If you were in sheep country, I'd have to agree with the strategy, if you put a shooter ram to bed, because they'd probably stay in same general locale.
LOL
I used to bivy hunt all the time, staying with the elk as much as possible. They don't seem to be nearly as spoked by people or human scent in the dark.
One example: After dogging the herd all afternoon, I "camped" under a huge spruce on the edge of an aspen/meadow area about 100 yards below a wallow. (No fire, or stove, just cold food - always). The downhill branches of the spruce had recently been raked by a bull. During the night, after the moon was up, I was awakened by the sounds of elk walking and talking, and soon a bull bugling near the wallow. Soon enough the bull sauntered up to the tree I was under, and started to lightly rub the branches. I was laying there, up on one elbow, close enough to touch his nose. By the time I realized I might be in trouble if he got serious about abusing the tree, he noticed something - me, under the tree. He jumped back a few yards, stopped and looked over his shoulder. When nothing chased him, he just wandered off. I lingered there for a while in the morning, and the herd returned. The bull wasn't what I wanted, so I let him walk.
Many times over the years I had elk very close (another time, almost stepped on) and been serenaded most of the night while bivouacking this way.
Even if they weren't still there in the morning, those were memorable nights!
IMO, you should be within 500 yards of them by legal shooting light if you know where they are.
Walking around doing locators from 6-8 AM when you should be on them hunting, is time wasted.
Early bird gets the worm.
Then wake up earlier and be in their area well before sunup or sleep near them if that's far away - that's what I'm saying.
I was within 500 yards of elk before shooting light 6 of 10 days in a grizz/wolf infested general tag zone in WY last year and I hunted 4 different spots. The common denominator was leaving camp with enough darkness to hike at least 3 miles (with a half-crippled partner) and follow the bugles and upon finding them, getting on them before light and not hunting them when the wind sucks, which blows them out.
I think the number 1 mistake unsuccessful elk hunters do is hunting high pressure zones like CO OTC. I think the number 2 mistake they make is hunting elk in their beds after 9 AM (or hiking too far to elk and getting on them after legal shooting light which drastically cuts the amount of time they can be hunted with predictable winds), which sets them up for swirling winds and blowing elk out of an area where they know they are which means starting over at square one: hiking a million miles looking for elk. It's a story I read over and over and over from folks who hunt hard, but are unsuccessful year after year.
My first year elk hunting, I did the same thing. I thought my strong legs were what would buy me success. I've been successful ever since reading a certain someone's advice to let them rest and hunt them the next day instead.
Doesn't it make sense, that they would learn to survive by only sitting down to sleep while the wind gave them the advantage to bust stalking predators?
Except for equipment or backpacking advice, when it comes to hunting, I'm only posting if I've read someone else's advice who is much more experienced than I am, and then put that advice into practice with successful results. I killed my first elk with 23 months of hunting (not elk hunting, not bow hunting, hunting period) experience.
Getting on top of elk before 1st light and leaving them alone if I haven't loosed an arrow by 10AM is advice that I read from Dan Moore after my first unsuccessful elk season. Since putting into practice his advice, I'm 2 for 2. If it works, it's worth repeating.
I have nothing but respect for you Bob, which is why I explain myself.
If they are in a remote basin with little pressure, yep, you want to be right there close at first light.
Being too close can cause problems as I have had elk get down wind of my sleeping during the night and send out loud warning barks.
Now I may bivy sleep down wind, but a 1/4 mile away and still be able to hear them in the night.
Most often, I will wake up around 3am, and do a locator call on the bugle.
Yea, there have been times when the elk herd kept me awake most of the night or an unknown bull bugles across the meadow an hour before day light.
Time to go hunting and sounds I would have never heard if I had not been there early and all night.
Sort of like the tree falling in the forest. The question may be, "if elk bugles in the night, and no one hears the sound, did it really happen at all."
If you are not there, I guess it did not happen.
My best, Paul
Best of Luck, Jeff
As stated by Ziek previously, if you are going to "sleep amongst them", I would definitely plan on cold meals....no fires.
However, I have previously wondered if fires make a difference either....they might smell smoke more often than human scent in really dry areas.
As is ALWAYS the case, people will have stories which can support either course of action. However, there are some commonalities....no one disagrees that it is imperative to be IN your elk area before (or no later than) first light.
Almost.
Night #1- I had a herd of elk come out around midnight and they were going wild. I had bulls bugling, fighting, cows calling, you name it. I had two different elk come so close to my tent I could here their footsteps. I thought I was going to get trampled as the bulls were getting chased by what I suspect is the herd bull. This went on until 5 AM or so. Needless to say, I was ready to go in the morning, but would need a nap later!
Another time my buddy and I had a bull bugling while we tried to sleep. He kept getting closer. He finally was so close, we could hear him breathing. He bugled so close I thought my tent was vibrating! He finally spooked as our 7 day old clothes must have spooked him. In the morning, we could see his hoof prints and where he spooked. He was 12 yards from my buddies tent.
I have learned from these incidents. Yeh it is cool, but I have an aversion to getting busted. I like setting up my camp at the edge of a steep cliff. (Think where a mule deer would bed. Anything going low will have to try real hard, and anything above will likely pass without getting a wiff.
