4 for 4
It's been two weeks since my last scouting trip. This time I decided to try a spot I haven't been in several years. This spot is a little higher traffic area than the previous places we have been to. I say that with some frustration because it is supposed to be a primitive area, which means hiking or horseback only. The invention of side by side OHVs has given any idiot with a credit score the chance to be in our mountains. I could see several places where people had bypassed the trail closures and gone up there anyways. These people epitomize lazy and selfish in my mind. It only matters what they want and to hell with the rules that benefit the land, wildlife, and those who respect it.
I hadn't quit made it even to where I wanted to start looking for elk and to my surprise I found a bull elk standing in a meadow eating. He was only approximately 125 yards away from me, wind was on my side blowing my scent the other direction and making enough noise to cover the sound of my footsteps. I used my binoculars and could clearly see he was in velvet as expected. I could see his first, second, thirds, and at the top of the main beam a fork beginning. It's impossible to know how big he will be when it's time to shoot. With all the elements being in my favor it was surprising to me how quickly he started acting like he knew something wasn't right. I had plenty of time I could have taken a shot, but he almost immediately started heading toward the trees. I watched him move from the middle of the meadow to the north and into the trees.
There was a hill now immediately in front of me. I decided to walk to the top of it to see the area better and understand how it lays out. I walked to the top and could see the bull had headed into the trees into, you guessed it, a drainage. This drainage had pine trees, aspens, fallen timber, and importantly water and a lot of green foliage. This drainage was a little more subtle. It wasn't a huge drainage that stuck out, it was a little more hidden and not as obvious. I had not seen any other elk to that point, I was paying close attention to the area and the forrest around me. I started walking and walked right into a calf. It was lying very still, barely breathing as to not move. I didn't feel like I was in any danger but could feel I was being watched. I just felt uneasy about being around the calf so I backed away and made a large circle around the animal. As I got closer to the tree line a cow jumped up and bolted down the mountain in front of me. She was not stealthy or making any attempt to sneak away. She flat out ran down the hillside crashing through the trees in front of me and finally into the meadow only to disappear into the pine trees. My only assumption could be is that she was the mother. She was sticking by her baby waiting to ensure it was safe. The elk must have caught onto me much earlier than I suspected.
I was excited to see elk again. I had not been there for several years and thought it was a good spot to try and check off my list. I wasn't finished however. This was about 830 in the morning and I knew I had a few hours still to go to get to the spot I wanted. I continued up the mountain until reaching the west side of a valley at approximately 3/4 of the way up the mountain. I crossed the valley and ended on a ridge where I could observe two different canyons, both of which had very nice drainages.
I sat in this spot with my binoculars and spotting scope and looked for about an hour while I ate lunch. I was unable to locate any elk in that spot, nor was I able to locate any deer. As I sat there I started to get that uneasy feeling hunters get. Its that feeling like you have gotten to where you want, you think its the right spot, and then you are almost overwhelmed with the lack of animals or places to really hunt. There was not any really open areas to check for elk. It was almost too expansive. If I couldn't find a target to glass, then how was i supposed to find a place to actually hunt? I packed my lunch and hiked down to my truck.
This might have been a failure as far as finding elk at the spot I wanted to hunt, but I saw this as a great success. I now had the first place I knew I was not interested in spending any other time looking for elk. I could get back to where I had seen the bull in about half the time it took me to get to where I had seen nothing. I now know I don't want to waste a day hiking in and trying to hunt a spot that is most likely not going to produce. This is the purpose of what I am doing. My idea of scouting has changed so much over these past few weeks. Im learning that finding the animals is the number one factor of course, but understanding the place you will hunt is just as important.
I hadn't quit made it even to where I wanted to start looking for elk and to my surprise I found a bull elk standing in a meadow eating. He was only approximately 125 yards away from me, wind was on my side blowing my scent the other direction and making enough noise to cover the sound of my footsteps. I used my binoculars and could clearly see he was in velvet as expected. I could see his first, second, thirds, and at the top of the main beam a fork beginning. It's impossible to know how big he will be when it's time to shoot. With all the elements being in my favor it was surprising to me how quickly he started acting like he knew something wasn't right. I had plenty of time I could have taken a shot, but he almost immediately started heading toward the trees. I watched him move from the middle of the meadow to the north and into the trees.
There was a hill now immediately in front of me. I decided to walk to the top of it to see the area better and understand how it lays out. I walked to the top and could see the bull had headed into the trees into, you guessed it, a drainage. This drainage had pine trees, aspens, fallen timber, and importantly water and a lot of green foliage. This drainage was a little more subtle. It wasn't a huge drainage that stuck out, it was a little more hidden and not as obvious. I had not seen any other elk to that point, I was paying close attention to the area and the forrest around me. I started walking and walked right into a calf. It was lying very still, barely breathing as to not move. I didn't feel like I was in any danger but could feel I was being watched. I just felt uneasy about being around the calf so I backed away and made a large circle around the animal. As I got closer to the tree line a cow jumped up and bolted down the mountain in front of me. She was not stealthy or making any attempt to sneak away. She flat out ran down the hillside crashing through the trees in front of me and finally into the meadow only to disappear into the pine trees. My only assumption could be is that she was the mother. She was sticking by her baby waiting to ensure it was safe. The elk must have caught onto me much earlier than I suspected.
I was excited to see elk again. I had not been there for several years and thought it was a good spot to try and check off my list. I wasn't finished however. This was about 830 in the morning and I knew I had a few hours still to go to get to the spot I wanted. I continued up the mountain until reaching the west side of a valley at approximately 3/4 of the way up the mountain. I crossed the valley and ended on a ridge where I could observe two different canyons, both of which had very nice drainages.
I sat in this spot with my binoculars and spotting scope and looked for about an hour while I ate lunch. I was unable to locate any elk in that spot, nor was I able to locate any deer. As I sat there I started to get that uneasy feeling hunters get. Its that feeling like you have gotten to where you want, you think its the right spot, and then you are almost overwhelmed with the lack of animals or places to really hunt. There was not any really open areas to check for elk. It was almost too expansive. If I couldn't find a target to glass, then how was i supposed to find a place to actually hunt? I packed my lunch and hiked down to my truck.
This might have been a failure as far as finding elk at the spot I wanted to hunt, but I saw this as a great success. I now had the first place I knew I was not interested in spending any other time looking for elk. I could get back to where I had seen the bull in about half the time it took me to get to where I had seen nothing. I now know I don't want to waste a day hiking in and trying to hunt a spot that is most likely not going to produce. This is the purpose of what I am doing. My idea of scouting has changed so much over these past few weeks. Im learning that finding the animals is the number one factor of course, but understanding the place you will hunt is just as important.
Comments
Post a Comment