A friend had his weekend open up, and really wants to go chase elk this weekend. So instead of going solo halfway across the state, I decided to go hunt with him.
But with the weather, he wants to sleep at home in Bozeman instead of camping out. And that means hunting areas I haven't done much research on and am generally unfamiliar with- and will probably be swarmed with people. I have Friday-Monday off, and will probably have the afternoon/evening to scout if I can get the lead out and get moving tomorrow. Call me stupid if you like- that's just what I'm working with now.
Plan is to drive up a road opening day, then hike in 1-1.5 miles to some secluded meadows (a ways off any trail, or even logging road), and sit there in the dark to see if anything is still feeding at first light. Relatively flat, near steep terrain, some flowing water nearby, and a patchwork of meadows in big timber. With 8-10" of snow between Friday/Sat night, and another 8"+ overnight, I'm guessing visibility to glass will be limited, so watching a small meadow at first light is my best bet, and then going for a hike to try finding some fresh tracks later on, and still-hunt the dark timber.
Should be fun- or just a big exercise in futility. Especially since I decided on the unit with the worst days/elk harvested metric within day-hunting range.
Any other advice would be appreciated. Like bring extra clothes, snowshoes, or a shovel and some rope if my friend decides to bail early. I'm so unprepared, I don't even own snow chains- and this will be my 5th hunting season here...
Like I said- wish me luck.
But with the weather, he wants to sleep at home in Bozeman instead of camping out. And that means hunting areas I haven't done much research on and am generally unfamiliar with- and will probably be swarmed with people. I have Friday-Monday off, and will probably have the afternoon/evening to scout if I can get the lead out and get moving tomorrow. Call me stupid if you like- that's just what I'm working with now.
Plan is to drive up a road opening day, then hike in 1-1.5 miles to some secluded meadows (a ways off any trail, or even logging road), and sit there in the dark to see if anything is still feeding at first light. Relatively flat, near steep terrain, some flowing water nearby, and a patchwork of meadows in big timber. With 8-10" of snow between Friday/Sat night, and another 8"+ overnight, I'm guessing visibility to glass will be limited, so watching a small meadow at first light is my best bet, and then going for a hike to try finding some fresh tracks later on, and still-hunt the dark timber.
Should be fun- or just a big exercise in futility. Especially since I decided on the unit with the worst days/elk harvested metric within day-hunting range.
Any other advice would be appreciated. Like bring extra clothes, snowshoes, or a shovel and some rope if my friend decides to bail early. I'm so unprepared, I don't even own snow chains- and this will be my 5th hunting season here...
Like I said- wish me luck.
