question about elk hunting and maps

[blacktail]

#2657

when looking at a map to find areas that might have elk..what do you look for on the map..thanks john

[David Petersen]

#12299

Absence of roads or motorized ATV trails.

Water, esp. remote sources like springs.

Timbered benches and avalanche chutes.

Aspens (where they occur)

“Common knowledge” is that north slopes are better–cooler, more moisture, richer forage, denser cover–which is mostly but not entirely true depending on local specifics.

Absence of clear-cuts

I also try to avoid areas where livestock is grazing, but a map doesn’t help much there.

[SDMFer]

#12723

First thing I do is put a 1 mile buffer around all open and “closed” roads. Easy if your handy with GIS.

Make sure to include “closed” roads, since most are anything but.

If the imagery from google earth is new enough for your area its a good resourse. Unfourtunately, new roads pop up so fast in some areas 3 year old scenes are too old to see the new “access” points.

After that, back to what Dave said.

[Clay Hayes]

#14595

In addition to the good advice above, I’d expand a little on what Dave said about timbered benches. Elk tend to bed up on isolated benches. Look for features on your topo where the slope flattens out a little (it doesn’t have to be much) somewhere off the main ridge. Also, saddles on little, out of the way, finger ridges are good for holding elk mid day. Water’s not so important in my country. It’s everywhere. And, unlike southen Idaho, I’ve never seen an elk at a wallow in north idaho.

In the country I hunt, I’ll key in on smaller, isolated timber harvests (clearcut or otherwise) or recent burns on north slopes during the early morning. They tend to be too warm on early season afternoons, but they’re cool enough in the mornings for elk to be using them. The sunlight hitting the ground stimulates forage production, and the north slopes tend to be moister and cooler.

ch

[sinawalli]

#15130

David Petersen wrote: Absence of roads or motorized ATV trails.

Water, esp. remote sources like springs.

Timbered benches and avalanche chutes.

Aspens (where they occur)

“Common knowledge” is that north slopes are better–cooler, more moisture, richer forage, denser cover–which is mostly but not entirely true depending on local specifics.

Absence of clear-cuts

I also try to avoid areas where livestock is grazing, but a map doesn’t help much there.

“Absence of roads or motorized ATV trails” that’s a tall order here in Alberta! I do aim to find some this fall though!;)

Problem is, lots of the zones in areas you describe are in the foothills, and are deemed trophy zones which are 6 points or larger!

Grazing leases and private farmers fields are often prime elk spots here.

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