The hardest distance in elk hunting is the last hundred yards. Here are my tips & tactics for getting within bow range of your ultimate goal.
First off, figuring out how to get close to elk is a great problem to have. I’m assuming you already read how to locate elk quickly and know where to camp, so this post focuses on bridging the gap between finding elk and setting up for a shot. First I’ll cover general rules for getting close and then break out my tactics into three parts: calling, stalking, and ambushing.
I’m a big believer that the best elk hunters can transition seamlessly between each of those three methods. While one or two might not be your style, it pays to be ready in case the perfect situation does pop up. Read on to learn more.
General elk hunting rules for closing the distance
Below are the three golden elk hunting “rules” based on an elk’s sense of smell, sight, and hearing. They apply to whatever method you’re using to get in close:
The wind is everything. I’ve mentioned this in several posts for a reason: you simply can’t fool the wind when elk hunting. Elk don’t have the best eyesight, and are fairly immune to noise (if done right), but they’ll clear out of the entire basin if they get a wiff of you from a mile away. I’ve learned this lesson the hard way too many times to count.
I often see east coast hunters with scent lock clothing, sprays, etc but I assure you that you’re just adding dead weight. The only way to get close to an elk is to come in from the side or directly downwind… if the wind in steady. The best piece of elk gear you can buy is a small wind checker that fits in your bino harness. The more accessible it is, the more likely you are to be successful, full stop.
Noise isn’t a big deal (if done right). My buddies are often amazed when I tell them I run toward elk when I’m still a few hundred yards away. Elk are really loud animals: if they feel secure, they’re surprise you with all the noise they make walking through the woods. The key is to make them think you’re an elk if they can hear you. Cover any noise you make with a cow call every 30 seconds or so if you’re moving in fast.
Don’t get me wrong, when you’re within eyesight of an elk, you need to be dead quiet. The key here is to know where that limit is. Generally speaking, once you get within a 100 yards (in thick timber) it’s time to be completely silent. The ability to make a lot of noise and move fast is priceless as long as you know when to turn it off.
Motion and outline matter. Elk aren’t known for their eyesight but they can still nail you from a long way off. The funny thing is that there are only two things they key in on: motion and your outline.
Since an elk’s eyes are on the side of it’s head, it can see almost 280 degrees standing still. The compromise is that they can’t see detail as well, but trust me, they catch motion like crazy. Regardless if you’re wearing camo or not, you need to be completely still if an elk can see you. I’ve had multiple elk within 50 yards stare straight at me for minutes at a time and slowly return to feeding.
Similarly, elk can only identify humans by our outline (ex. They don’t know what a human hand looks like). Camo helps break up your outline, but it’s far more effective to make sure you don’t have a high contrast environment behind you. The textbook example of this is “skylining” yourself on a ridge: it’s really easy to see your outline from miles away. It’s hard to remember, but try to keep dark/neutral objects behind you as you sneak in on elk.
Tactics: Calling elk
Let’s get this out of the way: there are far better elk callers out there than me, so I’m not going to be teaching you how to call. “Elknut” Paul Medel’s app, Roe hunting resources, and Corey Jacobsen’s Elk101 are great resources for that sort of thing. That said, here are some hard won tips from somebody who is closer to your ability level than a world class caller:
Call sparingly. Many world class callers and YouTubers focus on covering ground to find vocal elk. While that strategy works if you’re willing to pass up the 95% of elk that aren’t vocal (and it does make awesome TV), it’s not a great fit for the majority of hunters who aren’t all-star callers. Elk in OTC units have heard thousands of calls and often are wary to call because of wolves as well. Every time you call, you put an exact pin on your location to warn them off.
Several times I’ve even seen elk spook when hunters bugled on the other side of the valley. Personally, I only location bugle a few times a day and spend the majority of time with mellower cow calls. Cow calls are far less intrusive and much harder to screw up than bull vocalizations. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had some awesome bugling matches (and shot opportunities) by calling, but you wont question when a bull is fired up. In the mean time, stay quiet.
