BTHOtu

My hunting parter and I drew Bull Elk rifle for one of the rim units in AZ. The season starts in two weeks. We have been scouting, picked campsite, located elk, etc. We plan on showing up a day early and hunting the full 7 days. Everything is ready to go. There are elk all over the unit from the higher country to the lower, but there will be lots of hunters also. The area we are concentrating on has larger meadows, with a good deal of escape cover. It is a good place, but I think a lot of other hunters will be there also. I don't think we will have trouble getting an opportunity at a elk.

My question is: With all of the pressure that will likely be in the area, will the big boys still show up in the open meadows at dawn and dusk, or will they try to find more secluded small meadows for feeding?

We will probably end up playing it by ear, but I am looking for any bits of wisdom I can find. Any help is highly appreciated.

ELKampMaster

BT

I direct answer to your question, it is my experience that the "big boys" may show up the first morning of the first day, beyond that don't count on much cooperation.

Lots of hunting pressure, okay, but I don't know how far you will be from the road, I'm assuming close enough that the "other guys" are going to be right in there with you. Personally, I never assume that I will be the first one "on the spot" (though I always try). Without knowing the exact specifics of your situation....

Locate the escape routes from the pressure.... usually towards higher ground, heavy timber (if they have such a thing in Arizona) or towards private property. Then set up the ambush on the escape route and let the other hunters do the work in driving them to you.... also,

Most hunters cannot endure a full seven days of full blown elk pursuit. More valuable IMHO is to arrive at least 2 days in advance and make sure that nothing, absolutely nothing, interfers with your being at THE place 60 to 90 minutes before sunrise on the opening day of the season.

I do not know the reputation of this area, but I would put forth that if you assume that you will have one hell of a hard time getting a decent opportunity on an elk that it will serve you better than assuming it is going to be easy.

Just my thoughts based on sketchy information about a hunt in a different climate/topography than I am accustomed to.

EKM

BTHOtu

Thanks for the advice.

I should rephrase my comments about having no trouble getting a elk. We intend on putting a great deal of effort into hunting while we are out there. Given that(and how our last scouting trip went), I believe we will have at least one opportunity at 'A' elk. My partner is mostly a trophy hunter(He has consistently pulled 18+ point mule deer in North Dakota where he recently moved from). I am in a transition phase where I would like to hunt at that level. Both of us intend on being selective about the elk we want. I am trying to figure out if the bigger bulls are likely to have different behavior than the smaller ones(such as avoid all open areas and hide when the pressure is on, or would they still venture out in the open).

I am sure after our trip I will know a lot more, but this is my first elk hunt, and I want to be as prepared as possible. I do intend on having one hell of a time and learning a lot, regardless of whether or not we come home with anything for the freezer.

BTHOtu

It is difficult to be far from the road in the area we will be hunting, but we will be as far as possible. There are a lot of trails running all through the entire unit. We did some scouting during the archery season in the same unit, and discovered the tactics of a lot of people is to drive around in trucks or on atvs hoping to come across something.

We will be arriving one full day early, I would like to be getting there earlier, but that is all our work schedules allow.

There is some real heavy timber in rough country at the higher elevations on one end of the unit. The opposite end is all open plains. We are planning on being in the area where the thick stuff starts to thin out a little. From many other sources, the elk tend to travel to the wider open areas in the season we are hunting. We are hoping that being in a place on the edge of the thick stuff, but where we can still see, that we will have success.

BTHOtu

Conversation with myself now More of a reflection of what the last 6 months have been. I can't keep my mind off of this hunt.

I am wondering if I am overconfident. I believe we will have an opportunity(execution is a whole other story) given what we have seen while scouting, along with the skills my partner has. Am I just living in fairy-tale land?