Summer elk scouting

[Muskeez]

So, once I finally decide on a unit to archery hunt elk in Sept., (probably in CO.) what is the value of summer scouting? I live approx 800 - 900 miles from where I would guess I may hunt. Is it worth $500 in fuel to spend a few days walking an area that you may want to hunt? I know next to nothing about elk hunting and have never hunted out west.

What is the minimum number of days that it would take to begin to learn an area and find some places to get water and set up spike camps during my hunt? IF i came out, what time of the year should I do so? If I find elk in the summer, will they likely be somewhat close to that area a month later? or if I find none, should I move to a different area completely? What altitude would I even start at?

Wow, if anyone can even help with some of my questions I would be greatly appreciative!

Thanks again!!
Clayton

 

[Mudranger1]

I can find elk all day long in the summer. Opening day I find hunters and no elk. Just my 2 cents. I would suggest saving the money unless you have it to burn

 

[Bowhuntrben]

If you have the vacation time and money to burn, I would go..and bring a fishing pole/fly rod too. You can do a lot of scouting from maps and Google Earth too. That is what I have done when I've gone without being able to take a summer trip there. I look for the streams on the map and look at them on Google Earth to try and find a camping spot. I mark a few places in my GPS so that I have multiple choices when I get there in case somebody is already at them or if they don't look as good in person.
I can't speak to finding elk and knowing if they are still there come hunting season, but it is always good to know the land you are hunting better. If you go there in summer, you can search for the benches you mention in your other post and get a better feel for the land. That way you are ready to hit the ground running when you get there for your hunt.
Then again, if you are doing archery, you can always skip the summer trip and just take the extra days off during the season or show up a few days ahead of the season to do some scouting before the other hunters show up.

 

[Jwill]

If you make a summer run to scout, I'd say to rent small car that gets really good gas mileage, don't take your hunting rig. That should save you a couple hundred in gas $. A couple days added to the front of your hunting trip would probably be just as good though.

 

[Carrion Carrier]

Hello Clayton. I sure do miss Spirit Lake! Such a great mixed-bag fishery. We always caught great crappies, muskies, and smallies. I hope your trip west treats you as well as Spirit always treated me

Anyway, I think a little more information about your trip would be helpful. Where are you going? If you are headed like really into the mountains (and have never been) you will learn a ton and be able to better formulate a plan based on your capabilities. These Rocky Mtns ain't no Loess Hills!

Packing an elk is seriously hard business so you need to know what you can do before you attempt to stick one. Nothing I can say can prepare you for the difficulty of getting an elk out of the woods. I train all year and, more often than not, am dry-heaving/blacking out by the end of a pack job. Dehydration, exhaustion and adrenaline make for a day you'll never forget. I highly suggest working toward jogging 10 miles a couple times a week. That won't put you in "mountain-shape, but will put you in good shape. That's the best you'll be able to do without hills to climb.

As far as the elk. Some herds don't move. The cows stay put and no bull is going to run them out. These are herds that live on/near private land and are by far the exception. Most herds migrate to "rut spots" for archery season. If you know you are going to one of these spots then scouting would be helpful. Finding trails, water, wallows etc. would be great. If you are just trying to find some elk and then go back there in-season you are probably wasting your time.

Shoot me a PM if you want to. Always willing to help.

 

[putm2sleep]

Spirit Lake is nice indeed! I prefer Clear Lake
SO. I would come out in the hunting season and do a dry run - heck with the summer unless you want to train. It is friggin HOT and you sweat balls.
Anyway, that is what I did my 1st year elk hunting. I had scouted and scouted and put many miles on the ol' nissan driving farther hiking farther in the summer. I circled a few spots, went and called for my friedn during the bow season. I had a tag for 2nd season but when 1st elk rifle rolled around I was on the mountain until dark. Gubn shots, elk, outfitters with racks on horses = HEAVEN. I got lucky and found 'my spot'. Been elk hunting the same hole for 17 years

Answer to your questions:
>value of summer trip - its always good to be on the mountain, are you kidding?
>gas$$ - who cares. i live here and hate driving 100-200 miles round triping from here but thats why you live, and live here!
>min. # of days - you could spend 2 weeks, and one could keep finding holes, wallows, benches, rubs, bulls and much much more.
>time of year - see above.
>altitude - matters little. some are high, some are low, some in the middle
>Hard to say move. B/C they can show up by your tent that afternoon.

