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Feeding tunnels

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Feeding tunnels

Postby Jhg » 10 14, 2018 •  [Post 1]

Look for feeding tunnels when you scout for elk areas to come back to.
These are areas that the elk seem to always use over others when they are moving through. There are often destinations at the end but these may not afford the same opportunities given wind issues or terrain.
Feed tunnels are overlooked by hunters because they don't scream out as elk hotels. They are not meadows or wallows or bedding areas. They are often more open timber or aspen glades but they share a common trait. Other terrain makes them the only zone the elk want to use if given choice and not pressured to go into tougher terrain. They are narrow. Otherwise its a crap shoot as to the elk coming by.
So look for them to be 1)narrow 2)used as 1st choice 3)less than 100 yds form your truck (just kidding)
Jhg
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Re: Feeding tunnels

Postby Swede » 10 14, 2018 •  [Post 2]

I killed my elk this past season in one of those tunnels you write about. There was a water hole there, but it was not the reason to choose that location to set my stand. There were six trails that all came together at that one location, and several were beat to dust. Water holes, wallows, tunnels, saddles can all be excellent locations, but an ambush hunter needs to wait where elk are going to be. The more elk, and the sooner the better. Nothing is more wearisome than waiting along a trail that nothing has been on for months. :D
Swede
Wapiti Hunting - Tree Stand Tactics
 
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Re: Feeding tunnels

Postby Jhg » 10 14, 2018 •  [Post 3]

Good point Swede. Some of these tunnels I know about would be unwise to sit if the elk were not in the area. My hardest earned and most important lesson in elk hunting is that when the elk are not there, you cannot kill one no matter how good/smart/prepared you are. So set yourself up for success by putting time into hunting them only when they will pay dividends.
I have seen wallows that would sit unused for days and days even if the elk were nearby- time of season, other wallows to use, all play a factor in sitting any particular one. It seemed the better bet was to drift back into the general area surrounding them and identify the tunnel the elk seemed to prefer to use more often than those nearby maybe destinations. Chances of getting a lethal shot started getting much better for me and I started getting in on some really nice bulls too.
Improve your odds by identifying how you and other hunters pigeon hole areas and elk behavior to fit your preconceived notions. Ask yourself: what are you missing? Chances are there is some nuance in the area that will get you on elk more often and with better opportunities. That nuance may be a feed tunnel.
Feed tunnels are areas that the elk use to get to: better feeding areas, bedding areas from their main feed area, water, or some other destination that is on their minds when they have settled into an area for a few days. I am not talking about places they use once a month. If the elk are around, terrain or something must make the tunnel the pathway of choice most of the time. Like mentioned before these are overlooked because they don't quite measure up to our usual notions of what a elk travel zone or destination or feed area should look like so we dismiss them. Feed tunnels are different in that they are not random for the elk. Elk ,when not moving from area to area (travel zone) prefer to feed as they go, take their time and in general just take it easy. The reason hunting a feed tunnel is effective is that the when the elk are in the area, they use them. Those are good odds. Not so with travel zones. Ever try to guess when elk are gong to use a travel zone? Today? Next week? Next month?
Jhg
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Location: Colorado

Re: Feeding tunnels

Postby Swede » 10 14, 2018 •  [Post 4]

The "tunnel" corridor I hunted this past season was between a well traveled road and some bluffs (cliffs). The corridor was also a travel way between large open areas, that were farther out than the road and the bluffs. The corridor spot where I set up was not the only place an elk could go, but was a high probability location along a route elk traveled on a regular basis. It is the kind of area Jhg is describing. You get no absolute assurance with the area, but the possibilities are excellent if you are patient and persistent. Don't give up because you have not seen the elk in four days. You are just four days closer to getting an elk. I was waiting several days, but never over five between elk sightings at my stand.
Swede
Wapiti Hunting - Tree Stand Tactics
 
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