Easier to find their sheds or kill them

[Carl 9.3x62]

I definitely have found bigger deer sheds than anything I've killed. But I think my largest bull I've killed is bigger than any elk shed I've found. Big elk sheds seem to be few and far between.

This may have changed for deer last fall. I'll have to put the tape on some antlers.

 

[COProfs]

Maybe I should give up.... Just kidding. Went out for my first scouting, hiked just over five miles, 2,000 ft of elevation gain. Didn't expect to do anything but look. Saw some fresh tracks in the dg (I assume they were fresh, since we've been having epic rains), and some scrapes - elk or deer I don't know. I stayed mostly on trail for this first hike, mainly just to see what I'm up against. Took the pack with maybe 1/4 the weight I'd expect to carry, and it still kicked my butt pretty good. Maybe by October my boots and pack will feel a little more normal. When I was in my 20s I never thought I'd be doing this at 59, so I'll just keep my head up and feel lucky to be out in this beautiful place. I'll head out again this weekend, with the intent of spending more time off trail.

I definitely get what I've read on this forum over and over - youtube videos don't even begin to get at the reality on the ground. They make it look like elk are everywhere. I feel like I'm looking for a needle in a very large haystack. That's ok, it's just good to be out there. If we see elk this year that will feel like a victory.

Not expecting any replies - just a place to track my progress.

 

[Flatbrimmer]

Maybe I should give up.... Just kidding. Went out for my first scouting, hiked just over five miles, 2,000 ft of elevation gain. Didn't expect to do anything but look. Saw some fresh tracks in the dg (I assume they were fresh, since we've been having epic rains), and some scrapes - elk or deer I don't know. I stayed mostly on trail for this first hike, mainly just to see what I'm up against. Took the pack with maybe 1/4 the weight I'd expect to carry, and it still kicked my butt pretty good. Maybe by October my boots and pack will feel a little more normal. When I was in my 20s I never thought I'd be doing this at 59, so I'll just keep my head up and feel lucky to be out in this beautiful place. I'll head out again this weekend, with the intent of spending more time off trail.

I definitely get what I've read on this forum over and over - youtube videos don't even begin to get at the reality on the ground. They make it look like elk are everywhere. I feel like I'm looking for a needle in a very large haystack. That's ok, it's just good to be out there. If we see elk this year that will feel like a victory.

Not expecting any replies - just a place to track my progress.

You might start a thread to track your progress, so as not to make it this your storytelling thread.

I think you’re right on track and I couldn’t agree more that the number of antlers (or animals) you find can be directly correlated to how much you are willing to look. Finding sheds can be hard in the spring and summer when grass is tall. I’ve stepped on them hiking only to have the grass I kick over expose them to the excited tag-along behind me. Haha my oldest son found his first that way. The problem with the needle in the haystack analogy is that there may very well be NO needles in the haystack we choose to look in. Even though they may be fresh, Elk can be particularly hard to determine if the tracks you see mean they are in there. They will move many many miles. The snow helps to determine if they’ve been meandering, or if they’re on their way up and out of Dodge. Good luck, and if you start your own thread to track your progress, many of us will likely follow along.

 

[COProfs]

You might start a thread to track your progress, so as not to make it this your storytelling thread.

I think you’re right on track and I couldn’t agree more that the number of antlers (or animals) you find can be directly correlated to how much you are willing to look. Finding sheds can be hard in the spring and summer when grass is tall. I’ve stepped on them hiking only to have the grass I kick over expose them to the excited tag-along behind me. Haha my oldest son found his first that way. The problem with the needle in the haystack analogy is that there may very well be NO needles in the haystack we choose to look in. Even though they may be fresh, Elk can be particularly hard to determine if the tracks you see mean they are in there. They will move many many miles. The snow helps to determine if they’ve been meandering, or if they’re on their way up and out of Dodge. Good luck, and if you start your own thread to track your progress, many of us will likely follow along.

Thank you for the reply. Yes, I was just thinking as I was driving home that I probably put this in the wrong place. Sorry! I'm new, and I can't start a thread until I've replied to 10 posts, but I agree entirely - didn't mean to be THAT guy. And thanks for the corrective on my cliche. I know there are elk around where I'm scouting, since I've seen them many times from the roads, but I also get that they may be no where near where I am. At any rate, I'll start a thread when I can, and again, I really appreciate the reply. Steep learning curve, all the way down.

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

This may have changed for deer last fall. I'll have to put the tape on some antlers.

93 inches on the bigger side of the buck I killed last year. Way bigger than anything I've found.

 

[Konocti's Wigwam]

Finding the shed is kinda like finding the piece of the buck that didn't get away...

 

[Little Big Man MT Chris]

I have five Roosevelt sheds and 4 Roosevelt’s in the freezer, I spent 10 times the amount of hours hiking and exploring in the off season as I ever did hunting them , in the north coast of Oregon id say putting one in the truck is just as hard as stumbling across a shed because the Rosie’s don’t migrate, there always in some thick ass brush , 3 of my 5 Roosevelt shed I found on logging roads the elk we’re walking on