show for their efforts. They have a niche where they know some elk live. They go there and call a little, wait a lot, and don't pressure them. I know where they are hunting, but it is a small area so I stay away. It will not sustain more hunters as it is close in to housing and a highway. Most of that unit including the national forest land is poor hunting. The point is if you know enough you can do well in a low percent area. If you are new to hunting or to that area, you will probably drive right past the place where the elk are hiding out, and go on to the public land for a nice hike in the woods.