How much time spent in a unit

[Andrewlonghi]

So how much time would you spend hunting in a unit before moving on to another?

Going to try to hunt 1-3 units I'm thinking 3-4 days in each unit depending on how things are going based on sign, sightings, if I heard elk bugleing....what would be ideal

 

[MTLabrador]

I’ve hunted a lot more days than that in places that I know very well without seeing a single elk. Places where I’ve killed elk. Not seeing anything after a few days might not mean much.

 

[Rackman77]

It depends on the time of year and weather. If it’s mid September, the weather isn’t too hot, and there’s not a ton of Doug fluties on every ridge and I’m not seeing elk sign or hearing them…..I’m moving on.

 

[WIbiggame]

So how much time would you spend hunting in a unit before moving on to another?

Going to try to hunt 1-3 units I'm thinking 3-4 days in each unit depending on how things are going based on sign, sightings, if I heard elk bugleing....what would be ideal

How long is your hunt? How close are the units? What is the time of year? Is it LE or General? Open country or thick?

Way to many variables to answer this question. As for what I do. 1) Hunt is always 12-14 hunting days 2) units border each other or split drainage I am planning to hunt 3) September 4) General 5)80% forest. With that said I will hunt a drainage system for 3-4 days. Units are HUGE and if there is elk sign the elk aren't to far in my experience. They might not be in that particular part of the drainage but moving within it usually can find them. I would never pick more than 1 unit unless the units you are planning on border each other and you are hunting them in the same day. Imo to much time wasted driving to a new area. I assume the 3-4 units you are looking at all have similar characteristics, so unless something crazy, no sign, loads of people, they all should hold similar numbers of elk.

If you decide you want to move I wouldn't ever be in my truck during hunting hours moving units. Do it at night, don't waste hunting time driving. Again this is just my opinion and how I hunt. Best of luck this fall!

 

[dgc1963]

On some of my hunts its taken days to find elk then Im getting in them every day
I have never gotten in my truck and left a unit I just worked harder at finding where they are
But im also in quite a few miles so pulling out is a lot of wasted time

 

[Redman]

I used to stay put but I have been more successful moving if I don't see any. Never leave elk to find elk.

 

[Slm864]

Most of the units I have been in are huge with multiple drainages. Moving from one drainage to another until I find elk has always worked for me versus driving farther to new units.

 

[RyGuy]

As others have said, units are huge and moving an entire unit away is most likely unnecessary. As far as moving drainage to drainage to find elk, I’ll move every day until I find something I like. It also depends on the size of the drainage you’re hunting, maybe I spend 3 days in there. I just never want to be hunting the same hillside that was devoid of elk tomorrow after I’ve already unsuccessfully hunted it today.

 

[GrantK]

I'm moving every day if I'm not into elk, I'll even move a drainage over during midday if I don't have any action in the morning, if I'm into elk I stop moving and hunt as long as the elk are there, I don't have a lot of patience waiting for elk to show up in an area, if they are not there I'm covering ground to find them, my metric for being into elk to a point of being worth hunting them is actually laying eyes on elk in a huntable spot, I don't really put much stock in sign, there might have been a ton of elk there last week, that's not really all that helpful now...

that said, I don't usually jump entire units all that fast, I try to camp where I have at least 4-5 days of drainages to check out before I pull stakes and move camp, pretty much a mini grid of an area, getting up high and glassing if possible and trying to eliminate as many areas as possible, by the time I leave I'm pretty confident I'm not leaving anything on the table, moving camp can be a pain and cut into hunting time so I try to keep big moves to a minimum.

The one situation I can see moving entire units quickly is if you realize you don't like the style of hunting, IE units that are hard to glass if glassing is your preferred style, or really open units if you want to call, in that case, figure out how you want to be hunting and find the spot that matches that style best, it might be a totally different unit...

 

[2rocky]

I try to draw unit specific tags so I don't have that issue. But I have had hunts that were multi unit (adjacent) with different opening dates. They were 4 days apart. I'd give unit 1 three days, plus a couple scouting days before, then move over the ridge into unit 2. Problem was it burned most of the fourth afternoon of the season moving camp. But if I was moving we weren't in the elk anyway.

This was usually with a camp of 4-6 hunters so we covered a 6x10 mile swathe pretty completely on horseback.

 

[Bullshot]

I hunted 4 different units in a single week last year, each move was a step up in sign or action. Not to mention a travelling adventure. I ended up missing a bull at my last stop, but would never have even found that area if I hadn’t jumped around. I am headed back there this year and will stay the duration of my hunt. So if you have a place you like stay, if unhappy, don’t hesitate to move. We don’t talk enough about the glory of just seeing new country too. Life is short and there is lots of the west to see. It’s not always about kills either.

 

[MITCHMO]

Moving units can consume a lot of time. Find a unit that holds elk and find the elk in that unit. Running all over the place has never worked for me.

 

[perma]

I stayed in a unit for 10 years..

“The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again, expecting a different result”.

 

[Hammsolo]

I agree with others. We don’t have enough info. However, generally speaking I’m covering ground with sound and glass as much as possible. I will have my glassing points all mapped out and move move move. I saw it posted above, and I know @Big Fin would say, don’t leave elk to find elk.”

The hunter that I admire most currently is Ryan Lampers. He is the antithesis of who I was as a young pup. I pushed and ground myself into the dirt. He is METHODICAL and PATIENT beyond words. He is able to work his ass off strategically to find a critter, and then waits for the critter to make a mistake. He is the epitome of calm, cool, and collected. If you haven’t look up some stuff with he and Brian Call. I love that they’re always learning and sharing.

 

[KB_]

So how much time would you spend hunting in a unit before moving on to another?

Going to try to hunt 1-3 units I'm thinking 3-4 days in each unit depending on how things are going based on sign, sightings, if I heard elk bugleing....what would be ideal

I wouldnt set a timeframe on yourself like what your suggesting. Just find elk and stay there.

 

[ccc23454]

37 minutes, if no bugles then i drive 2 hours to next one and repeat till dark. Gas bill sucks but its definitely a strategy...

 

[RyGuy]

37 minutes, if no bugles then i drive 2 hours to next one and repeat till dark. Gas bill sucks but its definitely a strategy...

If everyone would implement this strategy, I would be so much more successful on public land.

 

[noharleyyet]

In my mistake laden formative public land marching days I've stayed til the heel blisters were as big as silver dollars, passed on legal bulls that still haunt. I've traveled to scout units months from season dates multiple times. Have never used all the season days.

 

[375H&H]

1.5 days. If no fresh sign, noise, or sightings, move on. That gives you 2 mornings or 2 evenings for a reason to stay.

 

[amo16]

Stick with a unit unless you have a reason to leave apart from not seeing elk. You've already done the work on eliminating some of the places elk aren't. Why go to a new unit and start over?