Jim Zumbo is a renowned outdoor writer with more than 40 years in the business, and is arguably the country’s most prominent big game hunter. Zumbo has dedicated his life to supporting and defending hunting and describing ways for people to become better hunters in his books, lectures, magazine articles and TV shows. Below, Zumbo offers the best ways to stalk and bag your first, or maybe second, elk.
1. You are in unfamiliar country and you have no clue where to hunt. It’s public land, with plenty of hunters, and the rut is over. Where do you look?
This scenario is the reason why 75% of all hunters go home with an unpunched elk tag. Calling with a bugle isn’t an effective option during the general seasons that typically run from mid-October into November. Hunters who are consistently successful have one thing in common – they aren’t afraid to penetrate the forest and climb the mountains, doing whatever it takes to find elk.
How far to hike? I think a minimum of five miles a day is a starter, more is better. You can easily walk seven to ten miles a day if you take your time and move along, looking for signs as you go. The idea is to locate security cover that elk use to evade hunters. I’ve found that animals will seek out the densest cover they can find where hunting pressure is heavy. Locate a spruce-fir blown down in an old age forest and you’re in business. Never mind the fact that it seems like no elk can possibly negotiate the heavy thickets — they can and will. The obvious question is how to hunt noisy cover, since every elk within hearing range will detect your presence as you thrash through the brush. By the way, you should be making noise. If you’re not, you’re either in an open forest, or on a trail or old road, which are places that elk avoid. Try this: blow a cow call every couple minutes as you work through brush. Elk that hear you will be reassured that you’re not danger. If they finally spot you, blow the cow call as hard as you can. Most elk will stop in their tracks for a few seconds, giving you an opportunity for a standing shot.
Here’s another option to find elk in high pressured areas. Most hunters don’t like to descend into steep, timbered canyons because they have to climb back out, and transporting an elk uphill can be a nightmare. The absence of hunters is the reason you should hunt there. Elk will hole up in nasty draws because they aren’t continually disturbed. Choose a canyon which has no roads or main trails in the bottom. You’re most apt to find elk in the thickest stands of timber, and don’t be concerned about steep grades. They’re very much at home in severe terrain. Work your way down in zig-zag fashion, and check the wind, though it will probably be to your advantage. In the daytime, mountain thermals blow uphill. Keep the cow call handy to stop spooked elk.
2. Same as above, but you aren’t physically able to hunt rugged country.
In this case, you must hunt smart. Let other hunters work for you. In popular elk country with good access on public land, you may be amazed at the crowds of people. I once counted 72 camps along a two-mile stretch of public road on a national forest in Colorado. How do you deal with a situation like that? Keep in mind that those hunters are there because elk are around. The challenge is for you to tag one before the next person. Typically, the morning scenario goes like this: prior to legal shooting hours, most hunters will be headed out. They’ll be roaring around in ATV’s, driving in pickups and SUV’s, and alerting every breathing elk within miles. Spooked elk don’t have a magical place to hide. They’ll head out of the meadows where they’ve been feeding all night long, and be in the timber well before daylight. They may run for miles in the timber, stopping here and there, but always on the go as hunters push into their otherwise safe havens. Since you can’t travel well for whatever reason, work your way out on a ridge in the dark long before hunters begin stirring. Ideally, you will have scouted out a spot the day before and marked a trail to it so you can find it again. Your vantage point should offer enough elevation where you can look down into slopes below you. The idea is to plant yourself there and remain as long as you can – all day is ideal. By setting up long before other hunters are active, you’ll be in the catbird seat when people begin pushing elk. And by staying stationary, you’ll have a ringside perch at everything that goes on below you. Bring your lunch with you and resist the urge to go back to camp at midday. Nap where you sit if necessary. Bear in mind that you don’t have to walk miles to a spot. Even a quarter mile is good. I’ve seen elk cross roads in front of camps, and even run through camps in full daylight.
