Mmmmm ... elk [/homer]

[sumpnz]

This weekend I'll finally be going on my first scouting trip ahead of elk season. I drew a tag for anterless elk in Unit 9 for the early (mid-October) hunt. For those not familiar with AZ hunt units, that one is N-NW of Flagstaff and includes the South Rim of the Grand Canyon at the norther end of the unit. The area we'll be scouting this weekend is the Coconino Rim - east of the Grand Canyon Village - in the Kaibab National Forrest.

Luckilly there is no overlap with any other hunting seasons at that time (well, except for bighorn sheep - but there's all of 1 tag for that unit and season). The unit is 1600 sq. mi. and there's only 400 tags for that hunt, so there shouldn't be too much trouble with other hunters getting in our way or us getting in their way.

Any particularly helpful hints for what to look for? Obviously tracks, scat, beds, water, and clearings with grass will be high on the list.

 

[~z]

Quit smoking and wear good boots
~z

 

[Vern Humphrey]

Tracks are important -- as are droppings. They tell you where the elk have been, and will likely be again.

When you have time, I find the best thing is to scout as I hunt -- moving slowly and glassing continuously. Camp outside your hunting area so you don't drive them away.

Once you have found tracks and droppings, try to find a place overlooking that area and spend the day there glassing and noting when the elk arrive, from which direction, and how they leave.

 

[Sunray]

"...The unit is 1600 sq. mi..." A guide.

 

[killzone]

good luck

I now a few people that hunted in that area. There are good size Elk out there. I hope it turns out Ok for you,,,

 

[sumpnz]

Quit smoking and wear good boots

Never started and have a pair that survived a 3 day hike through the Grand Canyon.

"...The unit is 1600 sq. mi..." A guide.

NOt affordable. Besides, once you cut out Grand Canyon Nat. Park, and the areas the elk never go, it ain't that bad. I just got back from the scouting trip and we could hear elk bugeling within a couple hundred yards of where we were glassing. Couldn't see him, though, becuase of the thick trees.

Tracks are important -- as are droppings. They tell you where the elk have been, and will likely be again.

Found plenty of those, along with obvious beds. Several fresh enough to have been used within the last day or two.

I now a few people that hunted in that area. There are good size Elk out there. I hope it turns out Ok for you,,,

Thanks! Season opens Oct 14. We're planning to head out on the 12th and scout again all day on the 13th. Unfortunatly work and family stuff keeps my partner and I from scouting any more than that.

 

[Bottom Gun]

Sumpnz,

My advice:
Find water and grass. They won't be far away. Walk and listen. They will still be bugling during the early hunt. Chase the bugles because the cows won't be far away. Wear camo washed in detergeant without UV brighteners. They are like deer and can see UV. Clothing washed in regular detergeant glows like white under a black light to their eyes.

Take a good cow call like a Hoochie Mama and use it when you move about. If you do it properly, the elk will hear you but think you are a cow coming toward them. It will allow you to get closer to them. It will sometimes also stop elk long enough for you to shoot if you squeeze it as they are moving past you.

Take a bugle call along if you want to have some fun playing with the bulls after dusk. Last year, Pamm and I called a nice one up within 10 ft before he discovered us. We could smell him and we heard every breath he took. It was damned exciting.

Take a GOOD 8X binocular and USE it. Don't walk more then 20 yd without looking ahead with it. You'll be glad you did.

Be sure to have a good compass and GPS. That country all looks the same in some areas and landmarks disappear at night. It will save you from "taking the long way back" as we say.

I don't know what elk experience you have but if you take a shot and the animal doesn't instantly drop, make absolutely sure you missed before you shoot another animal. They are incredibly tough animals and can soak up an amazing amount of lead without showing any sign of being hit.
A .308 or .30-06 will kill them but may or may not drop them in their tracks. I've seen them take several good hits from a 7MM Mag without going down. I've also had them run almost 100 yd after punching through their lungs with my .338 but that rifle usually drops them where they stand.

Pamm (my lady) and I will also be hunting the early cow hunt (Oct 14-20) but our tags are in 5BS.

Good luck on your hunt, Sir. Be sure to take warm clothing and rain gear. Temperatures are normally in the 20's at night and there is often an early blizzard during that hunt.

Hunt safely and shoot well.

Ken

 

[sumpnz]

Wear camo washed in detergeant without UV brighteners.

Didn't think of that. I'll have to look for that detergent at Sportsman's Warehouse.

Take a good cow call like a Hoochie Mama and use it when you move about. If you do it properly, the elk will hear you but think you are a cow coming toward them. It will allow you to get closer to them. It will sometimes also stop elk long enough for you to shoot if you squeeze it as they are moving past you.

Good idea. I didn't know there were cow elk calls available. Another item to look for at SW.

Take a GOOD 8X binocular and USE it. Don't walk more then 20 yd without looking ahead with it. You'll be glad you did.

I've got Steiner 9x40's. I did that all the time while scouting.

Be sure to have a good compass and GPS. That country all looks the same in some areas and landmarks disappear at night. It will save you from "taking the long way back" as we say.

