I drew 16e elk 10-22 -28! This will be my first hunt ever, Randy has already been very helpful, thank you so much. I was wondering if anyone else has ever drawn this tag, what kind of cover the bulls were in, how far on average from the roads? Would you take a spotting scope on this hunt. Looking at onx is hard right now for me as I’m not a good map reader and everything is snow covered in aerial. From what I can gather there is s lot of grass land with little to no ungilation, are elk out in it or are they more in the grass lands with canyons, juniper and some cover. I see a lot of stock tanks on the edges of Blm and state land, are those the water sourced elk are using or look to the bottom of canyons for more natural water sources? Thank you for any help you can provide me!
16e rifle hunt
- Thread starter Trott2478
- Start date
JohnCushman
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum
Dougfirtree
Well-known member
What state?
Dougfirtree
Well-known member
I've never hunted there, unfortunately. I took a quick look at the map of the unit. As someone who loves spot and stalk hunting, I can say that I'm always hoping to catch elk out in the open, but I keep finding them mostly in the thicker cover. My gut says to start your search on the two forested mountains in the southern part of the unit. I'm sure there are elk that are out in the open areas too, but I'll bet most of them are hanging in those hills. Concentrate on finding water sources in and around those hills, the densest forests on north facing slopes and adjacent grassy areas that are smaller and less exposed. Find glassing spots where you can check out those areas and figure out how you're going to get to the glassing spot without spooking elk and be ready to glass at first light. That's my advice (which is probably worth approx two cents). Good luck!
lastlight
Well-known member
Congrats on your hunt! I know how stoked you are because I drew 2nd rifle in 16A...still dont believe it happened
In regards to looking at the maps using onx and google earth will def help but also make sure you look at topo maps, which onx has. Find an area with several high peaks and let your glass do the work. Nothing can replace being there and scouting by foot. That is why I am arriving 7-8 days before the opener to scout out 5 or 6 different areas I have marked on my maps thus far.
