Hi everyone, this is my first post on this forum, as well as my first bow season. I have spent quite a few days scouting the Uintas prior to the Utah season opener (8/17) and was excited to spot elk in several locations in the weeks preceding. I knew exactly where I should go to find them when i headed up there last week, piece of cake right?....well spot 1 nope.....spot 2 nope again!! .....spot 3 no elk!!! What on earth is going on? Spot 4 did not pan out either, no poop, no signs, they magically disappeared. I watch Randy Newberg's YouTube channel religiously and I understand that elk should be focused on food right now. But I am confused as to why they could have completely disappeared from a spot they were in only two weeks ago. One theory I need to check is that they may have moved to higher elevations to keep cooler. In short, I am a bit perplexed and since it is only my first bow season, I could certainly use a few words of wisdom from experienced mountain west bow hunters. In advance thank you for your help!
Early season elk patterns?
- Thread starter cd5226
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Coop
Well-known member
Were you glassing up cows/small bulls or decent sized bulls? Your early season scouting should involve trying to find cows. The bulls are probably already looking around for cows, so they could be in the next county from where you previously saw them if there were no women around. Otherwise, I suppose we will just go back to the same old saying "they are where you find em." Keep trying!
During my scouting I glassed a herd of 20ish cows but didn't see any bulls though I assumed they would not be too far with so many women
. In another spot I glassed about seven cows, and three decent bulls. My last area I spotted a lone bull. All three areas were empty when I got back there last week so I wondered if they switched to a different type of food or if they moved up to higher elevations to keep cool. Also, is it too early to start calling? I understand that the rut won't be on for about a couple more weeksTo be honest, this time of year has very little to do with food source! This isn't hunting Whitetails!
The only time food source comes into play is well after the Rut & bulls that survive are replenishing their ravaged bodies! This time of year & on into Sept. is all about the cows & breeding. I could care less where they locate their buffet, it can change daily! Elk get moved around by hunters & predators. Find them for that day & hunt them hard yet carefully!
ElkNut/Paul
The only time food source comes into play is well after the Rut & bulls that survive are replenishing their ravaged bodies! This time of year & on into Sept. is all about the cows & breeding. I could care less where they locate their buffet, it can change daily! Elk get moved around by hunters & predators. Find them for that day & hunt them hard yet carefully!
ElkNut/Paul
Thank you Werty, I actually hunted an area last week which had old rubs, and scat but there were no recent signs of elk. I think the elk won't show up there until later in the season, and unfortunately, as you said, it is a pretty popular hunting spot that gets pressured
Depending on where you are hunting with the availability of water sources, it may be worth focusing on water if it is not plentiful in the area. Where we hunt in CO the first week of archery it is a very dry area and in some areas there is not any water for several miles. We focus entirely on water and hunt wallows with great success. If there is plenty of water everywhere in your area then I doubt this tactic would be as effective. I have seen as many as 40 elk come to a single wallow in the afternoon and the larger bulls are not shy about coming in either.
D
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I have to say that I’m reading this post one month later and finishing my archery hunt in Colorado with zero success. Yes I learned a lot about sign where they were and where they might go. I also have to say, that their range is vast. There is so much country for them to range around. Plenty of water where I was for them to go. Streams wallows, and lakes were abundant in the Colorado area for elk to be around. There is so much good food for them to eat; grasses, shrubs, food plenty. The biggest question mark that I had was, it’s the middle of the rut. Why are the elk not bugling like crazy? But what I learned is the country is so big and vast that there is many places for the elk to go, regardless of how big a herd can be, they can be anywhere. So one day you know where they are and you try to hunt them and the next day they are gone out of the country side. Another great thing that I learned through elk archery season in Colorado was talking to other hunters. Many hunters said they don’t harvest but once every third year/season. You can see the frustration on other hunters faces as well when you ask them how they’re doing if they’re not doing well. So a lot of good conversation can happen about strategy and what they might think the elk are doing as well. I feel really good about my experience, I am frustrated that I didn’t punch my tag. But in the end it was very educational and I look forward to coming back again next year. One last thing that I would say is there’s a reason that a ATV trails exist around mountains. There’s a lot of backpacking miles upon miles that you can do to hunt elk. I think about having four-wheel-drive and/or an ATV for access. Some of the areas that you might hunt elk are just not accessible with tree blow down and deadfall let alone hike in 6 miles just to start hunting.
Thank you for sharing!
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2rocky
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It really comes down to process of elimination of places until you start hearing, seeing, smelling and eventually finding elk. One year I had 90 miles logged in 5 days in a roadless area before I got a shot at a bull. Just mapped it and it was roughly 70 -75 Square miles.
