elk hunting

[fishless]

wheres the elk, been huntn all week all I see is what is already been dead in someone els's truck been huntn up at valzets,any tips would greatly be apprectiated I would like to get one in this lifetime.

[WSU]

At this point the elk have been heavily hunted. Think thick cover that doesn't get heavily hunted, usually meaning not close to a road.

[clint]

find the deapest hole with no roads thats where they will be

[Smoked Salmon]

Find a trail and follow it. There are a ton of elk out there, but they've taken to not being too trustful of our intentions as of late.

[fishless]

we usually dont hunt near roads on average we walk about 5-7 miles each time, after getting lost about 5 years ago and spending the night in the woods Im a little apprehensive about "FOLLOWING TRACKS" into the thickets and off of the beatn path, but thanks for the info just a couple days left so here's to good luck.

[stlhdrgrn]

Originally Posted by fishless

we usually dont hunt near roads on average we walk about 5-7 miles each time, after getting lost about 5 years ago and spending the night in the woods Im a little apprehensive about "FOLLOWING TRACKS" into the thickets and off of the beatn path, but thanks for the info just a couple days left so here's to good luck.

Carry a Gps and a compas then you can concentrate on the track your following and not worry about what direction your going until it's time to head back. Good luck out there hope you find one.

[elkthumper]

find fresh tracks,......then follow and hold on.

[buckhunter]

Huge elk just past the east of Hebo sign.

http://www.ifish.net/board/showthrea...wpost&t=224662

Here's a map.
BH

[OR_Bo_Huntr]

Id head up Road ***3 and park at the third road on the left, hike up T**** Creek and hunt in the second clearcut

[Rank Amateur]

Originally Posted by fishless

wheres the elk, been huntn all week all I see is what is already been dead in someone els's truck been huntn up at valzets,any tips would greatly be apprectiated I would like to get one in this lifetime.

Before these other guys make any more fun of you, elk hunting is a tough game, don't feel bad about not having taken one.

To be a really successful elk hunter you have to learn about elk, their habitat and their habits. This means lots of scouting in the off season, reading up on elk and getting in the field and exploring and remembering what you find.

Little late for all that now, so go to where you are seeing some sign (tracks), you have to find tracks. You might find these on the main roads, but it is better to get off the beaten path (spur roads, old rail road grades, anything where you can travel cross sections to the terrain and see tracks). Once you find some tracks, you have to determine how fresh they are, when was the last rain that would have wiped out old tracks. Look at your foot print versus the elk tracks, this will give you an idea how fresh they are. If they are really fresh (you really know this when you have no tracks one day and they are there the next day) then check the wind, elk that are unpressured will usually work into the wind. They will usually travel on what level ground is around, so think like an elk and try to track them using the wind and the terrain as your guide if you loose the tracks. This is where knowing your area helps a lot, sometimes you can predict where they are headed and move more directly to that area and pick them up quicker. Of coarse locating the elk is just a small part of hunting them, you have to find a legal bull and them make the clean shot, but finding them is number one.

A lot of the bulls have gotten very smart about hiding in the reprod patches, these are very tough to hunt, your best bet is the find a small bull still chasing around with a herd. These herds can be ghosting in and out of these reprod patches, they are good places to pick up tracks and some times you can chase the elk out of the reprod and probably into another hunter, but some times you can get a shot of your own.

There that will give you a few ideas, good luck, get a big one!

[WSU]

I was actually being sincere. The elk have been chased and pressured to the point where they are most likely not hanging out in clearcuts and their normal habitat. At this point, you need to look to places where the elk have gone to hide. This may be reprod or it may be big timber. Either way, it is going to be somewhere people have pressured them into going. You need to figure out somewhere that the elk have been pushed to and can hide the rest of the season without being pushed elsewhere.

[LastCast]

Yeah - you need to find tracks and follow. I work in the woods and have been riding thru the Valsetz area a few times this week. I've seen lots of trucks parked in the same spot all day, and even more hunters driving the roads. This area has loads of elk but they really get pushed hard during this second bull hunt. This area also has travel management restrictions that last thru this bull season. You need to pick a few spots that area well away from the open roads and also have some thick reprod plantations. avoid the real steep ground, they tend to like the mid slope and lower slope benches. I'm still hoping to fill my elk bow tag, so I'll be scouting this area on Saturday after the bull season is over. It usually takes me a few days of long walks to cut across a fresh set of tracks - the bull season really scatters and fractures the herds here.