Experiences with elk being where they were last time....?

[TrickyTross]

Going back this August/September (not ideal time, but one of the kids birthday is mid Sept, so we gotta be back for that) to hunt the unit we had success last time. Our plan is to go back and hunt with camp on our backs since we will be able to hunt 6-7 days at most. Our thoughts were to go back to the place where we had the most encounters and roll the dice. The plan is to have about 4 back up places, with even more in reserve after that, in the case that the we do not find elk.

Here is my question..... What experience have you folks had with going back to an area where you saw elk the prior year? See em again? They gone?

I know that all wild animals are gonna do their thing, and may be gone; But the habitat of the area was awesome, we had multiple sightings of different herds, and we know the drainage fairly well. Ive read they tend to be creatures of habit and we are just trying to get back at a legal elk, in this case, anything.

 

[Pelican]

There are places that consistently hold elk year after year in Colorado. The only way to know if your spot is one of those places is to go back and look for elk. Unless someone else finds the same area, they will probably be nearby. I would go back and see if they are around. If not, go to plan B.

 

[pipelake]

One of the biggest influencers that I have experience with is cattle grazing. the area I hunt is split in the middle by a fence. The ranchers make an effort to get the cattle out by September, but heavy grazing moves the elk to the other side of the fence. the following year there was minimal grazing and the elk redistributed back to the original side of the fence.

 

[JLS]

In areas that don't get a lot of hunting pressure, I've found elk in the exact same basins time after time. If it gets more pressure, I'll find them in the same general areas, but may have to look a little harder.

Edit: Clarification, the above comments are directed to elk on public land in higher elevation habitats. In low land habitats (prairie, breaks, etc.) I find they tend to move a lot for no particular reason. We watched elk in Hells Canyon moving over a mile in the middle of the day for no reason, usually to a completely different drainage. Same thing in the Missouri Breaks and the plains of Central Montana.

 

[belshawelk]

Well.......
I hunt both private and public. On private they migrate to the same spot every year. I can usually always find the herds in the same general area.

On the public I hunt, I have found many areas where they are always at unless someone blows them out first. I always say Elk are everywhere nowhere.

But I differ with others about cattle. I have multiple pics with both cattle and elk in same picture ( and deer). I will use the cattle to my advantage as cover. noise and smell. Elk are not afraid of cattle.

 

[pipelake]

Well.......
I hunt both private and public. On private they migrate to the same spot every year. I can usually always find the herds in the same general area.

On the public I hunt, I have found many areas where they are always at unless someone blows them out first. I always say Elk are everywhere nowhere.

But I differ with others about cattle. I have multiple pics with both cattle and elk in same picture ( and deer). I will use the cattle to my advantage as cover. noise and smell. Elk are not afraid of cattle.

I don't believe it was the presence of cattle, there were only four that we saw, most were already gone. It had more to do with the grass being grazed down and good eatin' on the other side of the fence.

 

[WildWill]

The unit I hunted in SW Colorado this year was very dry I believe the drought conditions pushed elk out of a couple areas that they had always used. But I would definitely start where you found them last year especially if you can't scout before season. Remain flexible and be willing to move on to plan B, C, D, etc until you find them. Also keep updated on any fires during the summer in your area they can shut a hunt down quick.

 

[Irrelevant]

Where I've hunted in the past, they're always in basically the same locations. The grazing is consistent. The pressure is generally consistent. If a place holds elk it's usually for a reason. Unless the country is full of equally good "reasons" they'll be back.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

I would set a base camp hike into the area for a day then decide yes on plan A or hike in for a day at B or C, not
commiting all your time setting up breaking down camp if there are no elk where you saw them last time.
Find the sign spend your time!!

 

[Goatshoes]

Last year I took my first archery elk (cow). It required many hours of research. Luckily I filled my tag on the first day of the hunt and we saw plenty of other elk that day. In the remaining days following we pre-scouted for the fall deer season and found many more elk. When we returned to hunt that same unit for deer two months later we found more elk than deer in the same area.

When we were done with all the hunts we marked all the places we found deer and elk on GE. It became so apparent to me why we found them where we found them that is seemed like a no $hit Sherlok moment. In other words, in hind sight, they were right where they should have been. Food, water, cover.

So my suggestion to you is that yes you will likely find them in the same place as before, but if you plot what you learned from your first hunt onto a map you may be able to draw some helpful conclusions to quickly determine what your plan B should be.

 

[Doublecluck]

Kill elk year after year on the same hillsides.. many times within a couple hundred yards of each other.

 

[Wapitiman]

Going back this August/September (not ideal time, but one of the kids birthday is mid Sept, so we gotta be back for that) to hunt the unit we had success last time. Our plan is to go back and hunt with camp on our backs since we will be able to hunt 6-7 days at most. Our thoughts were to go back to the place where we had the most encounters and roll the dice. The plan is to have about 4 back up places, with even more in reserve after that, in the case that the we do not find elk.

Here is my question..... What experience have you folks had with going back to an area where you saw elk the prior year? See em again? They gone?

