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Scouting Success

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Scouting Success

Postby Swede » 06 13, 2019 •  [Post 1]

What does scouting success look like to you?
I feel I was successful if I find the areas I know are still being used and I find one or two more where I can hang a tree stand and expect to have elk in a reasonable amount of time.
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Re: Scouting Success

Postby saddlesore » 06 13, 2019 •  [Post 2]

About the only benefit of scouting in mid summer is it lets you get familiar with the country. Most likely where you find elk they won't be there come hunting season, or where there are no elk,they could be there come hunting season. Grazing leases,no water, other hunters, outfitter camps,calving grounds, breeding grounds, and several other variables can and will have the elk moving
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Re: Scouting Success

Postby Lefty » 06 13, 2019 •  [Post 3]

A bad day scouting is better than a good day at work :lol:

Success is being there!
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Re: Scouting Success

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 06 13, 2019 •  [Post 4]

Talking just the September hunt time frame with my comments here. It may very well be different down in the Centennial State the way that big part of the country is laid out, but, up in the areas I hunt in W WA, N ID, and NW MT...... find the cows in the summer and you'll find them in the same general area come September, with those stinky bulls harassing them. When scouting a new area, its already known that it holds elk or I wouldn't be there (grin). Water is not an issue up in the northern elk hunting areas, so, the yes/no for water availability/location is not a consideration or issue. I'll look for remote side hills, not easily accessible via road or trail, certainly old rut sign (active wallows, rut rubs), benchy bedding areas and larger flat saddles, game trails that look like they may be used while moving from feed to bed, put eyes and boots on potential escape routes, natural mineral licks, and last but not least, if I'm gonna scout/hunt in wolf country, scope out the seriously steep and thick alder/vine maple hillsides that the elk will gravitate towards once a pack o' big dogs move into their general area. Ya, I'll check to see what kind of hunting pressure the area/spot may have via old campsites off the roads but that's not a showstopper as most folks don't hunt too far "in".
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Re: Scouting Success

Postby Swede » 06 13, 2019 •  [Post 5]

Cattle and hunting pressure both can change elk locations and behavior where I hunt. Where I hunted with RJ it was just as he describes.
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Re: Scouting Success

Postby Trophyhill » 06 18, 2019 •  [Post 6]

Man......just getting out in the elkwoods is a success for me. There is so much valuable info to take in whether you see the animals or not. A friend and I were talking about this very topic a while back. If you are really paying attention and taking it all in, you soon realize it's all part of the elk world. From drought, to heavy snowy winters, to deluges, feast, famine, beetle kill etc etc. It all plays into nature's puzzles, and it's up to us as hunters to unlock the mysteries of the wild. If you aren't paying attention to everything you see, here, smell and taste, you really are cheating yourself.
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Re: Scouting Success

Postby WapitiTalk1 » 06 18, 2019 •  [Post 7]

Trophyhill wrote:Man......just getting out in the elkwoods is a success for me. There is so much valuable info to take in whether you see the animals or not. A friend and I were talking about this very topic a while back. If you are really paying attention and taking it all in, you soon realize it's all part of the elk world. From drought, to heavy snowy winters, to deluges, feast, famine etc etc. It all plays into nature's puzzles, and it's up to us as hunters to unlock the mysteries of the wild. If you aren't paying attention to everything you see, here, smell and taste, you really are cheating yourself.


Well put mister.
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Re: Scouting Success

Postby MtnOak » 06 19, 2019 •  [Post 8]

I would give just about anything to fly out to the place I hunt and scout a few days in july, man I would love to do it.
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Re: Scouting Success

Postby 7mmfan » 06 21, 2019 •  [Post 9]

I just completed my first out-of-state scouting trip. We spent a fair amount of time in new country, but also spent time in the ground that we hunt further exploring it and learning the intricacies of it. A big one for us this trip was finding new routes into and out of these areas. We were able to shave miles off our travel routes by just having the time to wander down and check out this canyon or that canyon or follow this trail out to see where it goes. It was a lot of fun.

In general though a successful scouting trip for me is expanding my understanding of the ground we hunt and finding sign that the animals have been there in the fall, but not necessarily seeing a bunch of animals. I understand that they have different habits and needs this time of year and may not be frequenting that particular area.
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Re: Scouting Success

Postby Lefty » 06 25, 2019 •  [Post 10]

We spent the last 4 days chasing around elk country I dont know to much about. Spottd elk deer and antelope fawns. even watched a momma chipmuck haul around some hairless little rodents.

My wife has killed more big mulies than Ill ever have time to hunt. But one of the things we do is , how would you hunt or get into shooting position for some of the game we see while watching.
She is a great rifle shooter so her methods are a bit simpler and quicker
bed the gun,
breathe
hold
squeeze
gut

Saturday evening I set up how I would move in on some elk we were watching. then yesterday I described the stalk on three nice bucks.
This scouting success was seeing game and finding sign in areas we had never been( well some areas) One area I told my wife I could bring her 90 year old dad, flat ground at 8000 and no grizzlies
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