MODULE 2 - SCOUTING FOR ELK

CHAPTER 1: RESOURCES FOR SCOUTING

Regardless of the topic or context, nearly everyone nowadays turns to the Internet to answer any questions that they might have. The fact that you’re reading this right now supports that. When you want to learn about any topic, you no longer go to the library or open an Encyclopedia. Instead, you pull out your phone, crack open your laptop, or fire up some other “connected” device. You can take this same digital approach for scouting an elk hunting area too.

INTERNET “SEARCH” INFORMATION

Before you start searching for information on your elk hunting area through Google, be sure to visit the direct source and reference the Game and Fish website for the state you intend to hunt. The links for many of those websites can be found in Module 1. Often times, you can find very valuable information that is specific to the unit or area of the state you are planning to hunt.

When it comes to making broader web searches, use search keywords that will lead you to exactly what you are looking for. Instead of searching for “elk in Wyoming” – which will return a ton of information, much of which won’t be valuable to you – search for more specific information about the area you are going to be hunting. Search for “Wyoming elk unit 98” if that is where you plan to hunt. You can even get weapon-specific and search for “Wyoming archery elk unit 98”.

If you are searching for elk hunting information for a particular area, you will often find that some of the best results can come from elk hunting forums. There are dozens of hunting forums on the web, and many of them contain helpful posts. If you are lucky, you will find some posts referencing the specific areas you are researching, and forums can be a great place to ask questions as well. A few of my favorite hunting-related forums are listed below:

https://forums.elk101.com/

http://onyourownadventures.com/hunttalk/

http://forums.bowsite.com/tf/bgforums/

https://www.rokslide.com/forums/

LOCAL RESOURCES

The Internet might be the first place that most people look for information, but it’s not always the best location to find information. What if there was someone that had first-hand experience in the exact area you are scouting? What if there was someone who knew the area so well that they had a solid grasp of the terrain, the elk habitat, the access, the hunting pressure, and the finer details about the elk population (age class, bull-to-cow ratio, etc.)? What if you could talk to that person?

Maybe you can. It might take a little digging, but you can usually get the contact information for wildlife biologists or game management officials that are responsible for the area you are scouting. These individuals make their living by understanding and managing the game you want to hunt, and they can be a fantastic resource.

Make a phone call to the main wildlife management office in the state you are planning to hunt, and ask them to connect you to the office or person (wildlife biologist, game management official, field officer, etc.) that is responsible for the area you are interested in.

When speaking to one of these individuals, it is imperative that you are prepared with specific questions about specific areas you want to know more about. These folks often get bombarded with generic questions about a unit or area, so the more prepared you are to tap into their knowledge, the more information you will probably be able to extract from them. If you can demonstrate that you have done your homework and are looking to add to it, they will often times be much more willing to give you some true nuggets of information. Calling one of these individuals and asking them, “Where would you suggest I go to hunt elk?” is going to get you a very canned and oft-repeated answer.

Do some homework ahead of time and give them some specific scenarios and questions that they can speak to. Your call should include details, such as: “I am thinking about hunting near Sherman Pass during the early archery season and will be making my approach from the Maystone trail. At what elevation have you seen the most rutting activity in that area during that time?” Or, “Is Maystone trail heavily trafficked during the first half of September?” Demonstrate that you have already tapped into all the available information on the area, and you’re looking for more detailed, current info. “The statistics for the previous year’s hunts are trending in a positive direction — is the herd still healthy after this winter and do you feel this will be another good year for this area?”

Everyone wants good information, but many hunters don’t spend enough time thinking about the specific information they need. Put some effort into your research and preparation, and you will get value out of the information you receive.

MAPPING RESOURCES

If you want to understand elk country, you need to know how to look at it. First, you need to have a map. Secondly, you need to understand what you are looking AT on that map. Lastly, you need to know what you are looking FOR on that map.

TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

The most helpful type of map for outdoor pursuits is also the most common type of map, and that is a topographic map. A topographic map presents a three-dimensional landscape on a two-dimensional surface. We can’t see height and depth on paper or on a screen, but a topographic map can give us a representation of height and depth via “contours.”

Finally, the spacing between contour lines determines how steep or gradual the change in elevation is in that area. For example, in the map image above, there are large contour intervals at the bottom of the map, compared to the very small contour intervals at the top-center of the map. The area at the top of the map has a much steeper incline (the contour lines are very close together), and the area at the bottom of the map has a relatively flatter surface (the contour lines are spaced further apart).