Done.

I don't know what elk experience you have

This is my first time elk hunting. Last year was my first time deer hunting. What can I say, dad wasn't even remotely into hunting and wouldn't let me have so much as a BB gun growing up.

if you take a shot and the animal doesn't instantly drop, make absolutely sure you missed before you shoot another animal. They are incredibly tough animals and can soak up an amazing amount of lead without showing any sign of being hit.

I've gathered as much. I'm planning on taking at least one follow up shot, so long as she doesn't bolt before I have the chance.

Good luck on your hunt, Sir. Be sure to take warm clothing and rain gear. Temperatures are normally in the 20's at night and there is often an early blizzard during that hunt.

Go it covered.

Hunt safely and shoot well.

That's the plan.

Good luck on your hunt too. Be sure to post an after action report.

 

[Bottom Gun]

Will do. Hopefully we'll have some good pics to post as well.

Look for the Hoochie Mamma cow call. It's a squeeze call so there's no talent required. If you can play a bicycle horn, you can use this call. It's one of the better calls and it sounds just like a cow.

Did I mention a bone saw? Take it if you have one. It will make things a lot easier.

What's your plan after you knock one down? Are you going to quarter it or take it out whole? It's very important to get the hide off as soon as you can. The hide is so thick and insulates so well, the meat will spoil rapidly with the hide on.

You also need to think about how you are going to hang it since you'll most likely hang it at least overnight.

Also, I would not leave an animal hanging unattended. At least one gentleman had his animal stolen from the hanging tree in our unit last year and I heard of two other guys who scared away thieves trying to steal elk from their camp.

I saw lots of unsportsmanlike conduct in our unit last year including shooting from pickups, spot lighting, etc. I spoke to the fish cops about it last year but they weren't real interested in hearing about it. The response was "Call us when you see it happening".
It's unfortunate, but that's the way it is so you need to act accordingly.
Hopefully, we'll see less of that stuff this year.l

 

[sumpnz]

Did I mention a bone saw? Take it if you have one. It will make things a lot easier.

That's also on the list of things to buy. However, my hunting partner and his dad (who will be camp cook) each have one, so I may just use their's.

What's your plan after you knock one down? Are you going to quarter it or take it out whole? It's very important to get the hide off as soon as you can. The hide is so thick and insulates so well, the meat will spoil rapidly with the hide on.

Depends on where it goes down. If we;re lucky and a truck can get into the kill sight reasonably easily we'll gut it and then load it in the truck and drive it camp to skin and butcher. If not, it'll get skined and quartered at the kill sight and humped out to camp or to a spot where we can get the truck in. Then it'll get butchered at the camp sight. Either way we don't really plan on hanging it overnight unless the kill is made at dusk.

Also, I would not leave an animal hanging unattended. At least one gentleman had his animal stolen from the hanging tree in our unit last year and I heard of two other guys who scared away thieves trying to steal elk from their camp.

Hopefully that won't happen, but I'll keep it in mind. Most of the trees in the area we'll be camping have pretty high branches for their first level. I suppose we could hoist it out of easy reach if needbe.

 

[Lennyjoe]

One last thing, call me when I can come and pick up my steaks.

Good luck and enjoy the hunt. I'm up to 2 bonus points so far. Maybe next year I'll get drawn.

 

[sumpnz]

Lenny - If I get one, I'll try to remember to bring some jerky to the shoot in Yuma on Nov 5.

 

[Lennyjoe]

Groovy!

 

[rick_reno]

Get some topo maps before you go, you can narrow down your scouting trip by looking at them at home and then only going to "good" spots. Find water, you'll probably find elk. They gotta drink.

 

[bailer]

I just got back from an archery hunt in 7. Didn't get a shot, but had several good opportunities to get close. This was a strange year. There is grass and water virtually everywhere. The elk aren't moving as much as they usually do. Rather than move out into the big meadows to feed at night, they're staying in small pockets of grass in the heavy cover. They are just now starting to bugle a little bit. If I were scouting this weekend, I'd drive around the FS roads at night with the windows down. Every mile or two stop for 20 minutes and listen. Make notes of the areas that you heard elk and check them out in daylight.

 

[sumpnz]

rick_reno - Way ahead of you. Actually we picked the spot becuase last year while scouting for deer my hunting partner saw tons of elk in that area. Then he found the topos his dad has for the area and we used those to narrow down alternate locations.

 

[JohnDog]

Sumpnz,

We hunted deer in 9 last year, during the first week of November. Saw two of the biggest bull elk I have ever seen. They were just feeding through an area I was still hunting in - totally unconcerned. I had to yell at one and wave my arms just to keep him from walking up to me. I saw a lot of cows also.

We camped to the east of the main road up to Tusayan, north of Red Butte. We actually saw more elk there than up by the border of the park. Despite what the sign says at the entrance you can take firearms into the park. Check at gate with a ranger as this might have changed from last year. We took the bolts out of our rifles and kept them in locked cases in the trunk (per ranger instructions). The main road that goes east from the village has access roads into the forest, although you can link through from Tusayan, it is much faster to go on the paved highway.