The secret weapon: the rake. In my experience, raking is on the most underrated tactics in elk hunting. It’s easy to do, hard to screw up, and elk are far less wary of it since it’s used infrequently. If a bull is bugling with any sort of consistency I’ll generally stay silent until I get within 100 yards or so of him. At that point I’ll rake a tree (or have a partner do it) and get ready since they often come in quick. Just make sure sure to run up a few yards if you’re solo.
Always wait for 45+ minutes. I’ve learned this one the hard way more times than I like to count. When you set up a blind calling sequence (i.e. you’re not calling in a specific elk) you need to give elk time to come in. I’ve been blown away by the amount of elk that walk in at the 45-60 min mark. It’s even more impressive that they usually walk within 5-10 feet of where you called from, even if you shut up a while back.
It also pays to always knock an arrow when you’re waiting for elk to show. It’s near impossible to stay concealed as you grope around for an arrow when the elk do show up. I almost lost an elk this way once and I won’t do it again.
Tactics: Stalking
This is my personal favorite elk hunting technique because it works so well. Here are some general pointers:
Patience, patience, patience. Even the best stalkers in the world can’t overcome a bad setup, so they have the patience to wait for the right moment. I’ve spent entire days waiting for the right wind and opportunity to approach an elk. The only thing worse than waiting is knowing you’ve spooked the elk. It takes even longer to find new ones.
Come in sideways. Most predators come straight at prey and the prey (elk) are very good at sensing that. When you’re stalking in on elk, try to chart a path to the side of them, ideally in the direction they want to go (wind willing). If you accidentally make noise, you’re far less threatening than if you went in direct. That’s especially true if other elk are milling around in the general vicinity.
Slow is fast. Remember those rules about motion and sight? If the elk can’t see you, it’s fine to start running or moving as fast as you can stay silent. Once you’re within easy eyesight range, a good rule is to never move faster than the speed at which you can freeze instantly. No, not after one step, or when you shift your weight, I mean instantly. That’s what makes successful stalks.
Tactics: Ambushing
Calling and stalking are incredibly fun, but there are times when the best odds are to sit a wallow, trail, or meadow that the elk are hitting each night. Here are my tactics:
Find the broken link. As I talked about earlier, elk are experts at always heading into the wind and finding routes that play to their strengths. They’ve lived there for far longer than you and are only alive because they intuitively know which routes play to their strengths. However, nothing is perfect in the woods and there are always one or two “broken links” in that chain that take a good deal of experience to identify.
As an example, there is a valley where I hunt that has very predictable wind going up/down it in the morning/evening. Trying to ambush an elk anywhere along that route is a fools errand since the elk will smell you every time. However, last year a giant slide piled a bunch of timber across the trail the elk take up the side of the valley. That “broken link” forces the elk to drop down to the creek (sideways to the wind) to get around the obstruction. That’s the perfect pinch point to set up for a hunt.
Get in there midday. Many hunters walk into an area to set up an ambush an hour or so before they hunt, which is the exact wrong thing to do. At that point the winds have already switched and are blowing their scent all into where the elk will be coming from. The elk will quietly turn around and leave the area without you knowing it. Sadly I’ve seen this happen on game cams after I set up on the “perfect” spot too late in the evening.
As we covered above, elk only hit areas where they can smell things far ahead of them. To ambush elk in those areas, it’s best to move into location during midday when the winds are neutral. You can always take a nap on site!
Stop every 5 minutes or less. Even the most mundane hike can turn into an opportunity if you hear or see the elk before they see you. It’s almost impossible to do that if you’re moving, especially off trail. Even if I’m 200 yards from the car, I always stop at least every 5 minutes to listen and look around… I’ve had a lot of good opportunities pop up just by taking it slow.
In summary: elk hunting tactics
No matter what elk hunting strategy you use, make sure to pay attention to the wind, keep noise to a minimum (or cover it up), and pay attention to your outline and background. Your ability to switch between calling, stalking, and ambushing will make you a far more successful hunter than using just one technique. Try out a few of the tactics I outlined above and I promise you’ll be surprised with the results.
Comments, thoughts, questions? Let me know in the comments below.