Paul in Idaho
Well-known member
I have been hunting the same unit for the past 10 years. Mostly I have applied for rifle cow tags, and had great success the first several years. Then in 2017, all the spots I had seen elk before seemed to change. I'd go into them and find only old dried manure, and very old tracks or no tracks at all.
During my deer hunt this year, I saw at least 4 different herds of elk in 2 days. So, I went back there for my elk hunt 2 weeks later. I saw no elk, and no tracks in the 2 inches of snow that had fallen about a week earlier. I could see the snow around timber patches in the distance were unbroken - no elk had traveled through there. After 2 half-day hunts, I went to another spot. I drove to a few glassing points at first light, then later walked into a spot I shot an elk a few years ago to look for tracks. Nothing fresh, so I moved to the third area for the last half day.
Now after returning home without seeing even one elk, I'm looking at maps and satellite photos and wondering if I should have spent more time in each spot. Maybe hike a mile in a new direction out of the pocket I have seen elk in before.
What do you all do when you have only a few days to hunt - hit as many known hotspots as you can? Or, focus on one bigger area around the known good spot, and pick it apart?
During my deer hunt this year, I saw at least 4 different herds of elk in 2 days. So, I went back there for my elk hunt 2 weeks later. I saw no elk, and no tracks in the 2 inches of snow that had fallen about a week earlier. I could see the snow around timber patches in the distance were unbroken - no elk had traveled through there. After 2 half-day hunts, I went to another spot. I drove to a few glassing points at first light, then later walked into a spot I shot an elk a few years ago to look for tracks. Nothing fresh, so I moved to the third area for the last half day.
Now after returning home without seeing even one elk, I'm looking at maps and satellite photos and wondering if I should have spent more time in each spot. Maybe hike a mile in a new direction out of the pocket I have seen elk in before.
What do you all do when you have only a few days to hunt - hit as many known hotspots as you can? Or, focus on one bigger area around the known good spot, and pick it apart?
