Hunting Bedding Areas; A Change of Heart
Elk
So a few years back I got flamed pretty hard for hinting at hunting elk in their bedding areas. I'm just wondering if that opinion to stay out of bedding areas has changed much or is it still the same? Stay out of the bedding areas!!!!!!! ;)
Not a simple yes or no. Depends on how many elk and hunters are in the area. If there are lots of elk and not many hunters I am fine pressuring them more. If there are not as many elk or more hunters I may not push them as much. The last two days of my hunt the rules may change.
I have found that by staying out of bedding areas you will not push them out to the next 20 miles. In most places we hunt, elk are pretty easy to pattern but once you step foot into their bedding areas they are gone for good.Finding a bedding area and working with it as they exit or return has killed a lot of elk.
As TurboT said, the last two days of the hunt that rule may change but if you have the full two weeks, don't blow their bedroom up.
I won't hunt bedding areas unless it's the last day or two of my hunt. At that point, there's nothing to lose. Up till then, I'll try to call the bull to me from the fringe of their bedding area, but if he balks, I'll bide my time and back out. Once I've found elk, I want them to stay in the general area as long as possible.
Although I cherish anytime in the elk woods, I much prefer to hunt elk, as opposed to hunting FOR elk!
On my AZ hunt, the bulls called all day but wouldn't come in. I changed it up, sleeping in and leaving about 8 in the morning. I then found/followed bugling bulls till they bedded and then snuck in on them. In three days I snuck to 20 yards of 4 bulls. I spent two hours less than 20 yards from bull #3 and killed bull #4. Not sure I would do that everywhere I've hunted but it worked well in that unit and that particular year.
Last Season on day 2, I lost a bull with a shoulder blade hit. Looked for him for a thousand yards in dark timber in every direction for 3 days, leaving my scent all over the place.
On the third day I looked for him, there were elk bedded right there again. Made me re-think about hunting near bedding areas. Ended up killing a bull in the same area on day 7.
I really think it is area-dependent. This was during muzzy week, and it is very big and steep dark timber ridge, tough for most hunters to access.
The elk may relocate on the ridge if bumped, but they do not seem to leave the area due to surrounding pressure. It seems to be a "safe zone" to the elk in that area.
Best of Luck, Jeff
I killed two bulls this year in there bedrooms I think its the best place to kill a bull .
Sometimes they are back in their bedroom at daybreak, I'm not going to sleep in.
I'm not an experienced elk hunter, but my decision is based on how many guys are in the unit and who I'm with.
Lot's of pressure? You might as well since someone else will.
Is your partner deaf and unable to stalk quietly? Back out.
I'm with Cityhunter... hunt them where they are. Make it happen. If you know for a fact it's their bedding area just act accordingly. Slow down to a snails pace and make sure every move is calculated.
If it doesn't pan out I sure hope you have a plan B. You need a plan B (& c & d) anyway right? Hell... if you don't get in there someone else will eventually. What good is that?
I hunt bedding areas with good success. You better know every nook and cranny of it tho
im dumb so i hunt them where they are, blow them out of their beds, into the next county?? Chase them all over!! Maybe ill get smart one of these days. I screw things up 7 out of 10 times, however I've found they have more than one bed.
That depends if they are bedding on public next to private I would leave them alone and not risk pushing them where you can't go.
Ask yourself this. If I was a Native American what would I do to harvest an animal like a wapiti. Sneak in on them while their bedding!!
Mine got up out of his bed and found an arrow. It was however 3 days till lift off.
BowCross Skin... the key, as cnelk said, is to know every nook and cranny. But the only way to do that is to learn from experience. So when you go in there and get busted look at it as a learning experience. An investment in future hunts. So make sure you study the place closely and learn as much as you can when you are there. Look at the actual beds where the elk were laying. See what they can see and which way the wind is drifting. Look for the weakness in the spot. They will be back and therefore it's a good place to hunt... as long as you have a solid plan.
Your other comment is very true. They have other places to bed. Those places aren't necessarily in the next county either. The myth about elk running a hundred miles when spooked is bull. They may move over one hole or ridge. If they really got a noseful they may move 3 ridges away... a mile. But the idea is simply to leave the danger behind not head to a limited draw unit! I've missed elk... with a gun, and then killed them a half mile away where they stopped and turned to look back to see if their enemy even bothered to follow them. The trick there was not to follow directly behind but instead make a half circle and come in from the side.
If I was a Native American I'd be doing what Ishi did, which was call and decoy them in using a doe/cow hat.
Oh wait, I guess I already do that.
The problem with inexperienced hunters messing around with bedding areas is that there's only one good thing that can happen, but thirty things that can go wrong (depending upon the size if the herd). It can be a good learning experience so long as your have other elk nearby to hunt. And it can also teach you why all the elk that were on your mountain a few days ago are now grazing contentedly on that big ranch across the highway.
I tend to agree with Jaq especially on OTc ground but my strategy depends on the unit and situation. I would never recommend blasting in there and challenging.
I have had good luck carefully working the edges of bedding areas- patiently calling into them......sometimes slowly crawling in on them and waiting for the bull to make his rounds- that sort of thing. Calling to them; If there is no response...I let them be as they are telling you they don't want to play.
The bedding is the best place to encounter the herd bull, at this point the cows are bedded and relaxing , the herd bull finds little time to rest , sat bulls keep him up on his feet . Even if seen by a few elk all is not lost as long as they dont get your wind . What i like to do is try and penetrate the bedding until i see elk. Then i challenge the bull with the loudest bugle i can belt out , I enter the bedding at a snails pace until i see elk constantly checking the wind , i sometimes back out and try a diff approach. For yrs i tried cutting them off from food to bed but usually they are always one step ahead of me .
