Best early season advice?

[Lark Bunting]

It\'s been asked before but we have new people so this may help them too. What is your best early season (opening weekend) advice?

 

[cnelk]

Shhhhhh......

Go slow - look - listen - smell.

Let the elk determine the temperament.

Bugling will prob end early after daylight.

Use mews as needed. Bugles should be mimicked if you hear them

Bulls will sneak into mews quietly

Cows will waltz in to check out your mews

 

[iccyman001]

Don\'t be discouraged if they aren\'t where you found them one week ago.
Be flexible and go where the elk are, not where you want them to be.

 

[Deertick]

I\'m going early this year ... and have been doing my fair share of due-diligence on early season strategies ... talking to other hunters, reading, checking out videos, going to the forums ...

Here\'s what all my digging has taught me:

1. If you\'re going to call, cold calling is preferred over challenge calling (though there are some who say there is a place for the latter, so stay flexible)

2. If you\'re going to sit, watering holes in dry country are better than wallows, and wallows are better than \"trails\"

3. Early season elk are in cow/calf areas, and while those are used year after year, they aren\'t necessarily tied to a particular altitude

4. If you\'re using location bugles to find them, they almost have to be in the dark, as daylight bugles will be rare, but that\'s still useful

Honestly, though, after putting all the experts\' early season sage advice into a blender and drinking it, I\'d have to say it doesn\'t taste a whole lot different from their mid-season advice or late-season advice. So, I say: Go out and hunt. There\'s a reason that vague advice like \"elk are where you find them\" and \"you can\'t shoot them in camp\" and so on gets repeated so much: it\'s usually right!