When to Let Go?

[otcWill]

I am firm believer in the idea that guys become so attached to a decent/crappy spot that it prevents them from ever finding great elk hunting. I think this (having a bad spot) is the number one reason a lot of guys strike out. I realize it is a tough bridge to cross (accepting the idea that your spot, which you\'ve learned and put so much time/effort into, is not worth hunting any more). My question to you is: When do you let go of a spot and search for greener pastures?
I\'m not talking about switching to plan B, C, etc. I\'m talking about calling it quits on an area/unit/state you\'ve been hunting in order to find a really great area. For me, If I hunted a season and only saw a few elk every couple days that would do it. Also, if I ran into hunters more than a few times, I\'d go elsewhere. What say you?

 

[cohunter14]

I think this is a difficult question Will. I recently went through it, so I can lend my thoughts. I think the most difficult thing about leaving an area you have hunted forever is the fact that you know the area and what the elk do. This can take years and years to figure out. The area we left a few years ago, we could see the writing on the wall for awhile: lack of elk, elk sign, and filled tags. But it is always easy to look back on the memories of the filled tags and think it was just a \'bad year.\' Part of me still wonders about that area and I am still tempted to return there for one more try to see if it is back to normal.

The other thing that is difficult is knowing if you have found a good area when you move on. As I said before, it takes years and years to know an area. I have now been gone from my previous area for four years and have hunted three different areas over those years. I wish now that we would have picked one area and hunted it all four years, but lack of success, impatience, and lack of being able to draw one of the areas every year has all factored in. At the end of the day, we are seeing elk every year, but not as many as we would like. We are still learning the areas and the patterns of the elk. That leads to less tags being filled and wondering every year if we have a good area or not...

So, maybe the definition of a \'good area\' matters, or how each person defines them. For example, does seeing elk every year make an area good? Does filling a tag every year make an area good? Or does having an opportunity at a 300\"+ bull every year make an area good? Everyone will have their own opinions there. Another question would be how many years a person thinks it takes to learn an area and pattern the elk. How long will you commit to an area before looking for \'greener pastures\'?

As you can tell, this is something I fight with a lot :lol:

 

[Swede]

Good question Will. I am in that spot right now. The area I have hunted for well over 20 years, and consistently taken elk has become very poor. It has diminished over a long period, so I may have been like the frog we hear about, that is placed in cool water over an open flame. The water heats slowly enough that the frog stays put until it dies.
Recognizing the problem is 90% of what is involved with solving it. I plan to scout a couple on new areas this next summer after looking more online at them. The difficulty is in determining how good a place will be during hunting season. Hunting pressure and movement of elk may be something I can only learn from experience.

 

[cnelk]

I know some guys that would die for a decent spot, and great spots seems to be few and far between.
I have been hunting my areas for 25 years. I honestly couldnt tell you if they are \'decent\' or \'great\'.

I started out hunting a small area, prob a couple miles in diameter. After many years, the area now encompasses 100sq miles.
So shall I assume that I am still hunting the same area?
I still hunt that first couple mile spot once in awhile, and I would classify it as \'decent\'

Hunter numbers was the biggest reason for me to expand on my base.

With the technology and resources these days, with some online scouting, a few phone calls, a couple PMs and a person should have a \'decent spot\'
But IMO, it takes at least 2 years of hunting and boot leather to determine that, maybe 3 years.
It would show you numbers of elk and numbers of hunters

If a person really wanted to see how hunter numbers impact an area, hunt it during the week - Tues thru Thurs.
If there are plenty of people around then, definitely go find another spot.

I have have some great elk spots, next to roads and camps that I only hunt Tues - Thurs....

Like the old saying goes... \'Timing is Everything\'

 

[iccyman001]

Great question Will.


I base my spots solely off of my gut. I scout my tail off and find areas I like. Then depending on the day and the wind, I hunt the area or stands that my gut tells me to go.

I have had a few areas that my gut just told me to move on to bigger and better places.

 

[JohnFitzgerald]

Great question Will! For me, I\'d rather hunt a new spot than a spot that produced no elk in 1 - 2 days of hunting it. Doing this year after year will help you build up a collection of honey holes. mobility, mobility, mobility.......go to where the elk are!

 

[cohunter14]

Great question Will! For me, I\'d rather hunt a new spot than a spot that produced no elk in 1 - 2 days of hunting it. Doing this year after year will help you build up a collection of honey holes. mobility, mobility, mobility.......go to where the elk are!

John, would that opinon change at all if you were hunting the rifle season when they are not vocal? This is something I have struggled with over the years, but I think would be a heck of a lot easier if the elk are vocal and you\'ll know if they are close. For me, if I hunt the same general area for a few days and haven\'t stumbled on elk, part of me just wonders if they are around but I haven\'t been fortunate enough to get a visual on them. This is obviously easier with snow.

Another question for you on this subject: how far do you relocate to? One mile, ten miles, etc?

 

[Scot320]

I moved on due to circumstances beyond my control?mainly lack of consistent hunting partners (due to cost of the hunt and vacation constraints), cost of renting horses and my age.

So I went to work researching a new area and when I was confident I was on the right track I reached out to Brad and he not only confirmed my research but zeroed me in even farther.