If you aren’t patient enough to sit, find a place where your pals can drop you off on a ridge where there’s a road in the bottom below the slopes you intend to hunt. The idea is for you to work your way slowly downhill, and be picked up on the road in the bottom by your pals at a prescribed time. Move at a pace that you’re comfortable with, and stop at overlooks frequently where you can watch for elk. Hunt with a companion if you’re not willing to try this solo.
What happens if you shoot an elk and you’re alone, or you and your pal can’t deal with it? Carry a two way radio so you can communicate with other hunters in your party. Perhaps you have cell service for your phone. There’s nothing wrong with using electronic communication to ask for assistance; in my mind there’s plenty wrong to use it to guide hunters to elk.
3. You’re hunting pre-rut, in early September, or even in August. Elk have lockjaw; you haven’t heard a peep for days.
You’ll probably be bowhunting, because most firearms seasons will open much later. During this time of year, many bulls shed their velvet and break out of the bachelor herds they’ve been in most of the year. Their single purpose in life is to breed as many cows as they can. Initially they begin to travel with the intent of locating bands of cows and calves. In the hot weather, they might not be very vocal, if at all. The rut is just beginning, and this is a tentative quest as bulls check out other elk. They may not establish themselves with a herd of cows, but instead partake in pre-rut behavior. Rubbing their antlers on saplings is a big part of their daily activity. They do this to mark territories and to display their dominance. High rubs on large saplings denote mature bulls. The rubbing activity is often done with no vocalization. A strategy that works is to cover as much country as you can, looking for fresh rubs. If you find an unusual large number, slow down and be alert. If you found the spot during the heat of the day, you might slowly back off and return later in the afternoon or early in the morning when bulls are active. Blow a cow call softly and remain quiet. Move cautiously and continue blowing the call every five minutes or so. Be prepared for a quick shot, because a bull might come tearing in unannounced.
Elk also use wallows in the heat of late summer. Bulls will typically visit a wallow every day, roll around in the mud, urinate profusely, and leave with mud caked on their hides. This behavior is usually done in late afternoon, if at all during daylight hours. If you locate a fresh wallow, investigate the area and look intently for a trail that animals use. Many active wallows will have a well-defined trial. Choose a stand where the wind will be favorable when you anticipate elk to visit. Bulls typically walk in cautiously, and check out the area before entering the wallow. Be prepared for a shot when the animal exits the wallow. He’ll likely step out and stand for some time before slowly drifting back into the timber.
Obviously, if you locate a fresh wallow, do everything you can to keep it your secret. Park your vehicle some distance away where curious hunters won’t walk in on you. To locate wallows, check the edges of meadows, or even in the middle of them where the soil is damp. Bulls may literally dig wallows if the ground and moisture is suitable. Drainages are also prime spots. Investigate areas around beaver ponds and in draws where groves of quaking aspen grow on slopes. These trees prefer moist, cool areas. With your binoculars, check out timbered slopes. Look for lush green spots in the otherwise dark conifers. These could be tiny areas where seeps and springs flow out of the forest floor, thus providing an ideal habitat for shrubbery unlike the evergreens. A wallow in this area can be a terrific hotspot because it’s hidden in the midst of security cover, and away from places frequented by hunters. Confirm the location of the potential wallow by carefully noting landmarks. It might be difficult to find the spot as you enter the forest and lose the ability to see it from afar.
4. It’s prime time bugle season, in mid-September, in the middle of the rut. But the bulls are silent.
For starters, take a good look at the country around you, and figure where most hunter pressure is coming from. A common mistake is to bugle from the same spots every day, often in spots where other hunters are calling. These are often places close to roads where it’s easy to “call and run,” trying to cover as much ground as possible. The error here is simple. Bulls know that country inside and out, having been born there. They know where human traffic areas are, whether they’re roads, good trails, or ridges that are easy to walk out on. When they hear calls coming from those areas, they equate them with danger. A solution is to quietly work your way into the timber in the dark, taking care to move as quietly as you can. If you hear a bull bugle, go after him and do your thing. If all is silent, walk until you find fresh rubs, or at least places where there’s heavy cover and some sign, even if it’s not plentiful. Blow the bugle call sparingly, and if you hear no response, move at least a quarter mile away, always in the opposite direction of roads. Bulls may be unresponsive, but if you penetrate their back yard, watch out. An otherwise peaceful patch of timber could instantly turn into a cacophony of hearty bugles. If you still hear no response, put the bugle call away and blow the cow call. Take a hike and work your way across slopes, imitating a cow walking along.
