Last Resort

[Swede]

When things are not going well on my elk hunt and I have had no shots at an acceptable elk, there is one place I always go. That place is never hot, but it can produce any day of the season. I have several places that may be hot for awhile, but when they go cold, nothing will happen there for the remainder of the season. This little hole is in a draw and has several trails going right through it. There is a good spring there and bulls sometimes come to wallow. I always feel good just knowing I can go there and have a chance, regardless of how the season has gone.
Do any of you have a place that is almost a home away from home in the forest, where you can go, when otherwise you might get discouraged?

 

[OldMan]

I sure do. It\'s a huge bench in deep timber. More than one creek run through it. I have never ever seen another hunter there. There\'s an old cabin there, that I imagine a mountain man lived in. It\'s at 9000ft, and pretty easy to get to, but you would never dream it held elk. It actually holds elk all year. It\'s a place that takes me away from the rest of the world.

It has one problem for me though, and the reason I don\'t go there very often. Please don\'t take this the wrong way, but i\'m sure some will. I don\'t know how to stop some of you from doing that. All I can do is be honest about how I feel about this spot.

The reason I don\'t go there very often is it\'s just too easy to kill an elk there. I know, i\'m crazy, but it\'s perfect for still hunting. The elk have no pressure. I just don\'t feel it\'s enough of a challenge. However, if i\'ve had a bad hunt, and it\'s the last day, and my freezer is empty. I will go there.

I actually love going there when it isn\'t hunting season. Just to hang out, and watch the elk.

 

[cnelk]

I do too.
In fact I have a place the Swede describes and a place that Pete describes.

 

[Deertick]

I\'ve had spots like that for

whitetails ... a little plum thicket on the north side of a sandhill ... always a producer, but there was always lower-hanging fruit

pheasants ... again, a little patch of cover in the middle of a field

but I don\'t have that spot for elk just yet. Several candidates exist, but I need more time to see if they really pan out.

---

Oh, and I got a new spot like that for turkeys last weekend. The farmer said \"They usually come to the silage around 8:30 or so.\"

 

[elkmtngear]

I\'ve got one.

I\'m strongly considering using it as a \"first resort\" rather than a last resort...because if I kill an elk there it will be two or three days of hard work getting it out. :train:

 

[OldMan]

That\'s the beauty of my spot. My Jeeps tires never have to touch dirt, and my hike to the spot is 20 minutes. All downhill coming back with the meat.

I wasn\'t kidding when I said it was an easy hunt. The spot will be my gift to someone I can trust when I retire from elk hunting.

 

[cohunter14]

Not that I need a spot, but that \'spot\' sounds a lot easier than some of mine! So Pete...thinking of \'retiring\' soon? :lol: I hate getting my truck dirty

 

[OldMan]

I\'m past that with mine. It always looks like I just ran a mud race.

 

[cohunter14]

Hahaha, as am I. My truck was about 2 weeks old and had less than 400 miles on it when it had it\'s first antelope in the back. It\'s been downhill since then, lol. Those Colorado pin stripes look good though