f3
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Posts: 412
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Post by f3 on Nov 17, 2016 20:51:47 GMT -5
I have not seen a single elk on public land where I drew a cow tag. Although yesterday alone I saw probably 100.
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JM
.375 Atomic
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Post by JM on Nov 17, 2016 21:01:56 GMT -5
Were they all huddled together on private property? I used to live in a small town that had some great looking Elk nearby. They were real smart though. Come hunting season they would all head for the property around the local mine. Hide in plain sight & stick their smug Elk tongues out at all the hunters that would drive by only 50-100 yards away.
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Post by bushog on Nov 17, 2016 21:18:18 GMT -5
Don't feel bad....
We (girlfriend and I) had a tag apiece on different dates and saw none while hunting.
Driving home every night we'd see them by the road not 1000 yards from where we had been.
They learn quickly not to move while it's light out.....
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f3
.30 Stingray
Posts: 412
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Post by f3 on Nov 17, 2016 23:28:29 GMT -5
Unfortunately I see them in daylight. The elk run to the CB ranch because they aren't stupid. I have seen two dead elk come out of the 270 unit in Montana. I have heard of 3 others from reliable sources in the north half. It's frustrating, but in Montana you have a lot of time to be successful. My time is running out. My wife is great and set up three more days that I could hunt without even talking to me. She told me this afternoon babysitters were lined up until Monday afternoon.
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JM
.375 Atomic
Posts: 2,423
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Post by JM on Nov 17, 2016 23:51:34 GMT -5
The Elk that I describe above, would only be seen around the mine during hunting season. There was very little cover & they would just stand out in the open, inside the fence all day long.
Once hunting season closed, they were gone.
Good luck on your hunt.
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Post by sixshot on Nov 18, 2016 2:56:05 GMT -5
Have you tried setting up a decoy or two?
Dick
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Post by bushog on Nov 18, 2016 7:08:39 GMT -5
How long do you get?
5 days in NM....
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COR
.375 Atomic
Posts: 1,522
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Post by COR on Nov 18, 2016 8:04:19 GMT -5
Elk are never a "gimme" and public land hunts are the absolutely most challenging...if it were easy anyone could do it. Success rates are low for a reason. I hope you score and if I were you I'd write down anything Sixshot says.
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Post by sixshot on Nov 18, 2016 17:28:13 GMT -5
I've always said elk are the #1 big game animal in the lower 48 to hunt because they are so dang wild. Once they get bumped on public land it can become a nightmare to hunt them, they are constantly moving, seldom leave heavy cover until right at dark & they head back into heavy cover right at daylight & sometimes before, it can drive you nuts because they are there but they are so strong & can cover so much ground in a hurry. A deer will stay in a pretty small area, but elk will cover several miles if you bump them or if they are feeding in a certain area & then bedding in another area.
They are a herd animal & it takes a lot of feed to take care of a herd, they are grazers, deer are browsers, so you try to find the feeding areas & hope they are still there during legal shooting hours, like I said, it can be very frustrating!
We have rode the horses into good meadows many times right at first light only to see the elk a mile away on their way to their bedding areas. Again, they are just so wild it's hard to believe until you've hunted them a few years. A deer will stand & watch you many times if it's 300 yds away & in a little bit of cover. Elk at 500-600 yds will see you & break into a dead run if they have been hunted a few days on public land.
A few days ago my son & I were coming back to town from glassing bucks all day & it was dark, as we rounded a bend in the road a cow & calf elk were standing right in the road at 50 yds or so. When we hit them with the headlights they started running stright down the road away from us with the cow on the left side & the calf on the right side (my side) the cow could have jumped the fence easily but she wouldn't because she wouldn't leave the calf. I could have rolled my window down & probably touched the calf with my 10" 44, it was that close. We finally had to speed up & pass them to keep from running them to death. I've taken some easy one's but a lot more hard one's over the years, everyone has been a fond memory & I never take for granted how lucky I've been to be able to hunt them almost every year except for my years in the military & some of the years when I was coaching at the high school. They are my very favorite animal to hunt because of the country they live in & how difficult they are to find & take, especially with a sixgun.
