How far are elk from the road system where you are?

[Deertick]

My first question had to do with how far most hunters go from the roads.

Here\'s another question, and a sub-question:

Do roads affect where elk call home?

Does distance from roads change your hunting style?

My answer: I think roads are one thing that affects where elk call home. Certainly, it depends on what kind of road we\'re talking about. A major USFS road is different from a jeep trail. It also depends on where that road is built. Many roads in the mountains travel through relatively easy terrain, and in major drainages. Elk like those areas just like the Corps of Engineers did when they built that road! If the engineer and the elk both like the same terrain, then you\'ll find them both there.

On the other hand, I happen to like to hunt some distance from roads, mostly because, hey, this is my vacation. I want to relax and enjoy the mountains without a bunch of ATVs driving by. But \"getting away from the roads\" is not enough. You have to be going toward something. If elk are going to leave the lower country and the major drainages, then they\'ll need a reason. I hunt a calving area and I think that is what brings the bulls around in September. If it were later in the year, I think I\'d try to get on the major migration routes, many of which seem to parallel the major drainages in the area, and most of those have -- roads!

I do think that elk further from roads are, well, a bit more like elk and a bit less like zip-lipped ghosts. Oh, there are exceptions, but in general, I think they are less likely to suppress their natural biological urges (fighting and breeding) further from roads.

 

[cohunter14]

Personally, I think it depends what kind of road it is and what kind of traffic it gets during a typical day. For example, I have found elk only a few hundred yards off of major roads in hunting areas that have cars driving on them on a daily basis, whether it is hunting season or not. There is also an area I know of that has ATV\'s and motorcycles cruising through it on a daily basis during the spring, summer, and fall months, so elk are used to it and therefore will stay close to those roads.

On the other hand, if you are talking about an area that doesn\'t get people cruising through it during non-hunting times, then the elk will get affected by the noise. If it is quiet for the majority of the year and all of a sudden there are trucks and ATV\'s everywhere, they take notice. How far from the roads will they be? I think that varies based on what amount of traffic is coming through, what kind of traffic that is (trucks, which are quieter, or ATV\'s), and how many two legged creatures start making noise off of those roads as well. I think it also depends on the surrounding area as well. Is it thick and steep, making hunters just pass by, or is it more welcoming to hunters?

Overall, I would say as a general rule of thumb, at least a 1/4 mile and typically a 1/2 mile away from the roads if they don\'t typically get that sort of traffic in a given year and it is welcoming to hunters.

 

[elkmtngear]

It\'s a weird thing.

Where I hunt, in the Flat Tops, there is one major road that goes across the \"Flat Top\". Since it\'s Wilderness, there are only spur roads that go to the rim on either side to trailheads.

In 15 Seasons, I truly can\'t remember seeing elk from that main road. Moose, yes! Deer, yes! Bear, yes! Elk...no!

It gets a lot of traffic all year long. And most of the elk I\'ve seen are at least a mile down (there have been a few exceptions over the years, mostly in the earlier part of the Season).

Not sure what that means, because I\'ve seen a lot of elk right off the roads in Eastern Oregon. Is that because there is so much more road access in Oregon, and the elk simply become acclimated to living that way? Don\'t know :wtf:

 

[Swede]

I have observed that elk get used to log haul or any regular stream of traffic. They will move into active logging areas, even landings, as soon as the loggers leave for good forage. They quickly move back when people come around.
I don\'t remember if it was deer or elk that were studied, and it likely does not matter, but some had heart rate monitors on them. Their heart rate did not change while they were bedded near a major road with steady traffic. Their heart rate increased when vehicles stopped and people got out. The critters moved when people approached their bedding area.

 

[AndyJ]

From what I have noticed, elk are not nearly as concerned about roads as they are about hunter pressure. Where there is not pressure, you will find elk, roads or no roads.