IDENTIFYING TERRAIN FEATURES

Topographic maps excel at representing the 3D height and depth of terrain — the elevation changes that form ridgelines, saddles, ridges, valleys, and other features. Topographic maps can also be helpful for identifying other aspects of an area, such as water sources (lakes, ponds, rivers, creeks, springs, and streams), roads, trails, and named terrain peaks, passes, canyons, valleys, etc. Clearly, water sources, roads, and trails all play a huge role in elk hunting. And the specific (named) terrain features in an area can help you refine your research of the area, as I mentioned above.

Understanding what certain terrain features are, as well as how they can affect your hunt, will be incredibly valuable when I talk about elk habitat in the coming chapters. Here are a few features that you will encounter in elk country:

#3 – Valley – A long stretch of low lands, commonly formed by waterways, in which three directions have higher ground and one direction has lower ground. Usually two opposing inclines are very apparent, while the opposing high/low line (the valley “floor”) may be less distinguished; look for the direction of water flow to determine the high/low direction of the valley floor.

#4 – Bench – A bench isn’t a primary or formal topographical feature, although it is very commonly referenced in hunting. A bench is a flat (or at least comparatively flat) area that exists on the rise of a ridge. A ridge will climb and climb, flatten out to a bench temporarily, and then will continue to climb to the ridge peak. Benches are often found mid-way up a ridge side.

#5 – Draw – A draw or “cut” is similar to a valley, but a valley is typically long and parallel to a ridgeline, whereas a draw is commonly smaller, steeper, and usually perpendicular to the ridge. A draw is commonly created by water flow or rockfall. A draw is identified by “U” or “V-shaped” cuts perpendicular to a ridge, where the narrow portion of the U/V is pointing to higher elevations.

#5 – Spur – A spur is the opposite of a draw, in that a spur is typically the high ground that is left between two draws or cuts. A spur features “U” or “V” shaped contours where the narrow portion of U/V shape point to lower elevations.

#6 – Hilltop or Peak – A hilltop or peak is an area of high ground where the surrounding ground loses elevation in all directions. Hilltops and peaks can be easily identified on topographic maps by looking for contour lines that form complete, concentric circles.

WHERE TO FIND TOPOGRAPHIC MAPS

If you want a printed topographic map to carry in the field with you, MyTopo.com provides a service that allows you to create a custom, just-for-you, map according to the specific size, zoom level, and coverage area you want. You can also include hunting unit boundaries and much more.

THE POWER OF ONX

Perhaps the most powerful resource for mapping that I personally use is a “HUNT Membership” at OnXMaps. A HUNT Membership to OnX will provide you with access to Topo and Aerial Maps on both your computer and your mobile device. And it includes way more than just the Maps.

Then, with these features saved, when you open the app on your mobile device, everything automatically transfers over and is accessible between devices. You now have all of that power at the tip of your fingers…at home AND in the field. And the OnX app allows you to easily download selected maps of your hunting area directly within the app, so you are able to access all of this information without WiFi or cell service when you are in the field!

FIRE MAPS

Elk hunting in the west brings with it a full spectrum of unknowns. In fact, I’ve dedicated an entire Module in this Course just to Common Challenges associated with elk hunting. In Module 11, I will discuss the potential frustrations that can come with forest fires, but since we are talking about mapping resources in this Module, I want to include mapping resources here that can be helpful in keeping up to date on fire activity.

Additionally, these resources can provide information about past fire activity, and alert you to the possibility of finding heavily burned areas that other maps don’t show.

For current forest fire activity: http://inciweb.nwcg.gov/ or https://fsapps.nwcg.gov/afm/ .

A GREAT resource for monitoring current fires, as well as seeing the perimeters and burned areas from previous fires is available through the NIFC (National Interagency Fire Center): NIFC Fire Perimeter Data

As you can see, there are a lot of resources available at your fingertips to help you acquire information that will establish a strong foundation for a successful elk hunt. I definitely utilize all of these resources to some level in all of my hunt planning and scouting, but I feel that the most powerful scouting resource I have access to once I have gathered this information, is Google Earth.

Click 'Next Chapter' Below to learn how to use Google Earth to scout for elk!