Dark Timber Still Hunting

[squirrel]

Look at your chosen mountain from several miles away at early and late light. The shadows will point out the small level benches of a few square yards to several acres. Spend your snail time there, go ahead and jog from one to the other if you can. Elk bed on level ground, even if it is only 5'x3' of level ground.

 

[Sask hunter]

I do similar but I mix in calling as our rifle seaosn is on during the rut. They will sneak in to check you out but aren’t too vocal usually. I get in the thick stuff call for 20 minutes or so sneak ahead 100-200 yards and repeat. Easier to call
Them in when they just need to come a few yards to check me out. And I just need them to get up and moving so I can see them see if it’s a bull and get a shot off

 

[Shed God]

Calling won't work outside a cow/calf call in mt. Public land otc. Might as well have a wolf call. But yes cow/ calf call helps. Wouldn't abuse that though.

 

[44hunter45]

I've killed a couple of elk this way. Shots come quick. My BIL taught me. His favorites were a #3 in 45-70 and a M77 tang in 458 Win Mag.
I've always used my 30-06 for this or 54 Hawken.

My favorite absolute time to do this is when it is raining or snowing. It can nullify their nose and ear advantage quite a bit.

 

[ismith]

For those well versed in still hunting dark timber with a rifle in late October, what's your stategy? I am mainly curious if you focus within 1/4 mile of the edge, within X distance of food, of X distance of water, etc. Or do you dive in and try and find sign and follow?

Thanks

Go where the elk are, strike that, go where the big bulls are, and pretend they are a bachelor group of big whitetail bucks.

 

[Westelker]

I compare hunting for a Spike (only) to hunting quail! I have never connected when I hunted those areas. By the time I got up to the tops of the ridges, fog set in. I could always seem to "get into them" but could only see rumps, no heads. It is indeed challenging. I'm too old for those kinds of hunts anymore, but it was still fun!

Rev, Can you get to a spot that is not too far from a road that is a small opening, like a small meadow that has good grass adjacent to some dark timber? If there is fresh droppings, you could make a natural blind close by and sit. Find a spot to sit near where you mentioned you "get into them." This does not have to be challenging and can still be exciting and rewarding.

 

[Farz-U-Know]

Like others have posted, move slooow and glass more than walk. I was fortunate to take a 5x5 on an AZ hunt back in 2016. He's not anyone's trophy but mine. After patterning a group of elk moving from feeding to bed over 2-3 days and missing my setups by minutes I figured with the end of the hunt approaching fast I better make something happen. So by 10 am when I knew the elk had gotten past me and were to bed I started very slowly working my way up a draw with a steady wind in my face. I'd walk about 10 feet and glass as far as I could see up and down slope, walk another 10 feet, rinse and repeat.

It took an hour and a half of moving up wind and down slope until I reached a small clearing. At that point I held up as a tree was getting racked by a bull just over the edge of the hill. I ranged a pine at 42 yards, just at the edge of the small clearing. If I could just get him to come around and pop out of the tick stuff there, and like he read from a script he came out and stopped broadside just past the pine.

 

[RevJim]

West-that particular area is full of knife-ridges, the tops all run together and the elk run the tops. Only access is to hump up those high ridges, usually in the rain/snow/mix. By the time I got to the tops, the clouds were low or fog set in, ha. Bummer.