public land

[bnsafe]

so heres the scenario, yall scout an area and like what you see. come opening day your plan is to still hunt in the morning and stand hunt in the afternoon. your all set, got the spot you want to hunt, game on. then 4 guys walk under your treestand. do you stay and hunt, get out and go somewhere else, go back to the car, etc. I found a couple places I wouldn't mind being in a treestand opening day, but even though its roughly a mile in its not really hard walking to that point but that's where I found the sign. so should I plan to hunt it or just figure theres gonna be more hunters on the trail that elk.

[Lefty]

If you dont have a back up that morning , hunt it
If elk have been on it, hunt it.

It is sometimes amazing the amount of action that can take place where the elk want to be and they will still be there. One group of 4 may not make too much of a differance.

I came to hunt Im certianly not going back to the car. But I tend to hunt where others wont put in th effort, Is there another good location where you wont be bothered

[RockChucker30]

I've learned over the years that the fundamentals that make a good spot a good spot don't change with minor disturbances.

So in that situation Unless I had an option I thought was better then I would keep hunting.

[cnelk]

bnsafe
I have run into other hunters 2+ miles in OTC areas.
And just after I saw them, I eased away and not long after I got into elk.
Hopefully other hunters are hunting the area as they should.
You should be ok

You got a reply to your PM

[Swede]

Normally I stay. Just wave to them and let them pass by. If they are fair sports, they will see you there and leave the area as undisturbed as possible. If they go on, the elk are not likely disturbed and they have no effect. Elk can be just minutes away and coming to where you are, and not have any idea that people were there. The key is not to engage them in conversation. If they hang around and start calling nearby, then consider another location. If you set up near roads, then these things happen. It is just part of the price of admission. I deal with this nearly every year.

[bnsafe]

thanks guys, im really uneasy about hunting pressure. coming from mo its a different thing there, and if you drive that far out here for a week of hunting it can go bad quick. I need to take a breath an realize it will happen an I live out here now so I just go on hunting, not a big deal. course if I win a lottery yall are invited to my private place, lol.

[otcWill]

Lot of great advice from the guys already. One more thing, elk ain't whitetails! They just aren't nearly as smart or touchy when it comes to pressure, especially in the early season. You could have a family of hikers come giggling under your stand and shoot a bull an hour later

[JimKirk]

last year as recorded on one of my camera's at a water hole, got the hunter at 630am and a elk at 1030. I think they just make minor adjustments if disturbed.

[one_elk]

I agree with a lot of what has been said above and elk can’t make a living by running from every sound the hear, scent the smell or threat they see….elk in general habituate pretty easily to dealing with humans in the woods….of course if they are pushed hard they will indeed move but I wouldn’t think that a few folks walking down a trail would pose much of threat, in an wooded area an elk standing 50 to 100m off the trail probably would not even be seen by most folks on a trail

[Vanish]

I was freaked last year opening morning, when there must have been 12 trucks at the gate to the area we were hunting. We hadn't seen more than a few other people the year before.

Opening Morning, these guys were working uphill. (date/time is totally off)



Not 30 minutes later I had an entire herd of elk right in this same spot.

[eltaco]

I have a few pictures of two bulls walking by my trail cam 15 minutes after I left it... lol. I'd stay if I were you. Trail cams are phenomenal, until they show you something you don't want to see!

[elkflunky]

We know those two people in that picture!! It looks like Elknut and Swede!! Look at the one guys cheesy grin, definitely Elknut!