Is there such a thing? Most of what I read/see that pertains to elk indicates that you need to be able to do a useful amount of stalking and walking, often on rough ground. I've never read or seen anything that suggests elk are ever hunted from a stand; am I missing something? Perhaps for does only?
Elk hunting from a stand?
- Thread starter BrianBM
- Start date
seansean1444
New member
never elk hunted but i mean it seems like it would work to me? why not? may be sitting there a while but thats hunting.
Where I hunt Elk the mountain slopes are in some cases 800 ft high. walk 50 ft and you are up 40 higher in elevation. There are many natural high points so an elevated stand is mostly unnecessary. I have seen a portable overlooking a wallow that I am sure belongs to an archer.
O and female elk are cow's.
O and female elk are cow's.
Double Naught Spy
New member
A given elk may not be in the exact same place from day to day, but being set up in an area frequented by elk certainly may produce a huntable encounter. If you can ascertain a group's daily circuit, the it may be possible for you to set up at their areas of feeding, drinking, travel corridors, or near their bedding areas. Bulls certainly may return to the same wallow several times.
http://www.trophyelk.com/elkinfo/elkinfo.htm
http://www.muleymadness.com/stories/cory.php
Around 1990, I worked out by Apache Creek, NM. Every morning, we would see a herd of elk out in the plain SW of us. That isn't to say that they were in the exact same place in the field each time, but that they were in the same general area every morning
The following suggests tree stands are not idea not because elk don't occupy the same place twice, but since tree cover may obliterate too much view.
http://books.google.com/books?id=RX...ved=0CDUQ6AEwBTgK#v=onepage&q=pattern&f=false
I was speaking from my experience. Elk can surely be patterned but when opening day of first rifle season opens all bets are off. You haven't seen hunting pressure until you have tried hunting rifle seasons in the NW part of Colorado. Remember we are the only State that I know of that has herds large enough to offer OTC tags. Hunting pressure here can be enormous and you have to experience it to understand what I'm talking about.
I have buddies who have been successful with climbing tree stands during archery season. I see it as a waste of time during rifle season. If you want to find elk in high pressure areas you have to be willing to sneak into the deepest, darkest, coldest, nastiest timber and oak brush to find elk. Elk are where you find them and are rarely where you want them to be during rifle seasons.
I have buddies who have been successful with climbing tree stands during archery season. I see it as a waste of time during rifle season. If you want to find elk in high pressure areas you have to be willing to sneak into the deepest, darkest, coldest, nastiest timber and oak brush to find elk. Elk are where you find them and are rarely where you want them to be during rifle seasons.
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taylor nailed it. Even in areas without lots of pressure, once the first hunters hit the woods, and the first rifle shot cracks, all patterning of elk goes down the crapper. Plus, in Idaho now, the wolves are running the herds wild (and ragged).
You don't have to be in shape to hunt elk, but, where we hunt, it increases your odds.
You don't have to be in shape to hunt elk, but, where we hunt, it increases your odds.
Kreyzhorse
New member
Kentucky has a pretty large elk herd and from what I've read, it's pretty much a spot and stalk on them in hilly, rough country.
YARDDOG(1)
New member
Floridas Elk heard has gone down, I Don't recall EVER seing a Elk in FL 
Y/D
Y/D
walkin around a big mountain looking for Mr. elk , when all you got to do is nail up a stand and sip coffe til he show,s up!!! Hey just kiddin,,,Thank you all. Taylorforce, would it once you've found the thickest, nastiest, densest timber/scrub you can find, would it be a viable hunting strategy to simply head into the densest part of the mess, sit, and wait for other hunters to chase something within (short) gun range of you? If so, it might be possible to substitute patience for a high degree of physical fitness. (And a suitable lever gun or carbine for the scoped bolts that I see on the idiot box.)
I put a stand up on a big mineral lick in Montana to bow hunt out of in the afternoons after the bugling had stopped. If you would sit there a few days sooner or later elk would come in, cool down, wallow around, etc. Somebody in our group killed three elk there and made a bad shot on a couple more over the years.
Brian:
You could probably do it that way. I know sometimes I'll sit and wait in an area for a while, mainly when I need a rest, we call the 'gnarly hole'. They are in there all the time, but we've only killed one down in it - mainly because they are there a lot at night. It's loud down there if you are not very careful, and they have lots of escape routes.
It just seems to me, at least in the area we hunt, that covering ground always yields better results. It goes back to some of the previous comments: elk cover tons of ground, so you need to.
I hunt with a group, and we kind of hunt like wolves...we'll take an educated guess where they might be, and will send a couple guys to sneak in. Those guys rarely get a shot because the satellites always bust them. But we send the rest spread into an area where the elk will hopefully exit - they usually do the killing. As tags get filled we start losing hunters, but it still more or less works.
You could probably do it that way. I know sometimes I'll sit and wait in an area for a while, mainly when I need a rest, we call the 'gnarly hole'. They are in there all the time, but we've only killed one down in it - mainly because they are there a lot at night. It's loud down there if you are not very careful, and they have lots of escape routes.