 

[putm2sleep]

reply

Spirit Lake is nice indeed! I prefer Clear Lake
SO. I would come out in the hunting season and do a dry run - heck with the summer unless you want to train. It is friggin HOT and you sweat balls.
Anyway, that is what I did my 1st year elk hunting. I had scouted and scouted and put many miles on the ol' nissan driving farther hiking farther in the summer. I circled a few spots, went along and called during the bow season. I had a tag for 2nd season but when 1st elk rifle rolled around I was on the mountain 4 am until dark. Gun shots, elk, outfitters with racks on horses = HEAVEN. I got lucky and found 'my spot'. Been elk hunting the same hole for 17 years.
-------------------------------------
Answer to your questions:
>value of summer trip - its always good to be on the mountain, are you kidding?
>gas$$ - who cares. i live here and hate driving 100-200 miles round triping from here but thats why you live, and live here!
>min. # of days - you could spend 2 weeks, and one could keep finding holes, wallows, benches, rubs, bulls and much much more.
>time of year - see above.
>altitude - matters little. some are high, some are low, some in the middle.
>Hard to say when to move, but have a plan B and C, B/C they can show up by your tent that afternoon.

 

[montana_bow]

How would that many miles ever cost you $500? I'd say around $200 is much more reasonable. I'd definitely go. You can only see so much from a map and the experience of being on the ground will help you out a lot in my opinion come September.

 

[2rocky]

I've scouted elk in the Western Wyoming mountains, and in the Eastern CA desert in July. Seeing elk is almost a guarantee they won't be there in the Fall, when they rut. The real value of the summer scouting trip is getting to know the lay of the land and where trails and roads go. I find:

• good camping spots and places to water,
• game trails that aren't on the map
• open places on the topo map that are bare rock
• burns that don't show up on google earth
• old hunting camps that get used every year
• just how steep is that side of the mountain?
• Where the snow is still piled deep on the north side of the ridge.
• Where, and how far the cattle and sheep go
• What store in town has supplies you may have forgotten
• whether that new piece of gear is really as good as you thought
• whether 48 pounds in a pack is fun to carry for a week
• just how winded are you gonna feel for the first couple of days at altitude
• whether the wife or girlfriend feels frisky in the great outdoors....

 

[smarandr]

I can find elk all day long in the summer. Opening day I find hunters and no elk.

That's the story of my life. I take my family camping to my elk hunting grounds, and the hills are crawling with elk all summer long. However, come the opening of archery season locating them is a hell of a lot tougher.

To the original question though, I'd do most of my scouting via Google Earth, topo maps, and by contacting the local F&G biologist; then I'd arrive a day or two before the hunt for the "boots on the ground" scouting.

 

[Muskeez]

Thank you!

Thanks for the replies Guys!
Like I thought, about 1/2 of the guys say GO, other half say WAIT... I'm finding the same thing with trying to pick a unit or area. One guy says there's tons of elk in spot X, next guy says very few if any elk and tons of hunters.
I like both sides and theories on summer scouting though. Both have good merit.

My friend that is hunting with me has never been to the mountains, and neither of us have ever hunted there. We are so far looking at an archery elk hunt in Northern CO. Totally open to suggestions of course. We will likely put in for a ML tag so that we can build some points for a future hunt. We are probably going to hike in and camp wherever our boots take us, and stay in until we shoot one or have to go home. Probably 6 days in the field.

Expenses = 1800 miles round trip / 17 mpg x $4.29 diesel = $454 just in fuel... but, like someone else told me, there are plenty of other ways to blow $500 besides being in the Rockies! I assumed my hunting partner would not be able to go scout in the summer due to vacation days at his work, but he may be able to take 3 days, so we could make a long marathon weekend out of it.

If any of you guys make it back to Iowa to fish at Spirit lake, Okoboji, or Storm lake areas, look me up for sure. I'd be glad to take you out or put you on the latest bite. I live for fishing and bowhunting! We also fish in SD a LOT! Ice fishing has been just fair this year here, so we are headed to Chamberlain with the boat this weekend, can't wait to be on soft water again. Ok enuf fish talk.

Thanks again for everyone's input. I will keep you posted on what we decide to do. I would love to be able to share my experience with everyone.

Off to the treadmill again!

 

[Devil Diver Down]

2Rocky has some great tips about why a summer trip would help. I'd wait on it and tack on a few days to your main trip. Unlike what others have suggested, I'd "scout" with my bow in hand during the hunt instead of using those scouting days before the hunt. You might get lucky right off the bat that way - it's a long season.