Get a forest service map for the Kaibab, and look for the little blue "tank" symbols. They designate little resevoirs that Game and Fish have built to hold water for the animals. A quick check around them can show how many animals are in the area, and if they are using the "tank" for water.

Camper services at the village have pay showers - good if you're getting a bit "gamey". And Tusayan has fast food and restaurants! We were cruising thru after hunting trying to figure out what dinner we would cook in the dark when my hunting partner and I spied the Pizza Hut sign!! A campfire, cold beer and a pizza after a full day of hunting - it don't get much better than that!

Hope this helps - JohnDog

 

[Bwana John]

look for the little blue "tank" symbols, they designate little resevoirs that Game and Fish have built to hold water for the animals

Most of the "tanks" are built for cattle ranching.

Try to find a "trick tank" (or guzzler), that is the kind built for wildlife, and will contain water much longer. Hell, most of the trick tanks around here even have blinds and salt blocks on them.

 

[sumpnz]

We camped to the east of the main road up to Tusayan, north of Red Butte. We actually saw more elk there than up by the border of the park. Despite what the sign says at the entrance you can take firearms into the park. Check at gate with a ranger as this might have changed from last year. We took the bolts out of our rifles and kept them in locked cases in the trunk (per ranger instructions). The main road that goes east from the village has access roads into the forest, although you can link through from Tusayan, it is much faster to go on the paved highway.

That's almost exactly where we were scouting. We've picked out a great camping spot that should mean not much more than a 1/2 mile hike to where we'd like to hunt. There is a road just at the south end of Tusayan that will get us into the area without have to go through the gate to the park. It'll be a little slower but then we won't have to worry about the guns or getting charged for the access.

Camper services at the village have pay showers - good if you're getting a bit "gamey".

The way the weather's been I may just plan on bathing at the camp in mid-afternoon. Warm the water up on the camp fire real good and it should be tolerable. 'Course if we tag out soon enough that may not even be necessary.

 

[bearmgc]

It doesn't hurt to use some spray on scent cover. Its worked for me. Another thing, don't stop hunting midday as satellight bulls often move. Look for mountain ledges or terraces that face the wind, preferably at the edge of wood plots. They will sit up there cooling themselves off. Don't ignore even the smallest pine stand on the downward slope of mountains...you'd be surprised what sits in there. Good luck.

 

[Bottom Gun]

That's right. These elk are on the move all day long.
Stay out all day. Don't waste time going back to camp at midday.
I shot one a couple of years ago when it walked by as I was eating my lunch.

 

[sumpnz]

Another thing, don't stop hunting midday as satellight bulls often move.

I've got a cow tag, but point taken. Last year when deer hunting I got my only shot off around 11AM. Was so excited I pulled it and missed at only about 40 yards.

I've always worked on the assumption that you're wasteing valuable hunting time if you don't need a flashlight when leaving and returning to camp.

 

[Bottom Gun]

We have cow tags too. There isn't much difference. The cows are just as active as the bulls all day long.

Two years ago when I didn't have a tag, I went out anyway just before the season opened and I spent three weeks in the brush with my video camera. I shot film from sunup to sundown and got some fantastic footage of elk doing their thing.
I was surprised to discover the elk were so active during the day. I had never paid as close attention to them in the past because I was always huntiung rather than simply observing. I found they were most active at dusk when they came in to graze, but they also came to water all day long. They were just as active in the late morning and all afternoon as they were in early morning.

They are creatures of habit and they do follow the same trails. I also noticed that they always swim across water in the same places not only day after day, but they use the same crossing year after year. I've been hunting an area for six years and have noticed the elk use the same trails and water crossings every year.

If you do find a well used trail, stay on it because sooner or later an elk will trot down it.

My two cents. . . . . . . . .

 

[sumpnz]

Well, I've done my final sight in, and then some target practice from unsupported positions with the target at 100 yards. Suffice to say, standing and shooting offhand will not be happening at 100 yards while an elk is in the scope. However, I did pretty well at sitting and kneeling. Kept 6 out of 10 shots within 4" of POA, and the other 4 were still within 6-6.5" of POA. Not ideal, but good enough. Especially since where I'll be at I doubt I'll even have a chance at a shot much over 100 yards anyway. If I do, all I need is a tree branch for a rest.

 

[Vern Humphrey]

I have a little game I play with my M82 Kimber in .22 LR. I take a standard 11-bull, 50 foot NRA target and put five or ten rounds into each bull, shooting from the standing, unsupported position at 50 feet, and working the bolt from the shoulder. The rifle doesn't leave my shoulder until the magazine is empty.

After a while, I try to keep everything in the 8 ring and speed up my shooting -- I don't really hurry, I just shoot when it looks good and cut out wasted motion. Do this four or five times a week for a month or two and see what it does for your high power skills.

Note: The trick to shooting offhand is to hold the rifle at the balance, NOT out on the forearm, and get the left or supporting forearm vertical.