Me and my brother in law are going on our first real elk hunt in SW Colorado this year. I am curious where the ideal location to set up camp would be, on top of the mesas or down low toward the bottom? My thought is that if we camp low there is less chance of elk smelling us overnight due to thermals pulling down hill. I appreciate any insight and tips/recommendations!
Camp….above or below elk?
- Thread starter NateW45
- Start date
I don't know the correct answer, but I witnessed elk moving away from the end of a canyon where hunters were camping in the bottom. The wind was blowing from the hunters to the elk most of the time. I was camping on top. I suppose it depends on the direction of the wind. There was water in the bottom. None on top .
Potsie
Well-known member
Best thing to do is to put them to bed, then camp as close as humanly possible. That way you can just poke your muzzle out of the tent in the morning and shoot them when they come out to feed.
jdf
Well-known member
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- Nov 1, 2011
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Below. That way you can hunt up with thermals coming down in mornings. Then climb to top for afternoon as thermals change and hunt down onto them below.
BuzzH
Well-known member
Hunt up, pack down.
Are you setting up a base camp and hunting out from there or more of a spike camp? You don't want to be so close that you blow elk out of the area with your scent. Often elk are not in the same place each evening/morning also.
Keep in mind thermals in the morning will be going up but in the evening will go down hill. So while camping below is better at night be prepared in the morning when that changes.
My camp is usually a ways from where I am actually hunting. That way I am less likely to disturb my hunt area. Might be different in a spike camp though.
The best advice having hunted down and packed up a few times.
2rocky
Well-known member
I'm guessing where you are hunting there will be trails, benches and water that will determine to a large extent where "camp" should be. If there are water sources on the mesa (or ridge top) and that gives you access to the most finger ridges and draws for glassing, then that is a likely candidate for a place where you can get to a glassing spot quickly in the morning and a place with easy hiking back to camp after you "put a herd to bed" in the evening.
Provided you have your camp in a sheltered area, I would not expect a great deal of scent pollution so long as you are not right on top of elk night feeding areas. I did discover a backpacker's tent in the head of the creek, near the saddle where I killed a herd bull on opening day. The survivors probably walked right by it in rifle range...
Summer or preseason scouting will also show where big camps have been historically. This is your best clue for what works for most folks that hunt the unit. of course horse camps will be farther and less concerned about having to climb.
FWIW Buzz's advice is worthwhile. But remember you don't always have to pack game back to your camp on top the ridge. Many a meat cache has been made near the trail back to the trailhead to reduce packing up hill more than necessary.
Provided you have your camp in a sheltered area, I would not expect a great deal of scent pollution so long as you are not right on top of elk night feeding areas. I did discover a backpacker's tent in the head of the creek, near the saddle where I killed a herd bull on opening day. The survivors probably walked right by it in rifle range...
Summer or preseason scouting will also show where big camps have been historically. This is your best clue for what works for most folks that hunt the unit. of course horse camps will be farther and less concerned about having to climb.
FWIW Buzz's advice is worthwhile. But remember you don't always have to pack game back to your camp on top the ridge. Many a meat cache has been made near the trail back to the trailhead to reduce packing up hill more than necessary.
Thanks for the replies so far, I should have given a little more information originally. This will be a September archery hunt, and the plan is to hunt from camp for the first few days and then make adjustments if needed. My gear is light so switching it up to be more of a spike camp hunt would be easily doable. My main concerns are finding water if we are camped up top seeing as it has been dry out there this year. I plan to call and talk with the area wildlife biologist to see what the water situation is like towards the end of August.
I may be the minority but I love camping above elk or at least high up. All kinds of things come into play but simply, I love hearing the elk at night, getting out of the tent and immediately have a plan and be in the game.
Nothing says you can’t wake up early and do that if you hunt low either but being woken up by bugles at 2:30AM and listening to them until 4:30 is hard to beat!
Nothing says you can’t wake up early and do that if you hunt low either but being woken up by bugles at 2:30AM and listening to them until 4:30 is hard to beat!
It’s best to have an idea where the elk are so you can camp close, but not so close that your camp or your movement disturbs them with smell or sound. For archery, I like to camp higher up—preferably just on the backside of a ridge—where the wind is never blowing into the elk whether it’s thermals going up, down, or just the normal trade wind. That way I can hear the elk at night from camp and know where to go in the morning. If I’m up high, I can also glass right out of camp without tromping around much. Proximity to water is always important too.
Camping at the absolute bottom of a canyon or valley creates a major trap: morning thermals will carry your scent straight up into the bedding areas as soon as the sun rises. Furthermore, cold air pools in the bottoms overnight, which can dramatically increase your thermal footprint and make your morning hike a noisy, scent-heavy uphill struggle.
