Elk hunting in dark timber?

[PUDDLE JUMPER]

I have never hunted Elk but am banking preference points for Wyoming. In all my reading it seems hunting big timber is almost treated as a specialty.

Granted, much of what I have read concerns gun hunting and western hunting tends to lean to a more visual style.

Who prefers hunting timber and why? Or why not?

[steadman]

Depends on the time of day and if the timber has fresh elk sign, or I've seen them bed in there. I'm guessing Randy will jump in here and give his experience  

[centaur]

I have done lots of elk hunting, quite a bit less elk killing. You will find that Wyoming elk country has a mix of open parks and black timber. Elk like to bed in the black timber, and a place I used to hunt had some stands of timber that seemed to be elk 'bedrooms' during the rut; there was always some mating activity in the same area, year after year.
You know life is good when you are on a heavily used elk trail in the timber, and the smell of elk permeates the air.
I have seen lots of big bulls in the nasty black timber, but being the sportsman that I am, I have let most of them go unscathed.
Randy Burtis, on the other hand, seems to have to put those big
bulls on the ground.

[FerretWYO]

Industry has moved a lot of people out of hunting in the big timber because they can shoot but they cant hunt.

Timber can and will lend to some great elk hunting. It holds its own pros and cons.

Pro's elk live in the timber...that may sound cheap but its true. That is where they like to be more than anywhere in the early hot part of the season. Big bulls will normally choose to wallow in the seclusion of timber as well.

Cover comes at a premium in some places but in the timber well you get the picture. One of the best elk hunters I know will set up on a bull in sparse timber that borders the thickest stuff he can find. This will force a bull to show himself at shooting distances.

Bulls will tend to push cows into the timber during the day and into the open at night. For this reason I choose where I hunt based on time of day as well as wind and sun direction/temperature.

I will come back with more later.

[DarkTimber]

You'd probably never guess, but the dark timber is my favorite place to hunt them      

Couple of reasons.  If I'm calling the elk just seem more relaxed when they get in the dark timber and I have much higher success on bulls responding to calls. They also seem to be active later in the morning when they're in the timber.   If I'm still hunting or stalking it gives me plenty of cover and typically pretty quite footing as long as there aren't a ton of blow downs.

I won't typically hunt in the timber too late in the morning as I know that's where they'll be bedding up.  If I'm on elk or on heavy sign in the timber I'll typcially just find a good spot and "bed up" myself and wait fot the elk to get active in the afternoon.

Lot's of guys on here that live in elk country and have way more experience than I do.  I'm interested in hearing their experiences as well.    

There's just something about the smell of elk musk and dark timber combined....now I'm getting all excited.    

[wingnut]

I love to hunt elk in the fringe areas of dark timber.  A lesson I learned early is that if you bust elk from their daybed they will probably not return to it.  Because of that I do much as Aaron does and hunt them hard until they bed down and then do the same.  They will be up and down during the day and you will get opportunities especially on satellite bulls as they respond to an occasional cow call during the day.

Mike

[PUDDLE JUMPER]

Good info and much appreciated. I spend the majority of my deer hunting in close proximity of heavy cover. That is what pointed me in this direction.

I would think packing out all that meat might present some additional fun, blow downs and all.

[Montanawidower]

PJ,

I'm not sure what you're reading, but you asked about "big Timber".   I think your question might be more about glassing, than dark timber.  

In parts of the west  (Northern Idaho and Montana west of the Divide, coastal Oregon and Washington) the timber is unbroken.  It goes on for miles.   Yes there are pockets and burns, but mostly its very thick timber.  This country is sometimes hard to hunt with a rifle because glassing is very difficult.  

However, during bow season, glassing to locate bulls is less of an issue.  Often you use your ears more often than your eyes.  Heck, in thick timber the majority of the time you only SEE the bull just before you shoot the Bull!


On the other hand, when I hear "Dark timber", I'm thinking north or east facing slopes.  Those patches of timber are more wet and thus thicker.  Elk use these areas to bed and breed as stated above. If you want to know about Dark timber that's a whole other beast.    

If your asking who hunts big timber, sure I hunt some big timber. To me it just feels like elk hunting .  Give me huge tracts of lodgepole stands, with rubs on fifty trees from 20 years of rutting bulls, and I get pumped.

I also like to hunt burns.... that's kind of our thing.   4-10 year old burns are money for us.  You can glass early and late and the new growth draws bulls from miles around.   I use google earth and try to find east west ridges with north facing timber adjacent to burns.   The flatter and longer the ridge the better.  My hunting partner will probably shoot me for writing this.  

