Dark Timber Still Hunting

[Flatlander3]

For those well versed in still hunting dark timber with a rifle in late October, what's your stategy? I am mainly curious if you focus within 1/4 mile of the edge, within X distance of food, of X distance of water, etc. Or do you dive in and try and find sign and follow?

Thanks

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

For those well versed in still hunting dark timber with a rifle in late October, what's your stategy? I am mainly curious if you focus within 1/4 mile of the edge, within X distance of food, of X distance of water, etc. Or do you dive in and try and find sign and follow?

Thanks

Pretty much I wait until about 8-9 am after they've hopefully bedded and then look for fresh sets of tracks. Obviously this requires somewhat fresh snow. I might start looking for tracks in known feed areas and then track towards their beds. I'll cover ground until I start seeing fresh piss and a more meandering trail, usually a sign they're about to lay down. Then I slow way down and just carefully still hunt. Binos are actually very helpful, I'll take a couple steps and glass every little detail of the timber ahead, looking for something out of place. My brother in law killed a bull at 100yds using this strategy two years ago

 

[Lab]

I have had a lot of luck still hunting timber 10am-2pm. I took my largest bull this way late morning. I usually sit till about 9 and then start walking areas I know hold elk. Most are still moving around and I have found elk will feed almost all day. I just move slow and keep walking you will smell them first. I look for small movement and then it is usually a quick shot. Find a good lane and shoot. I have taken more elk on a quick shot then a set up 200-300 yard shot. Usually within 50-100 yard shot.

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

I have had a lot of luck still hunting timber 10am-2pm. I took my largest bull this way late morning. I usually sit till about 9 and then start walking areas I know hold elk. Most are still moving around and I have found elk will feed almost all day. I just move slow and keep walking you will smell them first. I look for small movement and then it is usually a quick shot. Find a good lane and shoot. I have taken more elk on a quick shot then a set up 200-300 yard shot. Usually within 50-100 yard shot.

That's another great point, elk stink, you'll smell them when you're getting close. One challenge with tracking or still hunting is if you're following them up towards their beds the thermals will probably not be in your favor. If I think I'm closing in on a bench where they might be I sometimes leave the track and approach from a better wind direction

 

[Westelker]

From my experience, after the rut in October, the bulls usually go into bedding sometime between 7 am to 9 am unless disturbed by hunters or mother nature. I have two areas of timber and down-fall that I concentrate my effort. Both of them are adjacent to the elk's feeding spots. If unsuccessful glassing those open hill sides and meadows in the early morning hours, I'll traverse the edge of one of the openings until I cut fresh tracks in the snow. Looking for fresh droppings and piss on top of the snow are obvious signs. Using binoculars and still hunting while following the the tracks. I will only go into the steep nasty timber 1/4 mile...that's my personal limit. So, I am 1/4 mile from their food source and 1/4 mile in the timber. With snow on the ground water is not an issue.

 

[elkduds]

Scope on lowest magnification. Walk slowly into the wind, stop to look/glass every few steps.
As mentioned above, smell and sound are as important as vision. I use cow mews. Lever guns are great for stillhunting. And finally, an unusual tip. Step onto your toes, then set heel down. This allegedly sounds more animal-like than heel first strides.

 

[Salmonchaser]

My favorite elk hunt. That ridge in front of me, about 800 yards is 1500 feet lower than where I’m standing. I’ll work down the main ridge during the day then brake onto one of the fingers and then drop into the timber pockets. Midday I’ll cross the bottom, get on the north facing slope and work my way back up by about 1600 hours. When I get to spots I can see across the canyon I’ll sit for a while, water up, rest my 68 year old legs, and give something I might be pushing out a chance to show up in the openings, Seems like I shoot them early at 3 to 400 yards or when I’m working through the dark timber at about 30 to 50 yards.
During the mid day hunts, when I get to those openings, I always see guys on the main ridge. Sometimes they are only a couple hundred yards apart walking along the ridge, hoping. They are helping me. The elk see them or hear them and don’t go up.
I save that dark stinky fur off an elks belly every year. Wrap it up good and freeze it. When I get to camp I put my outer layer of clothes in a quarter bag with that elk piss belly fur and hang it on the meat pole for a couple of days while I’m scouting and cutting fire wood. Guys won’t let me back in the tent but it works better than any commercial scent I’ve ever used.
Hunt so slow when you’re in the timber that you think you’ll never get to your LZ before dark. Then slow down a little more. Binos are great in the timber but change your perspective, you want to be looking for bedded elk.
Have fun, I love hunting the timber.

 

[wvhunter304]

Great post. Thanks guys!

 

[KingOfTagSoup]

Scope on lowest magnification. Walk slowly into the wind, stop to look/glass every few steps.
As mentioned above, smell and sound are as important as vision. I use cow mews. Lever guns are great for stillhunting. And finally, an unusual tip. Step onto your toes, then set heel down. This allegedly sounds more animal-like than heel first strides.

That too, light is the name of the game. Light pack, light fast gun, low magnification, no need for 15 lb 6 foot barrels and 30x scopes in the timber

 

[Wildabeest]

That too, light is the name of the game. Light pack, light fast gun, low magnification, no need for 15 lb 6 foot barrels and 30x scopes in the timber

But you still need a 300RUM!

 

[popeyoung12]

Wind in face, glass, and walk maybe 200 yards/hour.

 

[Shed God]

Depends u have snow or not. I track them down in the snow. But slow only way u win. And most the time u don't. Wind changes all the time on Me. Even in the timber. Snow track em down. Slow. No snow. Go on a hike. Smell yes but u in them at that point. Wind changes like unreal. Why I amazed with long shots. But no snow, go on walk about. Pick 3 areas. Learn them. Timing, luck, knowledge. But no snow. Means warm. Bedding, cool, water, safety.

 

[Shed God]

I only track the big boys. Few and far between.

 

[Shed God]

One of the coolest things is tracking a big bull track. Like u know it's big. Judging track. And he goes around trees, hanging branches, easy trail. With his rack. Little bulls go under things. Big ones go around. They are trying to be quiet too. They know they are being hunted. Until u jump em. Then big crashes

 

[Shed God]

If u think u going slow. Go 5x slower. It's hunting. Not shooting.

 

[Lab]

Practice off hand shots. 75% of my kills have been off hand

 

[Caseknife]

Move slow, keep watching with your head on a swivel. Every step the picture changes. Low power scope or iron sights. Learn to shoot quickly, within seconds, usually offhand at about 30 yards. Hunt by yourself, not with anyone else by your side, makes too much noise and you are inclined to talk. Your partner can be parallelling you a couple hundred yards away. Stay out all day, I have killed the majority of my elk mid-day. Always keep the thermals and wind in your favor. Keep track of what the thermals do when they are changing going into dark draws, may think they are rising, but when you get in the shadows of the steep draws, they will still be going down.

 

[Sytes]

Still hunting is challenging for me. I've had success though it's an incredibly short window to determine compliant regulation animal or not. It is a western quick draw. Shoot as fast as possible. Unless it's purpose is freezer filler and the regs say "Either sex", I am not a fan of quick draw and fire.

 

[Caseknife]

Dark timber hunting is definitely challenging in antler point restricted units. It has been spike only since the late 90's in the area that we hunt.

 

[RevJim]

I compare hunting for a Spike (only) to hunting quail! I have never connected when I hunted those areas. By the time I got up to the tops of the ridges, fog set in. I could always seem to "get into them" but could only see rumps, no heads. It is indeed challenging. I'm too old for those kinds of hunts anymore, but it was still fun!