How to Find and Stalk Elk
Elk harvesting has become increasingly popular. It is a fun, exciting and challenging sport. Tracking and harvesting a 1000 animal can be, well, exhilarating. New hunters often use bugle calls to attract elk. However, more and more, older bulls are not coming to bugle calls but instead are running away from them. As a result, experienced hunters are foregoing using bugle calls. A very good alternative is to spot and stalk the elk.
Elk typically eat at night and go to lie down and sleep in the mid-morning. Towards the end of the afternoon they begin to start feeding again and will head over to their drinking and feeding sources. Hunters who can stay quiet and discover the elk herd’s routine, should be able to spot and stalk them successfully.
Some hunters will place themselves and stalk the elk in between where it sleeps and eats. Typically, in the morning, when an elk is going to their bedding area, the hunter is already waiting and is in prime position to make a kill.
Besides the bedding area, the feeding area is another great place to station one self. In the afternoon and the evening hours elk often spend time grazing in large meadows. Search around for meadows and wait and see if elks regularly congregate there. If you can find one, hang around. If it is a meadow that is used by elk, you should be able to get in plenty of action.
Some hunters would rather not hunt elk close to where they bed. Others do not mind at all. In fact, some hunters will harvest elk while they are lying down in their bedding. When possible, if you choose to hunt bulls in their bedding areas, come at the bull from above. This is because cows, which are often with a large bull, may be able to spot the elk hunter even if the bull does not. Hunting near an elk’s bedding can also be risky. This is because if the elk sees you and gets away, they may not come back to that area.
A watering hole is another really great place to find elk. Elks will go to water a couple of times a day. This is especially true when the weather is hot. Elk will need to drink water and also love to wallow in it. Look for a watering hole that looks like it is getting a lot of visitors and then hang around.
If you are having trouble figuring out if a water hole is being used, look for droppings, tracks and disturbed mud. If you don’t have a lot to wait in one place, set up a scouting camera. A camera will capture who is visiting the area. It will also record the time for you so you know the best time to visit the area and hunt.
If you choose to hunt at a watering hole, then consider using a tree stand. Elk don’t often look up when traveling which makes it really effective to hunt elk from above. If you can find a tree near a waterhole, you should have no problem harvesting an elk.