It’s said that elk are becoming “bugle-shy,” because of the increased number of hunters in the woods. I believe that, which is another reason to get away from popular spots. Elk calls are far and away more realistic than they were when I started hunting, when you made your own call out of a garden hose, a piece of pipe or a willow branch. Many of these calls sound alike. Try an off-beat call, even if it doesn’t sound like the real thing. A common misconception is that a caller must be an expert to call in a bull. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Many bulls sound terrible; I’ve been fooled many times, believing that an off-key bugle was made by a hunter rather than the real deal.
Much vocalization occurs at night. Instead of sleeping in camp, pull your vehicle out on a point where you can hear from several directions, and sleep with the windows down. If you aren’t up to that, arrive at the place you want to hunt two or three hours earlier. The idea is to locate bulls. If you hear one, don’t be tempted to sneak in on him in the dark. Stay put, and wait until the first hint of light where you can maneuver without a flashlight. Moving on him in the dark may spook him if he catches your scent. During this time, animals are active, running about, looking for cows, maintaining their cows, or looking for a fight. You could easily bump animals prematurely.
5. It’s the tag end of the season, mid to late November. Where do you start looking?
Weather is the critical factor. Elk migrate from the high country as fall progresses, with or without the presence of deep snow, although the deeper the snow the earlier and more extensive the migration. Mild autumns can be a disaster for hunters who expect elk in low elevations. In the area where I live, for example, there’s a very hard to draw late trophy bull season. If there isn’t much snow, the hunt can be brutal, requiring you to hike or ride horseback several miles into the upper elevations. If there’s plenty of snow, you can typically shoot your bull within sight of the highway.
A key to success is having a backup plan. If the migration isn’t on, be prepared to hunt a resident herd close by where elk are available year round. Sometimes elk will migrate for no rhyme or reason. If the weather is mild, don’t give up. Make little forays into the timber and look for fresh sign. Animals may head down prematurely, overlooked by hunters who don’t bother looking for them intently.
Hunting elk in the snow is a far cry from hunting them on dry ground. Tracks can be evaluated for freshness, and be followed if you think there’s a chance you can catch up. Look for crisp edges in the track, with no debris in them. As you head out, be aware you might be in for a long, long walk. An elk on the move can walk a dozen or more miles in a day. If you find where elk fed during the night, carefully decipher the tracks and try to locate where the animals entered the timber to bed for the day. This isn’t as easy as it seems, since a herd of elk can cover dozens of acres in a night. If you find the trail, follow as cautiously as you’ve ever done before. You’re attempting to locate a bunch of elk with many ears, eyes, and noses before they see you. If you don’t find them within a mile, don’t give up. I’ve found that elk may walk as far as three to four miles to bed, sometimes further. To an elk, a three mile walk is less than an hour’s jaunt.
Don’t be fooled into believing that elk will be in heavy cover if it’s bitterly cold and the wind is blowing. These are tough animals, and they’ll be in places where you won’t find them earlier, such as laying out in fairly open country where they can be seen from a distance. For some reason, snow seems to calm them down. In places where snow is deep, don’t overlook windswept ridges where the wind continually scours the snow away, exposing more available forage. Food is everything to an elk when it’s scarce, and they’ll tolerate severe conditions to fill their bellies.
Late season elk hunting is a prime time to take the biggest bull on the mountain. The downside is the discomfort in severely cold weather. Play it safe and wear adequate clothing, and don’t venture too far if you’re unfamiliar with the country. This is no place to get turned around if a blizzard or fog bank rolls in.