Backpacking for elk: Where to camp and why it matters

If you’re backpacking, where you camp is one of the most my important decisions you make.  Here’s why:

As we talked about in last week’s post, there are lots of tactics to locate elk quickly.  In my opinion, the missing link between finding elk and successfully killing them is where you camp.  Why?  That’s where you end or start the day.  Picking the right spot gives you more options and most importantly, higher quality opportunities.

In this post I’ll break down how close you can actually camp to the elk, why I try to camp at higher elevations, and when I’ll set up camp down low.  Let’s dive in.

How close can you camp to the elk?

Let’s say you’re lucky (or prepared) and you find elk right away.  Depending on your approach, you want to drop your tent before the evening hunt or chase them until last light.  Either way, just how close should you camp to the elk without spooking them?

My answer: far closer than you think.  I’ve spent many nights (and days) camped out within 200-300 yards of where elk are bedded. Several times I’ve had them walk all around my tent at night and wake me up in the morning.  Here’s why being close is a good thing:

• You can sleep in
  • Seriously, this is the main reason I backpack for elk.  You’ll save hours of hiking each morning which gives you extra energy and a clear mind.
• You won’t bump elk in the dark
  • In my opinion, hiking through elk country in the dark is one of easiest ways to scare elk out of your hunting area. They’re usually down low at night and they can see you even though you can’t see them. One spooked elk can set off a chain reaction.
• You’re always on time
  • Even 5 minutes can be the difference between getting an opportunity at an elk.  You’ll never be late in the morning and miss your one opportunity.
• It’s easy to be patient
  • Thermals all wrong?  Take a nap.  Elk bedded in a weird area?  Get them tomorrow.  Without the anxiety of hiking back to your tent you’re much more likely to wait for a good situation to develop.

In my experience, I’d say you’re plenty fine to camp within 400-500 yards of elk.  As always, the most important thing here is wind: don’t camp somewhere the wind will go directly from you to them. Don’t worry, if winds are variable you should still be fine at that distance.

At night, your tent actually acts as a barrier for your scent and, most importantly, your outline. Make sure not to camp close to (or on) any well used trails and you should be fine. The only downside to camping close to elk is that they can keep you up all night if the rut is really in swing.  It’s a great problem to have.

The benefits of camping up high

If you don’t know exactly where the elk are, camping up high is my favorite option. Here’s why:  

• It’s easier to locate elk
  • You can glass a much larger area and you can hear elk further away.
• You can hunt elk all day
  • Cut elk off as they come uphill in the morning, hunt them in their beds at midday (a seriously underrated time), or position yourself for when they move in the evening.
• You have more options
  • It’s easy to monitor several basins and drop down to where you want to hunt.
• You’re less likely to spook elk
  • Elk usually are down low at night, so your presence is less impactful.

Most importantly, you’re setup to be where the elk want to go.  In last week’s post, I talked about how elk generally head uphill in the morning and downhill at night.  So many hunters chase the elk uphill in the morning which, trust me, is hard to do.  It will also tire you out and leave you with bad options to set up for a shot.  In the evening you’ll have time to cut the elk off when they start moving.  Either way, it’s far easier to hunt elk when they want to come to your location.

So why don’t most hunters camp up high?  The main reason is that they don’t want to put in the effort required.  This is where your training can separate you from the pack.  On top of that, there often isn’t water higher up the mountain.  That means you have to use a system that allows you to carry all the water you’ll need for at least a day (which is also heavy).

Finally, it tends to be windier and colder at high elevation.  Even if there isn’t a storm coming (be cautious!), you’ll need the right type of shelter and a truly warm sleeping bag so you’re comfortable in tough conditions. It’s not the easy choice, but trust me, it pays.

Reasons to camp down low

So why is camping down low my second choice?  Well, when you camp lower you’re betting on a smaller area and a smaller window of time.  First, you can’t see as far (or hear as well) so the elk will have to be relatively close.  Second, the window of huntable time you have before elk move uphill (in the morning) or it gets dark (at night) is relatively small.

That said, if I’m confident that elk are hitting that area consistently each day (or I just ended up there when I chased them last night) then camping down low is still a good option.  It’s difficult to have that confidence unless you know an area really well, which is one of the reasons I like hunting locations several years in a row.

It’s essential to pick a good camp spot at lower elevations since you don’t want to spook elk as they transit in or out of that location.  To disguise myself if I camp down low, I use three tactics:

• Camp next to a creek
  • The creek noise disguises your movements and the humidity seems to trap scent.  Just remember to find a section with no sign or trails since elk love water!
• Move off to the side
  • Since air generally flows up and down, find the path the elk are using and move off to the side of it (and slightly uphill from the meadow they’ll be roaming around in!)
• Find a “dead end”
  • Some thick stands of deadfall or timber pockets are just too much for elk to deal with.  They’re great places to camp since you don’t risk one stumbling into your camp.

Summary

Selecting a campsite might seem like a small decision but it actually plays a large role in how you hunt elk.  You can camp much closer to elk than you think: 400-500 yards is fine in most conditions.  If I have the choice, I usually try to camp at higher elevations so it’s easier to locate elk, you can hunt all day, you have more options, and you’re less likely to spook elk.  If you’re confident elk are hitting a certain area, then it can be a good idea to camp down low.

Questions or comments?  Drop me a line here or via the newsletter, I’m always happy to talk.