Hunting Night Feeding Area

[Swede]

I tried hunting a spot that was getting hit only in the very early morning and late evening, before the season started. The meadow was a small basin that holds scent when the thermals are drifting downward. Access to any tree stand location is difficult without being detected. You can slip in from the bottom, but there are no live trees close by to hang a stand in. The best time to arrive is early afternoon. After that you need to wait a fairly long period. I can place a stand near the east end of the meadow next year. The elk mostly come into water near the west side. I could place my stand before the meadow entrance near the west end, and hope to ambush one as it travels past my, or I can try to go higher in the tree where the stand was located this year. None of these scenarios is perfect, but there are some large bulls that come in until early in the season. They may come back after they leave to gather up their cows. Anyway the meadow is pastured like cattle were using it, and there are very few cows in there.
I normally place my stands near bedding areas, so this is not a common situation for me. It has me somewhat puzzled. Still there are some bulls there, and I think they need to be thinned out a little.

 

[Anonymous]

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[Swede]

I think they are tougher to hunt than where I normally go, but these night feeding places can be productive if a person figures them out. The trouble is that the lush, wet meadow I was trying to hunt was a typical bottom land where the night air is cool. It is a sink for accumulating scent. There were trails in and out and many beds there. Also the grass was grazed heavily in spots. Bulls showed up on Oly\'s camera, every day except for one.
Would digging a pit to wait in, be a good idea?

 

[cohunter14]

Swede, couldn\'t you just try to determine where they are coming in from and try to ambush them in the evening? If they mostly come from the west side, maybe sit on the edge of the meadow or off the trail a bit. I would almost say being on the ground would be better in this circumstance since the thermals are all coming down. It would also allow you to be mobile if the elk came in from somewhere else. Just a few thoughts...

 

[Swede]

Derek, I think your idea has a lot of merit. It is not perfect since a significant number could come in down wind from farther east. There are two trails leading in from the west that seem to get a lot of use. As we all know there is rarely a perfect location to ambush an elk, but ambushing them from the west end, as you suggest, is highly plausible. I sat one evening for about an hour, on the ground in the southwest corner of the meadow, when I figured the area had too much of my scent. The rascals never showed that whole day.