Scouting on Paper Questions

[hntbambi]

As a newbie elk hunter, when you are going to start your search for elk in an unfamiliar area, obviously starting with a map makes sence. What types of terrain do you look for to start your search? I'd imagine its like fishing when 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water. Eliminating as much of the "dead land" will optimize scouting time.

Do you concentrate on:
North facing slopes for dark timber?
South facing slopes for aspens?
Steep slopes?
Water sources?
Meadows?
Canyons?
Saddles?
A combination of these?

 

[apollosmith]

All of the above. Generally you want to look for areas that are accessible to humans, but still allow some sort of view around you. Too steep and too thick are bad. Elk live in all the areas you described. I like to look for long ridge lines that allow you to look both directions and areas that can maximize glassing.

And definitely use Google Earth to see the satellite imagery and the 3D terrain. You can tilt and rotate and get a good bird's eye view of the area so you know what to expect before you get there.

 

[WapitiBob]

I don't start with a map. Lots of square miles that look nice on paper and are void of Elk.

 

[jjwillie]

I would definitely use maps to narrow down some areas. Believe it or not, these forums are a great source of info. The people you'll meet on here are indispensable. Try to gain info discreetly, as people don't want their hunting areas broadcast all over the internet.

Start with harvest statistics, THEN maps. I personally, hunt in Idaho and look for areas with few people per hunting unit. I figure these are the toughest to hunt areas. I would sooner hunt for 30 elk with no hunters, than 200 elk with 20 other hunters.

Don't forget to call local biologists or forestry personnel. Their info can be very valuable too, especially if you can't scout the area before you hunt it.

 

[hntbambi]

Thanks for the info guys. I appreciate it.

I have my search narrowed to the field, now try to figure out which haystack to tear apart. While I agree that maps are not showing everything, they will narrow down the number of haystacks to choose from. Scouting should cut that number down to a manageable number. Then the hunt is on for that needle.