I know that all wild animals are gonna do their thing, and may be gone; But the habitat of the area was awesome, we had multiple sightings of different herds, and we know the drainage fairly well. Ive read they tend to be creatures of habit and we are just trying to get back at a legal elk, in this case, anything.

I killed a bull 15 feet from where I killed a bull the previous year. I could still see bones from the previous year next to my new bull. My brother also killed two bulls those two years within 100 yards of each other. We have since killed about 4 bulls each within that small area. If it's a good area, feed, cover close by and water. They should be in there.

 

[Local577bowhunter]

The area I hunt in Idaho has somewhat limited food for elk, as well as cover, therefore if they want to live in that valley and eat and hide they have to use the same area every year, I’ve hunted the same valley for eight years and found elk in it the first day every year, I’ve been blessed for sure. I’m from Ohio and just get the 14 days a year so having consistent hunting is a huge help. I say as long as wolves or lack of food don’t take over you can count on finding them year after year, elk move into areas for a reason whether it be for food, water or cover, but whatever reason it is they’ll shave the same needs 365 days later as they do today and after times at the same time of year so I’d definitely give it a shot

 

[TrickyTross]

Thanks guys!

 

[Duck-Slayer]

My wife, daughter, and I have killed 4 elk in a single spot on highly pressured area in a 5 year span. If it’s the right spot they will be there every year no matter what. Only deal that will move them is Mother Nature, ie lots of snow or man ie fire/logging will likely displace them for a bit.
Matt

 

[scubohuntr]

So basically, don't hunt anywhere I hunted the last two years. Got it.

 

[406LIFE]

I've had the same expereinces as JLS. As long as there isn't a major issue (fire comes to mind) the elk won't be too far off.

 

[oleefish2]

I have been hunting elk for 57 years and have hunted some areas for 20+ years. One place I hunted for ten years would either have 100 or more elk or nothing for days on end. Most of these years have been on privately owned land. Why such a very huge difference?

1. Some herds just wonder around a lot and are sensitive to everything around them.
2. Food and water because of droughts.
3. Pressure from humans developing the land and mineral search activities. Live stock especially sheep can deplete the grazing potential. Cows may cause the same issues but I have seen and killed elk in the same meadows and forest covered landscapes but never when sheep were there.
   
4. Snow storms can really move elk from some areas and not so much from others. Again if they are short on graze a small storm may move them miles in a short time period. But if they have good graze and good shelters they may stay and as the snow clears from ridges hang there till the food is gone.
   
5. Wild fires or scheduled prescribed burns. Some public lands can have some interesting elk holding places. One we use has give up 6 good 6x6 bull within 200 yards.
6. Why, because it sucks to get to it through bad down timber, 3 nice spring filled ponds, and feed because of the springs. It seems like its a good fishing hole, when one bull is gone another seems to take its place. Interesting thing is, we have never killed a cow and seen very few when hunting this spot.
   
   
   How much area is an elk being in the same place? For me water is close by either as a active spring or active moving water like a creek. So it maybe an area 3 or 400 square yards or a few miles up a creek and the hills on both sides. Get lucky and make good guess to.

 

[FYT]

Thanks to the OP for posting this question. This is my favorite type of thread on this forum; i.e. threads about elk behavior, general strategy, scientific factors like wind/thermal information- those are the threads that bring me back here each day.

I don't have much to add, but I do have a somewhat related question:

About what time of year do you tend to expect elk to be fully back into their summer range, where they will spend their time leading into the hunting seasons?

I know that hunting pressure and going through the stages of the rut can then move them around, but I guess the question I'm asking basically boils down to: What time of year over this summer should I target for starting to scout? Ironically, I have a lot of time over the summer but I have very little time in late-August and most of September leading into rifle season. I want to spend as much time scouting this summer as I can, but I also don't want to waste time finding animals that will be long gone by 1st rifle.

 

[ScottP]

Thanks to the OP for posting this question. This is my favorite type of thread on this forum; i.e. threads about elk behavior, general strategy, scientific factors like wind/thermal information- those are the threads that bring me back here each day.

I don't have much to add, but I do have a somewhat related question:

About what time of year do you tend to expect elk to be fully back into their summer range, where they will spend their time leading into the hunting seasons?

I know that hunting pressure and going through the stages of the rut can then move them around, but I guess the question I'm asking basically boils down to: What time of year over this summer should I target for starting to scout? Ironically, I have a lot of time over the summer but I have very little time in late-August and most of September leading into rifle season. I want to spend as much time scouting this summer as I can, but I also don't want to waste time finding animals that will be long gone by 1st rifle.

I think that would be very dependent on where you are. Some elk make long distance migrations, while others make short ones. Some have extreme elevation changes, others are not. There can be large variability between elk within the same WMU. Of course, one of the main factors for spring can be vegetation phenology (hence inter annual variation in migration timing). This is coming from the perspective of analyzing elk GPS data.

If you were in CO high country, mid- to late-July perhaps? Since you said "1st rifle" I took a guess. Out here in OR where I live, some of the animals are on summer range in May...