It just seems to me, at least in the area we hunt, that covering ground always yields better results. It goes back to some of the previous comments: elk cover tons of ground, so you need to.
I hunt with a group, and we kind of hunt like wolves...we'll take an educated guess where they might be, and will send a couple guys to sneak in. Those guys rarely get a shot because the satellites always bust them. But we send the rest spread into an area where the elk will hopefully exit - they usually do the killing. As tags get filled we start losing hunters, but it still more or less works.
I see you are posting from NY, so if you are considering an elk hunt out West my best advice to you is hire a guide your first time out. Check their refrences and call on the previous hunters guided. I know it is expensive but this isn't a hunt you can probably do every year being a resident of NY so it would probably be worth it in the long run to invest where you will get the highest opportunity for a shot on an elk. Just don't have the same expectations of a guided hunt on public land vs. private.
The only real thing that has ever worked for me well is is to find elk and then figure out how to approach within shooting distance. Best thing you could ever hope for during rifle season is fresh snow. Your plan to find the nastiest hole and wait for them to come in migh work or it might not. Like I said elk are where you find them and where you least expect them to be.
The only real thing that has ever worked for me well is is to find elk and then figure out how to approach within shooting distance. Best thing you could ever hope for during rifle season is fresh snow. Your plan to find the nastiest hole and wait for them to come in migh work or it might not. Like I said elk are where you find them and where you least expect them to be.
Really? I'll have to quit going to the same place. The last two elk I killed in the same place,,the same way,,15days into the season must have not seen this post.
I killed 4 elk in a different spot,,several days into the season., My folks took at least 5 elk in this spot as well.
I actually believe that if you look carefully at the terrain, you find natural funnelling factors than can be used to justify a stand for elk. Especially for bow season.
elkman06
Double Naught Spy
New member
See, but the elk you killed there never came back did they?
Wow, DNS,,you state the obvious.
The poster said(in so many words), that elk are not predictable, and would not travel a reliable path over and over again. Particulary after hearing gunshots.
I have seen elk step around their fallen(shot) comrades and follow the same path by the hundred.
So, DNS, how many elk have your tracked, patterned, or hunted..Just to clarify your expertise for us?
Do you have a basis for your feelings or are you just jabbing at me like a little kid?
I have been hunting, patterning, tracking elk, summer, winter and fall for 35 years.
Lead cows, have instinctual, and hereditary knowledge that tell them to lead their herd over familiar terrain for their entire life cycle.
Sorry, hunting elk from a stand would be a very viable method.
elkman06
The poster said(in so many words), that elk are not predictable, and would not travel a reliable path over and over again. Particulary after hearing gunshots.
I have seen elk step around their fallen(shot) comrades and follow the same path by the hundred.
So, DNS, how many elk have your tracked, patterned, or hunted..Just to clarify your expertise for us?
Do you have a basis for your feelings or are you just jabbing at me like a little kid?
I have been hunting, patterning, tracking elk, summer, winter and fall for 35 years.
Lead cows, have instinctual, and hereditary knowledge that tell them to lead their herd over familiar terrain for their entire life cycle.
Sorry, hunting elk from a stand would be a very viable method.
elkman06
FrankenMauser
New member
Like most plains game*, Elk are very predictable - but lazy.
As long as they can take the "easy route" between any two points on their daily / weekly / monthly circuit, they will. As soon as they feel pressure, though, it's into the deep, dark, nasty areas. The lead animal will still generally lead the herd to the same spot, but they take some serious detours to do so.
Hunting from a stand is possible, but you would absolutely need to know the area very well. And since most states that have Elk hunts don't allow party hunting or game drives, it's all up to mother nature to steer the Elk down the trail you chose. -Choose wisely.
*Most people forget that Elk belong on the plains. Humans have taken their land, and pushed them further into the mountains than they typically venture naturally. ...Which, is also one of the reasons wolves are such an issue. It's not that wolves are such a bad thing to have around. It's that we humans are trying to bring back the number of animals that were on this continent before it was conquered, but we're trying to force all of those animals to live in the same, small areas.
As long as they can take the "easy route" between any two points on their daily / weekly / monthly circuit, they will. As soon as they feel pressure, though, it's into the deep, dark, nasty areas. The lead animal will still generally lead the herd to the same spot, but they take some serious detours to do so.
Hunting from a stand is possible, but you would absolutely need to know the area very well. And since most states that have Elk hunts don't allow party hunting or game drives, it's all up to mother nature to steer the Elk down the trail you chose. -Choose wisely.
*Most people forget that Elk belong on the plains. Humans have taken their land, and pushed them further into the mountains than they typically venture naturally. ...Which, is also one of the reasons wolves are such an issue. It's not that wolves are such a bad thing to have around. It's that we humans are trying to bring back the number of animals that were on this continent before it was conquered, but we're trying to force all of those animals to live in the same, small areas.