Elk bedding

[brady]

For you guys out west, do you see elk bedding/behavior similar to how a whitetail does using thermals and the top third elevation?

[AfootTrack56]

I’ve seen elk bed in the same manner. The spots I’ll be hunting in Arizona this December are almost all wind specific bedding. The bulls I’ve been watching over the last few years have been using the same hideouts to escape hunting pressure. But in those small sanctuaries, they definitely are using wind as a bedding tool. For late season bulls it helps. Not sure about during the rut. Haven’t explored it too much then. Hearing em bugle makes it easier to find em that time of year. It definitely helps narrow down the search area when scouting. It’s pretty amazing how most animals, not just whitetails, use wind to their advantage.

[brady]

Thanks man! heading out to co for first season rifle to a new spot, just trying to get some spots narrowed down from maps and wasn't sure how much I could use my whitetail hill style knowledge and apply it to elk or if they have totally different tendency on how they use terrain

[AfootTrack56]

They use the terrain as well as wind to their advantage. They definitely have more options to bed than most whitetail scenarios, but it still works. And depending on the area, you can usually glass em up. That’s a huge plus. In really steep nasty stuff, I find more primary beds. I think this is due to the fact that it may be the only place to bed without sliding off the mountain. The beds I’ve found like that almost always have bigger bulls in em. They’re dug out and stink like elk. The cows bed just like does do. So that’s easier to make out. Good luck on the hunt!

[Uncle Lou]

Too funny, I was just thinking about this. I am planning to listen to the Truth from the stand pod casts with dan on wind, and probably rewatch Hill Country before I head to CO.

I was talking to my cousin who was headed out archery hunting in Unit 36 in CO on Saturday. I asked him a ton of questions. I have been studying benches (especially north facing), passes, openings, and roads and trails (to guess on pressure).

I would love to hear Stash weigh in on this topic

[First Sit]

No and yes depends on the terrain. Mountains have more of an impact on wind than hills. Plus the elk might be at 9k and the top is 12k so they might bed on a steep hill side mid mountain bench or no bench they don't always bed around that military crest. They seek areas out that are not pressured and leave a lot faster then whitetails once they sense pressure and that move might be miles. Sometimes I find elk beds or elk and wonder why they are there then when I get into the spot I realize why the wind is always swirling in that spot. They really like areas where the wind swirls a lot if it has good security cover. They also j hook into beds. They will bed like whitetails so I would keep that in mind but they will bed different too due depending on terrain.

One area I hunt in CO I'm hunting elk from 9k-12,500k. In a single day I've seen the same elk bed at the highest point and at some point in the day the lowest. I have experience in plateaus and mountains for Elk and have seen variations in bedding with some similarities to whitetails in all of them.

[First Sit]

It’s pretty amazing how most animals, not just whitetails, use wind to their advantage.

I've hunted 7 or 8 different types of big game from AK to AZ and all of them used wind as an advantage for bedding in a lot of cases. As well as females bedding as a group looking multiple directions. I think if they don't have a wind and/or sight advantage they don't last long with predators.