DFGELK
Well-known member
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- Mar 24, 2006
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There are a few things that happen with kill locations, first it is in a large way a self perpetuating system. Some one kills an animal in spot X, he tells some one where he killed the animal then that guy hunts in spot x and kills an animal. Then he tells some one and so on. So you have more people hunting in spot X compared to the rest of the areas, just by probability alone you will have more harvest in the spot with more people hunting (as long as their continues to be animals available to harvest). Now the second thing I see happen on harvest reports is that many people truly do not know where they are or they are in an area with no real good name. This is why we see lakes, rock outcroppings, and meadows (etc) show up on harvest reports time and time again. Many of the kills actually happened fairly far away but the hunter puts down bald rock because he knows where that is or may have started off in that area (that type of thing). At best I see 2.5 miles west of bald rock, most times if there is any additional info it is 2.5 miles from bald rock (which way?, and some times there is more than one bald rock or dry creek, deer creek, etc).
Elk are not always visible especially in heavy timber/canopy areas. So they are commonly spotted in a clear cut or opening. Then we hear, "hey all the elk are in meadow X". Yes, all the elk (you saw) were in meadow X, but most times there are other groups of elk around. Now I will be the first to admit it is dang hard to count elk on the west side of I-5 up north, but the areas we can count from the air (plus telemetry equipment, gps collars, etc) there are more elk around than most people see, this goes double for deer. Elk for the most part tend to group up and not be distributed evenly, this is both good and bad for counts and for hunting. But there are lone animals around (mostly bulls or small groups of bachelor bulls).
Just my thougts on the harvest reports.
Joe
Elk are not always visible especially in heavy timber/canopy areas. So they are commonly spotted in a clear cut or opening. Then we hear, "hey all the elk are in meadow X". Yes, all the elk (you saw) were in meadow X, but most times there are other groups of elk around. Now I will be the first to admit it is dang hard to count elk on the west side of I-5 up north, but the areas we can count from the air (plus telemetry equipment, gps collars, etc) there are more elk around than most people see, this goes double for deer. Elk for the most part tend to group up and not be distributed evenly, this is both good and bad for counts and for hunting. But there are lone animals around (mostly bulls or small groups of bachelor bulls).
Just my thougts on the harvest reports.
Joe
SCI0015crop.jpg]<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Caryoutdoors @ Sep 19 2007, 12:18 PM) 