The treadmill is better than nothing but it sure isn't a substitute for elevation gains you'll experience in CO on uneven ground. CO has a ton of elk but also a ton of elk habitat - if you're not seeing fresh sign, seeing some elk and there's a bunch of hunting pressure - move to another spot quick. Best of luck!

 

[CBranch]

Musk, whether you go or not this summer, I have three primary suggestions based on my experience going to Wyoming the last 5 years:
1. Practice callling, get CDs for the ride to work, practice, practice. I like the Elknut CDs.
2.There's no substitue for hills. Jog and treadmill all you want to get your wind, but the hills will flatten you if the muscles aren't used to it. I live in flat a$$ OH, with the closest good hills being almost 50 miles away. I train during the week at the local high school and college stadium bleachers and stairmaster in the gym. Just doing "prison squats" and lunges without weight everyday will help take the squish out of your legs. If your hunting partner lives nearby, start meeting at least once a week in the summer to train together in a park or local forest with hills (or climb a reservoir dam). Carry some day packs, practice your calling as you go, and talk about your hunt scenerios and what calls to use. Its always more motivating if you have someone waiting on you. My buddy and I met every saturday morning last summer at daylight to put in a couple hours together in addition to our solo/gym training during the week. We'd each get home and the wife and kids would just be getting out of bed for the day.
3. Talk to the local wildlife biologists, forest rangers and outfitters that live and work there everyday, they are a wealth of information. Depending on how far you go in, outfitters may be a good resource to share info if you are far enough in that you may consider using them to help pack out an elk.

 

[Muskeez]

Great points!

Treadmill is best I can do in the winter on some of Iowa's flatest country you can imagine, without getting a gym membership I guess. Whatever we do for training will never be enough I'm sure, but I plan to hike our "hills" many times up and down this summer for training as well. Closest are 20-30 miles away also, but I'm there every week to mess with foodplots and run cameras anyway. I also had been thinking that the football stadium stairs would be a good training ground. I will work on the squats as well, thanks for that tip. The only thing I could do for oxygen depletion is duct tape my mouth shut We are 45 and 50 years old, so jogging 10 miles a day may be a bit much, but if I can build endurance that will help. I don't have to climb the mountain in an hour, I just need to be able to do it and not be too tired to hunt efficiently.

So, back to the scouting part of this thread: Adding days to our hunting trip will probably not be an option, as one full week (and the weekends before and after) away from our jobs at a time may be all that we can do. Plus we may need a shower after 6 days! I like the theory though, more days afield is always better, but we can't totally retire yet either. Hard telling what we will do for scouting as the summer gets closer, but it sure is exciting to see a life long dream come closer to actually happening! I love being close to my family and all of my various outdoor hobbies, but count your blessings you Western guys! I doubt too many of you have Iowa on your "bucket list" ! (unless it's for a cornfed whitetail)

 

[Z Barebow]

I've scouted elk in the Western Wyoming mountains, and in the Eastern CA desert in July. Seeing elk is almost a guarantee they won't be there in the Fall, when they rut. The real value of the summer scouting trip is getting to know the lay of the land and where trails and roads go. I find:

• good camping spots and places to water,
• game trails that aren't on the map
• open places on the topo map that are bare rock
• burns that don't show up on google earth
• old hunting camps that get used every year
• just how steep is that side of the mountain?
• Where the snow is still piled deep on the north side of the ridge.
• Where, and how far the cattle and sheep go
• What store in town has supplies you may have forgotten
• whether that new piece of gear is really as good as you thought
• whether 48 pounds in a pack is fun to carry for a week
• just how winded are you gonna feel for the first couple of days at altitude
• whether the wife or girlfriend feels frisky in the great outdoors....

This advice is spot on. If your objective is to get a feel for the area and the country, it is a trip worth while.

It also depends upon what part of summer you are thinking. I did a scouting trip in western WYO) after a trail run in northern WYO. I did this around June 22nd or so. It was a struggle to get much past 8200' feet as there was so much snow. (And I underestimated how sore I would be from trail run!) I found elk, but they were basically following the snow line up. I never hunted the areas I scouted. (The north facing slopes had even more snow and were inaccessible due to the heavy run off creeks. I would have died trying to cross them at that time of year. But I did get a feel for the country and it all worked out by killing a bull that fall.

 

[Dinkshooter]

Hmm, having lived in Iowa for a couple years, I cannot imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to get the hell out of there for a week during the summer?

 

[Dinkshooter]

The thought of summer up in the Aspens right now nearly makes me weep with the reality of the actual month.

 

[Dinkshooter]

 

[Dinkshooter]

 

[Dinkshooter]