Oakley388
Member
Hey everyone. So I've been going out every chance I can since the general season has started. Whether before or after school or on the days off, I am doing my best to get out and try to learn something before the season ends. Honestly I am amazed how successful I am so far being as it is my first time ever hunting out west. I haven't harvested anything but I've seen deer or elk, and sometimes both at least once each trip. Almost every encounter has been cows and does which are a no go in the district I am in. Regardless, I scouted and continue looking for places where the animals would be and I am doing pretty good at it.
I did have an awesome encounter with what I think was the same whitetail buck twice so far. Both times I think we surprised each other and the second time I think I may have blown it for good. He got a good look at me and let the whole surrounding area know I was there as he bounded away. I took it as a lesson learned that when I think I'm quiet enough, I should probably be just a little bit more quiet.
That's been when I'm hunting down lower and near water. I've also been splitting my time working at higher elevations in the same district. I've been hiking high and fairly long distances on those days, doing my best to get away from any roads and where I think the majority of people are hanging out. It's definitely a heavily hunted unit from the traffic I have seen but I haven't actually seen a person in the creek bottoms or on the mountains yet. I like the seclusion and my guess is the animals like it too.
Just like finding the whitetail does consistently down low, I am finding cow elk up high in the same area each time I check it out. I've watched them from only 50 yards away in the timber and from up to 800 yards away from the next ridge over. At least right now they can reliably be found in the same general area. Being from Florida it almost feels like I'm dreaming when getting to watch them and I start thinking about it. It's normally a moment where I'm like "holy s@!t, I'm watching elk do there thing, in real life, not on tv". Only thing is, I haven't found a single bull yet. From my understanding they will be somewhere different and harder to access. That makes sense so I've been trying to find these types of areas that are in somewhat the same general part of this hunting district. I guess I'm just wondering, would you keep looking around where the cows are or move on at a certain point?
The cows are at just about the same elevation each time and this district goes up to about 2000 feet higher than where they are now. I haven't went all the way up yet but am wondering if that would be my place to look?
Thanks for any help and ideas. Happy hunting.
I did have an awesome encounter with what I think was the same whitetail buck twice so far. Both times I think we surprised each other and the second time I think I may have blown it for good. He got a good look at me and let the whole surrounding area know I was there as he bounded away. I took it as a lesson learned that when I think I'm quiet enough, I should probably be just a little bit more quiet.
That's been when I'm hunting down lower and near water. I've also been splitting my time working at higher elevations in the same district. I've been hiking high and fairly long distances on those days, doing my best to get away from any roads and where I think the majority of people are hanging out. It's definitely a heavily hunted unit from the traffic I have seen but I haven't actually seen a person in the creek bottoms or on the mountains yet. I like the seclusion and my guess is the animals like it too.
Just like finding the whitetail does consistently down low, I am finding cow elk up high in the same area each time I check it out. I've watched them from only 50 yards away in the timber and from up to 800 yards away from the next ridge over. At least right now they can reliably be found in the same general area. Being from Florida it almost feels like I'm dreaming when getting to watch them and I start thinking about it. It's normally a moment where I'm like "holy s@!t, I'm watching elk do there thing, in real life, not on tv". Only thing is, I haven't found a single bull yet. From my understanding they will be somewhere different and harder to access. That makes sense so I've been trying to find these types of areas that are in somewhat the same general part of this hunting district. I guess I'm just wondering, would you keep looking around where the cows are or move on at a certain point?
The cows are at just about the same elevation each time and this district goes up to about 2000 feet higher than where they are now. I haven't went all the way up yet but am wondering if that would be my place to look?
Thanks for any help and ideas. Happy hunting.
