Elk in steep rocky country

[noahabc]

This is my first real year of elk hunting and when hunting areas that are steep rocky scree should I be looking in the timbered valleys or up on the ridges? It seems like in most places ridges are the most places ridges are the places to be but with it being so rocky does that put elk lower or are they in basins of high alpine lakes? It seems like that there wouldn’t be enough food for large population of elk in this area but the observed population is pretty high? Good luck to all in their hunts this year

 

[GrantK]

In my experience that varies a lot depending on where you are and if there is any food available in the scree... in the areas I hunt in CO its not at all unusual for elk to be way above treeline in the scree, however the areas I have hunted in ID and UT I almost never see an elk above treeline, some of it has to do with the size of the rocks I think, Elk don't seem to like talus bigger than probably baseball size, but also there seems to be just a few little forbs and grasses in CO that I haven't seen elsewhere, it seems like this is enough to get the elk to go higher.

 

[Deleted member 20812]

Pretty hard question to answer in a generic sense. Oftentimes the alpine basins won't offer much in the way of quality food sources after a hard freeze or two.

 

[OntarioHunter]

Look for them on west facing slopes with open areas. My experience is they will bed just into timber at bottom edge. If you track them to one of these clearings, be wary about stepping into the opening. If possible, work your way around it while staying in the timber. Be especially careful approaching these areas from uphill side. Elk will often wait and see if something approaches sidehill or from below. But never when something approaches from above. I believe that's because cats hunt from above. Mind you this is how it was in the days before wolves in western Montana. It would not surprise me if these days elk are spooky about something approaching from any direction.

 

[diamond hitch]

In my country they feed at night in the bottoms but bed in the rocks during the day. Scree ? - not so much. Check the outcrops near the upper third of the ridges.