Now I am researching and Google scouting around my core area to come up with plan B, C, D, E and F.

 

[AndyJ]

GREAT TOPIC. This is one of those things I try drive home when I talk to guys who are just starting out or haven\'t had much luck. Whitetail hunters in particular seem to have trouble with this concept. With the exception of a few stragglers here and there, elk, being the herd animals that they are, are either there or they\'re not, plain and simple.

This year was, for me, a perfect example. I had two spots that my partner and I have been hunting for years. In the last three years, we have killed three good bulls within 100 yards of each other. These two spots have been the definition of a honey hole...until this last year. Our area got HAMMERED by other hunters. Typically we walk in to these areas and have an elk down within two mornings. This year we just struggled to find them for a week. My buddy had to leave, but I stayed, for the next week I struggled with wanting to leave the area. It has been so good. In the end I decided the areas were toast and decided to move on. I got in the truck and drove about 15 miles down the road and found better hunting but still not great. I got back in the truck and drove another 15 miles and started to pick random spots that I didn\'t think any other hunter would have a reason to look at. Lo and behold, I found elk. Lots of elk and some good bulls. If I had been married to my old spots the season probably would have been a bust. The moral of this story is if you are not finding elk every day and killing one is your goal-MOVE! The elk are out there. They have no problem moving to new spots so neither should you. Somewhere out there, probably in your current unit, is a spot that even the Primos guys would say is really good hunting. If you\'re not in that spot, go find it!

 

[Deertick]

The moral of this story is if you are not finding elk every day and killing one is your goal-MOVE! The elk are out there. They have no problem moving to new spots so neither should you. Somewhere out there, probably in your current unit, is a spot that even the Primos guys would say is really good hunting. If you\'re not in that spot, go find it!

Sounds like pretty good advice.

 

[cnelk]

There have been years I put over 800 miles on my truck in a week, looking for elk, not leaving the unit.

I like to tell people \'First hunt FOR the elk, then hunt for the ELK\'.

 

[cohunter14]

Brad, I know you hunt both rifle and bow seasons. Does this apply for both of those with you? Like I mentioned earlier, I assume it is easier to find elk when they are vocal. Andy J, I would pose the same question to you as well: assuming you are a bow hunter, would the same tactics apply to rifle season?

What I feel makes this difficult to do is the fact that I can\'t just jump out of the truck and throw a location bugle out there during rifle season. Unless I can find a high spot to glass from, it would involve covering a lot of ground with the boots, which I am fine with, but just curious if those are the tactics you are all talking about.

 

[cnelk]

Derek,
I agree, during rifle season you cant quite dive off a trail and send a location bugle to see what response you get.
We always talk about scouting with boots on the ground and I believe that a successful rifle hunter has to put in even more effort in scouting.

Weather is a bigger factor during rifle seasons and that can be a major setback in your hunt.

When I rifle hunt elk, I am looking for a concentration of feeding and bedding areas because that is priority for the elk at that time.

By the time rifle season rolls around, the elk are ready to move, Either by weather or hunting pressure and that is why I think it takes longer to figure out an area for rifle season than it does for archery. One day the area can be void of animals and the next day your group can fill out.

Anymore, private land plays a huge roll in the safety of an elk. They know where it is and so should you...

 

[AndyJ]

Good question Derek. I am mainly a bowhunter, but have rifle hunted for elk on a few years with a list B tag. For me it is all about finding travel corridors, mainly saddles, and fresh sign. I tend to move a lot during rifle season and I spend a lot of time glassing. I would say I move as much during rifle season as archery. If I am not finding elk or really fresh sign or I find a lot of other hunters, I go somewhere else. Keep your eyes open for not just elk sign but other hunter signs: snickers wrappers, water bottles (please pick them up) toilet paper (probably best if you leave that alone) new flagging and boot tracks all let you know someone has been in your area. If they are old it is no big deal but if it looks like fresh sign and a lot of it, I personally just turn around and go somewhere else. I would say one of the most important things to remember is know the habits of hunters in your area. If you are hunting a wilderness area, going deeper may not be the best option and actually you may hike into the crowds. If you hunt an area with a lot of roads and trails then finding the deep areas may be the key. I always try to keep in mind, where are elk most likely to be left alone. It isn\'t always where you would first think. Sometimes it is a spot right under everyone\'s nose but is never hunted because they walk past it to get to the \"good spots\".

One last thing that can be really helpful is to get up at 2-3 am and blow the occasional locator bugle. Elk can get pretty talkative at night regardless of the time of year. I have heard bulls bugle in June and in January. Don\'t go nuts with it, but get to some good high points, blow a bugle and listen for up to 20 minutes and try not to fall asleep.

I hope that helps. I know it is kind of a catch all answer but that is kind of how I hunt. Just keep trying things until something works. You bring up a good point though, rifle hunting is not easy despite what a lot of others think. When elk aren\'t talking much it really becomes like finding a needle in a haystack.

 

[cohunter14]

Good info guys. I think I am going to have to apply some of that to how I hunt, at least until I learn a new area well enough. I tend to focus on the same general area, knowing that at some point it should hold elk. This worked in the past, but since I have moved on from my old spot, it hasn\'t given me as much success. I like the idea of going after them instead of waiting for them to show up too... Is it October yet??? :lol: