49 Elk Tips

LAST EDITED ON Oct-29-18 AT 02:43PM (MST)[p]LAST EDITED ON Oct-29-18 AT 02:43?PM (MST)

So I spent the last week in 49 with the later rifle tag. Hunted mainly over the Mormon Hill area and hiked probably 6-10 miles per day up steep country, with tons of glassing. Saw probably over 100 does, 4-5 bucks, 4 (one nice 6 or 7 point that is extremely hard to get to) bulls, 20 cows, 3 bull moose and a cow and calf moose. Couldn't ever get in range on a bull due to the steepness of the country taking an hour or two to get to the bull's area.

Unfortunately since I'm not a horse I can't get back as far as the outfitters over there can. Well I can get back there I just couldn't get something out. The outfitters hunt the 49/50 border way up high and I'm thinking due to the temperature being so warm the bulls stayed high up there. However a deer hunter came into our camp and showed me a picture of 4 bulls down lower he saw on the way in.

Going back next week and thinking of hunting lower near some of the access yes properties, or closer to the burn and wood river reservoir. At least there I wont have to compete with horses as much and could pack anything out.

Based on the units stats I expected to see more bulls. I did talk to a guy who deer hunted there last year and saw a ton of bulls, and he drew the bull tag this and couldn't find any. Not sure if the fire moved them, the warm temps, or if we even started in the right place.

Anyone have any better ideas for my next week hunt? Other than trying lower? Or hoping it snows this week and pushes them down.

Tough year hunting 49. The dry, hot weather and the huge moon last week has all the elk in the deep timber. The elk are at the top and buried. There are residential herds down low. They are either hiding on private or might as well be. The pack out could be a 2,000 climb to stay on public. The snow has to be super deep to get them moving as well. I picked up sheds above 9,500 this spring. The bulls just will not migrate unless there's snow above their backs. I would get to the top of the ridge by sunup, hunt for the first half hour, nap all day, and hunt that last half an hour.

LAST EDITED ON Oct-29-18 AT 03:22PM (MST)[p]>Tough year hunting 49. The dry,
>hot weather and the huge
>moon last week has all
>the elk in the deep
>timber. The elk are at
>the top and buried. There
>are residential herds down low.
>They are either hiding on
>private or might as well
>be. The pack out could
>be a 2,000 climb to
>stay on public. The snow
>has to be super deep
>to get them moving as
>well. I picked up sheds
>above 9,500 this spring. The
>bulls just will not migrate
>unless there's snow above their
>backs. I would get to
>the top of the ridge
>by sunup, hunt for the
>first half hour, nap all
>day, and hunt that last
>half an hour.


Yeah that sounds about right we have a lot against us this year. We noticed the full moon and the elk basically were showing themselves for about 20 minutes total if that all day.

We had one herd with a 5 pt, a spike, and 20 or so cows that we nearly caught crossing a saddle early morning, but we were a little too behind to get into shooting range before they disappeared.

Saw a decent amount of somewhat fresh sign so there are some around, but they were living up to being the ghosts of the forest.

My dad talked to a family member that knows a rancher in Bellevue who said there are lot of elk down low from the fire eating crops so I might be able to find someone that wants elk off their property. Not sure best way to go about asking though

>My dad talked to a family
>member that knows a rancher
>in Bellevue who said there
>are lot of elk down
>low from the fire eating
>crops so I might be
>able to find someone that
>wants elk off their property.
>Not sure best way to
>go about asking though


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