How to kill oak brush elk

[MtnOak]

I started back elk hunting 2016 season, and my homework paid off to a certain degree, after being away from it for over 20 years we landed right in a good herd and called in the herd bull on day 7 but me or my partner couldn't get a good shot and had to let him walk...….it killed my soul to let such a good bull walk away after being away from it for so long, but knowing neither one of us wounded that animal kinda felt good but it also haunts me even writing this thinking about it, I been solo the last 2 seasons and hunting a different area and luckily again found a good size herd but this time they bed all day in oak brush and move after dark but always stay in oak brush, open shots are very far and few if any but I did miss a cow last year and called in a decent bull twice but he would hang up at the 70 yd mark both times and just look around (both times was in an opening and I could range him)

I guess what i'm wondering is should I stay after this herd that's so difficult with the oak brush or try to find elk in aspen and spruce? I love the area but I would love to look at a good bull on my wall and a freezer full of meat, i'm planning on going back to the same place this year and hopefully with a mule deer tag, I let a monster muley walk last year because I didn't have a tag 35 yds...……….bummer!

[Elkduds]

Mtn Oak, I admire you for not forcing a tempting shot. Riddle me this, how can you get oakbrush elk to come to you?

[Swede]

I have never hunted Oak brush, but suspect it will take a lot more patient waiting than usual. If it is like Mountain mahogany you can't chase after them because the elk are like grease in a tube with multiple holes in it. If you put pressure on one spot they run out the other. That is why they hide in those areas.
I would either try to ambush them where multiple trails come together or cow call them using well spaced calls. If you can, move 30-50 yards away from your ambush location when you call. You could try to use Paul's calling routine, as described in his recent thread, but if you are alone, you will likely be busted during the calling routine.

[Lefty]

Mtn Oak, I admire you for not forcing a tempting shot. Riddle me this, how can you get oakbrush elk to come to you?

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My nephew drew a coveted tag in Central Utah cedar oak brush country Killed a 350 bull
They heard the bull bugling and went in after it.

[ElkNut1]

Don't do any calling while in the open, watch where they go into the cover. Once you are near enough for the bull/bulls to hear you get a good setup & go through the Slow Play Sequence! Gets the bull to come to you instead of risking getting caught by the cows as you try to Indian in. Unlike other Cold Calling Tactics this Sequence plays on their Instincts To Breed! Certainly a Sequence to consider!

ElkNut/Paul

[>>>---WW---->]

I used to hunt in the oak brush almost exclusively. knowing the area is the key to success. The taller trees, 10-15 feet or so aren't so hard to get around in. But the knee high to head tall stuff is virtually impossible to break through. The elk don't like to go through it any more than I do. That's where knowing the territory and the passage ways they use through it really helps to increase your odds. When calling, they will use those paths to come to you. So it makes your setups easier. Close encounters are the norm rather than the exception. You may not be able to see them coming. But they can't see you either and they will be in full search mode. I can't count the times I have had them in close and all you could see was ears and eyeballs peering over the top of the brush trying to locate me from very close range. That's real excitement!

But as always, monotering the wind is a (#1) issue. When it starts to shift, you need to get out of there in a hurry. Never let them know who you are and there is a good chance you can go right back in there in a day or so and do the same thing all over again and again so long as you don't bust them out of the area.

Silent calling or Cold calling is a good technique. Just don't get all excited and over do it!!! For younger bulls and cows that are by themselves, just about any sound will draw them in. Remember, they are still youngsters and they are herd animals that are looking for companionship.

[MtnOak]

This will be my 3rd season in the same area and I have pinned down the spot (thick oak ridge) they bed in, I can forget sitting over water there’s lots of water around, I tried that last year and never was at the water holes I sat over while I was there, I really think it’s gonna take the very last week of season where I’ll have a chance to call one in like I did 2 years ago, I think it was way too hot last year when I was there and spot and stalk was the only success I could do but like I said my success fell short when I whiffed it shooting high over a cows back ....smh....I still can’t believe i missed..

[Swede]

Last August on the day before the archery season opener, I was taking one more tree stand to a spot I thought might be productive. It was just a so-so location, and my last stand would go there just in case. On the way in I took a different route for ease of access. About 300 yards before I got to where I wanted to place my stand, everything changed. I saw where several trails came together above a fresh wallow and spring. The location smelled of elk and I could tell after looking over the area that elk were frequenting this particular location. Elk use was a lot more active there than where I was headed. Needless to say, I changed my plans and set my stand there.
It was not the water or the wallow that changed my mind. It was the elk use. I would not hang a stand anywhere just because there is water and a wallow. I am not hunting water. I am hunting elk. If you are going to ambush an elk, it will be very boring if no elk ever show up. Where I sat I had elk on several occasions and numerous bears, and there was water all over that general area. Saddles, timber patches and other natural features as well as fence lines or timber cuts may funnel elk through a small area. The evidence on the ground will reveal where a good ambush location exists.
I plan to set a stand back there this year and see if I can take another elk out of that location. That is no given as elk habits can change. If the elk are not using that same spot, neither will I.

[MtnOak]

Swede what time of day do you find stand hunting elk the most productive? I’ve got a friend that hunts em from a stand in a different unit than I go to, he swears by hunting from a stand.

[Swede]

Mtnoak: It really depends on the area.
If water is in fairly short supply, go for the afternoon and evening, especially if it is hot. During the rut things change and I prefer mornings. Otherwise it just varies. I have places that are consistently best in the morning, and some places elk can show up at any time. Even in locations where they usually show up in the evening, one can come in mid morning or early afternoon. The trouble I have with timing is that it can change during the season. I assume it is due to the weather change and the rut. I know this is not much help, but it is the best I know.