How far do you stay upwind of elk?

[2rocky]

I’m going to say elk reaction to wind and smelling humans is completely correlated to the amount of pressure they are under. If they get shot at expect them to be more reactive to a wind shift. I think large herds have more of a panic response because the way all animals respond in a group including humans.

My experience is that one sense gets their attention and the second sense confirms it and they leave.

 

[TransplantHunter]

I would also add that the topography can definitely change things. I have sat on a hillside with the wind at my back blowing straight towards elk (as the crow flies) but since I was on the shady side, my scent dropped into the valley. There is a creek down there and so my scent likely took a hard turn downhill and did not cross the stream. Especially in the mountains - wind often takes circuitous routes.

 

[RowTheBoat]

That’s just it. There’s so many variables, but like was mentioned above, humidity and cloud cover play a big role I think.

 

[LuketheDog]

When you're circling to get the wind in your favor before stalking in on elk, how much distance do you want before crossing upwind of them?

I have a late-season cow tag this year. I spotted a herd on an open hill ahead of me at about 600 yards, with the wind coming from my right. There was no cover to close the distance so I dropped back and down to circle the hill and approach with the wind in my face. Most of them were bedded when I stepped out of view. When I was partway around, the spooked herd ran out in front of me, then I watched them run 2 miles across the flats. When I checked my GPS track, it showed my route across the upwind area was 950 to 1,100 yards from their beds.

Have any of you been busted by scent from more than a half mile? Or, do you think something else spooked the herd?

I stay far enough away that they don't spook, and when they do finally spook I know I was too close and should've thought harder about the situation...

 

[howl]

No animal can pay attention to everything all at once.

 

[Ben Long]

I mean, I have smelled a herd of elk a half a mile away when the wind and humidity has been just right. I have no doubt an elk can smell me at a far greater distance. I think it's hard for us to even imagine how an elk perceives the world via scent. I think people emit a particular chemical signature (or several signatures) that their nose just immediately translates. I suppose if they are lightly pressured or condition to the presence of humans, they may ignore that signal, but don't count on it. i also think an elk can easily distinguish between the smell of some rancher with cow shit on his boots and me with my freshly oiled Kennetreks. If it doesn't fit their sense of normal, they're gone.

 

[Paul in Idaho]

There are a lot of good points here, and it's good to hear from others that have seen elk spook at long distances. Next time I find a herd where the wind is bad I'll keep a lot more distance from them.

@Bullshot that sounds familiar. On my deer hunt in October, a group of does let me walk up less than 20 yards and watch them feeding, with the wind at my back. They hardly looked at me. A few minutes further up the trail, another group of does spooked from more than 200 yards.

@Rack Daniels - I don't think they saw me up top, then I hiked down over 200 feet of elevation to put the hill between us before crossing. Most of them were bedded when I last saw them.

I get to spend a few more days hunting next week and will keep the lessons from this hunt in mind.

 

[Wolfshead]

Unfortunately for me around 2300 miles…..

 

[witski65]

High and low barometric pressure has a huge effect. Think of high pressure as a big balloon pushing your scent down, while low pressure lets it lift.

 

[Stocker]

High and low barometric pressure has a huge effect. Think of high pressure as a big balloon pushing your scent down, while low pressure lets it lift.

This is big in certain areas, mixed with topography. In my neck of the woods deer hunting I try to find places on a low pressure day with swirling winds my scent will almost go straight up, the flip side of that is I think there’s places that scent eventually goes down and my theory is that’s where I find Mylar balloons. Almost everytime I find a balloon I find a scrape, licking branch, or bedding area within 15 yards. I think those scents go up in spots and come down in spots and the critters can stay in those areas and know what’s coming or there a long ways away. That said I’ve had critters come in and stand downwind of me and never notice me.

 

[Gerald Martin]

My guess is that those of us who say we’ve had critters downwind of us that never smelled us are probably mistaken about what was downwind in that situation. As mentioned before, the wind often switches directions within any given distance. It’s entire possible that a wind on the back of our neck is going up and over or crossways before it reaches the animal we’re watching.

It’s also possible that they smelled us and for whatever reason did not register it as danger close and cause to flee.

 

[2rocky]

Wind scent dispersal is real....Dilution is the solution......

 

[Gerald Martin]

Wind scent dispersal is real....Dilution is the solution......

No, that $50 per gallon glorified baking soda and water solution with fancy labels and a spray nozzle is the solution….

 

[Foxtrot1]

So how does one explain when an elk or a deer comes within 30 yards, or closer, with wind swirling or in their face and they act like, "oh well". Pressured vs unpressured? Darwin award? Animals can be very inconsistent in their reaction to human scent I've found.

Been running bird dogs for 15 years. Environmental conditions play a lot into how well their noses work. Ive seen days when dogs can pin a bird from 100 yards, and other days they can't exactly locate one within feet of them. Roughly high winds and low Rh make it tougher on the dogs. Where that point is, I can't say for sure, but some days you just shake your head watching a dog that you know struggle to use its nose.

 

[El Jason]

Been running bird dogs for 15 years. Environmental conditions play a lot into how well their noses work. Ive seen days when dogs can pin a bird from 100 yards, and other days they can't exactly locate one within feet of them. Roughly high winds and low Rh make it tougher on the dogs. Where that point is, I can't say for sure, but some days you just shake your head watching a dog that you know struggle to use its nose.

Seen the exact same thing. Saw it on Saturday with high winds. It’s crazy.

 

[Elkmagnet]

I’m convinced that not all wind is equal. Humidity, temperature, how hard it’s blowing whether it’s shady or sunny make a huge difference.

The absolute worst wind to have go towards animals in my opinion is a cloudy day with high humidity and 40-50 degrees with about 5-10 mph drifting towards a herd.

The humidity allows for scent molecules to attach to the moisture and the cloud cover tends to keep scent closer to the ground and the wind isn’t strong enough to diffuse scent.

On the other hand, I’ve gotten closer than I ever guessed that I could with gusty shifting winds on bright sunny days.

I agree with this.
I have watched hounds run a bear through the cool north facing timber like they could see it. (Noise in the air full sprint).
When they break out on a south facing sunny hill it's back to nose on the ground fast walking with the occasional circle back. As soon as they enter the cool timber again it's on and they make up the ground.

On Elk there’s so many factors but I try to go a lot further than most. Sometimes i just can't get far enough so I don't make a move I wait. I figure it's easier to do it right and kill these than it is to keep finding more to half ass.

 

[406dn]

I've learned a lot about wind and scent from having bird dogs for so many years. Under ideal conditions for a bird dog, melting snow, sunny sky, 15mph breeze, I've witnessed dogs go to birds from several hundred yards away. They don't point them from that far, but they KNOW that they have caught bird scent. They follow that scent cone until they are certain enough to point. That is, say, from fifty to a hundred yards.

When scenting is tougher them, they find far fewer birds and point them from much closer.

My dogs find more birds with a westerly wind than a wind from the east.

If the wind is really kicking, the scent cone is ripped apart very quickly. If it is real calm, the cone drifts very slowly, and may fall or rise before going very far.

A herd of mule deer does smelled my brother in law and I from easily a half mile, years ago. We crested a low ridge, and the entire herd was on full alert, straight down wind.

My experience is the winds in mountainous terrain is far more difficult to fully understand than on flatter ground.