The Campfire Chat...

\"cohunter14\" said:
Lol AB, no worries. I know some people don\'t use fires at camp, so I guess I should have titled the thread something different :shh:

For those of you who have killed multiple elk, what is the average day that you make your kill? Opening day, day ten, etc. I am interested to see this. For me, surprisingly, we have had a lot of success on day two. I can only remember one or two elk ever taken opening morning in our camp.
Click to expand...


I\'ve killed elk on day one, day ten, and probably almost every day in between. I think the average is probably somewhere after day 5 for us, though. :think:

Seems like it always takes me three or four days to really get tuned in to what the elk are doing, and sometimes I have to do some relocating to get in the right place. And maybe I\'ll capitalize on the first good encounter...but odds are it\'s gonna take several encounters before I can make the conversion.
 
Swede mentioned that \"in some units\" elk seem to \"migrate in a circular pattern\".

How do I know if that sort of thing is going on where I hunt?

What kind of terrain makes elk move like that, versus the other options of just staying \"put\" or wandering aimlessly and possibly not ever returning?

I would think that it\'s got to have something to do with feed sources, water sources, terrain, pressure ... that sort of thing?
 
Tick: good question. There are only two ways I know of to determine if the elk travel in a circuit or not. Get plenty of experience with an area, or ask someone you can rely on. Often where you see elk that travel around, you will not see them for a few days, then they are all over the place for a day or maybe two then they are gone again.

The most common day for me to kill an elk is the first one of the season. The first four days of the season are good, but it tapers off after that. It used to be that the first two weeks were best for tree stand hunting, but where I hunt the elk are being pushed off the Forest earlier and earlier. Often the last week of the season is still fair, as the rut gets started and they are on the move more. The average time it tak3es me to kill an elk is about 10 days. Every time I think I am cutting down that average, then I get a bad year and I wonder if I am optimistic saying 10 days.
 
I\'ve actually seen this in two areas.

You probably won\'t know if this is happening in your area without spending a bunch of time there.

One of those units had been hunted in by the same group of people for over a decade. They knew where the holes where, and when to move on to the next one.

The terrain in both areas was about the same. About 10,000, not super steep, NF, a lot good feeding / watering / security areas.

My guess is the lead cow would just take them to one of the bedding areas each morning.

So this brings up another question. Do elk return to their bedding areas using the same route they used to go to their feeding areas? Or is it more of a circle? If more of circle, then I can see how a circuit could develop over time.

AB
 
Elk may have different areas. Where I have hunted, the elk use the same places time after time. That is why I am able to set up tree stands near bedding areas that offer a higher probability or recurring use. A hunter should be able to tell by checking rubs and beds in likely bedding areas. I would look for beds and rubs that have either repeated use, or in the case of rubs both old and new in a small area.
 
not at all in life, but at work i hated full moons an red heads. full moons cause people just do stupid stuff, an red heads cause they seem to bleed more. no data backing either one, just my perspective.
btw is this fire legal, i never know what the laws are about fires so i never have one
 
\"bnsafe\" said:
not at all in life, but at work i hated full moons an red heads. full moons cause people just do stupid stuff, an red heads cause they seem to bleed more. no data backing either one, just my perspective.
Click to expand...

Scott, you must have worked in the E.R., I have shared your observations over the years! :lol:

I\'m a \"cold camper\" as well. If I\'m so cold and lonely...why do I never want to come home from the High Country? :crazy:

Probably because I am tired of dealing with \"full moon people\" and redheads (I married one BTW) :silent:
 
I\'m not superstitious.
I think this campfire is permissible as Dana keeps a good screen over it so the sparks don\'t fly.
 
op room jeff, we could share stories all night just on work stuff. lol. but that would be illegal.
good to see dana is keeping a cover over the fire. sometimes theres some hot air that could flame it, lol.
 
Here\'s a good question for you guys: how many days until the archery opener? How about MZ? And 1st rifle? :agg:
 
When setup working a bull, are you normally standing, kneeling or sitting? I assume terrain and cover will dictate that somewhat but what is preferred?
 
Im one of those guys that likes to kneel.
I have found that there are less branches to shoot thru than if you are standing [if set up in thick cover]

If in more open cover I will sometimes stand in front of a tree
 
sitting flat on my butt seems to be my preferred method, but, where i hunt kneeling would be best, i would stand where i could though.
 
\"cnelk\" said:
Im one of those guys that likes to kneel.
I have found that there are less branches to shoot thru than if you are standing [if set up in thick cover]

If in more open cover I will sometimes stand in front of a tree
Click to expand...


I\'m a \"kneeler\" as well. I\'ve heard a lot of successful guys kill elk standing, but like Brad stated, seems kneeling is usually the best way to get a clear shot in the timber/ aspen country I hunt in.

If I\'m \"working\" a bull, oftentimes I\'m shielding my way to a position where I can stab my decoy down, call, and then and move away from it. So I\'m kneeling, then I\'m up, etc.
 
If I\'m doing a silent calling routine, where I expect to give it at least an hour for things to develop, I find a good setup location and park my tail on a stump, log, rock, or what ever else might be handy. Kneeling will only put your legs to sleep in a long haul like that and you will be constantly moving to keep half way comfortable. Movement is NEVER good.

For run & gun type hunting, I prefer to be standing. I feel I have more versatility to pivot from side to side if the need arises without having to shuffle my knees around in the dry grass and leaves.
 
the area i hunted in Colorado, the elk fed and bedded in the same spots day after day. and that was the same for the two years we hunted it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Members online

No members online now.
Total: 15 (members: 0, guests: 15)

Latest posts

Share this page

Back
Top