Lou i once took a newbie elk hunting he blew a chip shot at a sat bull i could tell we were seen but maybe not Identified . I turned to walk back out and away from the herd . The herd was still talking but i knew it best to leave them alone ,, but the new guy said why we leaving the screaming bulls ,, I explained we pushed our limits , let them be in 2 days we can come back . He insisted we try one more time i warned him about the thermals and so on if they get our wind we wont see any elk down in this canyon . Some have to learn the hard way we made a move towards the talking herd wind was good the bulls we eager to challenge my bugles ,, he moved up a bull was coming in !!! then all went silent !!! Hunter moved up but never checked his wind , he said he felt the wind on his neck blowing into the herd .. GAME OVER. I took him back there next morning to listen to the silence of the wind !! No elk in the canyon I told him so !!!
"blasting" in there is definitely not the way to go. if you know what you're doing you should be moving like the shadows and glassing intently before every singlestep.
I guess there are lots of surrounding circumstances. Where I hunt there's no such thing as a ranch across the highway. Only another ridge and somewhere else to bed and feed.
Having other elk nearby to hunt is a huge statement. If things really go down the tubes I always know a place where I can do a 180 and start over. If I didn't have that option I'd be skirting the bedding area like it was a minefield waiting for them to make the first move.
Busting elk out of their bedding area is probably not a great idea for many reasons. There may be other hunters that hunt this area and by busting the elk out, you are messing up their hunts. I would not be too happy if I had invested a lot of time and boot leather in learning where the herd was feeding/bedding only to find out that some other hunter busted them out a few days before I was hunting and now the elk are long gone. The Golden Rule probably applies.
I would say that you should hunt however you enjoy it. If you blow them out then it is up to the next guy to improvise and either find more elk or change areas.
If people are worried about someone else getting in the way of them killing an elk they found during scouting, than private land might be a little more up their alley.
I will absolutely hunt them in their beds. Typically, I'm into elk in the morning hrs and have an idea when they've bedded. I may not know exactly where they are but know I'm in close proximity. Close enough to hear them bugle. I don't go blindly into the bedding areas but rather sit and wait, eat some lunch and maybe nap a little myself. Frequently bedded bulls bugle and when they do I go after them... Essentially, I let them call me in. I do not bugle back as I don't want them to know I'm there. It's a sneak attack . Every move calculated.
This scenario has ben repeated many times... It's a challenging, fun way to hunt.
I rarely "blow em out". More often they don't know how close they were to death before they sense something is wrong and simply get up and move.
Seems that opinions are changing and plenty are killing in and around the bedding areas. Good stuff!
I will absolutely hunt them in their beds. Typically, I'm into elk in the morning hrs and have an idea when they've bedded. I may not know exactly where they are but know I'm in close proximity. Close enough to hear them bugle. I don't go blindly into the bedding areas but rather sit and wait, eat some lunch and maybe nap a little myself. Frequently bedded bulls bugle and when they do I go after them... Essentially, I let them call me in. I do not bugle back as I don't want them to know I'm there. It's a sneak attack . Every move calculated.
This scenario has ben repeated many times... It's a challenging, fun way to hunt.
I rarely "blow em out". More often they don't know how close they were to death before they sense something is wrong and simply get up and move.
The average guy shouldn't but if you know what your doing absolutely...
I tend to stay out of bedding areas. The problem I run into most often is the swirling winds. Seems like where elk I hunt bed the wind is always blowing all over the place from different directions.
I think a guy could hunt bedding areas with some good success. I will usually stay out of them, but I'm not afraid to hunt them either.
a question for David A. How does the "average" guy learn unless he gets in there and screws up a couple times? :)
Last year on the Co opener I called in a bull in a bedding area. I did a cold call set in an area I knew had to have elk bedding close by. It was just past 12 noon when he showed up. The only problem was he was a spike.
I am an average guy been elk hunting four times.
Do you think there is difference between residential non migratory herds that just do not una$$ the area. This has been my experience in AZ, NM, but not Montana.
I know that I will probably get an elk is an elk wherever you are.
If you want to hunt all day and especially herd bulls is there another option other than hunting bedding areas? Do you not have to get within his zone to get the bull to respond?
Remember that I have limited experience but I cannot not hunt all day. Albeit, I have several bulls within bedding areas. I have not had much luck from 1:30ish to 3:30.
Rocky, my fav time is from about 4 and after. I sit right on the edge of a bedding area and just listen until then. I dont back out! Once I find them, I stay with them. I have found that even in the most silent of elk, I have been able to get them talking once they get up from their beds and start feeding around. Then its game on. Between 4 and 7. As a lone hunter I call and move toward the vocal bull hoping to meet him on the trail. Ive killed my first 2 bulls like this the last couple years in their bedding areas.
I believe the biggest difference is the vegetation. The cover in the unit I snuck in on those 4 AZ bulls is vastly different than the bedding area I looked at last year here in OR. In AZ they simply found a patch of cover that hadn't completely burned up. In OR last year, the bedding area was heavy canopy Fir spaced close enough to make it a nuisance to get thru but provided good visibility. Here, I would tend to stay on the fringe and try to tag him when he checks on his cows vs AZ where I snuck right in on him.
It should be stated that a bedding area isnt used every day. It could be, but chances are not.
It would be a great benefit to know of 2-3 bedding areas so you can mix it up.
Also, you should be sure what a bedding area is, or looks like before you call it a bedding area. I know a great bedding area that most guys wouldnt even think twice it is one. Its a old timbered clearcut that has young trees about 15ft tall. Thick. Cant see 10 ft
You wont go in there, you stay on the fringe and watch the wind.
It all depends on the situation.....sometimes all you do is save the bedding area for some other knucklehead to push the elk out of.
