Opposite game?

[twilliams212]

I read on another forum the other day (or possibly an old thread on this one) a post about elk finding tips. As you can imagine, there were comments and input from about every angle, with some being helpful and others not so much. One comment I read was 'do the opposite of what the majority of hunters do'. Obviously, Elk want to avoid human pressure, but what is "it" that most hunters do when the enter the forest that we should try and do the opposite of? Without specifically reaching out to that individual, I'm curious to hear what this forum's members interpretation is of this statement. Most online hunting influencers preach north facing slopes, dark timber, get off the roads/trails, etc., so I imagine the majority of the online followers would stick to those tactics. But are they the majority? If so, how would do you "do" the opposite of this? Perhaps I took what that individual posted too literally, but I thought it was an interesting comment, and it really started making me try to think outside the box (rather unsuccessfully, mind you).

 

[cohunter14]

This can apply a number of different ways in my opinion. What do other hunters do? Many, in my experience, are either lazy or afraid of getting lost and hunt within 1/4 to 1/2 mile from a road, or they want to "go deep" and head five miles into the wilderness. Many hunters use trailheads or roads with easier access. Very few hunters want to drop elevation to start their hunt because they have to hike back up or pack an animal uphill. Steep terrain or other barriers like a river crossing are also things that other hunters tend to avoid.

These are just a few things to consider. So, how do you take these and apply it?
- Get more than 1/2 mile from a road, but don't use a trailhead to get miles back in. If I were to ever hunt a trailhead, I'd go maybe a mile or less in and branch off the trailhead a half mile or more and hunt from there.
- Avoid other areas that have easier access, whether it's the road getting in, a trail of some sort heading into the woods, or an old, closed road that hunters can use to hike into an area.
- Consider spots on a map where hunters probably won't go, i.e. dropping elevation from a road, steep elevation, or a river crossing that isn't simply done.

Using the above, I've found great spots over the years that hold elk, and many of them can be less than 1/2 mile from a road if you apply them correctly.

 

[ribo451]

Most of the things you mentioned are true. North slopes and getting away from people and all that. I would do what works whether others are doing that or something entirely different. I hear people say that elk are call shy where I hunt but I call in elk every year and get responses easily. They don't always come in but I can usually get them to talk. I would pay attention to what successful elk hunters do and try those things. Chuck Adams only calls to locate elk then tries to get close enough for a shot and he is incredibly successful. Nate Simmons has seemingly endless patience and will watch animals for days until a good situation arises for a stalk. I'm not in their league but I have been fairly successful. I cover lots of ground looking for elk sign. I do as Cohunter14 said and I use trails to get into an area and then I get away from the trail. Unless there is elk sign on it. I call all the time. Usually light herd talk type calling with quite bugles in the early season then I get more aggressive as the season moves on. If I get a bugle response early I will start ramping up intensity in my calling. I've gotten bulls that weren't all that excited fired up enough to come in even in late August. The biggest thing I tell people is that you aren't going to learn as much from reading and e-scouting as you will from being in the woods. The more time you spend in elk country the more you will learn and the more opportunities you will have. I would also advocate for keeping a journal. I seem to forget a lot of things that a journal would remember. That can help you start to recognize patterns of things that work.