Who's going early elk hunting?

[rvrrat]

Good luck to everyone! Look forward to the stories and pics! I just got my work schedule for October and may not be able to use my NM area 15 bull muzzleloader tag. UGH!! Time to work the system and hope for the best!

 

[cjack]

I finally found a herd of about a dozen elk on the fifth day of my hunt. They were about 2 miles off. The photo is not the best but I was more focused on getting after them than taking pictures. If you look at the dirt patch in the middle you will see a cow and the rest of them are on the ridge just above her. It took me 2 1/2 hours to get to within 70yds but I still needed to get on the uphill side of them as the thermals were rising and I was approaching from below. As I was attempting to circle around to the upwind side the winds swirled and the stampede was on. I had two more opportunities to find them before I had to head home and it just wasn't meant to be. Now that I know this small hunt area is holding elk I may head back before my tag expires at the end of the month. Although I was not successful it was a very eventful 6 with days where I had encounters with Turkeys, Antelope, Coyotes, Lightning storms and yes eventually Elk. Good luck to all of you on your adventures and I will bring this thread up again if I head back out there in a few weeks.

 

[rvrrat]

Sounds like it was still a great experience to get out and enjoy the outdoors. Hope you fill that tag before the season ends!

 

[cjack]

It was a great 6 day trip to a beautiful part of the country and like you said, I still got time, it ain't over yet!

 

[inchr48]

Were you camping or hotel/cabin? Looks beautiful. Could you smell the Elk when you got close? I've read when hunting into the wind, you can follow your nose. Just wondered if you experienced that.

 

[cjack]

Were you camping or hotel/cabin? Looks beautiful. Could you smell the Elk when you got close? I've read when hunting into the wind, you can follow your nose. Just wondered if you experienced that.

I was in a cabin in my hunt zone, the herd I found was 3 miles from the cabin and yes you can smell the cows. Year before last when I was up there another hunter turned me on to elk urine wafers which smelled horrific but seemed to mask the human scent quite well but after I bought some for this hunt I read in the Arizona regs that scent masks are not allowed so I left them at the cabin, probably would have helped in my scenario.

 

[Navy SWO]

Could you smell the Elk when you got close? I've read when hunting into the wind, you can follow your nose.

I've definitely experienced that when hunting in some dark timber in Wyoming. My brother-in-law and I had been working a small herd of resident elk for several days and always got seen/smelled before we could get a shot off. We would work into the wind as much a possible but it would always swirl and then we would hear the herd bust out and maybe see some elk butts. Finally, the wind stayed nice and steady and I literally did follow my nose for about a hundred yards until I was able to get the drop on the herd and fill my cow tag.

 

[inchr48]

Hope to experience that this Fall. Thanks for posting.