Hunting large burns

[williaada]

Wondering if some people can give me a general idea of how to hunt and glass burn spots. The unit I am hunting has had numerous burns through out the last 5 years. My question is how much time do spend glassing a burn prior to moving on to the next burn area?

 

[Salmonchaser]

Patience is a virtue, pissing in the wind is not. Quite a few years ago there was huge fire in our A/O. After a couple slow days in the unburned area my buddy and I topped a ridge where the fire had stopped. There were still small fires burning but sufficient rain had produced green up. We ate lunch talked about the canyons we had hunted now burned and wondered how many elk may have died. Something caught my eye, there were soot covered elk everywhere.
Burns are generally good for elk, even smoldering ones may hold elk. The trick is knowing how well you can actually cover an area with your glassing. If it's five or more years old every elk in the unit might be bedded down in a little fold and you wouldn't see them. I'll work a burn pretty hard from a couple different angles and insert on ridges to get another perspective.
I can spend quite a bit of time, half a day, if I have evidence they are using it. On really steep ground I just go in and out on finger ridges, too good an opportunity to catch an elk feeding I don't want to blow them out by pushing through the whole area.
Have fun, revel in the experience, notch a tag if it happens.