Mid Day Cold Call Sets?

[LarryBud]

My party of three will be hunting a new basin. I anticipate elk to be somewhere in the area. ( Duh, thats why we're going there )

In the morning we will attempt to locate and watch feeding meadows. Assuming we don't have any elk located, does it make sense to spend the late morning and afternoon conducting a series of cold call sessions? Then, back to the meadows or a water hole.

Should these sessions be targeted away from the prime feeding areas we suspect will be used? My concern is that we will drive elk out of the basin with two much activity. The basin is 3 miles long and about 1.5 miles wide if that helps any.

Thanks,

Larry

[BRazz]

I'd say 3 x 1.5 miles is a big enough area and surely there are elk *someplace* in there. If I were in your shoes, I'd let the circumstances of my hunt dictate where to hunt midday. For example, if you only have a couple days to execute, then get aggressive and go to the bedding areas, however close they may be to the prime feeding areas. If you have a longer period of time, but it's too early in the season for the elk to be very vocal midday, then go a little softer. If other hunters are sure to knock the elk around, then maybe you better move in before they do. Regardless of those factors, however, I'd bet that most elk are not right next to prime feeding spots suring midday hours anyway. Sometimes elk will only travel a few hundred yards from feeding/bedding, but often it is much farther. Personally, my midday hunting holes are rarely next to prime feeding spots.

But your question was assuming you had not located elk - I've found that barging through the woods midday without knowing (or strongly suspecting) where the elk are to be a losing endeavor. To me that risk outweighs the opportunity it could create...