How Early to be in the woods?

[Mark Z]

Generally I'll be in the woods, ready to hunt 1 hour before daylight. Does being out several hours before pay off in locating a bull?

 

[Bullhunter]

It all depends on how far im going to go in or if i have elk located already.  Usually an hour before light ill slip into the woods and get ready but if im walking in there is no telling how early.  I have slipped in around midnight and probably hiked about 5 miles and then took a nap and waited for daylight.

 

[MT_mulies]

I don't think being in there super early is that big of a deal. I think like you guys have said that 30 min to an hour is plenty of time.

 

[Kmbingham92]

Really depends where you are and where you are going. If I am headed to a certain spot a long ways in I am getting an early start. If I am camping in elk country I do not like to get on the move too early until I can see what is in front of me. Have spooked too many animals trying to get a head start.

 

[Backpack Hunter]

I am usually sleeping in the woods so I get to my area a couple of minutes before first light.

 

[Fullabull]

I at least always start my walk just before light. You would be surprised at how many elk you canrun into for find by calling during your walk in

 

[whtelk]

Where I hunt I head in just right at first light because I don't want to bump elk on my way in... if that makes sense.

 

[COelkaholic88]

The way I think of  it is you can't shoot in the dark so I would rather not start to early and risk bumping the elk before legal shooting light. Now there have been times where I have beded some bulls late in the evening and started out 2 1/2 hours early the next morning to get back to the same area right at daylight. Now throw a twist and say your hunting public land and have numerous hunters trying to hunt the same area ( bad ethics but it happens every year in Colorado). So do you give your self an hour or start earlier?

 

[bigbulls6]

I get the in the dark normally a hour early unless I'm bivy'd then on it at first light!! 8)

 

[Niemo.Mt]

Like most everybody said!!  Depends on where and what I'm hunting!!  If I'm chasen a specific animal than I will do what it takes!!  Walking in deep in to the CMR and I'll get up early!!  Leave all options open!!  It just sucks to walk in early and find elk and wait a couple of hours trying to move with them in the dark!!

 

[ghost]

I'll start moving about 1 to 1.5  hrs before daylight depending where I am going. Most of the time I will go a ways, sit and listen.

 

[c.rash]

It's all relative to the situation.

For instance, we came back to the camper after being in for 6 days.  We left our camp 4 miles in, we were only coming out for provisions.  The next morning we left the camper with enough time to get 3 miles in by sunrise, 3 miles would put is where we'd been seeing elk.  We were on the trail for about 1.5 miles when we got into the elk, pitch black dark with red headlamps.

Now, I will say, I SO prefer bivying in so that you can get going right away.  That way, we don't have to plan for any time getting to our hunting area.  We don't have fires, we don't mess around at our campsite.  One night, the elk came off the ridge right through camp.  We could have had our choice of 30 cows had we been sitting at our tents.

 

[kikinhorse]

I always try to time it to be in the hunt area about a half an hour before light. Gives you brain time to get used to the sights, smells and sounds.

 

[Jimbow65]

If I was hiking in on a trail, I would like to be there about a half hour before light, If i thought I might bump elk, I may wait till there was a little light.
But I hate rushing to get to a spot.

 

[DaveBTS]

I like to be in my area by 2am. Even if the bulls are talking, it doesn't take much to get a chirp or bugle. I've had elk surround me in the middle of the night.

 

[Kglacken]

depends on the area. If it is extremely pressured I like to beat the traffic. If not, I like to be in my spot an hour before daylight

 

[turbo1967]

Bow season I like to leave the truck at legal shooting time .I have got out of the truck before grabbed my gear turned around and had elk standing there watching me.Rifle season has lots of people out there and the animals move further from the road so I leave a little before light to get to them by shooting time.When possible I put them to bed at night and most time thats where they will be in the morning.So no advantage to getting there early.

 

[wapiti_will]

maybe you can just get lucky like i did last year and have the elk move in on you while you're sleeping on the mountain, only to wake up and have the herd 100 yards away   


if not, i like to be where i want to start my hunt 30 minutes before shooting light, and sometimes my hunt  starts at my bivy site.

 

[WardDawg7]

You just never know,  have had a lot of action mid morning to afternoon several times as well.  I guess the rule of thumb is "early bird gets the worm"

 

[idelkslayer]

It really depends.

I rifle hunt so by the time my season comes around the chances of locating a bull by sound are slim to none.  Because of this I don't need to be in my hunting area too early.

I typically try to reach my first vantage point for glassing an hour before shooting light.  That way I can be well rested and give the woods plenty of time to settle down and forget that I am there.