Dick
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f3
.30 Stingray
Posts: 412
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Post by f3 on Nov 18, 2016 23:01:02 GMT -5
I made the wrong decision opening morning of the general season. I was on the edge of that giant ranch hoping the would be pressured to me. It was the wrong call. One gulch over there was 200 elk according to several people I talked to. Including two sixteen year olds and one of their sisters. After what sounded like the start of world war 3 and nothing headed my way I went back to my truck and started towards all of the shooting. Heading down the road I came accrossed said kids and one of them had part of an elk across his back. They did it right. They located the elk the night before and were on them well before light. Apparently a bunch of that world war noise was the one who shot his elk 8 times.LOL. I don't mean to say his shots were off, he kept them all in the kill zone. He said it just stood there so he kept shooting. They definitely had their work cut out for them. It might have been noon and they were just getting out their first load.
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f3
.30 Stingray
Posts: 412
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Post by f3 on Nov 18, 2016 23:05:59 GMT -5
How long do you get? 5 days in NM.... You can hunt archery season and the general season. So roughly the first weekend of September for archery until the last weekend of November for the general season. Units can vary but we are given a lot of time.
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f3
.30 Stingray
Posts: 412
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Post by f3 on Nov 18, 2016 23:38:05 GMT -5
I forgot to add I made a huge logistical error this morning. Ran out of TP Last weekend and had to rely on my emergency MRE TP. I can endure many things,I once went 45 days without bathing, went 12 maybe ten days without any food, have spent months sleeping in the dirt. But when it comes to toilet paper I don't mess around!
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Post by bushog on Nov 19, 2016 0:03:07 GMT -5
Dude, get with the program....baby wipes!
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Post by bradshaw on Nov 22, 2016 22:02:39 GMT -5
I've always said elk are the #1 big game animal in the lower 48 to hunt because they are so dang wild. Once they get bumped on public land it can become a nightmare to hunt them, they are constantly moving, seldom leave heavy cover until right at dark & they head back into heavy cover right at daylight & sometimes before, it can drive you nuts because they are there but they are so strong & can cover so much ground in a hurry. A deer will stay in a pretty small area, but elk will cover several miles if you bump them or if they are feeding in a certain area & then bedding in another area. They are a herd animal & it takes a lot of feed to take care of a herd, they are grazers, deer are browsers, so you try to find the feeding areas & hope they are still there during legal shooting hours, like I said, it can be very frustrating! We have rode the horses into good meadows many times right at first light only to see the elk a mile away on their way to their bedding areas. Again, they are just so wild it's hard to believe until you've hunted them a few years. A deer will stand & watch you many times if it's 300 yds away & in a little bit of cover. Elk at 500-600 yds will see you & break into a dead run if they have been hunted a few days on public land. A few days ago my son & I were coming back to town from glassing bucks all day & it was dark, as we rounded a bend in the road a cow & calf elk were standing right in the road at 50 yds or so. When we hit them with the headlights they started running stright down the road away from us with the cow on the left side & the calf on the right side (my side) the cow could have jumped the fence easily but she wouldn't because she wouldn't leave the calf. I could have rolled my window down & probably touched the calf with my 10" 44, it was that close. We finally had to speed up & pass them to keep from running them to death. I've taken some easy one's but a lot more hard one's over the years, everyone has been a fond memory & I never take for granted how lucky I've been to be able to hunt them almost every year except for my years in the military & some of the years when I was coaching at the high school. They are my very favorite animal to hunt because of the country they live in & how difficult they are to find & take, especially with a sixgun. Dick *** DicK Thompson, this is just a fine piece of painting with words, David Bradshaw
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f3
.30 Stingray
Posts: 412
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Post by f3 on Nov 24, 2016 0:59:37 GMT -5
Down to the wire if I don't connect this weekend its a bust.
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