[tracker12]

I have hunted elk in NW Colorado since the early 80's.  Most of the national Forrest I hunt is black timber.  I find it very difficult to actually hunt the timber itself.  When the elk move in that area it is mostly to bed up.  Area is thick and very difficult to navigate.  I have had my best luck hunting the fringes early and late.

[PUDDLE JUMPER]

When I refer to big timber it is exactly what you describe (dark timber). North facing slopes holding Elk trying to get out of the heat ect.

This is where I am at in my learning curve. I have the good fortune to be able to spend time out west every year. Hope to put boots to ground next year and do some scouting.

This hunt is a few years off.

[DarkTimber]

TTT

[Hud]

Dark timber in Western OR, WA can be dense 2nd growth (under 75 yrs old), or old growth, and difficut to hunt. The area is mainly mountains, steep, with deep ravines filled with vine maple, nettles and other stinging plants.

The dense timber blocks light and inhibits growth of plants deer and elk feed on. Elk find security where there are few roads and less humans. They like areas 2 miles from both. Man can't move thru blow-down jungles like elk can, making those spots ideal bedding grounds. They especially like a place where the prevailing wind adds protection.

They will feed in open areas during the night and early morning and then move up hill into thermals and bedding areas, before the wind changes direction and moves up. Finding areas burned by a forest fire about 3-5 yrs old is ideal for feed.

Sometimes the best opportunities are created by glassing several days, early and late to locate feeding areas, and trying to find their travel routes to the bedding areas. If you get caught in their bedding areas, they be move out and not return.

That said, I think Roosevelt Elk love the really nasty stuff and Rocky Mountain Elk like areas they can hide and escape when necessary.

[PUDDLE JUMPER]

The difficulty of hunting this type terrain probably explains why more isn't written about it.

The few people I have spoken with (experienced Elk hunter) emphasized when spooked they cover a lot of ground real fast.

I am green as a gourd on all this, but that's part of the fun. This may be my first guided hunt considering the logistics of just getting the meat out.

Good stuff!

[Tav]

Surprised to see this thread fade away.  I try to go where the elk are and that always puts me in the timber where the wind swirls and unseen twigs snap and elk can appear out of nowhere while you're in mid-step.

[Overspined]

My favorite hunts every yr in CO are in the dark timber.  Few hunters, lots of elk.

[Matty]

Originally posted by Hud:
Dark timber in Western OR, WA can be dense 2nd growth (under 75 yrs old), or old growth, and difficut to hunt. The area is mainly mountains, steep, with deep ravines filled with vine maple, nettles and other stinging plants.

The dense timber blocks light and inhibits growth of plants deer and elk feed on. Elk find security where there are few roads and less humans. They like areas 2 miles from both. Man can't move thru blow-down jungles like elk can, making those spots ideal bedding grounds. They especially like a place where the prevailing wind adds protection.

They will feed in open areas during the night and early morning and then move up hill into thermals and bedding areas, before the wind changes direction and moves up. Finding areas burned by a forest fire about 3-5 yrs old is ideal for feed.

Sometimes the best opportunities are created by glassing several days, early and late to locate feeding areas, and trying to find their travel routes to the bedding areas. If you get caught in their bedding areas, they be move out and not return.

That said, I think Roosevelt Elk love the really nasty stuff and Rocky Mountain Elk like areas they can hide and escape when necessary.

Well put and summed up. 90% of the elk I've seen if not more were in dark timber. Or the trees. I think we all envision elk in something picturesque, like a meadow outside some aspens near a wallow. It's rarely where we think it would be based on looks. Like fishing I think some people choose their flies because they look good to them but that's not necessarily what the fish are eating.
Hunting in the forest I think is A great method but the toughest because ....and you've heard this...
YOU CANT SEE THE FOREST FOR THE TREES
it's tough. Visibility for the human is POOR and great for the defense of your quarry.
The other bad side is you can be walking for miles and hours and not come upon anything simply because nothing is there so it tries our patience too... And we want out.
Bottom line.  Great hunting option in an elk rich area.

[Montanawidower]

Here is a shot I took a couple of seasons back.  The second bull is over Brett's right shoulder.   Check out all of the rubs.....   When you go scouting, look for a major concentration of multiple years worth of rubs.   Those are the favored rut zones and elk will return to them yearly.   One rub here or there isn't it.... you'll know it when you see it.

 

[Montanawidower]

Here is an example.... All of those black spots are old rubs.... There are literally hundreds in this corridor.   Needless to say this area is primo during the early rut.  

 

[PUDDLE JUMPER]

That's impressive. It must be hard not to over hunt an area like that. Do you tend to camp fairly close; or base camp a good distance?

[Cootling]

My favorite elk hunting is dark timber in north Idaho... and it doesn't get much darker than this!